Another (light novel)
| There's some sort of incident that occurred in the past, that for one reason or another is being hushed up and kept a secret. The incident seems to be somehow related to deaths that are happening, and there is a strange girl that people don't seem to acknowledge. Seems like a horror plot to me. |
| General description of "horror" aside... Hmmm...I think it is also best to note what Japanese horror really is. If you think of horror in a close-minded and biased Western emphasis, of course the incongruence is unsatisfactory. Un-transparent ghosts in Japanese horror films materialize most often not because of regret of unfinished business. They usually appear because of a seemingly never-ending grudge. It's not just all ghost stuff too; there are things from Japanese folklore that are marked as "horror." Black magic which usually includes curses. Shamanism. Exorcism. Bakemono. Youkai. Those are what Japanese horror is usually characterized with. Someone had replied many posts before me that "horror" is a matter of perspective. Yes, that's true. But for one to confirm if a story really belongs to a genre, one must see from what perspective the maker of the story or the author belongs to. The author of Another has been born and raised as Japanese. He lives in Japan for God-knows-from-when-'til-when. I think he'd absorbed much of his country's "horror" than outsiders ever could. He knows what "horror" for the Japanese nation is, and I think that's all that mattered for his Japanese readers. Those who had never grown accustomed or had even been introduced to what Japanese horror really is would usually, unblinkingly disregard whatever that's against their subjective horror perception. That's alright. It's how some minds work. Anyway, (my blabbing finally halted) looking at a Japanese perspective, Another has horror in it. |
 "Belief is the death of intelligence." ~Robert Anton Wilson~ |
| I don't know how horror this anime is, only read the manga and it fits what I consider horror. I'm just posting to add some different titles than The Grudge/The Ring that are horror from the east. About Battle Royale being horror, that's quite surprising but I guess it's "humanity's horrors and the fact we can do such things" that could make it fit the horror genre. From what I've understood, Asian horror works to an audience that considers putting themselves in such situations/"this can realistically happen so what if...". Also, like previous poster said, eastern horror culture works differently than the west's horror culture. Most westerners have seen titles such as Blairwitch and all so it's hard to top our bests nowadays I believe. Especially when you see the movie industry not even trying and just re-using plots (We've had enough with the Saw series, why the hell did it get so many titles? And why the hell are we seeing remakes of Freddy/Exorcist/etc every freaking decennies? (sorry if slightly exaggerating)). So if you consider that (movies that get you to think "realistic so what if..") to also being part of the genre, then Korea has "Oldboy" (although it's more psychological mindfuck) and "I saw the devil" (human's horrors), which I'd usually just consider psychological thrillers that are dark/eerie. You could properly label them as a sub-genre of horror though. Otherwise still with movies Takashi Miike's "Audition" would be a personal fave. I mainly read horror when it comes to Japan though, so a lot of Junji Ito works and I've never bothered with the movie adaptations (the mangas def fit the genre too. Some are truly genius, Long Dream being my favorite; didn't find Tomie which was why I watched it, will sometime have to check if the manga is better of if the movie adaptation is just very good). I'm personally hoping the GYO ova won't ruin the title, as the trailer makes it look quite not-Junji Ito-like at all, but that's off-topic as hell. Anyway, best horror I've seen from the west this century so far had been REC (the original Spain version, not the horrible hollywood remake Quarantine, eugh). A movie like Frontier(s) or A Serbian Film would be more 'messed up/guro' than horror to most. I know the eastern titles are mostly pre-21st century (90s I believe for most) but saying they don't know horror is a too easy troll. VGs have been the more dominant media platforms for the genre in the west I'd say, we had some great titles there. Kk, back to Another discussion. Once it finishes airing I'm planning on marathoning it to see if it's as enjoyable as the manga. I can't enjoy horror if it's interrupted, has to be in one go. |
HakoriaFeb 4, 2012 6:39 AM
「Godspeed You! Black Emperor」 |
| I would definitely call this "horror", as it seems to be The Ring/The Grudge with Final Destination death scenes. |
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So if you consider that (movies that get you to think "realistic so what if..") to also being part of the genre, then Korea has "Oldboy" (although it's more psychological mindfuck) and "I saw the devil" (human's horrors), which I'd usually just consider psychological thrillers that are dark/eerie. You could properly label them as a sub-genre of horror though. Companies can't use the term "mindfuck" officially as a genre and so the accepted genre is "psychological horror" |
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witchhuntress said: Hmmm...I think it is also best to note what Japanese horror really is. If you think of horror in a close-minded and biased Western emphasis, of course the incongruence is unsatisfactory. But your emphasis is equally close-minded as it assumes there to be something like inherently Japanese and inherently Western horror tropes, when in actuallity there has been so much exchange between all countries since the genre was termed. To assume that Japan is something like a closed-off system is somehow offensive, isn't it? Because it basically says, you can't compare them because they're so different. To mirror your argument: It's not just all ghost stuff in the West either; there are things from individual countries folklore that are marked as "horror." Black magic which usually includes curses (be it Satanic rituals, Voodoo, Wiccan cults, etc.). Witches. Exorcism. Monsters. Demons. The development of horror is actually very much an intercultural development. This should be so obvious with something like Another, especially when it makes constant nods to the obvious international influences the author had. You don't have to look from a national perspective to see that Another is very much part of the horror genre. It draws so heavy from classic gothic stories, the international development of the creepy youth, etc. etc. |
Waiting for: God Eater (PSP) 私が、探偵だからよ。 |
Homolust said: No such thing as horror in anime. Japan just can't into horror. Shigurui? |
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