The following contains spoilers for The Girl From the Other Side, now streaming on Crunchyroll.
WIT Studio’s adaptation of Nagabe’s The Girl From The Other Side is a soul-warming masterpiece that brilliantly illustrates a quiet and somber fairytale. It showcases the innocence and purity of the story’s protagonist, Shiva, as well as the loneliness and mysterious qualities of Shiva’s beastly caretaker, Teacher. There are many details throughout the hour-long film that are adapted from the manga, including Shiva’s reaction to tea without sugar and the appearance of the Headless Outsider. However, there is one detail that is brought up that most fans have overlooked: the locket that Teacher keeps on him, and the identities of his human family.
The Girl From The Other Side tells the story of a world which is divided into two sides: the Inside and the Outside. These two lands are divided by a wall that towers above all else, keeping one side from reaching the other. The Inside is where humans reside, living their lives and desperate to thrive regardless of the challenges they face. The Outside, on the other hand, is where monsters as black as night roam free, able to curse others with a single touch.
The Locket’s Contents Reveal Details
The picture within Teacher’s silver locket is said to be of his wife and child, though there is something particular about the child that raises questions. The infant depicted in the picture has white hair, a striking similarity to Shiva. There are no mentions of Shiva’s parents, only of her aunt, so nothing is saying that the child in the photo couldn’t very well be the same child the story has been following. Shiva is currently ten years old, and there isn’t anything saying that Teacher couldn’t have been cursed ten years before the story and thus taken away from his daughter before he could see her grow.
There is other evidence that could prove this theory, such as the fact that Teacher is shown time and time again to be different from most Outsiders. For example, he refuses to curse Shiva when most other Outsiders would have jumped at the chance to do so, as well as the fact that he does not know what the Headless Outsider is talking about when they ask Teacher questions regarding the being called “Mother” that most Outsiders seem to be the children of. He is also depicted as having forgotten everything about his life as a human when asked, so much so that he cannot remember his name. This could further cement the idea that he could have been Shiva’s father, as he may be just unable to remember any of it.
What Is Already Known About Teacher
In the manga, some details are revealed about Teacher’s past as a human. Before he was cursed and became an Outsider, he was a doctor named Albert who had a wife and small daughter. Well-respected by those around him, he was the town’s doctor and was showered with gratitude. At some point, he was given the locket with a photo of his family in it by a friend of his who was a soldier. One day, Albert and his family were forced to leave town due to the spreading of a curse. After being shot at with arrows, he handed his daughter to his wife and told her to escape the forest. He lay down on the forest floor, slowly losing consciousness, and it was at that point that he was found by an Outsider and cursed, transforming into his current form.
This is all that is known about Teacher’s past, and it can be theorized that Shiva is his daughter from this. He also seems to owe a debt to Shiva and is insistent on taking care of her despite his nature as an Outsider. This further proves the idea that Teacher is Shiva’s father.
Teacher Is Playing the Role Of Father
There are multiple instances in The Girl From The Other Side in which Teacher plays the role of a father figure towards Shiva, most of which involve educating her in some way, whether it be through simple things such as telling her how to care for her own wounds or more kindhearted things such as allowing her to place a flower crown on his head or agreeing to many tea parties day after day despite how much he doesn’t understand why. It seems almost too natural that he would be fulfilling this role, as he was originally supposed to just allow her a place to stay until her leg healed.
Despite the fact that he is an Outsider and could curse her with a single touch, Teacher is cautious and ensures that he doesn’t hurt Shiva in any way, shape, or form. He is shown willing to get shot at with arrows to make sure Shiva doesn’t get hurt, and he is even willing to hear the Headless Outsider out when he seeks a way to cure Shiva after she’s been cursed. He does everything in his power to make sure that Shiva is kept pure and safe from any harm. This shows that Teacher is unintentionally playing the role of father that Shiva has missed out on.
What Does This Mean For the Story?
The concept of Teacher actually being Shiva’s father doesn’t really change much story wise, but it does make the impact of the bond between the characters hit harder when this theory is considered. Regardless of whether Teacher is Shiva’s actual father, their father-daughter bond is still apparent and drives the story along.
