[some stupid pun involving the word 'another']

So, the first volume of the Another novels came out last week from Yen Press, and I finished it a few days ago. I’d meant to do a review of it when I finished, but I’ve been hemming and hawing a bit since I’m not entirely settled on how I feel about it. I’d bought it partially in the hopes that its sales are good that Yen will turn its sights on Fuyumi Ono’s horror works, the tenuous connection being that the author of Another is Ono’s husband, Yukito Ayatsuji, but I also decided to give it a go as I was curious if the novels were more effective as horror than the anime had proven. To which I would say now… well, sort of.

For those of you who missed the anime, Another focuses around a middle schooler who finds himself living with his grandparents when his academic father lands a job in India, stranding said middle schooler in a large rural town at a far less prestigious school than to which he is accustomed. And, oh, lucky for him, he finds himself in an oddly-behaving class that completely ignores the existence of one of his classmates, Mei Misaki, who herself seems fairly untroubled by that fact, and who also actively discourages the lead from befriending her or even spending time around her. And then the people start dying.

I left out the name of our lead in this case because this is the most obvious difference between novel and anime – Sakakibara’s given name is “Seito” in the books, whereas it is the less offensive “Kouichi” in the anime. Less offensive? Well, as Seito Sakakibara is an explicit reference to a pair of murders of children in Kobe in 1997, yes, less offensive. Sakakibara specifically alludes to the matter and talks about how it affected how his classmates treated him, to an extent, in the text, and when his classmates shorten his surname to “Sakaki”, he figures that the incident is the exact reason.

Speaking of changes, shearing the soundtrack and the visuals away from the story does absolutely help – no sudden and obvious cutaways to CREEPY DOLLS because THIS IS CREEPY ISN’T IT? ISN’T IT? And when absurd things do happen, such as death by umbrella while falling downstairs, the description just doesn’t have the level of, “Wow, that’s really stupid.” that actually seeing it did. I’m more willing to accept how it happened, and I’m not laughing at it.

However… while the tone is dialed back from over-the-top, unfortunately the same underlying problem remains as the anime had – the underpinning is patently unbelievable. A cursed class where for more than half of the past twenty-six years massive amounts of students and their immediate family have died? Really? And its all been kept ultra-secret because only the members of the class and their teachers are allowed to know the truth? The narrative tries to come up with a magical plot device to keep the validity afloat – people forget the details after the year has passed! – but it feels desperate and cheap, only drawing more attention to the fact that the whole thing completely beggars belief. I would be far more willing to accept it if the original incident had happened six years ago, but twenty-six is just too much. I can’t accept that a bunch of fifteen year olds wouldn’t be telling their closest friends (“well, if I only tell so-and-so… they’re my closest friend, it doesn’t count!”), or that people wouldn’t start to stop sending their children to the school. Even if these parents were somehow wholly unaware of the why of the problem, or the exact outlines of the problem, if at least every other year lots of people associated with a particular class die, well, folks, you can bet enrollment would fall.

So this flaw in the story just nags and nags and nags as one reads. I kept reading, and I even enjoyed it to an extent, but I could never fully banish my inability to get past the flaw from my mind. If it weren’t for the fact that I like the characters, that the book is fairly decent otherwise, and that I’m curious to see if things derail as stupendously as they did in the anime, I would’ve stopped reading out of frustration long before the final page.

The characters really are the best part of the book, although its so far limited to our leads; Sakaki is a likeable lead, a boy who has some of the hallmarks of the dread milquetoast, but has the depth to avoid that pitfall. Sakaki begins the story having just suffered a collapsed lung for the second time, and his medical condition does have an affect on what he can and cannot do, but his nervousness over having a relapse surfaces when you would expect it to from a fifteen year old – after he has pushed himself too much, or when something traumatic occurs. It doesn’t stop him from chasing after answers, even when he does have a twinge of doubt as to the wisdom of his actions. And although Mei doesn’t get as much depth, as we don’t occupy her mind, her circumstances are curious enough early on, and the realities to some of those odder circumstances are later on darkly amusing enough to keep one’s focus. But I also truly enjoyed that her coldness wasn’t a sign of a person of extremes waiting to happen, but just a fairly level-headed and serious person in a situation most would feel was bad. With these two headlining the story, it was easy for me to keep reading.

