Another
Released: 2012
Retail Release: August 2013 (Sentai Filmworks) & November 2013 (MVM Entertainment)
Suitable rating: 18 - Strong Bloody Violence and Moderate Fear
Version watched: Japanese (with English Subtitles)
Plot:
26 years ago, in a third-year classroom of a middle school, there was a student named Misaki. As an honors student who was also good at sports, she was popular with her classmates. When she suddenly died, her classmates decided to carry on as if she was still alive until graduation. Then, in the spring of 1998, a boy named Sakakibara Kouichi transfers to the class, and he grows suspicious of the fearful atmosphere in that classroom. In particular, there is a beautiful, aloof girl named Mei Misaki who wears an eyepatch and is always alone drawing pictures.
My Thoughts:
First of, I have to say that I have never rammed through a show like this for quite a while. I have marathoned shows before but never did I decide to finish it in under a day. I enjoyed the characters and the concept that involved deaths one by one, it was a different sort of style that I have never watched before. I've watched a lot of shows but the closest to having gory deaths was High School of the Dead. Speaking of deaths, they were designed very well in this anime. If you wanted a better version of the live action supernatural horror Final Destination, Another will please you. The gore does add quite an effect with the scenes which is why I wouldn't recommend it to minors.
The plot was mostly predictable like any horror would have, but Another does add its own sort of unpredictable moments like who would die next and who is responsible for the cause. The ending was decent enough though it was rather annoying at the same time. The characters themselves were also slightly off, the whole concept of Koichi's health was really unnecessary since it wasn't focused much than it should. I did however enjoy the character development for the librarian Tatsuji who I felt did a very good job with being suspicious and calm over the events. I also liked Izumi, Naoya and Yuuya who played a good role in the show, though I know there are certain people who dislike Izumi's character (e.g. YT reviewer GRArkada).
The sound was pretty good throughout the show, adds tensing moments to certain scenes making you wonder what's going to happen now. The OP was rather mixed but after listening to it clearly it slowly became enjoyable though it could have been more catchy. The ED was nice and calm. Since it watched this in Japanese I can't comment on the English dub but I did like the Japanese voices.
Spoiler Thoughts:
As mentioned earlier, this deus ex effect with Mei was rather out of the nowhere. How can a doll eye show who is dead? By having that it just ruins the show, she already knew who was responsible so why didn't she just kill off the dead person? I know she didn't want to hurt Kouichi but to be quite frank, she made it worse since the curse killed more people that Kouichi felt happy with than ever. Also, that whole connection with Kouichi and Izumi was rather misplaced though it was a nice addition to the background plot.
The first two episodes were pretty slow to start off, since it was all about setting off the scene and making sure that the audience can get into the mood. The real action doesn't begin until the end of the third episode.. speaking of the third episode that umbrella penetration was rather random, I had a WTF reaction to that scene especially since I liked Yukari, was slightly depressed over that as well. The next few episodes quickly got to the point, certain plot elements were made clear and more deaths occured (Heart attack, Elevator drop, Suicide) and honestly that dance was rather random I think it was made just to show how much attention they don't get since they are 'non-existent'. The real deal started with the Beach episode, no not because of the fanservice but because **** gets real from that point onwards. More plot elements and more deaths start to occur. The best part was the flashback of the shrine, honestly that girl just rolled to her death like she wanted to die, logic there. The final few episodes get to a showdown 'Battle Royale' style, a lot of deaths occured there; Falling to their own death, Crushed by chandelier, Accidental Suicide by wires, Stabbing, Blown by fire and the most random of all is when someone survives the chandelier and then gets crushed again by a pillar.
To be honest, I am upset that some of the characters got killed off from the curse since I got attached to them quite well ('Four eyes' Yukari, 'Nurse chick' Sanae, 'Theater Club girl' Ayano & 'Tsundere Red-Haired Ponytail Hot Bitch Chick' Izumi) but I was intrigued with some of the others (Death by Boat? Ouch, Death by Lightning? Shocking experience, Death by Heart Attack? Oh the irony, Death by Vehicle crashing through the window and crushing the user on his computer? Oh dear god I need to change the positioning of my room). Overall, the plot was a bit loose but the concept was great.
Overall:
Another is a great show to watch, it's amusing and has some moments that will keep you on your knees. But the plot does have its random sudden clues in the final few episodes and the main characters really need some improvement if they need to come clear to why some of their character is important to the situation they're in. On the upside, the music and animation is very good and the conclusion closes out on a good note. Recommended if you want some gore or horror to watch, and also if you like films such as Final Destination and Battle Royale since there's some influence there.
7.5/10
