Alternative TitlesJapanese: アナザー
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Dec 26, 2011 to Mar 27, 2012
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.111 (scored by 79121 users)
Ranked: #3462
Popularity: #53
Members: 124,279
Favorites: 2,588 1 indicates a weighted score
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Synopsis26 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.
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Related AnimeAdaptation: Another, Another
Prequel: Another: The Other - Inga
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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czmp93
578 of 907 people found this review helpful
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12 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
Another was one of those series which had me waiting eagerly for Mondays to arrive and wishing that the weekend would end sooner. For twelve weeks, it was my priority above all else to watch this amazing series, and to be honest, I'm already awaiting the release of the OVA in May. If I had to say what makes it so incredible, I would cite the short series length, the clever plot with a brilliant resolution, and outstanding animation as the main contributing factors, although the promise of blood will probably be enough for most people to decide whether this show is for them or not. Although the violence means that this is not for the faint of heart (or weak of stomach), I would nevertheless wholeheartedly recommend watching it, as it is well worth your time.
Story- 9/10
Have you heard of Tantalus? (No, a knowledge of Greek mythology is not essential to watch Another, I am simply at my wits' end with trying to describe the story without giving anything away). Tantalus was a man condemned by the gods to eternity in the underworld, immersed to the neck in a pool of water which he could not drink from, and underneath a tree laden with fruit which he could not reach, no matter how hard he tried. Now, if this is not too swift and broad a leap, this is how the storyline of Another will make you feel; every time you seem to be tantalisingly close to the answer, a new development occurs, and you have to start all over again. This series never goes where you expect it to, but it manages this without being a particularly complicated story, which is quite an achievement. I've read and watched many mystery stories, and I have found that nothing ruins the story more than confusion caused by an overloaded storyline and a huge ensemble of characters. Here, it is simple: one tightly-written, carefully thought out storyline involving a relatively small number of characters, which proves surprisingly durable as a twelve episode series, having avoided the trap of the same cliff-hanger ending every time; they always manage to throw in a new and interesting variation. The resolution of the storyline was amazing; it managed to bring all the strands of information which we had gleaned and wrap everything up in a style which was paced exactly right; fast, but not hurried or rushed. I certainly didn't see the final twist coming- not many people did- but it was masterful. It was also the most emotional moment of the series; even those of you who have laughed like maniacs throughout the entire series will suddenly become sombre during the final five minutes. Being mindful of the strict limits on what I can actually say about its specifics, I shall merely say that it was a perfect ending to a brilliant series.
Art- 10/10
The art is simply beautiful. This might actually be quite near the top in terms of the best series I have ever seen art-wise. The characters aren't that different from any other series, but the backgrounds are amazingly well defined; they really are just bliss to watch. The art mostly depicts death, lots and lots of death, with some dismemberment and impending doom thrown in. In almost every scene, there's a sense of decay, everything looks decrepit and rusty, the buildings look deserted, and there's gratuitous use of deep, dark reds wherever possible. If it's outdoors, there are crows perched on the roofs, looking hungry. If it's indoors, like the hospital, then the lights are dim and flickering occasionally (and for the provision of information to those who have watched the hospital scenes and noticed the missing fourth floor, it's because four in Japanese is either 'shi' or 'yon', depending on the context, and 'shi' can also mean 'death', so they tend to avoid using four when numbering things, like we do with thirteen. Right, fun fact session over). The use of dolls, often missing limbs, is prevalent (whether they're scary or hilarious just depends on the viewer) and appears to have more significance to the storyline than I originally thought. And every so often, in case you haven't got the message, there's a split-second image of a blood-stained knife which is lying on the floor. I mean, what could possibly happen next? (This was intentionally ironic. For those of you who don't get irony, just assume that this means it was hilarious). To sum up, the art sets up the atmosphere perfectly.
