Another, part 2

Unfortunately for me, I didn’t write down a summary of the 2nd half of this manga after I read it >.<; so we’ll just have to go from my bad memory. I know how it ends, so this recounting won’t be very thorough

main character keeps talking to Misaki even though he’s not supposed to, but since everyone ignores her, he’s starting to think she might actually be a ghost. because of his disobedience, his classmates start to ignore him, too -but he doesn’t know why. 1 day, they see him and the next they don’t. now that he’s shunned, too, Misaki talks to him more freely, and it helps the main guy keep his sanity (don’t ignore people; being overlooked and ignored is very taxing on the psyche when you’re in middle school -and high school and any other time in your life).

they hang out in the library more, and the librarian talks to them even though their own teachers won’t. turns out, the librarian used to teach class C, but he couldn’t handle the deaths and eventually he became the librarian instead. the deaths don’t happen every year; there has to be a trigger, and sometimes there are “off years” where no one dies. but if the trigger happens, then someone dies every month for the rest of the school year. even teachers can be hit by it -if they teach class C.

the main character’s mom died during one of these death years, but she had already graduated. her sister (main guy’s aunt) had been in the class at the time, but her memories are hazy. the students’ memories (and teachers’) are always hazy about it. apparently the curse can change people’s memories.

we find out from Misaki and the librarian that since the original death 26 years ago, there’s always a wrong number of people in the class during death years; there’s an extra student. and one year, the deaths stopped partway through the year, but no one can remember why.

during this year, class C’s teacher dies. he goes crazy from the stress, kills his mother, and then kills himself in front of his students. it’s a traumatizing experience, and after that, they stop ignoring Misaki and main guy; it’s too late to try and stop the deaths, so their rule of ignoring them no longer matters. they’d hoped that by ignoring 1 student -and then the new guy- they could appease the curse, but that clearly isn’t working. so now the assistant teacher is in charge, and she’s terrified.

the 1 year the deaths stopped early, the class had gone on a school trip, so the assistant teacher sets that up. she just wants to stop this curse; she doesn’t want to die. but that trip in the past resulted in 3 deaths before finally stopping, and no one knows what else might’ve triggered the stop. so everyone’s freaked out.

somehow, Misaki and main guy learn from a former student what stopped the deaths that year. he left a recording at the school that main guy and co have to find and listen to. over the years, his memory has faded, so the recording is the only way to know. during the trip, the group listens to it, and the new class rep girl overhears. to stop the curse early, you must kill the extra student because they’re actually already dead. kill the ghost and the other deaths stop. but even the ghost doesn’t realize they’re a ghost, no one can tell who it is.

now the group’s terrified; they don’t tell anyone else because they don’t want to start a panic/murder fest. unfortunately, 1 friend thinks their other friend must be the ghost, so he tries to kill him that night. class rep girl also goes after Misaki because surely she’s the ghost. main guy wonders if he’s really the ghost. a fire also starts somehow, so now everyone in the hotel’s in danger.

all the students are wrong; friend B isn’t the ghost, Misaki’s not the ghost, and main guy’s not the ghost. Misaki has a doll’s eye in her right(maybe?) eye, and it’s blue (this was brought up early in the manga; I just didn’t include it last time because I wasn’t sure why it was important). with it, she can see who’s actually alive or dead. she’s known who the ghost is (which is very convenient), and now she knows she has to kill the ghost; she hasn’t wanted to take a life, but it’s the only way (which is understandable; she’s in freaking middle school; no one should have to do this!)

main guy saves Misaki; friend B survived his attack -barely-, and the fire gets put out by the rain. Misaki tells main guy about her ability, clears him of his own panic, and reluctantly tells him who the ghost really is. it’s their assistant teacher, aka: his aunt who looks like his mother, who’s treated him like a son (it’s only revealed now that she’s the assistant teacher). his mother died because aunt was a student in class C; main guy visited once as a child -to attend aunt’s funeral-; grandparents never acknowledged her all year and kept mourning someone other than main guy’s mom; no other class has an assistant teacher. the signs were there, just very subtle

main guy doesn’t let Misaki kill his aunt; he does it himself, and the curse is lifted. none of the other students remember his aunt, even the student who had a crush on her; only Misaki and main guy remember since they were the closest to the situation/were the ones who caused her death. in time, they’ll probably forget, too.

and weirdly enough, I don’t remember what happens after that? that might’ve been the end >.<;; but the mystery(?) has been solved, and the plot is done, so maybe that’s where the manga actually ended! I’ll check on that, too, when/if I eventually get the back cover info.

wasn’t this manga a wild ride? @.@

to read my full review of this manga, please click here.