Short Series: Angel Beats, Ep. 9 - "In Your Memory"

I’ve always cited Angel Beats’ horrid grasp on tone and atmosphere at one of its worst elements, flying from overly dark to childishly comical in the blink of an eye, but Episode 9 (“In Your Memory”) has none of that, because it’s dark and depressing throughout. That’s the first thing that’s unique about Episode 9. The second thing that’s unique is that Episode 9 marks the exact point where Angel Beats became an insipid clusterfuck. Suffice it to say, things aren’t going to get much better from here.

Kanade has been hospitalized (again) after the events of “Dancer in the Dark”, and Yuri decides to plan ahead, trying to address and provide for all unforeseen eventualities, which completely flies in the face of her actions in Episode 8, where she was an impulsive mess. Yuri is only competent when the plot demands her to be, and it’s because of this that’s she’s one of the worst characters in the series. Otonashi passes out at the foot of Kanade’s bed, and as he dreams, the final remnants of his memories come flying back into his head with crystal clarity.

It’s revealed that the train Otonashi boarded en route to his entrance exams suffered a horrible accident, and now everyone who had the misfortune of being a passenger is trapped inside a rubble-filled, dark tunnel. Otonashi helps out an injured guy called Igarashi (I swear I didn’t make them rhyme), and they tend to the medical and physical needs of the survivors, thanks to Otonashi / Jesus’ wonderful medical skills –

Wait a minute. How did Otonashi learn first aid? Oh, right. They never mention how. Seriously, what the fuck. It has never, ever been stated, implied, or hinted that Otonashi may have any medical training, or that he has the mindset of a paramedic or doctor. There have been MULTIPLE hospital scenes throughout Angel Beats, and somehow they never expounded the opportunity to use those scenes as foreshadowing that Otonashi was a doctor (even a few passing comments like noting the anesthetic content in a syringe, or saying something medically inclined would have been sufficient foreshadowing) or even a paramedic. Did he read a first aid book? Clearly, he didn’t learn his medical skills from college, because he was on his way to the entrance exams, not to med school. Oops. Looks like a plot hole to me.

"It's okay. I played a doctor on TV."

Otonashi manages to last in that tunnel seven days; he’d been suffering minor internal bleeding at some point towards the end, and decides that his last act on Earth would be to sign a donor card, which convinces Igarashi and the other survivors to sign as well. Because, again, Otonashi is Jesus. The problem with this dream sequence is one that will pop up later, and it is a big one. But yeah, this entire sequence served no purpose other than to show two things: 1.) How he died, and 2.) How much of a swell guy Otonashi is. Otonashi has, so far, had no perceivable character flaws, only virtues. He’s perfect, which makes him bland, and if I can’t resonate with him, then I can’t care about anything that happens to him.

Now cracks a boring heart.

So after that dreary slog, Otonashi wakes up to find Kanade staring at him, and Otonashi is very relieved to see that she’s okay and not a Kanade clone. They have a scene where Otonashi ponders exactly why he’s staying in the purgatory, and then he comes up with a grand idea: why not help everyone achieve inner peace and pass on? 

"Everyone should die with us!"

This is important enough that it will go on to completely change the plot’s trajectory, and the reason this sucks is because, before this hospital scene, there were no clues that Otonashi had ever considered passing on was a good idea, but I guess one dream sequence later and he decides it’s okay, and that everyone should join him on his field trip into uncertain oblivion! So noble. The Battlefront has always fought threats in purgatory because they want to stay in the world they’re currently in, bleak and empty though it may be, because they’re afraid of the great unknown. “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” It would take a fuck ton of character development to make them make a decision between technical life or technical death. And we only have about four episodes left to do that.

"Let's just all gather around and thank God this is almost over."

Too many important plot developments happen way too fast, and the whole episode feels rushed as a result. “In Your Memory” is a joyless, character-betraying wallow into the depths of Angel Beats’ worst moments that works on essentially no level whatsoever. Otonashi’s backstory didn’t work for me because of how irrelevant it was (it could have just ended with what was presented to us in Episode 7, and that would have been satisfactory), the aforementioned plot holes, and the foreknowledge of how Otonashi signing the donor card will lead to one of the series’ absolute worst moments. But that’s another piece of shit for another time.