Another

ANOTHER

A Murder/Mystery Novel, adapted into a Manga, Anime and Live Action film, set in a particular high school in a small city, that has been plagued with distaster for 25 years.

OVERVIEW -  A graphic, gruesome murder/mystery story with some great twists and a unique perspective on the genre, The novel has obviously impressed, to be converted into almost all popular media thus far. Set in 1996, A high school class has been plagued by death for 25 years, ever since a popular student died, and in an effort to overcome their grief, the class and teacher continued to act as if the student was still with them. This opened a door to something and every year since death has stalked class 3-3 of the school, taking students and their close family at a rate of at least one per month for the whole year. What is happening? why can nothing be done? and who will die next?

REVIEW - I have to admit, two episodes in and I was wondering what the hell was the deal? we have a transfer student being asked some odd questions, an odd gloom over the class and whispers floating around the school. Then there's the odd girl with the eyepatch that everyone seems to ignore.. But its from the third episode of this 12 part series that the show really kicks into gear. unrelenting and graphic, we're taken on a journey of fear, supersition and suspense that breaks down into a frantic, tense, twisted form of self-preservation and revenge as it wraps up both the truth of the mystery and the story of the 1996 class 3-3. 

The main protagonist, Koichi Sakakibara, transfers into Class 3-3 at the start of May, delayed after falling seriously ill upon his arrival in the town of Yomiyama. Living with his grandparents and his aunt, as his mother died shortly after his birth and his father is performing research in India he has transfered from a private school in Tokyo to the public Yomiyama North Middle School. Met by representatives of his class a few days before his release from hospital, they have a lot of odd questions for him, and it feels more like an interogation than the friendly welcome its dressed up as. While in hospital he befriends a nurse due to a shared passion for horror novels, and also meets an odd, quiet girl with her eye patched, carrying a doll in the lift. 

When he arrives at his first day, his classmates all seem normal, talkative and wanting to know about Tokyo, except one. The girl with the eyepatch is in his class, sitting at a beat up desk and ignored by everyone else. When he talks to her she tells him not to involve himself with her, and his classmates seem disturbed by his interactions with her. It becomes obvious quickly that something is a little off about the class, and about the girl too, but no-one seems willing to talk about it, changing the subject if he brings it up or simply telling him not to talk about it. 

While the first two and a half episodes set up the tone, setting and feel for the story, we dont get to see whats really going on till the end of the third, with an event that'll make you never run in a wet hall with an umbrella again.. Slowly but surely the truth behind the "Calamity" of class 3-3 is revealed to Kouchi, its long history, his connection to it and how tragedy has once again fallen on the class, and now no-one is safe anymore. As the series progresses more and more facts come out, and eventually a way to stop a "Calamity" in progress is found, but the cost may be one the class cannot afford to pay. 

One of the first things you'll notice in this anime is the atmospheric feel the whole thing has, there's a measurable tension in the classroom and among the classmates, and a near-physical cloud-'o-DOOOOOM hanging over the teacher. The whole school is aware of the "curse" of the class, but no-one outside the class knows the specifics, creating a real "them and us" feel in the school. Most of the buildings you'll see in any detail look decades old, with sun-bleached concrete with rusty spots from the internal rebar staining them in a deep, rich red in many places. The colour palete for the series is a a washed out, dark pastels, giving a sense of softness but age, fragility and murk to the whole town and its surrounds. This choice of colour use really adds to the whole feel of the show, piling on the tension and feel of an unseen menace that may or may not be there. 

The "Calamity" that affects the students and their families is also a very unique idea. Ditching the concept of a "bad guy" or any form of malicious intent, be it natural or supernatural, its true nature is considered to be a "naturally occuring phenomenom" by the few who know its full past, comparable to an earthquake or a tornado. In true Japanese style there are efforts made to appease this force, to counter-balance its existance and spare the class. Ritual, superstition and sacrifice play a large part in this, and its all taken deadly seriously as if the yearly "charm" fails, the class will pay with the lives of themselves and their loved ones. A fair bit of time is spent on finding out the truth of the Calamity and what may possibly stop it, but as the story continues to rack up the body count, the desperation of a group of young teens literally scared for their lives begins to divide the class, twisting the tale for a third time, from its "ghost" story start, past its "united front" present and into a future of paranoia, panic and madness for its action packed finale. 

