Another

Another #1

by Yukito Ayatsuji

«Кто м е р т в е ц ?» Сакакибара Коити перевёлся в класс «три-три» Северной средней школы Ёмиямы и тут же почувствовал: с одноклассниками что-то не так, они будто чего-то боятся. Очарованный загадочной одноклассницей Мисаки Мэй, Коити попытался с ней пообщаться, но лишь обнаружил ещё больше загадок. Тем временем погибла чудовищной смертью староста класса Сакураги, а после ученики и их близкие начали умирать один за другим. Что же случилось в крохотном мирке Ёмиямы? Эта книга покажет вам ужас, какого вы никогда ещё не испытывали, и великое множество тайн, которые не позволят от неё оторваться. Встречайте шедевр конца двухтысячных мастера Юкито Аяцудзи — сплав романа ужасов и детектива-хонкаку! Книга содержит два оригинальных тома романа.

Genres: Horror, Manga, Mystery, Light Novel, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Japan

400 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2009

About the author

(Japanese: 綾辻 行人)

'Yukito Ayatsuji' is the original creator of Another. He is a famous writer of mystery and Japanese detective fiction. He is also one of the writers that demands restoration of the classic rules of detective fiction and the use of more self reflective elements. He is married to Fuyumi Ono, author of The Twelve Kingdoms and creator of Ghost Hunt, Juuni Kokuki, and the author for a few other manga.

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another sequel review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I give Another 3 stars not because I don't enjoy it, but merely because I had read far better novels by Yukito Ayatsuji than this one.

Mr. Ayatsuji is one of my most favorite Japanese detective novelists, I love his famous, imaginative 'Mansions series' to pieces. The Mansions series content about 10 books, each book is set within a particularly eccentrically designed mansion, and each of the mansion was built by the same mad architect, who was supposed to be dead in a fire after he murdered his own wife then burnt their house down. This series is so rich with gloomy Gothic imaginary, so filled with plot twists and mysteries.

Therefore, comparing with Mr. Ayatsuji's grand works, Another reads like a decent, but a bit lukewarm teenager detective/thriller story. I enjoy it, but do not love it. I will suggest you to read the manga version of Another instead, I enjoy the manga more than the original novel.

PS: My most favorite Yukito Ayatsuji's detective novels for adult audience:

(1)Murder At the Mansion of Antique Clocks: Dark imaginary, clever plot twists and a lot of deadly surprises, it's my all time favorite.

(2)Murder At the Mansion of Darkness: one hell of a dark, intriguing Gothic thriller!

(3)Murder At the Mansion of Waterwheel: really, really intriguing plot twists

(4)The Witch Hunt Game: a breathtaking thriller sets in a scary private school for girls which looks like it's taken straight out of Dario Argento's movie Suspiria.

(5)The Curse of the Puppet Prince: Fairy tale crossovers murder mystery! What's not to love?

(6)Murder At the Mansion of Black Cat: really can't see the ending coming!

(7) Murder At the Mansion of Strange Masks: review can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

For more recommendations of awesome 'locked room' genre crime and mystery novels by Japanese novelists, please check this out! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Peiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

در سال ۱۹۷۲ در شهر یومیاما در کلاس سوم ۳ از یک مدرسه دانش‌آموزی به نام میساکی وجود داشت که بسیار باهوش و خوش‌چهره و دوست داشتنی بود و محبوب دانش‌آموزان و معلمان. در میانه‌ی سال تحصیلی میساکی در اتفاقی می‌میره و همه‌ی دانش‌آموزان کلاس سوم ۳ در بهت فرو میرن تا اینکه یکی از اونها میگه میساکی نمرده، ببینید میساکی اونجاست و همه‌ی دانش‌آموزان و حتی معلم کلاس طوری رفتار می‌کنند که انگار میساکی زنده‌ست و حتی گاهی باهاش صحبت می‌کنند و این داستان ادامه پیدا می‌کنه تا روز فارغ‌التحصیلی و عکس یادگاری، وقتی عکس رو می‌بینند میساکی با چهره‌ای رنگ پریده در گوشه‌ای از عکس دیده میشه! و این شروع جریانیه به نام نفرین کلاس سوم ۳. حالا بیست و شش سال بعد از اون ماجرا، ساکاکیبارای ۱۵ ساله که پدرش برای یک سال به ماموریت رفته و مادرش هم مدتی پس از زایمان فوت شده، از توکیو به یومیاما اومده پیش پدربزرگ و مادربزرگ و خاله‌ش تا سال سوم رو اینجا بگذرونه و وارد کلاس سوم ۳ میشه و ادامه‌ی ماجرا درگیری ساکاکیبارا و هم‌کلاسی‌هاش با این نفرینه. کتاب داستان جالبی داره هرچند گاهی تکرار یه سری حرفا تو ذوق میزنه. ترجمه می‌تونست بهتر باشه. داستان در نهایت به سرانجام میرسه اما تهش به سوال «چرا؟» جوابی نمیده. سرگرم کننده بود و امتیاز واقعی ۳.۵ هست.ه