Sound- 10/10
Of course, we can't leave out the sound, as this is key (bad musical pun; I apologise) to the aforementioned atmosphere. From the start, the music creates a sense of eeriness, from simple melodies to electronic effects and string sections. As difficult as it is to describe, I would like you to imagine a full orchestra having a psychedelic freakout (think of that section of A Day in the Life) with a hair-raising selection of electronic hums and whines added, and then multiply that by about ten. That's about what it's like (or as best as I can put it into words). The music never quite goes away, unlike in other, lighter series; it drops right down to a few notes on a piano, but still gives you the sense that something's always just about to happen. The opening has some weird and unsettling vocal melodies going on, creating tension, stress, and suspense. But after a few episodes, I'll express a preference for the ending theme; it proves that strong vocals and a few chords on a piano are more effective than the aural blitzkrieg which we are usually subjected to, and it brings a sense of peace and serenity to the end of the episode. Basically, the soundtrack works perfectly with what's on screen.
Characters- 8/10
Now, the characters; obviously, we know very little about any of them right up until the end, otherwise it wouldn't be a mystery, would it? They're all quite weird and unusual, and they're all either ruthlessly blunt or very obviously trying to avoid certain topics of conversation. As you can imagine, this makes the dialogue quite awkward. Kouichi Sakakibara, our horror story loving main character, seems to have more than half a clue what's going on, which makes a nice change from the average clueless/in denial character in the horror genre. Although it cannot be denied that he is of that genus most favoured by scriptwriters lacking inspiration, the transfer student, he does actually get some background to why he transferred. Mei Misaki develops a bit from the 'weird loner' presented in the first episode to someone who is frustrated by their situation and yet cannot change it. While near-silent and emotionless girls seem to be very common at the moment, I can promise that there is more to Mei than being a mere tribute to consumer demand. If you have watched only a few episodes, she might seem a bizarre person, but she becomes more understandable as the series progresses. Izumi Akazawa, the class representative, is blunt to the point of being rude, but is quite the deceiver and manipulator behind the scenes, as it later turns out. Reiko, who was at first glance a stereotypical 'ridiculously youthful, kind and caring female relative', turns out to have quite a temper, and appears to have a few secrets. In a sentence: don't judge them too soon.
Overall- 9/10
If you are still with me (and it's quite likely if you are indeed reading this sentence), I recommend you go and watch Another now. It's only a few hours out of your spare time and you really have nothing to lose except a night's sleep if you are easily scared. If you are going to watch it, I can recommend watching it at midnight, it's surprisingly good fun (if your idea of 'fun' is the same as mine, that is). Personally, I reckon that from a fairly dull season, Another will come to shine as easily the best new release this season, and possibly one of the better of the year.
(Author's note: I started writing reviews because decently written reviews with no spelling or grammatical errors are almost non-existent on MAL, as very few people can be bothered with such trivialities these days, and this desperately needs redressing. While many people aren't with me on this, I believe that a review is not worth reading unless it is well written, and so I have put quite a lot of effort into writing this without making it too formal or verbose, whilst avoiding flippancy, in order to inform and entertain the people in the audience who are on my wavelength. My apologies if you are not one of those people. If you do have some constructive criticism to make, PM me or just post a comment, I'm quite happy to take it under consideration when editing this. And on that note, good night!).
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Jumpers123
15 of 27 people found this review helpful
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12 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
Oh boy oh boy.... I watched this on a whim and was utterly unprepared for what it flung at me. Brilliant anime.
Story - 9
The greatest thing about this anime's story was that it surprised me right up until the last second. As soon as I thought I had figured it out, something happened and it blew my ideas out the window. I genuinely couldn't stop watching. If you like easy to follow plots, I'd probably avoid this. I won't deny it's a slog to try to work out what is going on and how it fits together. But that's part of the appeal for people like me, who enjoy figuring this stuff out.
Art - 9
I thought the art of this was brilliant. The dolls in the shop gave me genuine goosebumps, Mei's eye was just freaky and was quite obviously not real. I hesitate to give this a ten though because I have seen more realistic blood in anime.
