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Guido · 2012-01-10, 01:01

The promotional art for Another immediately drew me inside the world of the novel for the upcoming anime, and what was my surprise that I recently found out that the novels were written by the husband to Fuyumi Ono, author to the Ghost Hunt and The Twelve Kingdoms novels.

My reactions for the first episode were just simply impressive because the narrative and the storyline clearly exploit the ghost story elements, and the visual elements add strongly to both the sense of suspense and lingering dread.

For example, we have:
1. A seemingly normal, countryside town far away from the big cities. But, even at day, it looks like a gloomy ghost town because hardly I could see any living soul outside their homes.

2. The archetypal Japanese middle-school (or high-school) compound facility host to long and foreboding hallways and creepy classrooms.

3. The background music denotes an effective feeling of madness and ethereal haunting.

4. The fact that save for Kouichi, everyone else and even the students behave with bizarre mannerisms when questioned or asking questions; there's a cat in the bag, as they're explicitly hiding something from Kouichi.

5. Last, but not least, Mei who is another quintessential embodiment of the supernatural in flesh. Properly dressed in her school uniform, abnormal white skin, black pearl hair, a ruby-blood right eye, and a sinister patch that covers her left eye.

Spoiler:

2012-01-10, 01:01	Link #206
Guido Snobby Gentleman Join Date: May 2004 Location: Monterrey, México Age: 43	Rough Sketch The promotional art for Another immediately drew me inside the world of the novel for the upcoming anime, and what was my surprise that I recently found out that the novels were written by the husband to Fuyumi Ono, author to the Ghost Hunt and The Twelve Kingdoms novels. My reactions for the first episode were just simply impressive because the narrative and the storyline clearly exploit the ghost story elements, and the visual elements add strongly to both the sense of suspense and lingering dread. For example, we have: 1. A seemingly normal, countryside town far away from the big cities. But, even at day, it looks like a gloomy ghost town because hardly I could see any living soul outside their homes. 2. The archetypal Japanese middle-school (or high-school) compound facility host to long and foreboding hallways and creepy classrooms. 3. The background music denotes an effective feeling of madness and ethereal haunting. 4. The fact that save for Kouichi, everyone else and even the students behave with bizarre mannerisms when questioned or asking questions; there's a cat in the bag, as they're explicitly hiding something from Kouichi. 5. Last, but not least, Mei who is another quintessential embodiment of the supernatural in flesh. Properly dressed in her school uniform, abnormal white skin, black pearl hair, a ruby-blood right eye, and a sinister patch that covers her left eye. Spoiler: If the opening started the show with a thorough account about Mei Misaki's tragic death from 24 years ago prior to the storyline, this means the Mei that Kouichi sees and the Mei of the urban legend are one and the same. Nobody else at class can't see her except Kouichi. Class-3 does P.E. session aside from the other classes, and various points throughout the episode either the teachers or the classmates address class-3 as separate from the other classes. What I also like it makes for an effective narrative trick that the adults' faces are never shown when addressing the protagonists. Important pieces thrown: 1. Kouichi meets Mei in Yomiyama Hospital inside the elevator, and she's holding a doll and goes to the second basement level to deliver something to her other half. My Speculations The opening for this show showcases strongly dolls and mannequins looking alike to lifeless corpses. I believe Mei kept something nasty inside the doll she was carrying, and wherever direction she was heading in the second basement level of the hospital, this was the boiler room as shown in the sign, either she was going to get rid of it or her other half might be kept down there; her corpse, perhaps? or somebody's else? 2. Kouichi notes that on his first day of school later at P.E. Sakuragi comes with his right ankle bandaged, and what's more is that Akazawa was absent the whole day. My Speculation Maybe Sakuragi hurt her ankle in a domestic accident at home, or I hope that's it. But, Akazawa absent when virtually the rest of the classmates are present could indicate three scenarios: - Akazawa fell sick, - Akazawa sort of suffered a mishap at home and got injured, - Akazawa died from a freaky accident. 3. Kouichi sees Mei again at the rooftop and later questions if she recalls at all meeting him in the elevator at the hospital. My Speculation Either Mei is playing fool with Kouichi denying everything or she forgot. But, since Kouichi's Mei actually is the Mei who has been dead 24 years ago, speculation proposes on me that her time of her recollection with Kouichi in the elevator got rewinded. What's more is that something nasty is going to happen, which is possible that someone is going to die, as Mei ominously told Kouichi not to get close to her and see her anymore. What he would be looking for soon he would find out.