The remainder of the cast is fairly undeveloped at this point; you can’t really like or dislike anyone since they haven’t had much time to make themselves known to the reader. The young nurse, Mizuno, who bonds with Sakaki over a shared love of horror, gets a bit more rendering, and I certainly liked her love of horror as well as the fact that she was presented as competent and curious. But the rest are currently one-liners – Reiko gets bad headaches. Mochizuki might have a crush on a teacher. Teshigawara is loud. Which, honestly, isn’t too much of an issue; as I said, our leading pair is certainly good enough that having the rest ill-defined at this point is fine.

Yen’s release is digital-only, and is available, at least, through Barnes & Noble and Amazon. I read it on a Nook, and the only thing I noticed that is potentially bad is that my e-reader wasn’t terribly accurate about page counts – frequently, turning a page didn’t change the page number. This may simply be because I have a smaller e-reader, though. As for the product itself, the transliteration read generally fine, although early on there was a passage that was awkward and repeated the same word a few times in a case where it was distracting. It was the only one I noticed, though, and I’m pretty damn picky about that kind of thing, so I feel safe saying that the rest was perfectly fine.

So, do I recommend it? Well… well… sort of, I suppose. As I said, despite the gaping flaw at the heart of the book, it isn’t a bad book… but if you suspect such a thing would ruin your experience, well, obviously you should look elsewhere for your horror fix. I think this is probably best as a read for people who’ve already watched the anime or read the manga, as you’ll be better aware of what you’re getting yourself into and whether you can stand it or not. At the same time, prior knowledge also removes a lot of the tension from the story, since at least in this volume you’ll basically know what happens next at each stage of the narrative, so, maybe not for folks who’ve experienced the story before and want some sense of suspense! On the whole, I liked it, but I fault it very harshly for tripping up in such a big way. I guess its a damn good thing I like Sakaki and Mei a lot.

Title: Another, Volume 1
Japanese Title: Another (Anazā) 上
Author: Ayatsuji Yukito (綾辻 行人)
Translator: Karen McGillicuddy
Year Published: 2013 (America); 2009 (Japan)
Publisher: Yen Press
Pages: 254

If you’ve watched the Another anime and are looking for a quick answer regarding whether or not you should read the novel the anime is based on: Yes, you should read it. It’s a fun book and a quick read. It’s just as creepy as the anime, but it’s creepy in different ways. The basic plot is the same, but enough of the details are different to maintain a feeling of suspense.

Before I begin, I should say that this review only covers the first volume of a two-volume novel. According to Amazon, the second volume won’t be released until July 23, 2013. Since Another is a highly compelling mystery novel, and since the first volume doesn’t offer closure but instead only deepens the mystery, I might caution anyone who hasn’t already seen the Another anime series (which is available on Hulu) against reading the first half before the second half is available.

Another begins in April of 1998 in a small mountain town called Yomiyama. The narrator is Sakakibara Kōichi, who suffers from a lung disease called “primary spontaneous pneumothorax.” Since his father is spending a year abroad in India, Kōichi has moved from Tokyo to Yomiyama to live with the parents of his deceased mother. Before he can start ninth grade with his new class (the Japanese school year begins in April) at the North Yomi Middle School, however, Kōichi suffers a relapse of his disease and is hospitalized. While in the hospital, he is visited by two students from his class who badger him with a series of unpleasantly persistent questions about his background in relation to Yomiyama. Even more curious is his encounter with a strangely taciturn girl wearing a North Yomi uniform in the hospital’s elevator. This girl, Misaki Mei, is wearing a conspicuous eye patch and headed down to a part of the hospital basement that should be empty.

