Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
literaturenerd
Overview:
Since I have been on a horror anime binge lately, I may as well review the ever popular series "Another". This is a series that despite its popularity, is quite divisive in terms of critical rating. I will attempt to take a fair and objective look at it and separate the actual flaws from the popularity-backlash.
I'm going to get this out of the way early. The plot of Another isn't very good. Not only is it absurd in its premise and character actions, but it doesn't even feel creative or like it works within its own constructed world. The basic plot and mechanics that drive the show are VERY clearly borrowed from the shitty Final Destination movies. Another doesn't even try to cover this up. It is amazing to me that the Newline Cinema hasn't tried to sue Another for plagiarism.…
Read at the sourceran614
Horror in anime… how does it stand out? When I see a horror tag in an anime, I know it’s more gore than it is horror. “It’s gore not horror”. When we say horror, it’s supposed to be scary not icky. It’s rare to see some really good horror in anime. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve seen a really good horror anime. Maybe Corpse Party but it’s more gory than scary too. Let me think quickly here. Nah, I really can’t find anything that scary in my list. But what about Another? It’s a bit eerie will it suffice as a horror anime? Let’s just see shall we?
Story:
In the beginning, (there was darkness?) the series tried to make the viewers believe that Mei Misaki is a life-form that only Sakakibastard… Sorry, I meant Sakakibara can see and interact with. I, for one, was actually fooled by i…
Read at the sourcePlaybahnosh
[TL;DR: Very well made mystery/horror adaptation, intriguing (and FINISHED) story, interesting characters and pretty art style. Little short, but high on tension and great storytelling/pacing. Some people might be turned off by the nicely detailed gore, but it IS a horror anime, so viewer discretion is advised. Discount a few plot-holes and questionable decisions of some characters, I highly recommend it to all horror/mystery enthusiasts.]
Another was a genuinely pleasant surprise. I saw very mixed reviews of this series around, but as I later found out, the more negative ones were mostly because of the amount of gore. Yes, disclaimer, there are some pretty graphic scenes in this anime, and I mean "pretty" in more ways than one. But first, let's start with the story.
It's very hard to re…
Read at the sourcegedata
Some horror flicks manage to work because of good pacing, unique presentation, and a genuinely unnerving atmosphere, others are just entertaining gorefests that make up for there weak writing and stupid characters with a healthy dosage camp. I genuinely enjoy both sides of the horror spectrum and came into Another looking for one or the other and instead got what seems to be a horrendously botched attempt at both. As far as being creepy goes, Another employs the most ridiculously derivative approach. A small pale chick and ugly dolls? It’s about as done to death as it sounds . Plainly put, the series puts a pitiful amount effort into establishing a legitimately creepy atmosphere using such cliche imagery isn’t gonna put my hairs on end. The ominous music does it’s best to compliment these…
Read at the sourceMonjoex
This show actually caught me by surprise. I went into it knowing absolutely nothing about it, but needless to say, I was hooked after just two episodes. Who is this girl? Why is she so special? Why is this new transfer student the only one that seems to know she’s even there? A mystery indeed. The show does an amazing job leaving the audience to wonder what’s going to happen next. Each episode’s cliffhanger is gripping. They take things to a whole new level during the second half of the series. The character design and animation style both are top notch. Clean, sharp, and crisp. Nicely done here by P.A. Works. The opening fits the theme of this series perfectly. I couldn’t ask for anything better. The ending theme is up for debate. I personally didn’t care much for it, but let’s not make t…
Read at the sourceincarnate1
One of the few animes I've seen that isn't entirely predictable, it's one of those animes that you want to keep watching after each episode. I've never been a fan of most long-running anime series that have 100+ episodes, with exception; because a lot of it tends to be filler and if the writers haven't told the story they set out to, they're rehashing old things or cooking up inferior ones.
I love that Another has only 12 episodes and I love that the beginning of the anime was written in mind with its end. It's not an anime that needs to keep coming up with new stuff to drag out another season. The writing is strong and the mystery is engaging right up until the end. Historically, I have not been impressed by many endings, but the ultimate climax and payoff in this one is completely worth…
Read at the sourceDemi_V
We all have our own expectations for a horror, and whether Another fits this genre is controversial. Its similarities to Final Destination, one of America's horror film series, makes it well-known for the countless freak accidents. It doesn’t go without saying that Another has its shortcomings that declined to make it as serious a horror as Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, which it desperately tried to compete with and failed. On the other hand, Another pulls through with a solid mystery, and the top-notch animation by P.A. Works enhances the suspense throughout the series.