Sound - 8
The 8 is solely for the opening theme which was just....... creepy.
Characters - 9
Whilst there isn't much back story to the majority of the characters, the way they are presented in the present is good enough to compensate. Plus, the events of this anime wouldn't suit expansion of characters' stories. You'll understand if you watch or have seen it.
Enjoyment - 9
I haven't enjoyed an anime as much as this for a long time. I found myself eagerly trying to solve the mystery as I watched and I definitely 'felt' the emotions of the characters, which isn't something I experience too often so that made it that much more enjoyable for me.
Overall - 9
Watch this. This is very similar to the Final Destination film series but it is done so much better and in a way that is a bit more believable, albeit with a bit more of the supernatural edge.
Oh and avoid if you have a weak stomach. This anime doesn't hold back in the blood and guts department.
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Recommendations
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Guy moves into a town which holds a mystery that unravels troughout the show. Higurashi has some lighter slice of life episodes, but that's cool because it's pretty long including -kai.
Highly reccomend both
Small towns with big secrets. Horror series that show how terrifying normal school kids can turn out to be when pushed to their limits by the darkest horrors their towns have to offer. Both also have themes of cyclical repetition, with Another's events happening year after year and Higurashi repeating the same summer over and over again. The main character are very similar.
Both anime show the same theme of mystery and random deaths. However, If you continue to watch "Higurashi", all is explained towards the end of the series. Throughout "Another" the conspicuous deaths and murderers are somewhat explained all together towards the end.
Both have a main character who moves into a town where mysterious deaths occur. In Higurashi, however, the deaths were caused by murder, rather than other circumstances found in Another.
During watching both of them you get the same feeling. The plot is simillar - a boy going to a new school, meet new friends and everything seems great till.. boom, everything is getting creepy, there's a lot of blood and inexplicable deaths. If you enjoyed one of theese you should see the other one.
Both anime are misleading in that everything "looks" normal when they arent. Blood and death is prominent in both series with a mysterious undertone.
Another and Higurashi have lots of similarities
A new boy comes to town;
Mysterious girl(s)
Mysterious murders starts to happen
something about a curse
Another feels like Higurashi compressed into one arc. Dieing people, classmates hiding something, dark feeling overall. One thing Another lacks in comparison to Higurashi is comedy.
Main character's family moves him to a new town with dark secrets. Blood and murder and sinister atmosphere. The classmates of the main character have secrets that they'd rather keep hidden from the main character, and are willing to go to great lengths to do so. They also both start off calm, lulling you into a false sense of security before turning up the horror.
A normal boy moves house and settles in fairly easily, only to later discover that -his new home (and friends) harbour dark secrets.
Both are very eerie and tense throughout, and they both contain plenty of horror violence.
While I was watching Another, the entire time I kept thinking 'this is so similar to Higurashi'.
An ordinary teenage boy moves into a strange rural town where his classmates seem to be keeping a dark secret from him. There's a horror and a mystery atmosphere. Both are set in the past (Higurashi in 1983, Another in 1998).
Just like another, Higurashi is a bit darker anime, with a lot of mystery, suspense and gore. It'll keep you guessing till the very end, and the atmosphere is simply amazing. The series is also spiced up with various funny moments, which surprisingly enough don't take away from the creepy feel, but only reinforce it in turn. Definitely a must watch.
Both of these anime lean towards a dark aspect with many creepy undertones. However from what I've seen of Another it has much less gore an insanity than Higurashi, so if you want something with more of a creep-out factor than gore, watch Another.
Both series are about boys who recently move to new towns and are oblivious of the creepy things taking place, but they get dragged into them anyways.
Creepiness and unpredictability are present in both series, yet Higurashi starts off as more lighthearted and funny in addition to the fact that it is composed of several arcs.
Those who loved Higurashi for it's mind-racking mystery and gruesomeness will surely love this one.