As soon as Kōichi is released from the hospital, his mother’s younger sister Reiko, who lives with Kōichi’s grandparents, sits him down and tells him the “North Yomi fundamentals,” the third of which is “you must at all costs obey whatever the class decides.” Kōichi, who had been bullied at his old school because of his family name, is uncomfortable with this rule; and, when he finally begins school, he is unpleasantly surprised when he realizes that everyone in his class is bullying Mei. No one acknowledges her presence in the classroom, and no one will discuss her with Kōichi. Kōichi gets hints that what is going on is more than mere bullying, however; the class’s treatment of Mei is somehow tied to a curse laid on the third class of the third year students at North Yomi.

Another is half horror and half mystery. The horror comes from the existence of ineffable supernatural phenomena, the grisly deaths of Kōichi’s classmates, and the looming inevitability of the class’s fate. The “you must at all costs obey whatever the class decides” dictum is majorly creepy as well. These horror elements lend a major sense of urgency to the mysteries Kōichi must puzzle out: Why is everyone ignoring Misaki Mei? What is the curse afflicting Class 3-3? How did the curse come about, and how does it work?

The answers to these questions are eventually revealed at the end of the volume. To be honest, the specifics of the curse don’t actually make a great deal of practical sense, but that’s okay – the setup and nature of the curse are clever and interesting. Since this is only the first half of the story, it goes without saying that not everything is revealed. In fact, the end of the first volume sets up an even more interesting mystery. The curse is apparently linked to one specific person in each class in which the curse is active, the so-called “casualty” (死者), but who could this be? The first volume doesn’t give the reader the necessary clues to figure this out, but it does hint at a particularly nasty moral dilemma that the reader can look forward to exploring in the second half of the story.

Another isn’t the most beautifully written book in the world. When compared to the anime, with its moody musical score, atmospheric lighting, and lush background images, the novel doesn’t seem to take full advantage of the potential creepiness of its setting in an isolated mountain town before the advent of widespread cell phone and internet use. What the novel does do is to deliver an additively readable young adult horror story that can also be read as a power fantasy of working through some of the more unpleasant aspects of ninth grade. A new kid transfers into a new class at a new school, and things are weird and awkward not because fifteen-year-olds are weird and awkward but because there’s a curse. The class seems to be bullying a shy girl who doesn’t fit in not because fifteen-year-olds can be terrible people but because there’s a curse. The homeroom teacher is sketchy and the librarian is spooky not because some adults have trouble dealing with fifteen-year-olds but because there’s a curse.

Class 3-3 is in its own little universe created by both unknowable supernatural forces and unstated institutional regulations, and everything the students in the class do is truly a matter of life and death. Under the veneer of normalcy created by daily routine, nothing is normal at all, and the sickly transfer student and uncanny quiet girl might just end up being the heroes who save everyone. It’s a fairly heady fantasy for anyone who’s ever that things at their middle/high school weren’t quite right. Even without the analogy to the implicit strangeness of ninth grade, the momentum of the race to get to the bottom of what’s going on at North Yomi Middle School is enough to keep anyone reading until the end.

Even though I know what happens, I’m still eagerly awaiting the second volume.

The clincher here is that the novels will be digital only. If the digital versions sell well Yen Press has said they will think about a print release, but it seems unlikely at this time. There is no info yet about how the books will be distributed digitally, though as Yen Press seems to have a number of their books on different platforms, it seems likely we’ll at least see them on Kindle and Nook.

If you like thrilling, horror mysteries with a twist at the end, I HIGHLY recommend this anime.

A sickly but level headed male lead, Kouichi Sakakibara; a stoic but strong female lead, Mei Misaki

And decent enough support characters; Librarian Tatsuji Chibiki and fellow students Yuya Mochizuki and Naoya Teshigawara.

**WARNING** Spoilers From Episode 1 Are Ahead.

I loved all the voice actors that they used for each character. Especially Mei’s voice actor, Natsumi Takamori. (I love it when I hear her say words with “chi” or “shi” in them.  :p )

I was hooked on this anime from the first episode and watched it in one sitting!
(Well, I was kinda forced to watch it in one sitting because I was stuck at the airport for an entire day. But no matter!)
I even watched this series through a second time with my sister~

Strange, horrific deaths, a tiny bit of fan service and a mystery you can’t wait to see be solved!

