Another (novel)

Another

Novel cover art
アナザー
(Anazā)
Genre Horror, Mystery
Serial novel
Written by Yukito Ayatsuji
Published by Kadokawa Shoten
English publisher
Magazine Yasei Jidai
Published October 29, 2009
Manga
Written by Yukito Ayatsuji
Illustrated by Hiro Kiyohara
Published by Kadokawa Shoten
English publisher
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Young Ace
Original run May 2010 – January 2012
Volumes 5
Anime television series
Directed by Tsutomu Mizushima
Written by Ryō Higaki
Music by Kow Otani
Studio P.A.Works
Licensed by
Hanabee
MVM Films
Network KNB, KBS, Tokyo MX, CTC
English network
Original run January 10, 2012 – March 27, 2012
Episodes 12
Original video animation
The Other -Karma-
Directed by Tsutomu Mizushima
Written by Ryō Higaki
Music by Kow Otani
Studio P.A.Works
Released May 26, 2012
Live-action film
Directed by Takeshi Furusawa
Written by Sachiko Tanaka
Released August 4, 2012
Novel
Another: Episode S
Written by Yukito Ayatsuji
Published by Kadokawa Shoten
Published July 31, 2013

Another (アナザー Anazā) is a Japanese mystery horror novel by Yukito Ayatsuji, published on October 29, 2009 by Kadokawa Shoten. The story focuses on a boy named Kōichi Sakakibara who, upon transferring into Yomiyama Middle School and meeting the curious Mei Misaki, finds himself in a mystery revolving around students and people related to his class falling victim to gruesome, senseless deaths.

A manga adaptation by Hiro Kiyohara was serialized between the May 2010 and January 2012 in the issues of Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace. Both the novel and the manga have been licensed in North America by Yen Press. A 12-episode anime TV series produced by P.A.Works aired in Japan between January 10 and March 27, 2012, with an original video animation released on May 26, 2012, and a live-action film was released in Japanese theatres on August 4, 2012.

Plot

In 1972, Misaki, a student of Yomiyama North Middle School's class 3-3, suddenly died partway through the school year. Devastated by the unexpected loss, the students and teachers behaved like Misaki was still alive, leading to a strange presence on the graduation photo. In Spring 1998, 15-year-old Kōichi Sakakibara transfers into Yomiyama's class 3-3, where he meets Mei Misaki, a strange student whom their classmates and teachers seemingly ignore. The class is soon caught up in a strange phenomenon, in which students and their relatives begin to die in mysterious ways. Realizing that these deaths are related to the "Misaki of 1972", it is up to Kōichi and Mei to discover the cause of these mysterious deaths and figure out how to stop it before it kills them.

Characters

Main characters

Kōichi Sakakibara (榊原 恒一 Sakakibara Kōichi)
Voiced by: Atsushi Abe (Japanese), Greg Ayres (English), Kento Yamazaki (live-action film)
A 15-year-old boy who transferred to Yomiyama North Middle's class 3-3 from Tokyo in 1998, but was hospitalized due of a pneumothorax before the school year began. Kōichi stays with his grandparents and aunt Reiko, while his father conducts research in India. He befriends Mei Misaki despite warnings against doing so, and works with his classmates to uncover the truth behind the curse of class 3-3.
Mei Misaki (見崎 鳴 Misaki Mei)
Voiced by: Natsumi Takamori (Japanese), Monica Rial (English), Ai Hashimoto (live-action film)
An unusual girl in Kōichi's class. She wears a white eyepatch over her left eye, a doll's eye crafted by her adoptive mother. She claims it allows her to see the "color of death"—an indicator to signify if a person is dead, or (in the case of class 3-3) is supposed be dead. At first, she is completely ignored by her classmates and sits in an old, scratched desk at the back of the classroom. Kōichi first meets her on the elevator of Yūmigaoka Hospital, as she delivers a doll to her now-dead cousin Misaki, and they gradually become closer.

