Peppered with chaos, curses, death and occasional bouts of comedy (this is Japan, after all), Another is a classic, eerily haunting tale that I'm glad I finally ended up watching.
Following the seemingly cursed Class 3, the series delves into the elusive mystery that is a student's sudden and tragic death in the year of 1972. In the aftermath, a strange presence begins to lurk behind the students and within the classroom. Years later, a new student joins the class: enter Koichi Sakakibara, a boy who has no idea just what he's gotten into, and who has just unknowingly became part of the mystery. Cue creepy dolls, haunting dialogue, and all-round hysteria.
At first, Another seemed like just another waste of time. It's so hard to get anime horror right that so few ever break through the mold in being actually chilling and somewhat frightening. While by no means groundbreaking and frequently nonsensical (seriously, who calls someone INSIDE A BURNING BUILDING?!), Another is actually effective in being the balance between eerie, untrustworthy and intriguing. The animation is beautifully crisp, while the backgrounds are stunning to watch. The story encapsulated me to the point of wondering just where the hell this was all going, despite pulling me along some of the time. Although defined as horror, it's also a melancholic myriad of tragedy that is a journey of coping with loss.
That doesn't mean the series is devoid of humor. It's actually hilarious in certain places, albeit sometimes unintentionally. At one point towards the end of the series, for example, as a bloody onslaught occurs and a boy charges for his life from a hysterical blood-thirsty maniac, their teacher Chibiki glances at the aftermath and says something like: "This is not normal."
Yeah, this guy has this series down.
(I'm also extremely excited to read the novel, which I had to purchase immediately after finishing episode twelve.)
