エンジェルビーツ Episode 09
Angel Beats! – 09

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Tenshi is unconscious and Yuri leaves her in Otonashi’s care. The SSS gather in their meeting place where Shiina’s speaking up during the meeting reflects the gravity of the issue — which Tenshi will wake up? Otonashi falls asleep at Tenshi’s bed and dreams of his final days on Earth. After the subway crash, he and a few other survivors (including a guy named Igarashi) lived for seven days. Otonashi took charge and though there were a few problems and a death, the others lived to get rescued after they all followed Otonashi’s lead and signed their organ donor card. Unfortunately, Otonashi died just as the rescuers arrived.

Otonashi awakens to Tenshi patting his head. She has successfully reincorporated her other selves and Otonashi tells her of his life. Now that he has no regrets, he should be disappearing, but he isn’t. Further, he realizes that Tenshi has been guiding them, trying to get them to live a normal life rather than the harsh life they had as kids and thus be able to pass on. As Otonashi and Tenshi continue to talk, he realizes he wants to save Yuri and thus forms a partnership with Tenshi whereby she will resume her role as president of the student council, giving something for Yuri to be distracted by. With an enemy to fight again, Otonashi plans to learn all of their live stories and get them all to pass to the other side. With Tenshi back in charge, the members of SSS, including Otonashi, are punished for framing her.

Thoughts/Review:

Of all the episodes to date, this one has been the most contemplative if you will. Otonashi’s further remembrance of the events leading to his death seems to shut the door on the theory that people here did commit suicide. I rather tend to believe that this place they are at is nothing more than what it seems — a place for high school kids with regrets to attempt to either come to terms with their former lives or to live a normal life and thus pass on. I don’t think there are coma folks here (though I admit that hasn’t been ruled out from what I can tell) and I don’t think this is a virtual video game either.

Now, I do tend to think that Tenshi might be the “god” of this world, so to speak. She denies being an angel, but clearly she has a role in getting the kids to pass on. That explains why she allowed SSS to do what they did in the hopes of using this as a means of getting them to pass on. It worked for Iwasawa, who wouldn’t have gotten to play her music were it not for SSS and their antics. So, if the same “alternate reality” concept from Kanon is used here, Tenshi, as Kanade, could have created this world with the purpose of helping others. If so, the souls of those troubled kids would gravitate to her world and then move along. We’ll see though.

In some ways, this episode felt rather preachy with the organ donation aspects. This wasn’t just because of how in your face things were, aided by the convenient flashback in a flashback of Otonashi remembering his sister needing an organ donor. I couldn’t help thinking of how worthless their organs would be if they weren’t found soon. After a week with no rescue, it might have been another week and by then, they’d all have been dead far too long to be of any use to the living.

Still, this was an interesting episode with Tenshi apparently being returned to her former adversary role and Otonashi making it his mission to send his friends on. What do you want to bet that in the end, Otonashi will take over as president and allow Tenshi to pass on?