Another revolves around a 26-year-old mystery of one particular high school class that leads to multiple bloodbaths. The mystery itself is decent and adds onto the horror and suspense for each episode, but it may not please…
Read at the sourceSeeyounextweek
Notice: some spoilers will be present in this review, despite my best efforts; I've made them as vague as possible, but sorry about that anyway.
Another advertises itself as a mystery horror anime; its premise is definitely interesting and right off the bat the production values look promising. Unfortunately, the show starts to fall apart halfway through, the mystery leaves you with many, MANY questions of the wrong kind and is so serious yet so over-the-top that the "horror" tag might as well be read as "comedy".
This show is a prime example of a promising story being told in the worst manner imaginable. The beginning is strong, then it starts going downhill in the middle, with the last stretch being just a mess. This is mostly because of how the mystery is handled: at first, Another do…
Read at the sourceSatire
What is considered a horror and what is considered a thriller? This is a subject that can confuse many, much like the difference between plot and story; the topic of whether or not something is a thriller or horror is a concept that most people have vague knowledge of, yet people often use incorrectly. The question to ask now is which does Another fall under?
Let's begin by discussing horror versus thriller. Horror, essentially, is based off of basic, scenic brutality; it is typically filled with blood, gore, and 'creative' methods in which people die gruesome deaths. Think of common horror flicks like Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, or in reference to anime, Corpse Party. What is considered a thriller then? Thrillers tend to tap into the audience psychologically and build suspense b…
Read at the sourceThat_Bulge
-No spoilers are contained within this review-
Story (6/10)
When I first got a grasp on the story in Another I was slightly surprised. I started to watch this show with expectations of a cliché storyline, where the “surprises” could be seen from a mile away. The story in fact is something very different than what I would expect. Another takes the form of a “slice of life” show at the very beginning and evolves from then on into a thriller. The whole of the story follows a character named Kouichi Sakakibara after he transfers to a new high school. As he begins adjusting to his new surroundings he notices a girl in his class named Mei Misaki. Mei (for reasons unknown) has been ostracized by the rest of the class so Kouichi, being a nice and friendly guy, starts talking to her and befriends…
Read at the sourceMoleKing
This is possibly one of the worst excuses for a horror/mystery that I have ever seen.
The visuals were nice, the music was mediocre, and the voice acting was slightly above average...and that's where the good things end.
Let me start with the plot - it was horrible.
Of course, I should elaborate.
It was painfully predictable from the outset, and most "twist" were obvious several episodes before they happened - and I'm usually not even good at predicting what will happen in gorror/mystery stories. Do to nearly everything being so predictable, the tension needed for a horror story to function was nonexistent.
There is one "twist" I could not predict, mainly do to how stupid and nonsensical it was. The ending. I won't give it away, but let me just say that it's a false twist, because all…
Read at the sourceVenten
If I can sum up Another in one word it would be, "fun." (Of Course if you're into horror/Suspense/Thrillers) Another is a show that's not the best of it's kind, or not the greatest in it's execution but for what it's worth, nonetheless I had a GREAT time! There's was enough suspense at the end each episode that left me wanting more and even if I fully didn't understand what was going on, the events that were shown on screen were still highly enjoyable to watch!
Story:
The Story of Another is pretty simple enough; A class has a curse and the characters spend the series trying to find ways to break it. What I thought the series done really well was to slowly provide small amounts of information on the curse as possible, building tension and leaving the viewers continually invested in the wo…
Read at the sourceHopeFails
I don’t watch horror movies. I’m the kind of guy who hides under his covers during thunderstorms and checks behind the shower curtains for serial killers. So, being the weak-willed man I am, I was a little apprehensive about starting Another. I shouldn't have been. Another is psychological horror done right. It’s bloody, gruesome, and flipping scary, but it’s also got a strong story, beautiful animation and powerful characters.