Kōichi's relatives

Yōsuke Sakakibara (榊原 陽介 Sakakibara Yōsuke)
Voiced by: Takurō Kitagawa (Japanese), Christopher Ayres (English)
Kōichi's father. A college professor currently doing research in India. He regularly calls his son to chat and constantly complains about the heat.[1]
Ritsuko Sakakibara (榊原 理津子 Sakakibara Ritsuko) Mikami (三神)[2]
Kōichi's late mother, who died 15 years ago right after giving birth to him. She was a student in Yomiyama Middle School's class 3-3 back in 1972, thus being one of Misaki Yomiyama's classmates. She died in 1983, the same year her sister Reiko Mikami was in class 3-3, therefore being a victim of the curse.
Reiko Mikami (三神 怜子 Mikami Reiko)
Voiced by: Naoko Sakakibara (Japanese), Sonja Meadow/Molly Searcy (English), Ai Kato (live-action film)
Kōichi's aunt from Ritsuko's side, and class 3-3's deputy homeroom teacher.[3] She gives her nephew advice about Yomiyama Middle School through a series of "rules". One of them is to separate their private life from their school life; thus, Kōichi addresses her as Reiko at home and Ms. Mikami at school. She is revealed to be the "dead one" of the calamity in 1998; she originally drowned in 1996 as class 3-3's homeroom teacher.[4]

Mei's relatives

Yukiyo Misaki (見崎 ユキヨ Misaki Yukiyo)
Voiced by: Hitomi Harada (Japanese), Tiffany Grant (English)
Mei Misaki's adoptive mother. She is also the owner of "The Hollow Blue Eyes of Yomi at Twilight", a ball-jointed doll store/museum. She goes under the pseudonym Kirika (霧果). She had a stillbirth 12 years ago, which made her obsessed with dolls; this hobby has led to her and Mei treating each other as strangers, which surprises Kōichi.
Misaki Fujioka (藤岡 未咲 Fujioka Misaki)
Voiced by: Hiromi Igarashi
First introduced as Mei's "other half" and later as her cousin, she was the person whom Mei was delivering a present to at the morgue of Yūmigaoka Hospital. In reality, she is Mei's twin sister, raised separately after birth, though they occasionally met each other. Has a more cheerful personality than Mei. Misaki and Mei's biological mother is named Mitsuyo. Misaki died in the hospital from leukemia in April, thus making her the "Death of April".[5]
Amane (天根 Amane)
Voiced by: Sayuri Sadaoka (Japanese), Vicki Barosh (English)
Receptionist at the doll shop, and Mei's grandaunt.

Yomiyama North Middle School

Class 3-3 students

Izumi Akazawa (赤沢 泉美 Akazawa Izumi)
Voiced by: Madoka Yonezawa (Japanese), Jessica Boone (English), Mika Akizuki (live-action film)
A student in charge of countermeasures, she devises and upholds means to deal with the 3-3 calamity. She resents Mei for ignoring the rules, as she feels her actions undermine the countermeasures and cause the deaths to continue.[6] She dies during the summer trip, when she falls off a veranda and breaking her neck while being pursued by Keiko Numata. She is one of the seven "Deaths of August".[7]
Naoya Teshigawara (敕使河原直哉 Teshigawara Naoya)
Voiced by: Tomoaki Maeno (Japanese), Chris Patton (English), Kiyotaka Uji (live-action film)
A friend of Kōichi, whom he nicknames "Sakaki". A sports lover with a superficial personality, he was asked to explain the situation to Kōichi but has trouble going through with it.
Yūya Mochizuki (望月 優矢 Mochizuki Yūya)
Voiced by: Kazutomi Yamamoto (Japanese), Clint Bickham (English), Kai Inowaki (live-action film)
A member of the Art Club. He along with Teshigawara help Kōichi unravel the 3-3 calamity. He appears to have a crush on Ms. Mikami, often inquiring as to her health and whereabouts.
Tomohiko Kazami (風見 智彦 Kazami Tomohiko)
Voiced by: Mitsuhiro Ichiki (Japanese), Josh Grelle (English), Takashi Waka (live-action film)
He's one of the class delegates and an honor student. He is also Teshigawara's childhood friend.
Yukari Sakuragi (桜木 ゆかり Sakuragi Yukari)
Voiced by: Ai Nonaka (Japanese), Brittney Karbowski (English), Maya Okano (live-action film)
One of the class delegates, and friends with Akazawa. She is killed when she trips down the stairs and impales her neck on the sharp end of her umbrella, right after being notified about her mother Mieko's death. She and her mother are the "Deaths of May".[8]
Ikuo Takabayashi (高林郁夫 Takabayashi Ikuo)
Voiced by: Shou Takano (Japanese), Blake Shepard (English)
He has a weak heart that kept him from attending school regularly, as is usually seen sitting at the sidelines during P.E.. He eventually dies from a heart attack, making him one of the "Deaths of June".[9]
Takako Sugiura (杉浦多佳子 Sugiura Takako)
Voiced by: Misato Fukuen (Japanese), Emily Neves (English)
She is always in Akazawa's group. She died during the summer trip, one of the seven "Deaths of August".[7]
Yumi Ogura (小椋 由美 Ogura Yumi)
Voiced by: Iori Nomizu (Japanese), Tiffany Grant (English)
She is the sister of hikikomori (social recluse) Atsushi Ogura, who dies after a truck carrying an excavator crashes into his house. Atsushi is one of the "Deaths of July".[10][11]
Junta Nakao (中尾 順太 Nakao Junta)
Voiced by: Kengo Kasai (Japanese), Houston Hayes (English)
He appears to have a crush on Akazawa, which is what drives his decision to participate in the summer trip, during which he died, making him one of the seven "Deaths of August".[7]
Manabu Maejima (前島 学 Maejima Manabu)
Voiced by: Keisuke Koumoto
A member of the kendo club. He died during the summer trip when he was stabbed by Takabayashi's grandmother from the back, he's one of the seven "Deaths of August".[7]
Shigeki Yonemura (米村 茂樹 Yonemura Shigeki)
He is a ranked A student in class. He died during the summer trip, one of the seven "Deaths of August".[7]

