Another
Ever watched an anime that gave you goosebumps? Another is one such anime that is bound to provide you with chills of horrors and not just goosebumps alone. This anime is adapted from a horror novel Written by Yukito Ayatsuji. It gives us the illusion of happy faces that hide deep and dark secrets behind them.
As it’s a horror anime, it’s a tricky one. The horror genre has always been a bit confusing because each person has their own definition of horror, depending on their imagination. There might be a good chance of another failing to portray the horror elements, or it might succeed in winning over the minds of the fans. If you want to know more about it, read our detailed view of the most anticipated horror anime, Another.
The story opens in 1972 where a very popular student from the Yomiyama North Middle School passed away under mysterious circumstances. Since the death of that student, the town of Yomiyama grew dark. They lived with the fear that something so horrible could happen to them as well out of nowhere.
Twenty-six years pass, and we are introduced to Kouichi Sakakibara, who transfers to the Yomiyama North Middle School and is in the same class as the dead student. He notices that a certain uncomfortable and gloomy air is all over the students of that specific class.
Mei Misaki is another student of his class who wears an eye patch. Kouichi finds himself attracted to Mei despite wanting to keep a distance from her. Her existence for the rest of the students and the teachers amounts to nothing as they treat her like she doesn’t exist.
Kouchi wants to reveal the secret behind the student’s death in Yomiyama North Middle School and is warned by the people around him, including Mei Misaki. But he does not pay heed to this and continues to involve himself in the deep and dark mysteries of the Yomiyama North Middle School.
Another is a very impressive horror anime because it keeps you at the edge of your seats. Its story will make you feel like you’re finally going to know the answers, but the very next moment, a new development occurs. It is so unpredictable that you will never guess anything right in this anime.
It’ll absolutely blow your mind with the development. For a mystery and horror series, the most crucial aspect is the confusion that will make you think and lead to conclusions that are still wrong. That’s what makes a horror series exciting and compelling.
The first five episodes of the series are just flawless and created masterfully. However, after the first five episodes, the story starts to slow down. The mystery is revealed, and all the suspense that was building up just dies down. However, the main plot is still there, and it’s the only thing that keeps our interest intact in the series.
Overall, the story of the series is very unique and creatively executed. The anime stays faithful to the manga, which is an awe-inspiring achievement. So, we have high marks for the story/plot department.
All the characters in Another exude an air of mystery, and we don’t really know much about them till the end. Everyone except our main character Kouichi has no idea what’s going on around them. Apparently, Kouichi is a genius and has an idea about the events going on around him. We also get to know why Kouichi got transferred to the school. We’re not going to ruin this for you, so you must watch it yourself.
Mei Misaki is shown to be a very strange loner that no one cares about except Kouichi. She hates her situation and wants to change it. We don’t see a lot of loner characters wanting to change their status, but we’re happy to see Mei wanting it desperately. Initially, she appears to be a bizarre girl, but as the series progresses, we get to understand her more and more.
You need not judge the other characters too soon because there is much more to them than it superficially seems. All the characters serve some purpose in the series and are not just fillers. So, the character department did well giving complex personalities to all the characters.
The most impressive thing about the animation of another is the background. It is very clear and well defined, simply beautiful. The characters don’t seem very special, but they’re still animated well. A dark tone covers the whole series, and it looks great because it suits the horror theme really well. Overall, the art is phenomenal. Its quality is consistent throughout the series, and we love it!
Another creates a sense of eeriness right off the bat with its music. The music is always there and never goes away; it just softens down. It suits the mysterious and dark environment of the series. Emotions like tension, confusion, horror are all presented well with the use of excellent and suitable music. A big thumbs up for the music department!
We highly recommend you to watch Another if you want some bone-chilling experience. With only 12 episodes, you can definitely binge-watch it! It sets the bar high for other horror anime, and we are incredibly impressed with its quality.
