Thread:Shanethefilmmaker/@comment-397235-20140722012358

So, because I have a job which is fairly monotonous, I have a lot of time to think about things, and one of the ideas I've been playing around with in my head is how this story would work here in America (I don't have a frame of reference for Canada or a similar Western nation so I don't know what would work where). Still, here's what I'd do.

Kouichi is a foreign exchange student from England. He was born in the States, but moved back to the UK with his father, who's a professor there. Usually Kouichi travels with his dad, but a flare up with his lung problems forces him to stay behind. Unable to join his dad now, Kouichi goes to the States to live with his mother's family for the year. This doubly works because of the actor we picked to play him.

Kazuma Akazawa was a student the previous year. As things got progressively worse, Kazuma couldn't handle the pressure. He brings a gun to school one day and kills several students, shooting and killing Reiko when she protects one of her students (one who happens to be the extra) before turning the gun on himself.

Izumi Akazawa was there when this happened. She and Mei both witnessed his murder of Reiko and the extra student (but because of the curse don't actually remember what happened). Izumi is mortified by this, all the more so because no one is willing to blame her for it (though she feels somehow responsible); this is why she hates Mei, though she's not even sure why. This is why she volunteered to be head of countermeasures, and why she's such a hardass about it. Izumi went to Reiko's memorial service, but was ashamed to actually attend. She met Kouichi, who was distraught himself, outside. As things progress, she slowly recovers her memories, and realizes, in a horrific way, Kazuma had ended the curse. She survives the curse, and realizing her actions have only made things worse, resolves to do whatever she can to make sure no one else makes the same mistakes she did.

Yumi Ogura was initially chosen to be the extra student. She expected Izumi to bend the rules for her, but Izumi was adamant the countermeasures had to be kept in place. Mei volunteered to take her place, as it became clear Yumi couldn't handle the pressure. Once it became clear ignoring Mei and Kouichi hadn't helped, Yumi was one of the first students to start speaking to them again (alongside Yuuya, Naoya, and Tomohiko). Izumi called her a traitor for this. When Yumi's brother and Aya were killed, Yumi became increasingly withdrawn, which prompted Mei to open up about her own sister. Yumi and Mei roomed together at the inn. When Yuuya played the tape for Izumi and Takako, Izumi requested Tomohiko and Yumi also be present, as she trusted their judgement. Yumi tried to smooth things over after hearing the tape, and left in disgust when she realized her former friends weren't interested in listening to reason. When Takako broadcast the tape to the student body, Yumi stood up for Mei, and managed to stall one mob long enough for her to escape with Kouichi, talking down Takeru and explaining about Misaki. As you can see, she's something of an ascended extra here. I figured Mei needed at least one friend who was a girl, and she has a lot in common with Ms. Ogura.

Tomohiko Kazami, as a class rep, is involved with countermeasures from the beginning. Izumi taps him to try and clue Kouichi into the curse, but after two botched attempts, Tomohiko enlists Ikuo's help...we all know how that will turn out. Tomohiko feels he's responsible for Ikuo's death, which coupled with Yukari's death and his concern for his sisters, weighs on his mind. He resolves to help end the curse whatever it takes, but begins to question Izumi's motives and drive. At first Izumi uses him to keep an eye on Kouichi, but Tomohiko figures out who's on the right track and stops helping her. He tries to talk Yumi into discussing things over with the countermeasures girls when Yumi angrily leaves, meaning they both miss Takako's own revelation about Misaki. Tomohiko saves his friends from her when Takako goes insane...by hitting her in the head. When she comes to, Tomohiko essentially tells her how royally she's screwed up, but he knows a way she can fix it. He helps her back to the broadcast room where she tries to call off the hunt for Mei, before they go their separate ways, Takako to find Izumi (who is, in turn, looking for her) while Tomohiko goes looking for Naoya and Yuuya. He manages to lead another group of students to safety, and survives the calamity.

Takako Sugiura is Izumi's constant companion, and is often her most vocal supporter. Despite this, she expressed misgivings about Izumi's plan at first, especially ignoring Kouichi and later cutting Yumi out, which she sees as pure spite and not professional; this was only ever in private. However, Junta's death pushes her firmly into Izumi's court. She misremembers Misaki, and like in the anime turns the class against Mei, but is stopped short of killing her (or herself) by Tomohiko's intervention. Mei takes a brief minute to explain things, and Takako is horrified to learn what she's almost done. Tomohiko talks her into making another broadcast, but it's too little too late as things are already out of hand. Takako attempts to find Izumi, but just when she does she's critically wounded by Keiko, and Izumi is forced to abandon her.

Naoya Teshigawara isn't all that different. He protects Izumi from Keiko at the inn.

Yuuya Mochizuki was Ikuo's best friend, and knew the Numatas. This ends up initially saving his life from Keiko's rampage, as she knew him.

Keiko Numata couldn't handle her grandson's death, nor the fact that he died more or less without friends. She starts killing his classmates so he'll have company in the afterlife.

Pot wise, I think I'd take the Lost approach, wherein each episode focuses on a specific student, and we learn things about their lives through flashbacks. I think we'd start off with Yukari and Yuuya.

You're conditioned to dislike Tomohiko at first, as it's evident he's spying on Kouichi, but his episode reveals his sisters, his relationship with Yukari, and his misgivings about Izumi's plans.

Yumi's episode details her initial selection as the extra, her relationship with her brother, and her hidden gratitude toward Mei. The episode would end with her sitting down to eat lunch with Kouichi and Mei, ignoring an angry glare from Izumi as she does so.

Mei's episode is the one in which Kouichi starts being ignored, and explains her own history with the curse, as well as being the first with Misaki.

Takako's episode is the penultimate, explains her relationship with Misaki and her misgivings about Izumi's plans, and her more or less total breakdown following Junta's death. You're meant to initially think she really did know Mei (which brings into question Mei's own flashbacks, which only feature Misaki; none of her other classmates, making it appear as if she's the extra). Learning the truth (and a little help from Tomohiko) sets her to rights, and she agrees to try to fix things.

Izumi's episode is the season finale. It covers all her plans for the year's countermeasures, and fills in why she's been having progressively worse nightmares about her brother as the year goes on. She's always been able to remember Kazuma aiming a gun at her and Mei, but hasn't even been able to remember what happened next. She remembers, just as Kouichi kills Reiko, that Reiko had intervened and gotten shot in the process.

You'll notice the principal character who's never had any flashbacks is Kouichi. This is deliberate. We talked about casting the original Misaki as the same person we cast as Kouichi. This makes it seem at first as if he's the extra, something we only learn at the end, as Mei remembers seeing Reiko's death.

What do you think? 