Another

In class 3-3 of Yomiyama North Junior High, transfer student Kouichi Sakakibara makes his return after taking a sick leave for the first month of school. Among his new classmates, he is inexplicably drawn toward Mei Misaki—a reserved girl with an eyepatch whom he met in the hospital during his absence. But none of his classmates acknowledge her existence; they warn him not to acquaint himself with things that do not exist. Against their words of caution, Kouichi befriends Mei—soon learning of the sinister truth behind his friends' apprehension.

The ominous rumors revolve around a former student of the class 3-3. However, no one will share the full details of the grim event with Kouichi. Engrossed in the curse that plagues his class, Kouichi sets out to discover its connection to his new friend. As a series of tragedies arise around them, it is now up to Kouichi, Mei, and their classmates to unravel the eerie mystery—but doing so will come at a hefty price.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Misaki, Mei Main

Takamori, Natsumi Japanese

Sakakibara, Kouichi Main

Abe, Atsushi Japanese

Akazawa, Izumi Supporting

Yonezawa, Madoka Japanese

Teshigawara, Naoya Supporting

Maeno, Tomoaki Japanese

Mochizuki, Yuuya Supporting

Yamamoto, Kazutomi Japanese

Chibiki, Tatsuji Supporting

Hirata, Hiroaki Japanese

Sakuragi, Yukari Supporting

Nonaka, Ai Japanese

Fujioka, Misaki Supporting

Mikami, Reiko Supporting

Sakakibara, Naoko Japanese

Kazami, Tomohiko Supporting

Ichiki, Mitsuhiro Japanese

Horikawa, Kenji Producer, Planning

Saitou, Shigeru Producer

Yasuda, Takeshi Producer, Planning

Fukuda, Jun Producer

Reviews

Apr 4, 2025

RebelPanda

Recommended

Another is not a subtle anime, and it isn’t especially logical either. Its tone is suffocatingly grim, its color palette is even grimier: shadows creep across damp hallways, gray skies pour endlessly, and the surrounding landscape is composed of metal rust, rotting wood, and moldy cement. Every frame is drenched in a kind of slow-building morbidity, as though the show is not merely about death, but trapped inside it. This works… at first.

Set in 1998 at the Yomiyama Middle School, Another begins with atmosphere and promise. The new transfer student, Koichi Sakakibara, arrives with a collapsed lung and a cloudy understanding of what his new ... classmates are so terrified to explain. There’s Mei Misaki, the girl with the eyepatch and the aura of death; a girl, we’re told, who doesn’t exist. And there is the curse—a vaguely explained but deeply felt catastrophe tied to a tragedy 26 years earlier, one that dooms the students of Class 3-3 to die, one by one, in increasingly horrific ways.

The show’s opening episodes are its finest. Director Tsutomu Mizushima fills the early chapters with unnerving editing: doll intercuts, sudden closeups, a use of silence that stings. These flourishes, combined with whispered exposition and atmospheric sound design, create an ambiance comparable to something like The Ring. One could even argue Another is Japan’s animated answer to Final Destination, a personal favorite of mine, albeit one that trades popcorn thrills for persistent dread. And while Final Destination leaned into its ludicrous setups with glee, Another insists on taking itself seriously—often to its own detriment.

Violence in Another is sharp and cruel, rarely earned, and frequently laughable in its escalation. An umbrella kills a girl in what might be the most hilariously mean-spirited scene ever animated. Elevators snap cables. Boats run over kids. Glass shatters at just the wrong moment. Even the beach episode—yes, Another has a beach episode—can’t escape the grip of irony, ending with a brutal death just to remind you no one is safe, not even when sunbathing. Like Final Destination, the deaths feel designed more by a screenwriter with a sadistic streak than any coherent supernatural logic.

But where the Final Destination films embraced their contrivances, Another seems laughably unaware of its own absurdity. The show earnestly trudges through its increasingly convoluted plot, repeating the same tropes over and over—characters receiving chilling phone calls that cut to dial tones, wide-eyed terror with jittering irises, cryptic warnings delivered by people who might’ve just explained things more clearly the first time around.