The story is good. Not great. It could have been a lot better. The first five episodes are great. It's mystery, suspense, and terror, and it's done masterfully. After that, the plot starts to crawl. The big mystery is unraveled, and all the suspense is sucked out. The music even admits that things aren't mysterious any more. This, surprise, is the main plot, which…
Read at the sourceBishounen_Hunter
Intro: Another is one of those truly horrific anime series that you'll regret setting your eyes upon. Not for the fact that it's classed as a “horror” series but for the reason it's truly the one most ridiculously implausible stories ever. If you are anything like me, a person who doesn't scare easily or a person well rooted in all that is sound and reasonable but capable of suspending logic for a moment of fiction. You won't like this series! I found nothing scary about dolls, nothing scary about bloody deaths and gore or crows, whatever. Is it sick and twisted? A BIG yes! But I fail to see how this series is scary/horror. I think this series will scare only the really really young or people who only can handle happy rainbows and unicorns but a savvy down-to-earth, logic minded person wil…
Read at the sourceStarisu
--- Warning: Contains spoilers ---
When it comes to anime, the horror genre is a tricky one. A fatal flaw arises right from the beginning, as each person has their own definition of horror depending on how imaginative they might be. While some may immediately think of a bunch of gruesome killings, others may think of more eerie supernatural events, and the list goes on, but because of this, the genre has a high chance of failure depending on each person's perception of horror.
Unfortunately, Another just happens to fall way outside my definition of horror, and seems to fit very nicely within comedy.
But hold on a second, this anime isn't just a horror, it's also supposed to be a mystery as well. Every year we're usually greeted with at least one mystery anime per season that I only cons…
Read at the sourceSuiNoByakko
What do we have in Another? Leads in their early teens, small remote village, a mysterious curse caused by even more mysterious death; seemingly a perfect combination for a horror anime. Nothing can go wrong, right? Well, unless you overcomplicated stuff for no reason, make ridiculous and predictable deaths and in the end solve and explain nothing, it should work out right. I just wish someone told this to the staff.
Story: 6/10
A boy, Sakakibara Kouichi, comes into Hinamizawa… *cough* no… wait.. Yomiyama for the first time and right away he is greeted by a very mysterious group of his classmates, acting as if they were hiding a dead body in a closet, with one of them asking if he hadn’t been there before. Of course he didn’t… or did he? As if it wasn’t enough, on his first school day he…
Read at the sourceNito-San
Guys, I'm not going to lie to you...Another is probably one of the funniest unintentional comedies I have ever seen in awhile. WAIT DON'T HIT THAT DISLIKE BUTTON JUST YET! Hear me out. I'll tell you my reaction to the first episode was that it was going be a great horror series complete with a mystery that would keep you gripping to your seat every week.
BOY WAS I WRONG!
Another is about a group of school kids who are the victims in a ancient curse and BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH I STOPPED CARING BY THE FOURTH EPISODE. You see that was one of the first things that threw me off. You have this curse that goes around killing all the kids in the High School, but the thing is they never "Really" explain it. I mean yes it is explained but in dialogue that's uninteresting and dialogue you wil…
Read at the sourceMikanCos
This is going to be short and sweet. While I am a huge fan of Noizi Itou's artwork and character design in general, I must admit the end of this series was a huge let down. I was, naturally, captivated by the visceral and beautifully displayed fates with which the characters met and was immediately entranced by the lure of a ghost story. However, there were many plot "twists" hinted at through out the story, most of which seemed lazily unfinished. It almost made me feel that the authors had really no concrete plot line to begin with, and hoped the masses would be entranced with the gore and yangire enough to not really remember the last plot point left unexplained. In my humble opinion, there was a huge chunk of the story left completely unresolved, and they tried to make Mei out to be a m…
Read at the sourceporudesu
When trying to formulate a good mystery plot, the author is prone to making some loopholes; the biggest challenge is to prevent these from happening, or cover it with a literary device.
It is also easy to make a mystery plot without any loopholes at all, but with that case, it gains a risk of being bland and predictable. I have watched and read my own fair share of those kinds of stuff, like Detective Conan, Gosick, CSI, and other books and movies, and though I'm not saying that they're not enjoyable, some can be easily predicted halfway.
That is why not only I became a fan of Ayatsuji Yukito-sensei, I also respected P.A. Works (Angel Beats!, HanaIro) a lot more. Yes, some of you who watched it may argue that there were facts that were intentionally hidden from the audience, but isn't it j…
Read at the sourceMyrmidon83
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…
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