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was creepy. Thoroughly creepy. Not scary. Just... creepy.

Though, I think part of it is that I already saw the anime before diving into the novel. Because of this, I already knew what to expect. The anime was probably scarier than the novel, too, since you get more on screen gruesome death in the anime than the novel.

So in essence, this series is a horror mystery. I don't want to say too much because it will spoil the fun. I do want to say that the description is somewhat misleading. Yes, lots of death (but you don't really see them). Yes, Sakakibara tries to figure out the curse. There is no vengeful spirit, though! If you're expecting Poltergeist, you will be sorely disappointed. I'm not sure if the description is a direct translation of the Japanese or if it's just American mistake.

Anyway, this is a horror mystery that is ingenious in the fact that you can't actually solve the mystery once you actually know what the mystery is. All clues are given before Sakakibara's told anything, so it's really easy to miss the important hints, even if they're bolded. I only recognized them because I'm already well aware of what was going on. That's how brilliantly the clues are "hidden."

There's not a whole lot about any of the characters other than the main players, and even then, it's not all that deep. This makes sense because most of the characters, even main ones, tend to die off fairly quickly, and with such a large cast to murder, you kind of expect it. You do learn a lot about Sakakibara and Misaki (especially Misaki), but some of the others... not so much. If you want more character building and jump scares, go watch the anime. If you want more curse focus and creep factor, read the novel.

It's also worth noting that there are differences between the novel and anime, so don't pass this up just because you've seen the anime. Different characters die in different ways, so you'll still be surprised, especially late in the novel.

I really enjoyed this, so if you like creepy and you like mystery, I highly recommend it.

[Tokio Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like creepy Japaneses high school stories with characters that are pretty messed up and a main character is so naive at times you wonder how they survive the rest of the book? Then you'd like Another, but be warned Another is good, really good but it's slow, really slow at first. Nothing happens until page 151. Literally nothing, the main character is in a new school with kids that act weird and that's it until page 151. Then all hell breaks lose.

So if you're a reader who's all about action and mayhem and doesn't want to read a book that has 150 pages of description and unanswered questions then this isn't the book for you. If your somebody who doesn't mind a snail pace start and atmosphere building then give then I recommend it.

[Tân Trần · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hay khủng, cốt truyện chặt chẽ lôi cuốn mà lên anime nó u ám gì đâu luôn, mình k phải fan thể loại này nên đến giờ cuốn này vẫn là cuốn hay nhất.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
More spooky than scary, I enjoyed this offbeat Japanese horror novel. My library classified it as adult fiction, but it could have been easily classified as young adult. While this was a full length novel, it somehow read like a manga. (I later learned that there is a manga version of this story). I liked this one, but felt it was a little long and meandering for my personal tastes. I would recommend for people looking to get into Asian or translated Horror fiction.

[Amanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another is a horror manga about a haunted high school class. The classroom isn't haunted this time but the actual grade and class assignment. It's got a curse on it! Students dread being placed in this class but no one knows how to stop the deaths.

The students and faculty follow several weird superstitions in order to protect themselves and others from dying under sudden and mysterious circumstances. The lore dictates that they need to pretend like a student doesn't exist in order to allow for the presence of the ghost without the class head count being incorrect.

Apparently this has worked for past classes but this time a nice boy disrupts everything by being friendly to the ignored girl. The class starts experiencing the deaths and becomes very afraid and doesn't know what to do.

The book is largely about superstition and conformity. Fear of breaking tradition rules this class of teens and there are severe consequences that can affect generations.

