Thread:Shanethefilmmaker/@comment-397235-20140801024539/@comment-397235-20140808042417

See, I figure he wouldn't have actually explained specifically why he was in Yomi, other than saying someone had died. Which is why Misaki offers to show him around: call it curiosity.

It's something the manga never really touched on: how the people's memories have been affected, but it's probably the most frightening aspect of the curse (well, after, you know, the whole "It brings the Dead back to Life" thing). I mean, all we are is the sum of our memories. If we can't trust even those, what are we? We had two characters do extremely stupid things because of those faulty memories (neither of whom were even under the effects of the curse at the time; they'd legitimately forgotten). It's something the anime (and I assume the novel) are the only iterations which touch (it's hinted at in the movie, in the sense it's implied Reiko had crawled back out of the river at the start of term and was actually soaking wet when she met Kouichi); worth remembering.

As for Takako being a sadist...yeah, she did stomp his head a bit (the only time anime physics come into play, no less, since that should have killed him when she jumped off him to tackle Mei). To be fair, though, he did hit her first. You don't hit crazy, especially not when crazy has a knife and no inhibitions.

Of course, had she been successful, I doubt she'd have lived long enough to be happily ever after with anyone. The only thing keeping Kouichi from attacking Yukito was Mei; seeing her violently murdered by someone he doesn't especially like isn't going to do his mental state any favors. He'd have killed her, I can almost guarantee, which I'm sure would've really confused Izumi. Somehow, I don't think she'd manage to make that one Mei's fault.