**Spoilers From Episode 1 Begin Here**

When the opening sequence started playing, I automatically had a slight heart attack of happiness, as the Ali Project and their song “Nightmare Contagion” were chosen for the opening. A fast paced, creepy opening where you can’t blink for you might miss something. I found myself discovering more foreshadowings even in the opening sequence.

(The Ali Project is most known for their aristocratic lolita look, and their music style change from “White Alice” ((happy and cheerful songs)) to “Dark Alice” ((dark and mysterious songs)); they also had songs appear in other anime such as “Rozen Maiden”, “Noir”, “Avenger” and “.hack//Roots”).

As you watch the first episode, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION! Foreshadows are abundant.

The dam,

the umbrella,

the bag,

the boat…

EVERYTHING in the beginning sequence before the opening song is a foreshadowing to the entire series in episode one.

In the first episode, Kouichi is laying in a hospital bed in a small town called Yomiyama, due to pneumothorax. He is a transfer student from Tokyo who is staying with his grandparents and Aunt Reiko because his father works abroad in India.

Since he missed the first week of school at Yomiyama North Middle School; Head of Counter Measures, Izumi Akazawa and class delegates Tomohiko Kazami and Yukari Sakuragi go to visit Kouichi in the hospital, giving him a bouquet of flowers and class notes.

There’s an immediate tension in the atmosphere as Akazawa, Sakuragi and Kazami are ridiculously formal and proceed to ask Kouichi personal questions and try to find out if Kouichi has ever been to Yomiyama before.

Later that night, Kouichi catches the elevator to go down to a basement level (which leads to the boiler room and the morgue) to call his father and inform him about his stay at the hospital. While in the elevator, Kouichi meets a girl with an eye patch; Mei Misaki. She says she has something to deliver and that her poor other half is waiting for her there.

After Kouichi has recovered, released from the hospital and given a few “rules” from his Aunt Reiko, he finally goes to school. There is an awkward tension as he introduces himself to his classmates and as Mr. Kubodera, his homeroom teacher, assigns him a seat.

Later during break, everyone is seemingly friendly towards Kouichi; asking him about his health, how great Tokyo must have been, where his dad is and about how hot their assistant homeroom teacher, Ms. Mikami, is.

Outside during their P.E. class, Kouichi is unable to participate due to his lung condition so Sakuragi comes over to talk to him. When Kouichi asks Sakuragi about Misaki, she pretends she has no idea who he’s talking about.

However, when rain clouds start rolling in, Kouichi looks to the sky and notices Misaki standing on the roof of their class building.

Kouichi begins to ask Misaki questions: About their meeting in the elevator, why she isn’t attending P.E., why she’s up on the roof.

She responds by saying she hates being questioned and then tells Kouichi with a chilling voice, that he shouldn’t get close to her and that their class is “close to death”.
He asks why, but Misaki says he will find out soon enough and walks away saying “Goodbye”.

On his way home, with his grandmother driving, Kouichi sees Misaki, standing in the rain and staring up at the sky.

The actual “Calamity” doesn’t start until episode 3, where one of Kouichi’s classmates dies in an accident at school.

The deaths, the mystery behind the “Calamity”, and the truth about the “Other One” progresses steadily throughout the series. Answering a question in each episode.

You will have many questions in the beginning:

So that’s where this story/anime is coming from. Another is the story of a death that happened wayyyy back in 1972. A high school kid died in some strange way and it was tragic. But as life moved on, people in the class said that they could see the student was still there. Even the teacher went along with it. They took the desk to

Those creepy dolls… Ugh.

graduation, and the student even showed up in the final class picture. Creepy, right? It’s another year and it’s been 26 to be exact. With a new transfer student coming in to Yomiyama North from Toyko, Koichi Sakakibara is about to discover what true horror is. In true Final Destination fashion people start dropping like flies from what appears to be the Class 3 curse.