The story was interesting enough. The violence was gruesome enough. But the whole book just fell a little flat for me. It never really added up to anything more than a basic ghost story.

I feel like there is a lot of commentary to be made on the Japanese culture of tradition and polite conformity but maybe it didn't quite make it through the translation.

Additionally, the characters are never really developed enough for me to actually care who lives or who dies. And that is always a problem in a pick em off one by one classic horror story.

It's a standard length collection of manga at just under 700 pages for the full series. I finished it in about 2 nights so it's not a daunting undertaking if you're looking for a simple horror story.

The bulk of the pages is the typical black and white manga style but there are color pages between book breaks and they are absolutely stunning. The colors and art on those pages really stand out and make the book feel more special than the story itself does.

Perhaps if you are more familiar with Japanese lore and culture this book will have more meaning to you. Otherwise, I can recommend it for an easy read that you don't have to put too much energy into. With a couple of good scares to boot.

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[Aiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second read of this story (first time was the novel, second time was the manga). The two versions are slightly different, but both SO good! I don't know actually know which one I like better!!!

A story like this is so hard to review, as it would be a crime to tell you any details about the book before you read it. It's one of those stories you should go into completely blind and just let it sweep you up. It's definitely a horror story, but not in a classical sense. Things start out just ... a little odd, like a sharp picture that's fuzzy at the edges. Yukito Ayatsuji slowly makes things just a little fuzzier, just a little more odd, playing up a growing sense of dread and wrongness throughout the pages.

Best of all, unlike too many horror novels, the climax pays off perfectly! Another is one of my personal favorites. I hope you love it too!

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mam duży sentyment do tej historii, ale serio, zobaczcie sobie anime, bo przynajmniej nie trzeba się użerać z bohaterem, który 120 stron łazi za kolegami z klasy i nikt mu nie chce powiedzieć o klątwie, a to wszystko w polskim przekładzie z masą błędów i czcionką, którą prawdopodobnie można było wybrać na Samsungu corby

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grabbed this galley because I was really intrigued by the cover image. I later learned (incorrectly) that this was a novel based on a manga, which in turn spawned an anime. I was very curious about the concept, wondering how such a visual format could be translated into a novel. I'm a very visual reader and also a fan of anime and manga, so I was easily able to visualize the characters and setting. Unfortunately, that wasn't good enough to make this book interesting to me. Lost in translation is an apt way to describe the experience - though I don't merely mean the translation from Japanese to English. There are elements of culture and events that the non-Japanese person or anime fan will miss unless they spend a bit of time googling, but I didn't find this enough of an issue to deter me. I did, however, feel like the book dragged considerably and I grew increasingly frustrated with the main character, Koichi Sakakibara's attempt to unravel the mystery of Mei Misaki and the strange curse of Class 3 at North Yomi school.

With a mother dead shortly after birth and a father away on business in India, Sakakibara has moved away from Tokyo to the little village of Yomiyama to stay with his mother's family. He is unable to start his third year at his new school due to a genetic lung illness that forces him to miss the first few weeks. When he starts a few days into the month of May, he meets a mysterious girl name Mei Misaki and he is warned about the "North Yomi Fundamentals" - superstitions that apparently exist to prevent the occurrence of untimely accidents. Students at the school are friendly enough, but when Sakakibara tries to broach the subject of Misaki, everyone does their best to dance around the question and Sakakibara's subsequent questions about the curse of Class 3. Then people start dying.... (finally).

Around the time that the first death occurred, I was as frustrated as Sakakibara with the way everyone was avoiding his questions, but more frustrated with the amount of time it was taking for him to figure out the truth of his existence on his own. I admit, I was wrong in my assumption of the obvious, but I was still long bored by the amount of time it took to get to that point. There was a lot of repetition as Sakakibara went over his own circular thoughts and the events and at times, I actually thought I was reading the same page again. Given the length of the book, I could find no reason for it to have taken that long to get to the point and move on to solving the mystery, which I assume happens in volume two.

