Final Impressions: Another

April 21, 2012
Posted by MedusaS


*This review may contain graphic images with regards to the anime and viewer discretion is advised. Please view at your own risk.

Woots! It's been a long time! Well that's probably not a good thing for you guys.

Anyways, should I explain why this particular review took so long? Well it was because I got FREAKED OUT. Haha, truth be said, I was as freaked out as DarrenW when he first started on "Another".

Why? You really want to know why? There's a very good reason, readers. It's because this anime is so extremely well done. Yes, an excellent job on trying to display horror. Well it is your mystery horror anime after all.

Sakikibara Kouchi

The trouble first begins when our protagonist, Sakikibara Kouchi arrives in Yoyomiya, a small town near the coastal area, with everything that appears to be anything but unusual. Recovering from a lung condition, he meets our other protagonist, Misaki Mei, who is quite cute. With an quiet demeanor, she wears an eyepatch over her left eye, and would not tell Kouchi why.

Misaki Mei

He is posted to class 3-3 of Yoyomiya North High School and everything APPEARS super duper normal with not much happening. You don't get the sense that a real plot is going to hit you in the face, until the LAST minute of episode 3, when suddenly...

Death #2

One of the committee members, Yukari Sakuragi, slips from the stairs, and her neck is impaled clean through with the tip of the umbrella she was holding, and she died. Not that there's anything wrong about it, but the anime SHOWED IT IN YOUR FACE what happened.

He also discovers that everybody treats Misaki like she was not there, that only he can see her. It was like she doesn't exist, like a GHOST.

This is where Kouchi discovers something odd about the class. Something is out of place, and he has to find out why. While discovering, he is aided by Sanae Mizuno, who was the maid taking care of him when he was receiving treatment. Out of the blue, near the end of episode 4, in the midst of researching, the lift she takes suddenly takes a plunge when the cable snaps, and she is literally crushed to death.

And basically that's where DarrenW left it.

Death #3

Irritated about the deaths and getting no answers, he decides to ask his close friends, of which right before telling Kouchi, Ikuo Takabayashi faints and dies from a heart attack. He is then ignored by the rest of the class, just as Misaki was.

Upon speaking with the librarian, the plot is finally revealed. 26 years ago, in 1972 a person named Misaki Yoyomiya died of an unspecified accident, but the class refused to believe HE was dead. Yes, NOT THE SAME MISAKI. Omg this anime is so awesome.

By treating Misaki Yoyomiya as someone who exists, they inadvertently brought him back from the dead. This cycle repeats itself. By adding another person to the class in the form of a reincarnated dead, a natural phenomenon occurs, where the OTHER students will all die, because, the dead attracts death after all. So THAT'S why its called "ANOTHER". The dead will reappear as the living several years down the road, and the memory of their death in the past is intentionally made forgotten to the class members.

Death #4

Then suddenly, the homeroom teacher grabs out a kitchen knife and starts STABBING HIMSELF, WITH BLOOD spewing out of him onto the students, of which some were traumatized (NO SHIT).

And that's where I would have left it, if it wasn't for my perseverance.

Death #5

However, in 1983, the phenomenon stopped halfway through the year, which was unusual. Something was done that year that seemed to have stopped the deaths in its tracks.

Then, along with the other main characters (Naoya Teshigawara, Tomohiko Kazami, Yuya Mozhizuki, Izumi Akazawa), they attempt to investigate what happened in 1983, and find out about something significant one of the students then did.

He killed the dead to send the dead back to the dead. By removing the dead person from the class, everything is restored to normal and no abnormalities will follow.

Death #6

Going back to the same place where the class 3-3 of 83 went, they discovered the whole story behind the end of the killings, but the tape which contained the information got leaked. Panic and chaos filled the class as they try to find who died AND KILL HIM/HER.

Death #7

So yeah, the last two episodes are where you need to be mentally prepared. Things suddenly go waaaay out of hand when the whole class is informed about how to stop death, and so each of them START KILLING EACH OTHER. 7 people died in episodes 11 and 12, in the end it was close to what I predicted, ALMOST THE WHOLE CLASS.

Death #8

But I won't tell you the ending. Will the calamity be stopped, what is Misaki Mei hiding, and what will become of class 3-3? Still, the ending is probably one of the most saddest endings I ever seen, Kouichi lost a lot of things that day.

So begs the question: WHO IS THE DEAD ONE?

Death #9

Death #10

I feel, that the plot could be developed more, for the very fact that it was shown in a rushed state where the rest of the episodes mostly consisted of erm... death.

Death #11

The theme, I have to admit, is PERFECT. HORROR and DEATH were EXCELLENTLY expressed, and I could not have seen anything better. There was also a very obvious theme going on near the end, which was human instinct & madness through fear of death.

Death #12

Art - I think the blood was disgusting and revolting, but yeah good job there. Very... real.

NO SHIT

For impression, I'm sure, that this will be one of the most UNFORGETTABLE animes I have ever seen, partly because of the unforgettable scenes of death. (Especially episode 7) The lasting impression was strong, and I was impressed at what the anime achieved as a whole.

Finale

Death #13

Personally though, if you are the kind of person who doesn't like horror, or deaths in a way which is crude and bloody, DO NOT watch this anime. It is not censored and is very realistic so you would probably have PHT.




For those who are able to handle it, I strongly recommend this show for those who are looking for something different from the rest of the animes. You will find that it has a different feel to it. Some deaths were sad but at the same time you feel excited because you want to know who is the dead person. Sorta like a mystery show without clues. But near the end of it all you go "OMG!!! WHY OF ALL PEOPLE..."

However, I have to admit, the saddest part of the whole thing is that its going to HAPPEN AGAIN for next year's Class 3-3.

"Another" was a Winter 2011 anime, which had 12 episodes. It was aired from January 10 to March 27, 2012 and fansubbed by Commie, Hadena, Underwater, WhyNot, AniYoshi, Taka, and CTSS. It also has a novel and manga, which has some differences in story, and an OVA will be out in May.



Have a lucky day!

Oh yeah, I heared Sankarea is out. Dead Zombie Attack? Another Horror XD
Hint: I seriously have no idea what's next


MedusaS
Edited by Tr3xus