Both are horror anime. Both anime start off with the main character moving to a new place where there is a curse in which people die. Both contain many death scenes.
A normal boy moves to a new town. Within the first 3 episodes, we see this boy get involved with many creep factors. Both the series consist of blood, mystery, girls who are more than they seem, and just all out thrillers.
Even before finishing this series, I knew that there was something similar between Higurashi and Another. MC arrives into a small town, meets new people, and let the psychological twists begin. Murders and mystery play a central theme as the thriller-like sequences repeats over and over. In both series, a calamity that has not been lifted repeats in a Groundhog Day-like loop.
Horror animes with some bloody death scenes. New guys move to small towns that hold big secrets. The deaths in both series are believed to be the result of a mysterious curse. Both show ordinary high school students driven to insanity and committing horrifying crimes. Both take place over 10 years in the past.
Both anime are about some curse/a chain of deaths occuring. Also, the story is full of mystery and confusion at the start, and it contains gore.Very similar, yet different.
It gives you the same feeling.. And it is although kind of the same because in the beginning of both animes, Kouichi's classmates seem to hide something dark from him, while in Higurashi, Keichi's friends are also hiding something 'dark' from him. I love both of these anime, they give you a creepy feeling. I highly suggest watching these two.
If you wished Another was longer and more terrifying, definitely check out Higurashi. It really seems like Another drew a lot of inspiration from the series.
Both animes involve a male boy who moves into a new (small) town. Certain dark events have happened before and it starts to repeat itself again. In the two animes, both stories keep blowing your mind; changing everything when the main character finds things out.
We're dealing with the same dark atmosphere and horror situation, coming from a curse that we discover throught the episodes.
Small town with big secrets, all keep to themselves until something happens, very mysterious characters, you get the same feel from both animes
Boy moves to a new, seemingly normal and quite town. That is until past events start to unravel and everything isn't what it seems. If you enjoyed Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, you should defiantly give Another a try.
Both involve a main character moving into a new town. The town has mysterious things going on.
Each is a horror anime revolving around a mystery and the graphic deaths of students; however, Higurashi is more light-hearted (at points) and less generic than Another.
They are both very extraordinary horrors that have a great plot, story, sound and have a polished art style.
It seems to have much murders and also have a great story behind it, what ever you liked, Another or Higurashi, I can assure you, this is a must watch. I gave it a 9/10, and I'm slightly strict on my ratings.
They are similar in characters, the flow of the story and the flow of the whole series.
(Higurashi has a sequel and OVAs, while I believe the prequel for Another is to be watched after the T.V. series)
But go check it out. You have nothing to lose. You will be hooked by the 3rd episode. Enjoy this masterpiece.
Very similar murder mystery feel
These two animes are horror and everything is mysterious...
If you watched anime Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni then you will definitely like Another.
Genre for Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni : Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller
Genre for Another: Mystery, Horror, Drama, School :3
Another and Higurashi are similar because in both stories they have a calamity which people die from but the plots are completely different. Both are very great anime but are different an alike. Higurashi consist on more of a different plot rather where in Another it focuses on the death both have surprise endings and unexpected event. Even though Another has a shocking ending, unexpected, Higurashi has a lot of turns of events and is longer. Both series are different while Higurashi has more than 30 episodes while Another had about 12 or so :]
Supernatural mysteries are indeed interesting, but what if it's being packaged with a little gore scene? Another is more mild but gives a serious atmosphere all the time, while higurashi has a slight changes in the atmosphere but when it comes to gruesome scenes, higurashi offers more.
Both anime are ready to fulfill you desires!
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Both give a similar feeling: New guy arrives to a little village, and certain dark events start happening that are somehow related to a young mysterious girl. Slow and creepy atmosphere that makes you want to find out what´s going on. Brilliant ost and VA´s. Personally I enjoyed Shiki more, because it gives a deeper development to its characters and a more intricate plot. Still, Both are awesome animes that will keep you thrilled till the end, so if you enjoyed one, you will probably enjoy the other.