Believing this was a book based on a manga, it felt very much like descriptions were glossed over in favour of a lot of text, mostly in the form of Sakakibara's tedious thoughts. It failed to give me any sense of mystery and, when the curse started to take effect, it wasn't very shocking. However, upon completion I learned that I was incorrect in my assumption. The bunkobon came first and inspired the manga, followed by the anime and a live-action movie. So while I did not enjoy this book very much, I can see how it could translate into a very interesting story when powerful visuals and music can be used to create the right mood. The idea behind the curse of Class 3 and the way everyone decided to try to fight it was interesting, once we finally got to know what it was all about. But I think I'd much rather learn more in the manga or anime, than by reading the second volume of the original novel.

Review originally published at The BiblioSanctum.

[heril azwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

baca terjemahan buku ini yang dijumpai di kinokuniya, klcc.

apa yang menarik mengenai novel2 jepun ni, mereka masih mengekalkan kepercayaan mistik dan diolah menjadi sebuah fiksyen yang menarik.

buku ini mengisahkan sumpahan ke atas sebuah kelas, kelas 3-3 berikutan peristiwa yang pernah berlaku 26 tahun lalu. Akibat kepura-puraan mereka, orang yang tidak pernah wujud itu terus wujud setiap tahun dan mengakibatkan kemalangan dan kematian terhadap ahli kelas itu.

sehingga lah seseorang mencadangkan mereka mewujudkan orang yang tidak wujud itu, kemalangan dapat dielakkan. namun, segalanya berubah apabila seorang pelajar baru masuk ke dalam kelas itu. maka, bermulalah kematian demi kematian.. mampukah mereka menghalang sumpahan itu kali ini?

sebuah kisah yang b egitu menyeramkan dan baru bagi saya. saya kira, novel2 seram melayu boleh cuba menulis melalui perspektif ini, bukan lagi momokan roh2 yang bangkit untuk membalas dendam.

[Mook Woramon · Rating 4 out of 5]

ปรากฏการณ์แปลกประหลาดของห้องเรียน ม.3/3 เป็นห้องเรียนที่นักเรียนทุกคนใกล้ชิดความตายมากเป็นพิเศษและมีโอกาสเสียชีวิตได้ง่ายดายกว่าปกติ เภทภัยเหล่านี้เริ่มต้นจากตรงไหน จะหยุดยั้งเหตุการณ์เหล่านี้ได้อย่างไร

สนุกกว่าที่คิดและชวนติดตาม สยองนิดหน่อย
ชอบ concept ของปรากฏการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้น ไม่ต้องมีทฤษฎีรองรับแต่ดูน่าเชื่อถือ เสมือนปรากฏการณ์ธรรมชาติที่เกิดขึ้นมาและเราต้องยอมรับมันเพราะมีผลของเหตุการณ์ที่เห็นได้จริง คงคล้ายๆ ปรากฏการณ์บั้งไฟพญานาคที่ยังไม่แน่ชัดว่าเกิดจากอะไร แต่ที่แน่ๆจะมีทุกปี ประมาณนี้มั้ง

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kouichi Sakakibara is a new transfer student at Yomiyama North middle school. It isn't long until he realises that there's something very wrong happening around. He soon discovers that there's a curse surrounding his class, the third year, where an "extra" student appears in the class, and soon death follows.

The book is not actually scary, but very creepy and eerie instead. Yukito Ayatsuji manages to create so much tension at certain instances in the novel. The mystery and build up is sure to keep the readers intrigue.

The characters of Kouichi Sakakibara and Mei Misaki are interesting. As the story revolves around them, the writer has given both of them ample time and did enough of what he could with them in terms of characterization and development.
There are decent plot twists in the novel, and most of the times, they are unpredictable.
There are times when some plot points will feel ridiculous, and there are way too many coincidences happening around that it takes away some immersion.

Despite its shortcomings, Another is a highly enjoyable mystery horror novel, and can be enjoyed by fans of either genre who want to read something new story-wise.

[Nhi Nguyễn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chời ơi, sao cái gì kinh dị bí ẩn của Nhật Bản cũng đều ghê rợn, đáng sợ, cực kỳ lôi cuốn và hay ơi là hay thế này!!! ^^ Đúng là những gì đáng sợ, bí ẩn, dị thường nhất đều xuất phát từ nước Nhật và thuộc về người Nhật mà :D

“Another” là một cuốn tiểu thuyết ngắn (thuộc dạng light novel) nhưng gói gọn trong nó là cả 3 đề tài luôn được xem là nổi bật và đặc trưng cho văn học/điện ảnh Nhật Bản: tâm linh, kinh dị, học đường. Câu chuyện xoay quanh lời nguyền – hay nói đúng hơn là một hiện tượng kỳ bí – xảy ra tại lớp 9-3 của trường trung học Bắc Yomi, thành phố Yomiyama (yên tâm, theo lời tác giả thì đây là địa danh do ông tưởng tượng ra, không có thật ở bên Nhật ^^).