Faculty

Mr. Kubodera (久保寺 Kubodera)
Voiced by: Kōzō Mito (Japanese), David Matranga (English)
Class 3-3 homeroom teacher. After realizing that the countermeasures to the class 3-3 calamity are not working, he kills his comatose mother by smothering, before stabbing himself in the neck in front of the class. He and his mother are the two "Deaths of July".
Tatsuji Chibiki (千曳 辰治 Chibiki Tatsuji)
Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirata (Japanese), David Wald (English), Yoshihiko Hakamaka (live-action film)
Librarian of the auxiliary library. He was the teacher for class 3-3 in 1972, the year Misaki Yomiyama died. Some years later, he resigned as a teacher but stayed on as librarian, claiming that he was "running away [from the curse]". Since then, he's kept a record of the phenomena, the deceased and their connections; and shares his findings with Kōichi and Mei.

Others

Misaki Yomiyama (夜見山 岬 Yomiyama Misaki)
The honor student from Yomiyama Middle School's class 3-3 in 1972. He was extremely popular and well-liked by his peers and teacher. He died in a senseless house fire that also claimed the lives of his brother and both his parents.[12] His classmates were so heartbroken by his untimely death and couldn't accept it, that they decided to act a ritual as if he were still alive, which led to a mysterious photo with the supposely dead Misaki in it, and the calamity of class 3-3 began.[13]
Sanae Mizuno (水野 沙苗 Mizuno Sanae)
Voiced by: Seiko Yoshida (Japanese), Carli Mosier (English), Hiroko Sato (live-action film)
A nurse at Yūmigaoka Hospital, with a younger brother named Takeru in class 3-3. She tries to assist Kōichi in unraveling the mystery of Yomiyama North by giving him information she gleans from discussions with her colleagues and her brother. She is killed when the elevator she was riding drops down the shaft, with the ceiling crushing her, making her a "Death of June".
Katsumi Matsunaga (松永 克己 Matsunaga Katsumi)
Voiced by: Shinya Takahashi (Japanese), Illich Guardiola (English)
A former Yomiyama North Middle School student from class 3-3 of 1983, and one of Reiko's classmates. During 1983, he managed to successfully stop the calamity in class 3-3, making this the only recorded case of the phenomenon stopping halfway through the year. Afraid he would forget his findings, he recorded his theories and confession on an audio cassette for future students to find. After graduation, he moved to Tokyo to pursue his studies. He became a banker, but quit after a few years, returning to Yomiyama to help with the family business. He is a regular at Inoya Cafė, where Tomoka Inose works.
Tomoka Inose (猪瀬 知香 Inose Tomoka)
Voiced by: Mahiro Inoue (Japanese), Maggie Flecknoe (English)
Yūya's older half-sister. A waitress at Inoya Cafė, she attended Yomiyama North Middle School during 1983, though she was not part of class 3-3. Although aware of the rumours about said class, she did not believe them until Yūya, fearing for her life, explained the situation to her. Katsumi Matsunaga is a regular at the cafe where she works. [14]
Keiko Numata (沼田 恵子 Numata Keiko)
Voiced by: Rie Takahashi (Japanese), Vicki Barosh (English)
Ikuo Takabayashi's grandmother. A gentle warm-hearted grandmother, though she proved to be an insane crone murderer due to Ikuo's death. She is responsible for the murder of Manabu Maejima, Izumi Akazawa, Takako Sugiura, Junta Nakao, Shigeki Yonemura, and her husband Kensaku during the summer trip. She then proceeded to commit suicide by biting off her tongue, making her along with her husband one of the seven "Deaths of August".