Well, both series are Mystery genres..
They give the same scary feeling due to the lots of creepy deaths all over the stories.
Yet, both show the main male character wiling to stop this "supernatural phenomenon".
Also a special mention to the cure of the music, which both serie have.
If you enjoyed one of those, you might probably enjoy the other as well!
The difference in shows is that in Another we don't know what is happening and why so it has to be investigated. However, in Shiki we know the cause of the deaths from the start and are simply observing everything from the distance, watching how characters will deal with the issue.
Other than that, shows are very similar. In both shows people suddenly start to die.In Another people from one class die and in Shiki in one of the villages.
In both shows characters try to find the cause and stop it. Both shows start slow but eventually end up in blood bath. Both shows have quiet a lot of under developed characters though in Another it is more eye burning.
Shiki and Another are mystery and horror anime that share the same type of overall dread for the viewer. They take place in a quiet and sleepy town that soon gives way to the chaos and paranoia flowing within everyone's psyche. They also feature mysterious girls whose presence and existence psychologically bash everyone else's sanity and causes a train-wreck, chain-reaction-like phenomenon, that leaves many dead and others messed up from the sheer horror and unspeakable events that unfold. Both series, especially Shiki, also offer really unique animation and creepy background music. If you liked watching one of them I highly recommend trying out the other.
Both fall under the horror genre and give off similar vibes by establishing a slow-paced mystery in order to create suspense. Shiki focuses on character and buildup, while Another uses foreshadowing and atmosphere.
Perhaps creepy at times, and shocking at others.
Worthy of mentioning is that the writer for Another is the husband for the writer of Shiki. Truly, the greatest love story ever told.
While Shiki is more of a thriller than a horror, they both take place in a small rural town. Mysterious, supernatural deaths are also something the two series share. The protagonist in each show tries to uncover the truth behind the deaths.
Both series involves events in small village involving deaths surrounded by mystery. Both anime(s) have that thriller like atmosphere that leaves cliffhangers and horror themed conclusions.
A great series for viewers interested in horror fiction and mystery alike.
Both have a creepy and mysterious undertone in the beginning, and both turn out gory in the end but Another is more extreme
Both series deal with the supernatural as found in a cloistered community, and the drastic measures which must be taken to deal with the danger to humanity. Shiki is more cerebral and philosophical; Another is more of an excellent demonstration of classic horror tropes.
Series of bizarre events had been happening since a certain guy moves to a certain village, the same intense, creepy atmosphere, and the panic from the numerous sudden deaths.
Both are small out of place towns, that are surrounded by nature, cut off from the rest of the world.
they also have a boy moving from the city to live in the town.
the sense of mystery is more blunt in Another, but they both portray horror thats absolutely wonderful, if you love blood and killing.
both have outbreak of killings as the story progresses, which are visually graphic, which is the BEST!
they both question humanity and how their brain works when put under pressure of murder and how they act accordingly towards finding an answer in different ways.
Both are a horror genre with a bit of mystery. Both are great anime, though I think I enjoyed another's finale more than Shiki. Both have a supernatural element that drives the story forward. Gore is also on the same levels.
Both seem to be pretty remote towns
Both have an outbreak of deaths
The citizens in both don't seem to have any idea for what to do
Both have a pretty good suspenseful aura
Both don't hold back on showing the killing
In both, a new guy moves to a small town. Shortly after, strange and sudden deaths start to occur, and the main character attempts to find out why. Both anime have gory scenes, involve the living dead, contain mystery, and give off that same eerie feeling.
Both are scary, creepy, and the psychological elements are both well-made!
Most important of all, THERE is MADNESS which leads to people to slaughter each other!
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Opening Theme"Kyoumu Densen (凶夢伝染)" by ALI PROJECT
Ending Theme"anamnesis" by Annabel
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