26 năm về trước, tại đúng lớp 9-3 của ngôi trường này, một trong những học sinh ưu tú và được mọi người yêu mến của lớp đột ngột qua đời trong một tai nạn thương tâm, khiến cả lớp 9-3 – trong nỗi đớn đau bàng hoàng không thể tin nổi – đã giả vờ rằng người bạn này chưa hề chết và vẫn còn sống sờ sờ, vẫn tiếp tục học tập, sinh hoạt cùng với lớp. Hành động tưởng chừng như chỉ là thể hiện sự chối bỏ thực tại đớn đau này của tập thể 9-3 – bao gồm cả giáo viên chủ nhiệm – cuối cùng lại dẫn đến nhiều kết cục tang thương, đau lòng khác cho các thế hệ lớp 9-3 về sau, khi trong những năm sau đó, hàng loạt học sinh lớp 9-3 và người thân trực hệ trong vòng 2 đời của họ sinh sống tại Yomiyama (có thể là ông, bà, cha, mẹ, anh chị em ruột; không tính cô, dì, chú, bác hay anh chị em họ), đều bỏ mạng hoặc qua đời một cách bí ẩn và liên tục, do bệnh tật, bị tai nạn hoặc tự sát.

Đó gọi là những “năm phát sinh”, và trong những năm này, một hiện tương kỳ bí khác cũng xuất hiện, song hành cùng với những cái chết liên tục không sao lý giải nổi, là việc sỉ số lớp bị dư ra một người. Đó chính là “Another” – một kẻ khác, hay nói chính xác hơn là “kẻ đã chết” hoặc “người dư ra”. Người này chính là hồn ma của một trong những nạn nhân của lời nguyền 9-3 đã chết vào các năm trước, nay xuất hiện trở lại dưới hình hài của một con người bằng xương bằng thịt, đi học/làm việc tại lớp 9-3 (vì không loại trừ khả năng người này là giáo viên chủ nhiệm của lớp) như thể chưa bao giờ qua đời hay bỏ mạng. Và một cách bí ẩn, ký ức của người dân cũng như sổ sách giấy tờ trong vùng Yomiyama nhất loạt đều được thay đổi để phù hợp với việc thừa nhận sự hiện diện của “kẻ đã chết” này.

Song hành trong bầu không khí bí ẩn, âm u bao phủ lên câu chuyện ma mị, ghê sợ này ngay từ những chương đầu tiên, là cố gắng trong vô vọng của lớp 9-3 niên khóa 1998 với những kế sách thất bại nhằm ngăn chặn tác động của lời nguyền, là sự tham gia bất ngờ của nhân vật Sakakibara Koichi vào tập thể lớp, cùng với sự hiện diện thấm đẫm màu sắc huyễn hoặc của một cô nữ sinh bí ẩn với con mắt trái ẩn giấu đằng sau một miếng băng Misaki Mei (bất ngờ thay có họ trùng với họ của người học sinh của lớp 9-3 26 năm trước đã tử nạn).

Giữa những cái chết liên tục của học sinh và người nhà của họ mà Sakakibara được chứng kiến hoặc nghe kể lại, giữa những sự suy đoán và sau đó là biết được cách thức hữu hiệu nhất nhằm ngăn chặn sự “tác oai tác quái” của lời nguyền, là bầu không khí nghi ngờ, hoang mang, tự vấn mà tác giả mang đến cho người đọc về thân thế thật của “kẻ đã chết”, giữ lại trọn vẹn sự ma mị, tính hồi hộp của câu chuyện và những chi tiết ghê sợ, bí ẩn được bao bọc đặc quánh trong màn sương mờ ảo của sự bí hiểm đang tan dần từng chút một. Để rồi khi mọi nỗ lực nhằm tìm ra “Another” trôi dần về những phút cuối, khi thân thế thật của “Another” được phơi bày, thì đó cũng là lúc Koichi phải đưa ra một quyết định khó khăn, mang ý nghĩa sống còn cho những người bạn trong lớp của cậu. Tính bất ngờ, không thể lường trước được ngay từ đầu câu chuyện được tận dụng và phát huy một cách tối đa ở những chương cuối này thông qua khả năng sử dụng từ ngữ, xây dựng câu cú và sáng tạo chi tiết của tác giả, bắt thóp người đọc trong một nỗ lực cuối cùng nhằm trả lời câu hỏi bí ẩn chưa có lời giải đáp xuyên suốt tiểu thuyết: “Vậy thực chất, ‘kẻ đã chết’ là ai?”

