ssipes - 2015-04-09 20:13:43

A recently developed theory: (Let's see if someone can disprove this one)

One of the plot holes in Angel Beats! is how Angel (Kanade) was in "purgetory" before otonashi, fighting Yuri and the other members of SSS for some time before otonashi "appeared" in the purgatory. He clearly has been dead before Angel in the real world.  Some people justify this fact by saying that the time pacing may be different in the "purgatory". But there were some other things that didn't make sense in the first place. For example Otonashi's Amnesia. He didn't die because of a Head injury or something. There was no evidence of a Head injury like dizziness or blood coming out of his head etc. after the train crash. He died because of internal bleeding and lack of food and water. 
At the end Yuri met the "shadow programmer" who claimed he was there from the beginning to prevent the purgatory from crashing. He also tells her this about the original programmer:

"During his time in the Afterlife School, he fell in love with an unnamed girl who disappeared when her regret was fulfilled. Unwilling or unable to accept this, he decided to wait for her to return, however, many years passed and he grewmad with waiting, eventually programming himself to become an NPC"
The current programmer also tells Yuri that the original programmer of the angel player is "still there to this day". We also know that the current programmer isn't the original because when Yuri asked the programmer about the original one he said "Beats me, it's not like I invented it"

If you now take a close look at the scene when Otonashi wakes up in the purgatory he has the same clothing as other people that woke up as NPC's. Also remember what the programmer said:" he grew mad with waiting, eventually programming himself to become an NPC" and that "he is still there to this day". Furthermore when Takamatsu turned into an NPC he lost his memories as Otonashi did and also wears these "NPC clothing". As previously stated Otonashi didn't die because of a head injury. So the only explanation is that he was an NPC. You might have already noticed where this is heading to. Yes, this theorie suggests that Otonashi was the original programmer.

This would also mean that angel wasn't in purgatory before Otonashi which is why the end would make sense again. 
However this doesn't explain why he reverted from beeing an NPC during the battle between Yuri and Angel (Kanade) at the very beginning. So here is what this theory proposes:
The current programmer ( or shadow programmer) told Yuri that he activated after Yuri began to display her powerful feeling of love to her comrades in the battlefront. The shadow programmer refers to love as a "bug in the system". This could explain why Otonashi, the original programmer, awaked from his NPC state as a way to fix the system. The fact that he was an NPC meant that he had amnesia. Therefore he wasn't able to remember his past life or the fact that he was the original programmer. 
The only reason he remembered his past life was due to the combination of hypnosis and listening to his own heart beat.

My personal adding to this theorie:
The quote I mentioned before which includes what the shadow programmer told Yuri about the original programmer also fits very well to the the situation of Otonashi which is shown in the OVA called "Another epilogue". "he is waiting for someone". Connecting this OVA with the rest of this theorie brings me to the conclusion that the OVA could be an epiolouge but also a prequel. Think about that. 

Have a nice day (^-^)/

mauricio.parker - 2015-01-10 00:58:19

Pretty cool spin off , still like the first ending a lot more it was more satisfying 

unitzsche - 2013-11-28 20:13:48

I'll keep this review short because I don't want to get side-tracked and end up reviewing the main series, but allow me to stress that I enjoyed the series much more than its specials.

While there are certainly good OVA and Specials out there in the anime world, the Angel Beats ones don’t deserve a place in the spotlight. When I read the description of this one being an alternative ending with Otonashi staying behind to help other kids moving on, I was enthused, but 2 minutes aren’t nearly enough to show that. You just get a minute of him yelling at a random angsty student, before he walks away to the student council room, all the while looking cool and nostalgic. It's not that poorly executed but for me, it was lacking.

So, please, just watch the TV series.

jroberts - 2013-08-18 14:10:31

This is after the end of the anime, so of course it will have spoilers.

So that you don`t get confused, yes Otanashi did pass on like the rest of them, we found that out at the end of episode 13. This is just a nice little "What If"

I really don`t think I need to explain the story, the video is 2:30 min long. The animation is even better, but it is a small clip, so it would be weird if it was not. The sound is great, there is only 1 song but that song really did what it set out to do, and otanashi never sounded more badass in his life. Out of the characters we only have otanashi and some new guy, nothing to talk about.

I enjoyed this a lot, it was way too short, but it gave me lots and lots of feels :(, overall it`s a nice clip, so just go and check it out already, It`s 2:30 min long, it`s not like you will waste your time on it!

dan.gerhold - 2013-06-01 15:10:47

This review is short, but so is the episode, so yeah.This is basically what happens if Otonashi stays behind. If this really happened, or if this is a alternate ending, or even a promo for a second season, I do not know. In my opinion, this is a alternate ending and its up to the viewer to decide which one he or she wants to believe.I do know however that a lot of people find this episode very confusing and completely unnecessary. I personally like this ending though. It's a sad ending, true, but a lot of good anime have a sad ending (like Requiem for the Phantom). The reasons I like this ending are:- it does a good job at explaining some stuff that wasn't explained in the main series. This is what happens: after Otonashi helps the student, you hear the rumours of a very cool student council president (him) and that he is waiting for someone. Now when did we already heard this? Oh, right, its the same story as the unknown programmer. This would indicate that Otonashi somehow is that programmer (don't ask me how, but it's cool);- I think it lies in his personality. Before Tenshi leaves in the main series, he does ask her to stay and that they will help the others together. Also, note that he did die helping others.- and last, I did not really get how he could have leaves like the rest. I mean, he does seem quite happy when Tenshi left, and isn't that a condition to move on?Anyway, as you've might have noticed, I like this ending better than the first. But, as I've said in the beginning of this review, it's up to the viewers to decide which one they want.That being said, I give this short episode the same rating as the main series, a 9 out of 10.