Another

Another was something new for me. I've never read or watched any horror manga or anime before, so... well, I was prepared to be terrified. I switched to the manga as the safer option--after nearly wetting myself watching the first two episodes of the anime--and it definitely lived up to that. Another wasn't scary. At all. It started out quite interesting. I was curious to know what was going on, and it did keep me guessing all the way through--whether this was in a good way or not, I'm not entirely sure. In volume two a lot is explained... but badly. Conversations are disjointed and hardto follow, with topics being changed suddenly and points apparently missed out. Bizarrely, all the characters seem to understand these conversations. Different terms for the same thing were used in a way that made me think they were different, before later realising that they were all synonymous. (To save you a lot of confusion later: "the extra one", "the other one" and "the dead one" all seem to be the same thing. No problem.) It might just have been that I was reading a bad translation, but the tenses were also pretty weird. Even after reading this explanation three times, and finishing the series, I'm still not one hundred percent on what the problem actually was, or their apparent solution for it. Because of that, volume two was a low for me--however, volume one and four were a high. There is a massive plot twist around the end that I can guarantee you will not see coming. (It scared me, anyway.) It was a mystery that I wanted to see the end of, but I'm not sure if the confusion around the middle is worth it. There are also a few mysteries or points that were never explained by the end, which might not bother you unless you're picky about this sort of thing, but really gets at me. (What was their problem with Kouichi's name? And why was all this actually happening? Eh?) The characters weren't anything particularly special. The only thing that's surprising is that there's no romance, which is somewhat refreshing--we've all seen romance between characters like this before, but in Another there's only friendship. If you were expecting a romance to develop, well, tough luck. Kouichi is likeable, but nothing really interesting and especially nothing new, and Mei's your stereotypical mysterious female. She might have a backstory, but that doesn't really fix the fact that her personality is a cardboard cut out. The secondary characters aren't memorable at all, which means the deaths don't really result in much emotional response. I couldn't remember half of their names (they all sound really similar to me), and then they die. "Oh. Who was that person again?" That's what it was like. There's only one, maybe two, deaths that I cared about in this, and a lot more people die. One other thing that keeps grating at me is how everyone seems to keep unnecessary secrets from Kouichi. It did create suspense (and pure irritation), but when it's over you can't help thinking that half their issues could have been solved if they just told him about them in the first place. When I look at it like that, it only seems like they were secretive so the story would exist, which is a pretty poor excuse. Putting all that aside, I'll admit that it was pretty good, and it built up right to a climax. There are some pretty hardcore moments of psychological messing in this (if that makes any sense) which were very enjoyable, at least for me. The best thing about this series would be the art: I love it. It's just really pretty--the character design, at least. Overall, if you don't mind a bit of confusion or lack of explanations, and are looking for a supernatural mystery story: go for it. However, if you want to be terrified by serious darkness and gore, I'd go somewhere else. Another isn't scary. Having finished the anime now, I can confirm that it's about a billion times better. Unlike the manga, the intricacies of the plot are well explained and it's actually terrifying. (The amazing soundtrack and the creepy shots of dolls that pop up everywhere probably contribute.) Aside from a bizarre beach scene that was added for no reason that I can see, even when new scenes are added that weren't in the manga, they just add to it and make it better. If you're coming from the anime and wondering if this is worth the read... I guess it depends how much you liked Another for the plot. If it was for the gore and horror elements, then you'll probably be disappointed.

God almighty, I never knew reading 20 chapters could be this tedious... Most of us came across Another via the anime released in 2012. However, this manga is not the source material; both the anime and manga are adaptations of a hit Japanese mystery novel written in 2009. If you want to read the source material, read the novel. Regardless of you being here due to nostalgia or as a newcomer, I advise you go watch the anime, as it takes less time to finish than this dismal read. Of course, that is if you are that determined to experience Another; if not, I suggest youlook for something else to sate your hunger, as I doubt this will do it. I have no idea what the story was. I could summarize the premise in two to three sentences, but that's the limit. That's the real mystery: how did the cast come up with such an illogical solution to the problem and expect a newcomer to not only understand, but also comply. Best part is they don't even stick to it; by the end of the first half it's practically abolished, so the "mystery" is just gone as if it wasn't even there. It just makes me ask "Why?", the same question I could apply to numerous other aspects of this work. I'd say only in the beginning is where this mystery could provoke inquiry; later I didn't even feel the need to follow it. The more time passes, the less it becomes cohesive. What makes this read excruciating is the way it's written. I can't tell you how mystery should be written, but this ain't it. There is too much talking, barely anything happening. Not only is most of information both unimportant and inconsequential, but it is repeated to the point of annoyance. Any moment of suspense or tension is lost in talking and needless narration. Scenes that are supposed to be hard-hitting don't land due to lack of build-up. And there are so many cheap "teasers", where the art turns darker, character's eyes white with them saying stuff life "Oh, fool, how can you not know?", while saying nothing of actual substance. It's pathetic how desperately it tries to establish any sense of dread or fear. The only character one will remember is Mei Misaki. Give it a bit of time, and the rest of the cast will become a homogenous mass in your memory. I can barely recall the protagonist's name. They are indistinguishable both in appearance and character, as their only purpose is to practically narrate the plot. They have nothing going for them. Reading their dialogue is overbearingly boring. Again, Misaki is the only exception, thou not because she is a good character, but because she is the only one who resembles anything "interesting". There are flickering moments of something enjoyable here. Sense of fear in these works stems from the victims being regular folk who can't oppose the threat but only pray for mercy, and Another does set up that tone. People are killed brutally and without some greater meaning. It is a helpless situation. Good atmosphere can be established, good example being when Mei is first introduced. But not only do all those qualities get strangled by flaws; they get thrown out the window when the story decides to "reset" itself. The art is... Fine. It isn't anything worth writing home about. There are moments where it enriches that previously mentioned atmosphere and silence, but most of the time it is just glanced over. It does the job; that's as far as it goes. Thou, during those obnoxious "teasers" the contrast and shading know to be good. It does leave an impression of something striking happening. Shame it wasn't put to better use. There is also Another Ø, a 3-chapter title acting like a prologue to the original work... I'll be honest, I don't recall anything from reading it. I think that speaks enough of my opinion. Maybe I've grown past it, maybe it's just a bad adaptation of the source material... Whatever it may be, it was miserable. If you are so keen on reading it, I advise watching the anime, due to it taking less time and, if I'm not mistaking, having some things the manga doesn't. Again, only if you are that keen. Otherwise, I recommend looking for something else. Thank you for reading up to this point. I wish you all the very best. Kind regards.

