To start off this review, I'd like to point out the anime isn't scary at all. There's a decent amount of gore, but unless it makes you very squeamish, you should be fine. Everything is based around ghost-story like things, and it's hardly believable. In fact, I can say for certain that if you want a good scare, you're better off playing some horror games. The thing that kept me going in the case of Another was the suspense and the mysteries waiting to be solved.
The story itself is rather cliche for an anime of it's genre, but I'd say it's forgivable and works rather well. It runs smoothly, and since the anime isnt too long, it doesn't start off slow or have pacing problems. It gets straight to the point. I think there are some points where you may lose your patience however, as problems arise from easily avoidable misunderstandings.
Visually, Another was rather appealing, I must say. The colours are perfectly suited for the gloomy atmosphere, and the characters are well drawn. They really nailed the character expressions, which were a MUST in this case.
The sound was...not really memorable, but they added some pretty neat effects at times, and it worked out well in the end. I think the sound may have been the scariest thing, to be honest.
Now, the characters...they are so bland and uninteresting I barely remember their names. They were all dull and seemed like cookie-cutter, underdeveloped characters, save for Misaki Mei [who was kinda cute, not gonna lie] and to a certain extent, Teshigawara, whom the anime desperately needed because he was the only upbeat character.
Overall, I'd say it really isn't that bad, but it's nothing special. There are scarier and more interesting things to watch out there, but it certainly is an experience. I believe I won't be looking at umbrellas the same way ever again...
