Another is not the kind of anime I'll usually watch as I'm not into horror stuffs. But since my friend recommended it to me, I decided to give it a shot. The first few episodes were indeed spooky and I actually didn't dare to watch it at night. (v.v) The atmosphere and the dolls (I really hate dolls and have always find them freaky) really scared me a little. As a horror series, i think that the first 10 episodes were great but unfortunately, the same can't be said about the last 2 episodes. There were many deaths in this series but they were all meaningful... until the random killings in the last few episodes make Another looks like a Final destination ripoff. From what I heard, the novel and the manga are quite different from the anime. I haven't had the time nor mood to read it but will probably do so one day as I'm quite curious about the differences. Story: (8/10) – Good The premise of the story is interesting but yet full of questionable points. The main question I have in my mind after watching Another is "Who is behind the revival of the undead?" There must be someone or something behind it! They can't just simply brush it off by saying that it's a natural phenomenon since there's nothing very natural about it. I'm also pretty disturbed by the fact that there seems to be no real solution to the problem. It's sad that the next third class will have to go through the same sh*t all over again. Seriously, if such things really do happen in real life, I'm sure that the school would have closed down by now. But well, the author is coming out with sequels and spin-offs so we can only hope for him to give us more insights to the Another phenomenon. Character: (8/10) – Good Frankly, I was pretty shocked by who the 'Another' one was, but on hindsight, it kind of made sense. If only there's a proper explanation for the presence of the 'Another'. There are many characters in Another but many died before they even made an impact. The main character is Sakakibara. There's nothing very special about him except that he got to witness most of the deaths. Another main character is Misaki Mei. Many feel that she's a cool character. I did feel the same way too but now I feel that many deaths could have been avoided if only she had revealed earlier who the undead was. The ending might have been better if she had revealed it earlier. Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good The bloody death scenes were animated well... I think. Frankly, I didn't pay too much attention to it as I don't enjoy watching bloody scenes. The art style is nice and pretty and surprisingly suits the mood of the story. Music: (8/10) – Good The Opening and Ending themes bring out the atmosphere of the anime very well. Enjoyment: (7/10) – Fairly Good Overall, I think Another was quite entertaining. Since my threshold for horror series is very low, Another did manage to scare me a little (especially the first few episodes). I'm not sure if horror fans feel the same way too though. One thing I didn't enjoy was the random and crazy killings in the last couple of episodes. It took away the mysterious and horror vibe. Overall: (8/10) – Good If you like horror series, I think Another is worth a try. I wouldn't say the ending is satisfying but it did surprise me a little. If you want to watch this series, remember... never to read the spoilers. It will most definitely take away half the enjoyment of watching it.
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