I’m back and, without any regard for how ashamed I should be at being so lazy or really asking about your Christmas (because none of you will reply) or wishing you a Happy New Year, I’m going to start yammering about the only show I’m really interested in watching this anime season, Another . Another is the only show I really had any hopes for this season. Sure there are Space Pirates and a new magical girl show with yet another long title that I can’t be bothered to write out but it was the only one I was looking forward to. Besides, I’m not a fan of pirates (nevermind the space kind). I’m not as pleased with it as I had hoped but at least it is a very pretty show .

Another is a horror anime (something that we don’t see too often). Yes it’s creepy and has some good artistry but Another is definitely lacking the edge. There’s this story about a girl called Misaki, who everyone liked. Poor Misaki died when she was in the 9th grade but one day a boy pointed to her seat and said she was still right there. Everyone joined in on the act and there was even a place for her at graduation. When they graduated was when the little game ended…right? So, this kid called Sakakibara moves to this little country side town in 1998 but when he’s about to start school he ends up in hospital with a collapsed lung (which according to his father, who’s in India, is sooo not a big deal ). Anyway, his would be classmates come say hi. They all seem to be convinced that Sakakibara has lived there before even though he hasn’t. There are a lot of long pauses which are supposed to create unease and tension or what ever. They certainly make the poor kid feel awkward. Then our main guy is in the lift and he meets another girl who goes to the local high school only she has an eyepatch and is carrying a spooky, bandaged doll so she must be scary. She doesn’t talk to him much, gives her name as Misaki Mei in a hushed, spooky tone and gets off at the basement and heads off to the morgue (or at least I assume so as it’s not very scary to go to option two; the boiler room ). The next day he goes to school and everyone is trying to hide something from him. This is made obvious by secretive looks, background conversations we can’t hear and how everyone is trying to keep him from looking at Mei’s desk.  Skipping over some stuff, he later encounters Mei on the roof. She tells him his name is associated with a death, that he shouldn’t get involved with her and that the students are all keeping him in the dark on something. She tells him he’ll soon learn the reasons why. Yay. I think Japanese producers think the obviously-witholding-information-about-something-scary-is-a-really-good-way-of-building-suspense-and-making-things-seem-spooky idea actually works. It really doesn’t.

The music is low-key though there is a rather out of place opener by Ali Project. I like Ali Project but their music doesn’t usually go with the shows they’re commission for. This horror anime is rather low-key and for once so is a song by Ali Project but it’s still not soft enough or spooky enough for this show. It is however an okay song . Nothing about the soundtrack is in your face which is good.

There are a few random cuts to western style porcelain dolls (one was missing the top of its head and had rose petals representing its brain inside). I didn’t get what these were for. They seemed rather forced attempts at making us think something was up which was needless because the students and the robot homeroom teacher were doing a fine job of that. The colour scheme is drab (which I’m not a big fan of) but it does help set the scene. Also our characters have predominately normal hair colours and styles. Mei is a stereotypical creepy girl. Not only does she have an eye patch but she also has rusty, red eyes and black hair (though it is short instead of long ). As I said before, she is also softly spoken. Basically she’s one big cliché.

The opener was the point where this show went down hill. The soft voices telling the story of Misaki at the beginning were actually very effective and horror is such a barely covered genre in anime that it’s easy to do a story that hasn’t been done before or too often. However after the opener it was kind of spoiled. The students and the robot homeroom teacher (just to make sure you know, I mean voice not that he’s a robot) did a fairly good job with the atmosphere even if it was a little force sometimes. Sakakibara is currently a bit like cardboard but most male protagonists in anime are (he even has the same brown hair…though at least he’s much better to look at than most thanks to pretty character designs). Misaki Mei is currently the worst thing about this show. She’s lovely to look at but that’s it. Her “creepiness” and obviously-witholding-information-about-something antics are irritating and are the least creepy thing about this show.

I hope it gets better because I think the story has promise and I would hate for it to be ruined by forced conspiracies, bad atmosphere and a not creepy girl in an eyepatch.

Post again…some time in the future!

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