Its beauty lies in how it drip feeds you information, building a strong case for one possible "suspect" or cause, then 180's that on you and throws it completely out the window, while adding depth to the overal story and building the feeling of pressure and insecurity as it goes, weaving a deeply layered story very quickly. Its biggest letdown is that is over so quickly. Characters feel a little one-dimensional because they never really have the time to grow. While the fast pace adds to the frantic feeling, a part of the series charm, the true star of the show is the story, with most characters feeling like pawn or puppets, moving only to further the telling of the tale. While subtle, VERY VERY subtle hints of romantic aspects to characters are there, its not really till the end that these are used as the classes emotions reach a boiling point, friendships are not explored or examined, nor are they really tested in any form. The ending itself is a twist on the whole tale itself, opening new possibilities and leaves itself very open for the possiblity of continuation, and as the novel's auther has confirmed he's writting a sequel, its likely that the anime will see another series in a few years time. My only dissapointment with the ending is that its final climax, and its "wrap" as things are tidied up and made ready to move on happens maybe a little too quickly. Again, the story is wrapped, finished and resolved as it where, but the individuals are not given any real time to reflect on-screen on the events they've been part of, and while its possible thats deliberate given how part of the Calamity works, it for me at least re-inforces the feeling that the characters are very secondary. 

None the less, this is a mystery tale that sets new standards in tension, rapid plot direction changes and some very graphic deaths. Another 2012 anime thats top of the pile production wise, its censorship is light so a lot of the really quite gruesome deaths are there in all their disturbing glory. Drawing comparisons to the "Final Destination" films from the "peanut gallery" comments section on my prefered anime source site, likely due to the complex "Accident" deaths it clearly is tipping its hat towards Hollywood in regards to some scenes. (Damien, of The Omen, is mentioned by name before a very well known scenario presents itself..) Not for the squeamish but a must for those with a love for complicated mystery stories.

SUMMARY -

Story -  The story itself is really something else, a stunningly unique take on the genre so normally bogged down with "evil", "desire", "sin" and "revenge" from both the west and east that something like this is a breath of fresh air. That said, the characters are fairly weak, some little more than stereotypes, and there is very little growth for anyone who isnt the two main characters, and even they dont seem to get that much. Its not like this will stop the majority of people from enjoying the series, but for someone who likes their stories character driven it felt a little lacking. 8/10

Production - Another 2012 anime, another smooth production. Its quite odd, and possibly due to advances in CG costs or computer power, but i've yet to find a "badly animated, massively obvious CG" anime from this year yet. Great use off slightly odd angles to help create its intense atmosphere, intelligent and well planned use of colour there's very little to find fault in. Voice casting is average, but i think that may be because of the lack of character development in the show which doesnt give the voice actors much chance to shine. 8/10

Music - Overall a good score and insert music usage, really enhancing the gloomy setting and playing on the tension building due to the events surrounding the class, It fails in a few places with heavy-handed application of "OMGSHOCK" music and overly "hammy" pieces too. Sadly the opening and ending themes are also not up to the par for the series itself,the opener "Kyōmu Densen" (Nightmare Contagion) makes use of this odd, slightly atonal scale that I've found associated with "horror" and "scary" things in Japanese culture fairly frequently, but personally I really dislike as it sounds like something for a kiddies "boo-scary" show rather than serious horror. Its this "fairground", childish feel to the piece that really doesnt seem to fit the serious approach to the show which, for me, puts the opener at odds with the anime. The ending theme, a soft, meloncholic piano ballad called "Anamnesis" fits a little better, as there's a lot of sadness in the show with all the deaths and so on. Its quite a powerful piece in full to be honest. 6/10

Accessability - While not particularly heavy with Cultural influences, there's a lot of "stereotypical culture" scenes, which while not pivotal to the plot give a lot of hints that may be overlooked by people who dont know the significance or referances that they point to. Things like the Hikkikomori brother, the in-house shrine or the dolls can bring in a depth to certain aspects that may otherwise be missed. The high school setting brings in certain aspects that too are common to the setting in Japan that some may not be familiar with, but thankfully none are so set in the storyline that you need a deep understanding of them to follow the plot. 5/10

Overall Impression - Possibly the best horror anime since Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, and the best of recent years in the genre, its stunning setting that really makes use to colour and environment to set and build the scene coupled with its unabashed approach to showing the horrific events as they happen seem to bring about a wonderful mix of the chilling, creeping unseen horror that Japan does so well with the shock-horror of the west, without becoming a "slasher-flic". While the characters seem secondary to the plot, the plot is so good you dont really notice it unless you sit down to think about it like I did for this review. One of my favourite aspects is that while the class 3-3 of 1996 deal with the "Calamity" for the year, the problem isnt fixed or resolved for anyone else to follow. As noted above the author as stated that a sequel is being written
 and while the starting point of it all is known, as well as its effects and ways to counter it, there's no explination as to what is really going on. While thats often a point of complaint for me, the way its done here just adds to the mystique of the show and leaves you wanting more in a good way rather than a frustrated feeling. One I definately recommend to any fans of horror anywhere. 10/10


Final Score - 37/50