I just started reading this manga, and decided to start a discussion on the story. Also, it should serve for the new readers as an explanation and help keeping them from being confused when reading it.
1. It is based an a true incident that shook Japan in 1997.
2. The name of the leading protagonist is a name play on the "name" of the offender in 1997.
3. It is supposed to be a psychological thriller, because of the deep emotions involved(on all sides). The incident upon which this manga is loosely based, were filled with emotions on all sides.
4. Based on this statement of the offender in 1997 "compulsory education that formed me, an invisible person." It would seem, that the story is to be loosely based on the topic of bullying(the main protagonist dis also say so) or alienation. I am also aware that this type of "alienation" of people still do occur. Education to this issue, maybe, that is what the author is heading for.
5. The witchcraft of the "black magic" of balancing is nothing more than keeping the balance between, light and darkness, good and evil, living and dead like many belief organisation (Fengshui et al) teach. It is almost as if the author is trying to create a balance between the living and the dead, or maybe asking you to(alienation for many is as if they're dead). I term this the state of the living dead. Meaning, the dead also have their place amongst the living(I think and feel differently about literally deceased people, but this is about this story).
- By keeping the balance of the amount of students within the class, the "invisible"(dead student) has and retains her place. However, when one student transfers to the class it means that for the dead there is no place, hence, they are not really "invisible" any more but non-existent. It would be similar to the phrase "out of sight, out of mind".
- By making one student invisible(Misaki) they are striking the balance to appease the dead or fit her in. That is why on the table of the deceased girl the words "Who is the dead person?" were inscribed. The author is trying to convey two meanings to the reader. 1) Who is this person that is dead (Wanting to know more about her) and 2) A rhetoric question for the reader to reflect upon. What it means to be living and are you sure that you are alive?
Updated:
I did some more research on the "balancing" of the class. It would seem(my presumption) that the balancing is based loosely on the Fritz Heider's balance theory. Hmm, let me see if I can break it down a little.
- "My enemy's enemy is my friend", but my enemy's friend could be my enemy or friend, depending on the relationship between me and my enemy and their enemy. Sometimes "friend" does not mean friendship but mutual agreement.
- The theory suggests that a Person who likes another person will be balanced by the same valence attitude on behalf of the other.
- The same theory is applied by many in Wiccan et al practices. I asked my Mother and an Aunt(both witches) about "balancing" and they gave me a similar explanation about what they call "balancing out or in" energy or forces(each person has their own energy and force, but can consume or strengthen that of someone).
I theorize, that the application of this theory to the class has as much to do with a psychological balance as much as a physical one. Bare in mind, the theory can also be applied to objects(her desk etc.). Now, depending on how you view ghosts or familiars you could apply this to it/them. In this case, the deceased girl is made a person and is not declared an it(again depending on how you view this). It is now a she(Person) and due to the original decision of the original class, she has retained her personality and right to an education. Meaning, a right to being visible. I don't think I need to emphasize the difference between a person and a thing. Now theory has it, that when a thing has taken a form psychologically, it can also take form in the tangible world. That would somehow explain the girl appearing in the class group photo. My theory is, the person who stated "she is there" gave the deceased a place(and physical one too) of existence, in this case visibility.
Updated:
- Handshake: It only occurred to me that the handshake was used as a symbol of recognition, sealing and or acceptance. Especially in this manga, the author used it as a sort of initiation. At the beginning the guy with the glasses wanted to shake Sakakiba's(The Proofreader/Q-cer changed it too Sakakibara in Ch.09) hand to accept/seal/identify him as one of the living, and Mei shaking his hand to accept/seal/identify with him their mutual "fate" or "friendship".
- YomiYama: The name of the town is also symbolic to the story itself. Maybe alluding to the town/village as "field of the dead, mountain of the dead or hell mountain/valley/village". The name is not exactly referring to "hell" per se, but to the realm of the dead. Many believe and teach that the kanji that are sometimes used to transcribe Yomi actually refers to the Chinese realm of the dead Huángquán. Please note, that in transcribing they make use of the transliteration technique where the basis is "It can be translated like...".
- Altered memories: There is a syndrome called FMS(False Memory Syndrome). It is supposed to be a condition in which a person's identity and relationships are affected by memories which are not really correct or fact, but because they are strongly believed they can change the way people remember. It is not considered a mental disorder(many believe so) officially. For me, it is nothing different than "brain-washing" or "Hypnosis". In this case, the memory(by the living) of the dead is in some way affecting the lives of the living and giving life to the dead.
- Shinto: The teachings of this religion is very strong in this manga. Having a basic understanding of what this religion teaches you'd come to understand the "supernatural" aspect of this manga and a lot of other mangas too.
- Necromancy: I won't go too deep into this here. In short, it is the communication with the dead or supposedly dead. The ground basis of this manga is slightly littered with this topic. Actually, if you look at it carefully, you could see the necromancer influence(hint; topic of the dead).
Edited by gremar, 21 November 2011 - 08:54 AM.