2012-01-09, 23:40 | Link #201 | |
Senior Member
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I couldn't agree more with everything that you wrote. I'm totally on the same page with you on everything here, except I'd rate the episode 9/10 (but then I'm an easier rater than many ). Like yourself, I'm generally not into "horror" type stories, but this anime does it with such intrigue, mystery, style, and class, that I just can't help but to love it. Another is thus far delivering everything I could possibly have hoped for from this anime given how it promoted itself. Of the Winter 2012 anime premiers I've watched so far (and there's now a few of them), this is my favorite. A couple notes: 1. Loved how the "transfer student" trope was somewhat subverted here. We had actual normal conversations where the transfer student in question addresses each other student in turn. The irony here is that this subversion gives us normalcy which in turn likely masks some horrible secrets. 2. I'm pleased with how this is horror/mystery played straight. Ookami Kakushi mixed in a lot of harem hijinks and the like, which I felt often caused that anime to fail to have an effective horror/mystery atmosphere. Another thankfully takes the opposite approach. By keeping dialogue and character interactions very "down to Earth" overall, Another makes the creepier parts stand out more against the backdrop of that normalcy.
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2012-01-10, 00:42 | Link #203 | |
lost in wonder forever...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: edge of my dream in the land of twilight...ZzzZzZ
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2012-01-10, 01:01 | Link #206 |
Snobby Gentleman
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Monterrey, México
Age: 43
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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:
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2012-01-10, 01:21 | Link #207 | |
User of the "Fast Draw"
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Definitely a first episode that sucks you right in. Should be interesting to see how things proceed from here. At any rate think the dad is the lucky one to be cooking in India far away from this story .
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2012-01-10, 01:36 | Link #208 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
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I guess I should mention that this is actually a pretty serious superstition in Asian culture (at least I can testify for Chinese culture). I may have passed it off too lightly. Just talking about death at all is frowned upon since it leads to bad luck.
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2012-01-10, 01:45 | Link #209 |
Megane girl fan
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
Age: 55
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OK, I'm a little late to the party, but I finally had a chance to see this. The OP a bit annoying, and yet creepy, so it did it's job of setting the mood, and what a mood this episode has. Very quiet, not very lively at all, and yet it has your complete attention, as if you feel that you'll miss something important.
Also, I agree with what someone said a couple pages back. It seems as if a curse has fallen over the school and the surrounding area. Multiple health issues among the students. Run down campus, etc. The level of detail is quite nice. I also thought the scene where Saka...er...I mean Kouichi passes Mei in the car was executed nicely. Spoiler for an observation:
Endless "Morgue---->" Soul
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2012-01-10, 03:39 | Link #214 |
Osana-Najimi Shipper
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Mt. Ordeals
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Meh, unlike other people here, I found that the episode was too short. The 'hook' ain't there yet, and if it wasn't for the awesome art and eerie atmosphere, I'd already label this a dud. Guess it's mainly the problem with the episode format... everything was stellar quality, but just looking at it plot-wise, all I'm asking at the end of the episode is "so what? that's it?"
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2012-01-10, 05:06 | Link #215 | |
今宵の虎徹は血に飢えている
Join Date: Jan 2009
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2012-01-10, 06:30 | Link #216 |
Raging Ami-chan Fanboy
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Cailfornia
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Okay, I call it. By the end of this series, there's gonna be people stalking him or something, and we're gonna find out because the parrot's gonna be learning some new words xD. Also, the hospital visit in the beginning really reminded me of Higurashi for some reason.
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2012-01-10, 06:38 | Link #218 |
The Chaotic Dreamer
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: In a cruel yet beautiful world
Age: 32
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I'm the only person on the face of this planet that likes the OP, lmao. Guess I'm a diehard AliPro girl to the end. (Although I DO very much agree that it doesn't fit the show.) I dislike the ED. Sounds boring and forgettable, which is super disappointing since I was looking forward to hearing new work from out of annabel. Oh, well. (At least it actually sounds appropriate to the show in that, as someone said earlier, it gives us a bit of hope for a possibly happy ending, if not a bittersweet one.)
Will watch the actual episode later.
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2012-01-10, 07:00 | Link #219 |
Guess what time it is?
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Age: 38
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The efficiency displayed by the other students during lunch in misdirecting the transfer student when he started sniffing a little too close to where the bodies were buried was the moment I bought in. I love that moment in suspense stories. It reminds me of Higurashi, and Rena's curt, too-quick "shiranai."
I admit that I spent a good portion of the episode playing "guess the horror trope" with the various quirks and imagery that were touched upon. Honestly, that's part of the fun of a mystery, though; the guessing. The "health" related oddities are going to be worth keeping an eye on. Someone who actually knows medicine can correct me, but aren't collapsed lungs usually associated with physical trauma, or injury? I wonder if it's relevant that his father specifically mentions that he had it happen twice. "Insular little town with secrets" can work wonders for a mystery if it's carried off right, and so far, Another has it down to an art. The class reps visiting early on came off as sinister, but the end of the episode flips the script, and implies that they're the ones who are afraid of him. |
2012-01-10, 07:20 | Link #220 | ||
今宵の虎徹は血に飢えている
Join Date: Jan 2009
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horror, seinen |
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