"Departure" is the first episode of the anime series Angel Beats!. The episode was written by Jun Maeda and directed by Seiji Kishi, who also did the episode's storyboards. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 3, 2010.
Synopsis[]
Otonashi stumbles upon a girl armed with a sniper rifle.
A boy with red hair (later revealed to be named Otonashi) wakes up in the world of the afterlife with no memories of the time when he was still alive. Immediately after waking up, he meets a girl named Yuri pointing a sniper rifle at a girl in the distance named "Angel". Yuri tells him he is in the afterlife and wants him to join her group the SSS—Shinda Sekai Sensen (死んだ世界戦線, lit. Afterlife War Front)—in fighting against Angel, but Otonashi, still confused, cannot make up his mind.
Shortly after, a boy with blue hair runs towards the two of them asking how 'recruitment' went. Immediately, Otonashi goes to talk to the girl called Angel instead. She tells him in short phrases that she is not an angel, but they are indeed dead. After Otonashi asks her to prove he cannot die, as he is already dead, Angel makes a sword out of thin air and stabs him through the heart.
Otonashi's life ends in a blinding instant.
He wakes up later terrified by what happened and finds himself in an infirmary and his bloody shirt next to him, confirming he was really stabbed. A boy with a halberd and purple hair walks through the door, and after a short rant for defying Yuri, slashes Otonashi 100 times, effectively 'killing' him 100 times.
He wakes up later and tries to find a way to escape the world he has come to and decides to ask the people in authority what has happened to him, leading him to the principal's office of the just-revealed school in the afterlife. After turning the door knob, a giant hammer swings down and knocks him out of the hallway window and down several stories. He is recovered by others and is brought into the room, where he comes into consciousness hearing the others debate over a new name for the SSS. Yuri reveals that the room is the headquarters of the SSS. There, he meets many of the other SSS members and decides to join them for the time being. However, the boy who slashed up Otonashi (revealed as Noda) slams open the door to object, but is knocked out the window by the same hammer trap Otonashi was hit by.
Girls Dead Monster plays "Crow Song" live.
Yuri later explains things about the afterlife to Otonashi, such as the existence of numerous people Yuri deems "Non-Playable Characters" (NPCs) as they are not human, but look and act the part. That night, the SSS prepare for "Operation Tornado", a plan to steal some meal tickets from the NPCs. Otonashi originally mistook Yuri's explanation as 'lift' as a violent robbery, but it is clarified they will literally lift the tickets. A girls band named Girls Dead Monster in the SSS distracts the NPCs inside the cafeteria while giant fans blow away the meal tickets outside. Other SSS members engage in fighting against Angel long enough for the plan to be a success, and they retreat while snatching up meal tickets. Later, back in the cafeteria, they eat. Otonashi, still not sure what is the right action in his situation after finding himself in a strange new world, decides he will stay with the SSS while recovering his memories.
New Characters[]
By order of appearance
- Yuzuru Otonashi
- Yuri Nakamura
- Angel
- Hideki Hinata
- Noda
- Takamatsu
- Matsushita
- Fujimaki
- Oyama
- TK
- Masami Iwasawa
- Shiina
- Yusa
- Yui
- Shiori Sekine
- Hisako
- Miyuki Irie
Locations[]
- Main Grounds
- Academy Main Dining Hall
- Infirmary
- SSS Anti-Angel Headquarters
[]
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