What in the name of holy hell...
I dropped SZS a while back after getting into some other manga (I like to let releases pile up and then go through them in one go) but the sudden release of the ending made me wonder what the hell was going on (granted, I was too busy typesetting to immediately realize this was no ordinary ending). So now, here what I gather is:
Akagi An, I guess at around Nozomu's childhood, dies in a car accident (Abiru describes the visions from her transplanted eye).
The girls of Nozomu's class all receive organ transplants from the deceased (I think Nozomu just got blood but not sure).
The girls attempt suicide for various reasons but fail.
The girls lose their will to suicide thanks to the "happy gene" that kicks in or something from the organs (they joke around and may be psycho but by no means depressed).
Something about Showa era spirits (I really don't know).
Everyone who inherited the organs can be 'possessed' by 'Kafuka', the 'spirit' of Akagi An.
When possessed, anyone with the organs sees and treats that person as Fuura Kafuka (a hallucination, outsiders see it normally, not sure about other students).
~7 years of gags pass by and nobody notices~
Nozomu exorcises 'Kafuka' and the Showa ghosts from the girls, who promptly forget who Kafuka is (no clue how this happens).
Akagi An shows up to rape our minds and marry Nozomu for a 'happy' ending (I'm guessing Akagi An knew Nozomu from the past).
Good god. This all doesn't sound too amazing until you watch the anime openings, endings and look carefully at all those 'mysterious' moments in the manga. THERE ARE HINTS EVERYWHERE. SEVEN DAMNED YEARS OF FORESHADOWING. Good god I'm twitching all over. This tops Katte Ni Kaizo for sure.
This is all from some /a/ thread somewhere after doing some Googling.
Anyway, I thought it would be fun to make a thread clarifying what the heck is going on and also discuss where hints actually popped up. Here's an OP from the anime (they knew...all along...):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXdAnLzHA80
The most obvious part is when you see Kafuka dressed as all the girls. I'm pretty sure some of the lyrics or text on the screen also have hidden significance.
Also, Kafuka is often represented as Buddha as she saves the lives of seventeen girls, bringing happiness and whatever. The penguin Yin Yang symbol also means something concerning something about the trinity between the girls themselves, Kafuka and the Showa spirits? I'm seriously lost. Symbolism galore.
The earliest reference is during the "list your future despairs" where Kafuka wishes to be god. Note that her name is signed with a tail, hinting that she was possessing Abiru at the time.
There are piles of other clues to find and details to figure out...and a lot of patting eachother's backs to do. This is mentally unsettling for any fan.
Edited by Pacifier, 19 June 2012 - 05:03 AM.