The only reason that I read this is because people have been saying that this is very different from the anime version. After reading it, I have to agree with it. Now I'll try not to get into too much spoilers of both the anime and manga versions, but I'll mention the ones that I felt stood out the most in the difference between the two. Story 8/10: The story in this is very good and very original (to my knowledge at this time). It is about a curse that has occurred 26 years before the main story takes place. It beinga curse it doesn't give misfortune in a person’s life (by misfortune I mean a terribly life), it just kills them. The author, Yukito Ayatsuji, does a fantastic job on giving suspense and great plot twists. However, since I saw and read “Another” I would have to prefer the anime. Only until the summer camp trip arc, it is at the very end of both. Only that arc, why isn't because it is somewhat happier but it makes a lot more sense. And by happier I mean better closure for most of the characters. Art 7/10: This I had a little bit of a hard time because the character designs seem a bit off, but I didn't know if I should put that under the character category or this. I decide to go with character. The reason I gave this a 7 was because the some of the scenes didn't seem right. There is this one picture that says "slow movement" it doesn't need to spell it out for us, if it has no action or tragically is happening it would seem unnecessary to me. It was just explaining the curse; it doesn't need hand moving slowly. Character 6/10: This is where the difference between the anime and manga is seen. Aside from the two main characters, Mei Misaki and Kouich Sakaibara, every character is different. They act different; they have different roles, and have a different look. An example of this is Tatsuji Chibiki the school librarian (There are a lot of others, but with him I felt like it was less of a spoiler). In the anime he is an old man with long hair and has a lot of wrinkles on his face. He is also a very serious man about the curse and other than that little is known about him. In the manga version he is an old man with short hair and has a few more wrinkles. He is also very serious about the curse but also has a passion for cooking. There isn't as much character development done here as in the anime but I do like the endings a bit better than the anime's version, expect for Tomohiko Kazami. Only cause I liked him in the anime version a bit better and his ending. Enjoyment 9/10: Despite the difference it is still a good read. It'll keep you guessing till the end. It is 20 chapters long, some really vary in number of pages, but a quick read. Overall 8/10: I do like how this ends better than the anime, but the lead up to the ending that is where the anime really shines. Which to start off with first, that is a coin flip question. But I would recommend this to anyone that would want a good short suspenseful story.

Another is a strange thing to try and describe. So, I'll start with my initial reaction to the series. The first chapter is really interesting, it immediately makes you interested in Mei and gets at least a little attached to Kouichi and makes you wonder about the town and the school. Sadly, this is the high point. As the series goes on they just talk about the mystery surrounding the incident of the town and all the deaths, they never reveal anything about it. And the deaths, oh the deaths. If you've watched any of the Final Destination movies you are familiar with these deaths.Ridiculous things, like accidentally falling down stairs and impaling yourself on an umbrella. Which is a little more than jarring in a series that had taken itself seriously before that and continues to take itself seriously after that. The deaths aren't only ridiculous, they're almost boring, the characters that die are characters you don't care about and that have barely been introduced. The characters are another down point. Mei starts out very interesting and seems to have a lot of story worth unraveling but as the story progresses Mei will sometimes just act like a normal girl then bounce back to being 'mysterious' and 'creepy.' It undermines any effect the first few chapters had. Kouichi is...bland. There's not much to say about him, besides his mother and his heart condition (which is quickly forgotten after the first chapter or two) he's just an average high school student. The thing is, I really want to like this series, the first couple chapters were ominous and intriguing but everything afterwards is more of a let-down.