Another - Review

Humans are despicable creatures. When all is fine and well, they wear smiles on their faces, going around promoting peace and unity. But when a crisis that threatens them arises, don't expect things to remain the same. Friends suddenly become traitors, acquaintances become enemies, and chaos ensues. The human instinct of "survival of the fittest" kicks in, eliminating the once supported notion of unity. Blood and tears are shed, with no one to clean up the mess. The once peaceful community will become infested with selfish, cruel animals. The difference is like day and night, black and white. This is what Another tries to depict - the horrible, but true, nature of human beings.

Another - Episode 12

It's over... right?

Just when I thought the last episode was bad in terms of deaths, this episode greeted me with scenes of people dropping like flies. From falling debris to weapons being utilized, death was seemingly inevitable. But in the midst of all that, there was finally a solution to everything: the identity of the "extra" was revealed.

Another - Episode 11

Seeing that bloody butcher knife made me cringe...

Another never fails to deliver. And with a chaotic episode like this that kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time, I can't help but praise it as being one of the best shows this season. Essentially, the whole episode tells of how the virtually all the students were bent on killing Mei after Takako accused her of being the fake one. On Takako's part, her reason for suspecting Mei is justified though; she must have mistaken Misaki for Mei given that the two are twin sisters, noting that the difference in left eyes is what signifies a incomplete reincarnation. However, the lesson to be learned here is that jumping to conclusions too quickly can result in severe consequences - one of which may be death.

Another - Episode 10

Another: Now with twice the Misaki!

That dream in the beginning, after the opening, set the tone perfectly for the remainder of the episode with a good mixture of emotion and mystery. Now that the school trip is finally here, the conclusion to the mystery is seemingly near. However, the previous deaths must have drained all the energy from the majority of the students who fear death, making the whole class look like a horde of lifeless zombies. Additionally, as the deaths and curse continue to pile up and instill fear, respectively, just when will the questions be answered? Well, it turns out that this episode does a great job in doing so.

Another - Episode 9

Teshigawara, you idiot...

After a short recap of last episode's death which had many suspect that the deaths could occur even outside of Yomiyama, Chibiki reveals it may not be the case as the recent victim actually hit his head on something prior to the trip. Also, dead Yukari turns out to be part of Kōichi's dream like I had anticipated. So with that out of the way, the main focus now goes back to the "thing" that is hidden in the old Class 3 classroom.

Another - Episode 8

Best girl of the series.

Not even Another could resist the need to put in the all-important "Obligatory Beach Episode". For the first time in a while, the students of Class 3 are able to free themselves from the strain of the curse after leaving Yomiyama. The result? Fun times at the beach for them, and plenty of fanservice for the audience. "Coincidentally" Mei's summer house is near the beach they all went to so she ends up joining them in their activities. It's all fun and games for the majority of the episode. Both Izumi and Mei were really moe in this episode, with the former still being my preference. However, knowing Another, there was bound to be trouble brewing. And I was right...

Another - Episode 7

Another's version of Shinigami Eyes?

Aside from the gruesome suicide and creepy dream, this episode of Another was quite "normal". With the whole "making people non-existent" plan clearly failing, our two protagonists are now allowed to "existent" again. While this is technically a good turn of events, there have been complaints about their prior "non-existence" being the only thing that kept Kōichi and Mei together, allowing them to grow closer to each other in their relationship. Nonetheless, it's relieving to see that Kōichi still values Mei as a really good friend despite starting to befriend the others. As expected, Mei's socially awkward behaviour prevents her from being able to interact normally with others, even though she isn't ignored anymore (though the ignoring might have been the cause of this in the first place). But now, let's move onto the more interesting parts of the episode.

Another - Episode 6

At least it's not a butcher knife...

Blogger's Note: My week of schooling hell has finally ended so now I can get back to watching anime. Up first is one of my favorites of the season: Another.

Character development, plot advancement, new mysteries, and an epic cliffhanger - how can an episode that contains all these things not be awesome. Once again, Another is able to deliver a spectacular episode that requires one to do some deep thinking. Characters like Chibiki and Kirika, who only showed up briefly before, get prolonged appearances in this episode. Chibiki's explanation of the whole mystery was helpful in answering some common questions. Kōichi's conversation with his father was, in my opinion, the most critical part of the episode. Wrapping everything up was that well-executed cliffhanger. The brief period where the teacher talked nonsense was perfect for giving the audience time to think about what was going to happen next. In-depth analysis coming up, so brace yourself for a wall of text - it'll be worth it!

