Another 0 (OVA): I’ve Missed Mei…

In for a bit of a treat this week with the release of the Winter 2012‘s horror series’, Another, prologue episode. Recounting Mei’s friendship with her once lost twin, Misaki, just a short period of time prior to her entry into the third year class and the subsequent horrors we saw in the main series, Another 0 shows Mei in a new light compared to her usually stoic nature. Lighthearted outings with her sister, separated at birth, and the closeness they shared that turned dark the night Mei began to see the color of death upon her. After more than one near death experience, Mei’s fears come to fruition as Misaki collapses, later finding out she has leukemia. Sadly, Misaki wasn’t meant to recover, but it did lead to Mei’s chance encounter with Kouichi, one night in the basement of the hospital, as Mei goes to deliver her final gift to her now forever lost twin sister.

Breaking away from the horror trend of the main story, Another 0 really showcases the art style and background of the series. In the words of Misaki, even the most run down things seemed “cute”, or at least well designed and crafted from an animation and design standpoint. I still get goosebumps when I get to see Mei’s faux eye, it’s always so perfectly lit and seems to have a depth beyond what is physically there. I also thought it was cute that Misaki wore an eyepatch too for part of the episode.

The character dynamic between Mei and Misaki was very interesting, it really showed the subtleties of two sisters who hadn’t lived together. And I always love it when twins, although in this case visually dissimilar enough to tell apart, have personal mannerisms that differentiate them, and I like it even more when these mannerisms make me like one more than the other. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t dislike Misaki, but I adore Mei, especially so when she was smiling and happy. The emotional connection Mei had with her twin before she died also explains some of Mei’s behavior seen at the beginning of the series back in December. Her quiet despair and seeming loneliness make more sense and are more recognizable now that these traumatic events have been shown. Or maybe it’s just me that found this whole prologue to be an enlightening look at what may have caused Mei to just accept her fate as the “extra” student.

I’m glad this episode 0 was released, after all the events of the main story this extra look into the events beforehand shows a more in-depth look into Mei’s backstory that really couldn’t be shown in the main series. A lot of the mystery surround her and the class would’ve been ruined (or at least diluted) if the whole backstory and once-lost twin had been shown as a part of an early episode. Now, seeing this OVA lets one look back at the main series with an additional piece of understanding and appreciation for the character depth that was prevalent through the whole thing.

Another – BeldenOtaku’s Photobucket

Another: Final Review

Back with the 2nd final of the Winter 2012 season, the horror series, Another. Truth be told, this is honestly the first horror series I’ve ever genuinely watched. And while most definitely scared like 80% of the time, I did enjoy the ride and wasn’t just a senseless gore-fest like I had feared it would turn into. With a premise that became more mysterious with every episode, Another became one of my favorites of the season (despite the somewhat sleepless nights).

 

The story revolves around the strange phenomenon that results in the deaths of many students and the relatives of students in class 3 of Yomi North High School. After Kouichi moves to town, he finds a class held in the grip of a 20 year old curse, and sets out to find a solution with the strange, Misaki Mei. In an attempt to stave off the deaths, the class decides to treat a student as if they didn’t exist, each year, a student from Class 3 is ignored, in hopes the dead will return to death, and the rest will be spared. After not going over so well, with both Kouichi and Mei being treated as the dead students, the gang from Class 3 puts their heads together to try and stop the deaths halfway…

After following leads and a blood bath of a school trip, the curse was ended (at least for the year), with both Mei and Kouichi safe and sound (though, most likely mentally scarred). I was very pleased that the actual “dead one” totally caught me by surprise. No “it was an un-named student always in the background” or not actually a character from school, a character you would’ve never guessed (unless, I don’t know, you read the book or the manga) was the “dead one” the whole time.