Media

Novels

Another is a 677-page novel written by Yukito Ayatsuji. The novel was originally serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's literary magazine Yasai Jidai in intermittent periods between the August 2006 and May 2009 issues. A compiled tankōbon volume was published on October 29, 2009[15] and a two-volume bunkobon edition was released on September 25, 2011.[16][17] A re-release of the bunkobon edition featuring illustrations by Noizi Ito was released under the imprint Sneaker Bunko on March 1, 2012.[18][19] A spin-off novel titled Another: Episode S was released on July 31, 2013.[20] A sequel novel with the tentative title Another 2 has been announced.[21] Yen Press has licensed the novel in North America.[22]

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Hiro Kiyohara was serialized between the May 2010 and January 2012 issues of Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace magazine. Four tankōbon volumes were released between October 4, 2010 and December 29, 2011.[23][24] A "0th" volume of the manga was released on May 26, 2012. Yen Press has licensed the original four volume manga in North America and released it as an omnibus.[22]

Anime

A 12-episode anime TV series adaptation produced by P.A.Works and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima[25] aired in Japan between January 10 and March 27, 2012. The screenplay was written by Ryō Higaki, and the chief animation director Yuriko Ishii based the character design used in the anime on Noizi Ito's original concept art.[25][26] The music was produced by Kow Otani, and the sound director is Yoshikazu Iwanami.[26] The anime has two theme songs: the opening theme "Kyōmu Densen" (凶夢伝染, "Nightmare Contagion") by the band Ali Project, and the ending theme "Anamnesis" by Annabel. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in North America, releasing it on BD/DVD on July 30, 2013.[27] An original video animation episode set before the beginning of the series was released on May 26, 2012 with a "0th" volume of the manga.[28] MVM Films will release the series, including the OVA, in the United Kingdom in late 2013.[29]

Live-action film

A live-action film adaptation directed by Takeshi Furusawa[30] and produced by Kadokawa Pictures was released in Japanese theaters on August 4, 2012.[31] The theme song is "Rakuen" (楽園, "Paradise") by Miliyah Kato.

Reception

The novel was ranked as the number-three novel by Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! 2010 and 2010 Honkaku Mystery Best 10, annual mystery fiction guide books published in Japan.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. pp. 17, 37. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6.
  2. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. p. 648. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6. 十五年前に死んだ母、榊原理津子(旧姓、三神)
  3. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. pp. 47, 647. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6.
  4. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. p. 666. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6.
  5. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. pp. 584–593. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6.
  6. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. pp. 434, 562–569. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. p. 660. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6.
  8. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. p. 185. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6.
  9. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. p. 267. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6.
  10. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. p. 517. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6. 七月三十日、午後五時二十分。(…)大型工事用車両が(…)家に突っ込んで(…)敦志は(…)重傷を全身に負う結果となり、三十一日未明(…)息を引き取った。
  11. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. p. 518. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6. 三人めの＜七月の死者＞。
  12. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. p. 385. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6.
  13. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. pp. 8–13. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6.
  14. ↑ Ayatsuji, Yukito (2009). Another. Japan. pp. 486–489. ISBN 978-4-04-874003-6.
  15. ↑ "Another" (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Another (上)" (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Another (下)" (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Another (上)" (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Another (下)" (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Another: Episode S" (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Ayatsuji Plans 2 More Novels of Horror Franchise 'Another'". Anime News Network. February 28, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Yen Press Adds ‍ '​Another‍ '​ Horror Novel & Manga, Junya Inoue's BTOOOM! Manga". Anime News Network. July 13, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Another (1)" (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Another (4)" (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Anime Another with Noizi Ito, P.A. Works Debuts in January". Anime News Network. August 27, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Staff & Cast" (in Japanese). P.A.Works. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  27. ↑ "Sentai Filmworks Licenses Horror TV Anime Another". Anime News Network. January 16, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Promo for Episode 0 of Horror Anime 'Another' Streamed". Anime News Network. March 2, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  29. ↑ "MVM to Release Another on Blu-ray and DVD". Anime News Network. March 20, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Ring Horror Films' Sadako Gets 3D Live-Action Film". Anime News Network. February 15, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Live-Action Film Teaser of Horror Novel 'Another' Posted". Anime News Network. March 2, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.

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