Minor Delays

Reviews will most likely be delayed until Friday since I have a midterm tomorrow and assignments to work on. This delay affects the following:

• Another - Episode 6
• Ano Natsu de Matteru - Episode 6

Thank you for understanding~

Another - Episode 5

I'm starting to find Mei to be slightly moe

Blogger's Note: It's that time of the semester again, when assignments and midterms just keep on piling up. Reviews may (most likely will) be posted slowly. I'll catch up during my reading week (Feb. 20th - 24th). Until then, please bear with the delays and thank you for reading~

Lots of previous theories and speculations of mine went straight down the drain at the conclusion of this episode. Although the death scene in this episode was mediocre (I've read that it reminded someone of Death Note), the interesting and plot-advancing dialogue made up for it. Many questions were answered by Mei, which causes some suspicion to rise as to how she seemingly knows about everything that's going on. The direction of the story from here on out seems to now be much clearer. However, how Kōichi digests this new information may determine whether he and the rest of his classmates escape Class 3 alive.

Another - Episode 4

Facepalm Facedesk Facefloor?

Another episode and another death. The deaths themselves are becoming less and less shocking, and may reach the point where they are actually predictable. It's only been two deaths and I'm already unshaken by them. The real question now is not "Is someone going to die?", but "Who is going to die?" Strangely enough, it has been characters who try getting close to Kōichi that end up dying; the fact that his name is supposedly associated with "death" actually makes sense now. The episode appeared to end on June 3rd, three days before the 6th. It'll be interesting to see how big of a role "June 6th" will play in the upcoming episode.

Another - Episode 3

Note to self: Beware of umbrellas with sharp ends

So it seems like the eyepatch hype was all for nothing; an anti-climatic turn of events. That honestly disappointed me and made me lose hope for the rest of the episode. However, as the minutes slowly ticked away, I was enticed by everything being shown - the dialogue, words and characters, all of which were mixed together well to create a eerily suspenseful mood. Confusion and shock took over in the last part of the episode as something that I wasn't expecting happened in the blink of an eye. This episode of Another is truly one to remember.

Another - Episode 2

*cue eerie music*

"Another" creepy episode (excuse my lame pun) that ends in a cliffhanger. Kōichi further surprises me in this episode with his interest in Mei. If I were him, I'd probably listen to Mei's warning and cease any further contact with her, fearing the consequences if I don't. Instead of doing that, Kōichi gets himself even further into the whole mystery; the removal of Mei's eyepatch doesn't seem like a good sign for him. To be honest, I'm a bit worried about what might be under that eyepatch; I'm hoping it's nothing too grotesque.

Another - Episode 1

Sa-ka-ki-ba-ra-kun~

Another is off to a great start as the foundation of the story has been built and the characters are put into place. The creepy and ominous atmosphere throughout the episode added to the experience. Luckily for me, the episode focused more on the mystery aspect, rather than the horror. Just like the main protagonist, Kōichi, there are so many questions in my head now. Although Kōichi is oblivious to his dark surroundings, it is made clear to the audience that things are just going to go downhill from here. Aside from the story, the random scenes with dolls were slightly creepy and disturbing, especially since dolls rank among the top in the "things that can scare me."

Another - Preview

Horror has never really been my thing; I get scared easily by anything supernatural, grotesque or gory. But strangely enough, I'm really interested in Another. Judging by the synopsis, it seems like more of a "mystery" and "thriller" anime, rather than a traditional "horror" anime. If my assumption is correct, I think I have made the right choice in choosing to watch Another as I really enjoy a good mystery every once in a while. However, if that is not the case, I'm probably going to be subjecting myself to some nightmare-inducing footage real soon. Nonetheless, I will try to watch Another to the end. Who knows? I may end up getting over my fear of horror through self-exposure.

Winter 2012

A new year means lots of changes and that is exactly what I have planned for my blog this year. Gone are the days of one-paragraph reviews followed by a wall-of-text summary; they are replaced by short paragraphs of pure reviewing and thoughts. I think this will enable me to pick up more shows and make it easier and more interesting for people to read. I'd like to thank everyone for supporting my blog by just reading it (the increase in pageviews recently has been encouraging) and I hope that this year will be a great one.

I've decided to blog about several shows this season. I may add or remove some depending on my schedule and preferences. For now, the list of shows I plan to watch for the Winter 2012 season are below.