Sometimes a cover of a book or a poster of a movie draws your attention. At times you can’t even explain why or find a reason for it. It just holds power over you in some mysterious way. This does not always mean that because a book has a cool cover, or a movie has a neat poster, that the book or movie itself are good. You do know you can’t judge a book by it’s cover right? Why am I even talking about this you ask? Well, when browsing for a new Anime I came across the picture that I put above this review. For some reason it drew my attention….and boy am I glad it did. Because Another has been one of the best animated shows I have ever seen. Not only that, it also featured one of the most intriguing stories I have ever come across, in either live action or anime.
It is 1998 when the 15 year old boy, Kouichi Sakakibara returns to his hometown of Yomiyama. His father has to work abroad, so he now lives with his grandparents. Before going to school, he unfortunately has to spend a whole month in the hospital. A few of his new classmates of the 9 th grade class 3 eventually come to visit him, but they act very strangely. When Kouichi finally has recovered enough to go to school, he is beginning to experience some very weird things. He meets a mysterious girl with an eyepatch, called Mei Misaki. But why is it that at times it seems only Kouichi can see her? When people in his class begin to die, it is beginning to dawn on Sakakibara that there is a terrible curse on class 3. A curse that apparently no one in class 3 can escape from….
Now I know there are some people out there who might not even try to watch this. It is animated, and so it must be for kids right? Wrong….this is definitely not for kids. It is one of the best horror/mystery shows I have ever had the pleasure of watching. Another is based on the novel of the same name by author, Yukito Ayatsuji. (A novel I have now immediately ordered online after concluding this series). The best way to describe it is a mix between one of the best Agatha Christie novels and the Final Destination horror movie series. It draws you in with the first episode, and keeps you in suspense right up until the end. Everything about this 12 part series is simply put: awesome. The animation is spot on, the music is fantastic, and the voice acting is superb. This has been one of the best things I have seen all year, and yes it is animated but it almost doesn’t feel like you are watching an Anime. It really is that good. Now please don’t take my word for it, but just give it a try. I dare you not to get drawn in right away and try to figure out what is going on. Be careful not to get caught up in the curse though…
I give Another a 10 out of 10 score.
Another does do creepy atmosphere and suspense well.
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Most definitely, loved the atmosphere and the story : it had me guessing until the end 😀 Great show!
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This is a great review! I loved how you said in the end that it doesn’t feel like one is actually watching an anime! That was what I thought while watching it! Another was the first horror series I ever watched and it definitely kept me on my toes the whole time. The jump scares in the anime almost gave me nightmares–probably because I would watch the episodes right before falling asleep! 😂
What I did not like about the series, though, was that the story seemed a bit slow around mid-point of the anime, but it definitely picked up at the end, which was good.
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Thank you so very much for these kind words, always appreciate it 😊 I have actually seen the Animeseries twice ( I watched it again during Halloween). It is very good indeed. The novel on which it is based is pretty good as well. Have done a review for it on my blog too. I agree with the slow points in the middle, but as the rest was so good, it did not bother me in the least at the end. 😀
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I agree that the cover just screams “watch me.” Another is one of the better horror shows I have watched. The mystery sucked me in and I couldn’t help watching each episode to satisfy the morbid curiosity of seeing how the next victim would perish.
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I have to be honest, I became completely obsessed with this series. I even bought the novel this was based on, and I even own the prequel novel now, that I have yet to read. Another was a series that just oozed atmosphere, and was absolutely terrific. A great watch 😊
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I just discovered your blog and I’m so glad I did. I watched Another for the first time last October and I loved it. I’m a big horror fan as well as an anime fan so this was a great combo for me. I had seen clips on youtube but when you put all the deaths in context, it’s so much more gripping. The storyline is so intriguing that it draws you in. I love how anime can wrap up a whole story in 13 episodes or less and leave you feeling satisfied. Anyway, I just wanted to say hello, now I’m going to continue reading your various reviews 🙂
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Hi! I’m very sorry for responding so late to such an enthusiastic comment. I have been on an unanounced hiatus for the past 3 months due to some health issues. The good news is that I’m returning in a week from now as I’m feeling much better. I’m in the middle of answering a lot of unanswered comments today!
First off, thanks for the kind words, and hello yourself! I’m glad you had such a great time with Another. I really think to date it’s one of the best horror animes I have ever seen. The storyline is truly amazing, and it made me an instant fan having purchased the book, and manga this series is based on as well😊
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