The freaky students of Class 3.

When a show/anime/movie is based on a book, you hope it can be just as good as the original. Never having seen an anime based on anything other than a manga, I don’t have any basis for grading this anime. But I thought it was rather well done. Based around a small town with a secret, the whole story is about finding skeletons in the closet. There are a few twists and a supernatural element that isn’t too over the top as to believe in a situation like this. The animation style is creepy enough with all the characters drawn like human ball jointed dolls. It has plenty of shocking deaths and blood, and everything in the show (probably due to the dolls) has a frail quality feeling to it.

The Eye, anyone?

This anime deals a lot with conversations that happen between characters, and what is said is what matters. There isn’t a whole lot of action until the end, but that was okay with me. It seemed like a new change of pace to watch a show that didn’t focus all around motion, but took it slower and dealt more with the dialogue than what people actually did. It has its creepy elements and would do just fine if it was adapted into a horror movie. But that is what’s surprising seeing this as an anime. It takes a cartoon medium and turns it into something more adult, more Victorian (it’s the only word coming to mind). If you wanna watch an anime without all the bells and whistles, this is probably the show for you. A creepy look into dolls and the dead, this show gets a 6.5 out of 10.

FFFFUUUUUU….

Siang bolong tongkrongin facebook tiba-tiba ada yang posting artikel ini. Yup, Anime bergenre horror-psychology yang tayang di musim sekarang (winter 2012) ini udah dapat dipastikan mendapat OVA-nya yang belum jelas dirilis kapan -_-. well di lihat dari artikel ini sudah jelas kalau sepupu Mei yang meninggal pada bulan april, Misaki Fujioka yang akan menjadi main chara di OVA ini sekaligus menceritakan tentang kematian dan menjelaskan hubungan antara dia dan Mei Misaki.

Well selain OVA, novelist Another, Yukito Ayatsuji-sensei mengkonfirmasi akan ada lanjutan dari novel Another dengan judul Another 2 dan Another episode ~ S lewat akun twitternya. Isi ceritanya sendiri guenya belum banyak tahu (orz-_-). Kita tunggu saja kehadiran dari novel ini.

“Another”

The anime begins with a brief story about the death with of a schoolgirl. It’s very creepy, but it’s one of the things I remember when I read the manga. I know that I’ve read the manga long ago, but I can’t really remember much about it except for the introduction. It made quite an impression on me, and when I watched the anime, I instantly knew that I’ve read it. Even from the beginning, you can instantly tell that it’s a horror. There’s just something about it that gives you goosebumps, and I think the anime portrayed it really well. The execution and the animation was pretty good. The opening theme was also pretty creepy, and of course, the Ali Project would be the ones singing the theme.

The bit about the dolls oddly reminded me of “Rozen Maiden,” but that’s about the only thing that they have in common. No, this anime reminded me more of a manga that I’ve also read a long time ago. It was called “Tasogare Otome x Amnesia.” I think the horror part in this anime is better though, but essentially they have similar things: schoolgirl ghosts and the guys who find them. Still, I think it’s a good manga to read, and I remember more of it because I’ve read more chapters than “Another.” Maybe I’ll try to read them again and see.

For now, it’s a pretty good anime. I really like all the mysterious air about it, so I’ll be looking out for the next episode. I’ll also be keeping my eye out for the live action one, because I think that this series would be really interesting as a movie.

Horror novel reader Kouichi Sakakibara moves to his grandparents home after his father went abroad, but soon after turning 15 he’s hospitalized by a sudden pneumothorax, missing his first day of school. In the hospital he meets a mysterious girl called Mei Misaki. After recovery he joins the 3rd year 3-Class at North Yomiyama Middle School. Kouichi finds Mei Misaki is in the same class, but notice that the rest of his classmates don’t see her and avoid to speak about it. He later hear from his aunt from the story of a prestigious girl in the same class from 26 years before that died in an accident. Refusing to accept it her classmates kept pretending she was still alive. In that year’ graduation commemorative photograph, the girl supposedly not to be was there. Her name was Mei Misaki.