After reading the novel and watching the anime, I had high hopes for Another Episode S/0. I was looking forward to finding new information that might give me some clues about the Curse of Class 3.
Sadly, that didn’t happen. Nevertheless, I want to sing praises for this book because I did enjoy some of it.
I didn’t see the final twist coming, and I was grateful for the final chapter’s explanation of the events. The prequel manga, 0, didn’t give me anything new, but it reaffirmed the tragedy Koichi went through when he killed Reiko.
Episode S
I was looking forward to getting inside Mei’s head. It would’ve been interesting to see how she was coping with the Curse and her role as being “not there.”
Sadly, we don’t get that. Episode S starts a couple of months after the Calamity ended, but Koichi hasn’t returned to Tokyo.
Koichi decides to visit Mei, and she lets him inside. She then asks him if he wants to know what happened to her during the week she was away from Yomiyama.
About how she met the ghost of the first, Sakaki, since Koichi is a horror nut, he agrees, and Mei begins.
Except it’s told through the ghost’s point of view instead of Mei’s. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing, except there are details she shouldn’t know about or be able to guess, given the length of time that has passed.
Sadly, the book has around 30-50 pages of info dumping, back-tracking, and repeating. The book has a little over 200 pages, not including the ones reserved for the manga.
There wasn’t enough time for useless information! But it does make several things clear. Teruya Sakaki is dead.
We know when, where, and what ended his life. But his death wasn’t made public, nor is his body anywhere to be found.
Teruya Sakaki was a member of Class 3 in 1987, which is one of the on years. But he didn’t die because of the Curse.
And there haven’t been any ghosts before him, so what’s happening? Episode S is a fantastic mystery novel when it gets to the point.
Mei herself gives us many clues while telling the story to Koichi. And it’s adorable watching Koichi trying to figure out the mystery while referencing famous horror movies.
Only for Mei to say she’s never heard of it. Episode S also may have given us a hint about who will be affected in Another 2001.
Which is coming out on December 13, 2022, and I can’t wait to see if I’m right!
Episode 0
I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be 0 or O, but the prequel manga is short and sweet. We see Reiko during her third year of middle school, and it turns out as you expect.
Students and their family members within two degrees begin dying, the first being Reiko’s childhood friend. Then, finally, we get brief moments with a younger Mr. Chibiki, a baby Koichi, and his mother, Ritsuko.
Thankfully, we don’t see the moment of Ritsuko’s death, but we do see her dying. And Ritsuko appears to be visited by a shadow figure she calls, Misaki-kun.
As in, the original Misaki, whom she went to school with during their third year of middle school! Both the anime and the novel made a point of keeping the deaths as due to illness or tragic accidents.
So why would Misaki visit Ritsuko while she’s dying? Will he appear in the Another manga, or was this a special event because Ritsuko was his classmate?
What will happen in Another 2001? Will Koichi make an appearance, or will he remain the main character?
Let’s find out together in a few months, and I’ll order the manga in the meantime!