Director: Tsutomu Mizushima,
Starring: Atsushi Abe, Greg Ayres, Natsumi Takamori, Monica Rial, Ai Nonaka, Brittney Karbowski, Hiroaki Hirata, David Wald
Running Time: 300 minutes
Certificate: 15
Sometimes faith can be restored in the strangest of places. Horror is a very specific genre in that it sets out to do one thing. Scare the viewer. As the years pass it becomes harder to do as we are wise to their tricks. ANOTHER is an anime that delivers pure fear and unsettling terror. It can take a lot to really crawl under the viewer’s skin these days, but ANOTHER does a wonderful job at burying itself deep and gradually tearing its way to the surface. The opening narration sets up a creepy urban legend in a quiet and eerie voice. We hear of Asaki, a young high school girl who died under tragic circumstances. However, in order to tackle the grief, her class one day decides to act as though she was still alive. This short tale sets up the atmosphere and tone of the entire show, a dark and captivating mystery that deals with all elements of the macabre.
The show takes its time getting to the meat of the story, and instead introduces us to a wide variety of characters. It’s slow (in anime terms) and it doesn’t reveal its horrific intentions off the bat. Although it keeps the elements of horror hidden for a while, there is always something “off” about the entire first few episodes. Our protagonist, Kouichi, moves to a small town and is immediately struck down by a collapsed lung. During his recovery period he is visited by some of his future classmates, and elements of a mystery are firmly put in place. Throughout the first few episodes, it may be dark and gothic, but it also hints that any genre may develop from these more sinister crevices. That is until the violence sets in.
Kouichi meets a girl whom he is sure is alive, or at least real, but it is unclear as to whether other people in the class merely ignore her, or whether she is dead/a figment of his imagination etc. A strong bond develops, and the young girl is also unsure as to whether she exists or not at times. The dark colour palette and iconography such as creepy dolls all add to the sense of dread and encroaching fear. What comes as a huge shocker is the level of violence and exactly how disturbing it is. It feels as though the writers have researched violence in all its forms, and exactly when it is best to show detail or not. It’s no easy task to make violence powerful these days, especially in a fictional horror setting, and certainly in animation. The sound effects, use of quick edits, and prolonged shots of suffering make this gruesome material to nauseate, rather than be enjoyed.
The show continues on in this fashion, as a supposed curse rocks through the members of the class. It could very easily have lost its impact, but the makers aren’t just showing you this for quick reactions. They want to unsettle you. The visuals are nightmarish at times, most particularly when showing the characters’ actual nightmares, but all the while we are kept close to the human aspect. Best of all, the mystery that surrounds the world of ANOTHER is one that can be worked out and doesn’t go for some unfathomable twist. This makes the detective aspect enjoyable for the viewer, but will always have you doubting yourself. Lovely subtle voice work rounds out a brilliant show that isn’t for all, but should be a must for most.
ANOTHER is released on DVD on25th November via MVM.
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