The Ghost of Soro no Woto

When I hear the word “ghost”, my mind immediately jumps towards the standard accepted definition as the UNSC shorthand for the Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle, a one-person gravity-effect vehicle, primarily used in a reconnaissance and close infantry support or rapid attack role. However, there are times that the supernatural definition also holds, and alas, I am not referring to the fabled Ghost of Lockout, which I have, thankfully, never encountered. No, today’s topic is about anime. Sora no Woto is perhaps one of the few anime that feature a ghost with no speaking role. Appearing in episode 2, the ghost represents detail at its finest: I was only able to catch it myself, on my second time watching it. Unlike other places online, I have supplied my images in HD quality.

• The ghost’s first sighting is 2:52 into the episode, seen by Kanata after she bids Kureha good morning. It can clearly be seen and fades from the window not more than a second later.

• The ghost’s second appearance is noted by Noël, at around 10:12 into the episode. This appearance puts the ghost in plain sight, leading several viewers to wonder what its significance is to the plot.

• The remaining three appearances by the ghost occur inside the dilapidated school, occurring on every lightning strike.  This screenshot is taken at 15:19, and the ghost is between Kanata and Kureha.

• The ghost makes its fourth appearance at 18:27 as a ghostly palm print on the window. With a bit of imagination  its face might also be seen. While Kureha believes that ghosts are inherently evil, Kanata recalls that  ghosts are supposed to protect us, and back in her home village they used to hold an annual festival to honour the deceased.

• A deformed hand can be seen left of Kanata at the 18:46 mark, resting on the piano. This is the last of the scenes featuring the ghost of the Clock tower.

Knowledge of the ghost has been around for a few years now, but until now, no one has bothered with uploading full-quality images. The ghost’s appearance is isolated to episode 2, and is mentioned nowhere else in the series. Armed with my weak-sauce Japanese skills, the drama CDs reveal that the ghost that Kanata and Noël saw is a girl who died many years before “They” attacked. She is assisted by Rio, who helps her tie up loose ends and she disappears afterwards. For the curious, Kureha mentions the ghost again in the drama CDs, citing that she has explains how she’s never heard strange noises, felt like someone’s watching her, or generally felt the presence of a ghost in any way. Typically, ghost sightings are caused by carbon monoxide, which can cause changes in perception of the visual and auditory systems. Richard Lord and Richard Wiseman have concluded that infrasound can cause humans to experience bizarre feelings in a room, such as anxiety, extreme sorrow, a feeling of being watched, or even the chills, all of which are feelings associated with ghosts. Unfortunately, given that the viewers will observe the ghost regardless of the environment, it is safe to suppose that the ghost in Sora no Woto is real.