With characters you’ll hate to see die, but love to see go bats*** crazy, Another has depth that’s hard to compete with. As well as a visual portfolio that rivals anything else this season, Another gets top scores from me. Rating:…. 9.1
Though horror is definitely not my thing, I’m really glad I gave Another a try. Though…not looking for any more horror any time soon. Let’s run down the things Another has made me scared of: umbrellas, slippery stairs, lightening, panes of glass, idle construction equipment, burning houses, crazy classmates, motor boats, falling rocks….

Until next time,
- BeldenOtaku

Another: Please…Just Make it Stop…

Don't let the benign, cheerful class photo fool you...they're anxious about finals in two weeks.

Back (and I guess I can say I’m fully recovered) with the 10th and 11th episode of the Winter 2012, series, Another. In a preemptive strike on spoilers, I’m going to avoid letting out too many details and not even bothering with a synopsis. But I’ll say this…episodes 10 and 11..are going to be the sole cause of my nightmares…for the next 6 months.

 

Another takes even darker turns as it’s every man for himself in a race to find the student who doesn’t belong. Mei has a special trick up her sleeve (or rather, eye patch) to scope out the culprit, but the curse may take its toll before it can do it any good. I don’t think I can even get an accurate count to how many more students to subtract from the class now…I think each episode should end with a class tally (and maybe stats on most avoided brushes with death, most likely to die next, etc.). The character designers certainly knew how to create characters that seem perfectly normal and unassuming…until they get a murderous gleam in their eyes, that is.

With the curtain about to fall on the class trip, can Kouichi keep his a** safe long enough to one day tell the story? Will the students fall to the murderous curse? Will someone really have to bite the dust to save the others? Will my nightmares haunt me for the rest of my life? (Hopefully not…) Luckily, only one episode left…praying for a happy-ish ending (anything other than everyone dying is a happy ending).

Until next time,
- BeldenOtaku

now, I need someone to hold me…

Another: Another Unnecessary Nightmare

Back with the 9th episode of the Winter 2012 horror series, Another. After Naoka’s untimely demise last episode, the class is left in mourning and confusion. A long-standing tenant of the calamity has been seemingly disproven…until it’s revealed that Naoka’s fate may have been sealed before he left the city. Earlier that morning, his parents recall a loud crash, but he was out of the door before they could find anything. It’s very likely that he suffered from a contusion, and was dead before the boat entered the harbor…looks like the calamity can one-up the “skip town” rule. As we’ll see again by the end of the episode.

Now back in town, Kouichi sets out to find Matsunaga’s hidden clue to stopping the calamity. Somewhere in the school, so he sets out with Tashigawa and Mochizuki, and agrees to keep this search between the 3 of them (which lasts all of like, 3 minutes, until they tell the first people to ask what they’re doing at the school…). Mei also joins the trio in their exploration of the old class 3 room upstairs. After a few close calls (broken glass, falling lockers, y’know, the usual “Another” causes of death), Kouichi finds a hidden cassete tape in an old locker, a message from Matsunaga indicating it contains his secret for stopping the calamity.

They go to the A/V Room to play the tape, and possibly learn the secret to stopping the calamity. In the recording, Matsunaga recounts the events of the class trip to the local shrine. A run down monument, the class decides to clean it up and offer prayers, to which the teacher confidently declares that they are now safe. Almost not surprising, they’re not even off the mountain before a student is struck by lightening and another falls to her death.

Before Matsunaga’s tape retells how he stopped the calamity…A WILD TEACHER APPEARS!! So the gang takes cover until he goes away. Unfortunately, in his frantic attempt to hide, Teshigawa ruins the tape just before they hear what happened to stop the calamity halfway. Luckily, Mochizuki thinks it can be fixed. So we’re left still wondering how it can be stopped, and also why Kouichi keeps getting these nightmarish visions of his guiltiness regarding the tragedies of his friends and classmates.

Until next time,
- BeldenOtaku

"I hope they had insurance..."

…OHYEAH! That one girl I don’t really care about died after a rock hit the family car on their way out of town, apparently. And I feel like the heavy duty equipment crushing their house was just adding fiscal insult to injury…