Another: The Anime That Redefined The Horror Genre

By Debadrito Poddar

This article contains Spoilers*

Have you ever wanted to watch an anime that employs none of the usual horror clichés but leaves you with goosebumps on the nape of your neck and chills down your spine? Have you ever wanted to feel that feeling of unsettlement and despair when watching an anime that steadily grew as you progressed through it? Well, if you do, then look no further than the 2012 released horror anime Another.

Another, directed by Tsutomu Mizushima, is adapted from the novel of the same name written by Yukito Ayatsuji and published in 2009. This twelve-episode anime focuses on the life of Koichi Sakakibara, a fifteen-year-old who transfers to Yomiyama Middle School’s Class 3–3 in 1998, and Mei Misaki, a student from the same class who wears an eye patch over her left eye. Strangely, everyone else seemed to deliberately ignore her. As Sakakibara grapples with this confusing yet ominous action of everyone ignoring a living person, his illness, and the nostalgic memories of his dead mother in her sleepy hometown of Yomiyama, he is thrown at the deep end when his classmates and loved ones start to die one by one under mysterious circumstances.

For the first half of the series, we as viewers are simply left horrified and perturbed at the ongoing deaths of the characters with no explanations. It is only in episode five that we, along with Sakakibara, receive an explanation for these deaths, about how the curse present in Yomiyama that’s causing these deaths, is from Misaki. The latter half is particularly gut-wrenching as the students try to break the curse but keep failing, especially in the last episode, where Koichi must face his own demons and do something which will forever change his life to save himself and his friends.

The anime differs significantly from the novel, and while it may seem slightly rushed to some, I found the introduction of several new characters and a more comprehensive fleshing out of a few sidelined ones in the anime to be done well. Take for example, the character Izumi Akazawa, who is the head of countermeasures (intriguing designation, right?) of 3–3. She merely gets a few lines and largely remains a background figure in the novel. But her character is much more detailed and contextualized in the anime, thereby giving a fresh perspective to the entire series. But leaving aside the introduction of new and intriguing characters in the anime, what is sure to leave a lingering impact are the death scenes.

The death scenes are gruesome, blood-curdling, and above all, very sudden. The anime has also managed to brilliantly depict the use of several innocuous everyday objects and actions to bring about such disastrous consequences for the characters that are sure to remain in your mind for a long time after. Another is not just about death and a curse, however. It delves into a lot of different topics, some of which are pretty heavy, like the concept of being alone, and the bond of relationships and how they can break in a snap of fingers. Misaki’s character arc does well to talk about how crippling this feeling of loneliness can be, and how the thought of having no one to love you can affect you, in ways you didn’t know yourself.

The music score in the anime didn’t stand out much for me, to be honest. However, I did like the opening music, which is pretty catchy and you may find yourself humming the tune to yourself often. The graphics were impressive and managed to portray the dreary atmosphere of Yomiyama, from the dark hallways of the general hospital to the windless stormy clouds that gather in the sky every other day in the town.

Another isn’t a horror anime that employs jumpscares and unrealistic tropes to force its viewers to feel scared. And even though the deaths are pretty jarring and horrific, the real horror is in those ominous eye contacts, it’s in the slight tilt of the lip upward to indicate an eerie smile, it’s in the still figure standing and watching the people from the school’s rooftop. It’s very subtle but unmissable. And it’s exactly those moments that will want to make you binge-watch the entire series and leave you pondering afterward.