The story ultimately revolves around solving the curse: figuring out who among the students "shouldn't exist"—an “extra” person mistakenly added to the class roster by supernatural forces. The problem, though, is that none of the characters feel distinct enough for this mystery to carry weight. Save for Mei Misaki and the main character’s guardian, Reiko, most of the characters are interchangeable. We’re expected to mourn their deaths, but we can barely remember their names. When characters begin dying in earnest—often alongside innocent family members who die off-screen—it doesn’t provoke horror so much as exasperated confusion.

And still, I keep rewatching it.

Another is never boring. It’s frustrating. It’s ridiculous. It’s almost gleefully broken. But it is not boring. It’s the kind of show that becomes more enjoyable the less you take it seriously. When I stopped trying to make sense of its timeline, its rules, or its logic, I admired its commitment to the bit. I laughed out loud at the stupidity of some of the characters’ decisions. I groaned at the heavy-handed metaphors for bullying that never quite make sense. I openly mocked the show's refusal to just say what the curse is out loud—watching these teenagers talk around the issue as if they'd spontaneously combust if they used proper nouns was oddly entertaining.

In this way, Another becomes the rare horror story where the more you engage with its flaws, the more it reveals itself as unintentional camp. It’s not a good mystery, not really. The clues are either so blatant that they insult your intelligence, or so hidden that the eventual reveals feel unearned. The twists are not clever—they’re convenient. Entire character arcs pivot in the final episodes for the sake of a climactic bloodbath so chaotic it borders on parody.

Still, there’s something admirable about Another’s sincerity. It wants to be scary. It wants to be emotional. Even as it fumbles its tone and squanders its premise, it never lets go of its ambition. In its final moments, with blood smeared across faces and revelations flying fast, the show dares to deliver a twist that is as narratively silly as it is emotionally lacking.

I cannot recommend Another as good horror. I’m not even sure I can recommend it as a decent anime. But I can say this: it is memorable. In the ever-growing graveyard of forgettable movies I watch, Another claws at the coffin lid, shrieking for attention—and I have to admit, I was entertained by the noise.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Dec 20, 2024

AmandaBejtusi19

Mixed Feelings

Another was the first anime I ever watched and it happened completely by accident! I was little — probably around 10 or 11 years old — and I was using my brother’s phone. I originally meant to look up Death Note because I’d missed the last few episodes on TV, but I ended up clicking on Another instead.

Before that, I used to watch anime on TV, so this felt like a whole new world. I didn’t know any English at the time, so I didn’t fully understand what was happening in the story. I just remember being super confused about why everyone ignored ... that one girl. But honestly, I didn’t care too much — I loved the art style, and the fact that it was horror made me like it even more! I was that kid who was obsessed with anything scary. I’d listen to scary stories all the time and get so excited about them.

And then there was *that* famous umbrella scene. It freaked me out so much that I avoided umbrellas at school and at home for a while! Looking back, it’s kind of funny, but at the time, it really stuck with me.

Even though I didn’t understand much of the plot, I had such a good time watching it. I’d even sing the opening song to myself while running home from school, staring at the fences like I was in my own anime scene. It’s such a nostalgic memory for me.

Now that I’m older, I have mixed feelings about rewatching it. I’m scared it might ruin that special, nostalgic feeling I have toward the anime. So for now, I’ll leave it as it is — a childhood memory I treasure.

If you’re curious about *Another*, I’d say go ahead and watch it, but don’t expect too much. It’s one of those shows that’s fun for what it is, but it might not be for everyone.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Mar 26, 2025

SombreroLoco

Not Recommended

Meh, I can't really say that this anime convinced me that much. Another surely hit its genre by being a horror and suspenseful series, but it simply wasn't enough.

I really liked the animation and the art; the characters are well-designed and appealing. The bloody scenes looked very realistic and brutal, so no minus here.

But the story was concluded terribly. The slow pacing in the first eight episodes really made watching them feel like a chore. The last five episodes built up some really good tension, though, just for the ending to be really unbearable. I can't imagine that this was the best conclusion the anime ... could've ended with.

All in all, I can't really say that the story had plot twists or reveals that left me astounded, going like, "What, really?!" e.g. the reveal of Misaki's true nature and, as already mentioned, the ending. I didn't really think there was much mystery here at all.

Overall, I can't really recommend it, knowing that there are way better shows in this genre.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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