Một cuốn tiểu thuyết kinh dị, bí hiểm để đọc ngấu nghiến trong vài giờ, để đắm mình vào một câu chuyện bí ẩn, nơi thế giới hiện thực và những niềm tin tâm linh hòa vào nhau trong lối viết càng về sau càng cuốn hút và lão luyện bậc thầy trong việc duy trì tiết tấu trầm lắng đúng kiểu văn học Nhật, nhưng vẫn không hề thiếu những đoạn cao trào đến thót tim, đẩy những nghi ngờ và suy đoán của người đọc đến mức tận cùng. Càng đọc “Another” sẽ càng thấy hay, đặc biệt là đọc vào buổi đêm, khi chỉ còn một mình mình thức ^^ Thế mới thấm hết được cái cảm giác ghê sợ và không lường trước được của câu chuyện, cũng như tính bất ngờ và hồi hộp luôn hiện diện trong từng bước ngoặt của tác phẩm, đặc biệt là ở những chương cuối.

Càng đọc lại càng thấy thích thể loại light novel của Nhật, đặc biệt là light novel (hoặc novel bình thường) thuộc thể loại điều tra/kỳ bí/tâm linh (và có vẻ như về khoản văn học Nhật thì mình chỉ hạp với mỗi thể loại này :D Mấy cái khác đọc không vô… Khổ ghê…).

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars.

Another is a book I went into knowing the ending.

I saw the anime version a few years back when it came out. I liked it but I was meh about it at the same time. I was curious to how the book was though compared to the anime so that is why I read it in earnest.

Knowing the ending though...knocks some fun out of it.

Another relies on the mystery. What is happening in Class 3? Why do certain people not exist?


Why are there deaths?

Who is the causality?

Going on knowing the answer, means you can pay more attention to the clues that are given for the solution to everything.

Due to that, I won't go into details on that aspect.

Character wise? Koichi is the typical protag and Mei is the loner weird girl in class. It is kind of interesting the anime went with a different color for her eyes.

The book relates it to the name of the shop she lives in but her eye is green/red-brown in the anime. Strange...

But anyway, they're fine as characters. I felt like the anime gave a little more focus on the other members of the class as the book was heavily focused on Koichi and Mei. The anime also added a scene during the climax part that wasn't in the book, which I guess added to the action.

The only thing that made me go, "Meh" for this book was the writing style. I don't know if it was the translation or the author's own style but it reads like a prose book. I'm not even kidding, it has that prose feel to it. I'm not a huge fan of prose-y works so it was a little bit of a turn off for me but I powered through it!

Anyway, that's it for this book. Despite everything it was a quick read. Also, this does have both volume 1 and 2(which I was confused about before).


And final gif for this review!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my God! This has been so creepy since the start. Ok, the start is frustrating. You have this kid starting last year of High School at a new school with a mystery, but NO ONE will actually tell him what is it, and when they are about too, he gets distracted and goes away. Frustrating to no end!
When they finally explain you what's going on (around halfway to the book) things start to get far more interesting... And also creepier.
I was so sure it was ghost story... Well, not exactly. At least, not the way conventional ghost work.
As far as a mystery novel, it's not so good. They don't give you enough information as they should in a detective novel so that you may solve the mystery as well. They reveal stuff at the end that should've been mentioned at the beginning so you could go back, re-read it, and tell yourself 'I'm an idiot, how did I not see that coming'. Since the info is not there, it's not really fair on the reader. But it's still a good mystery, I still didn't manage to get it right, so they get brownie points for that
As far as a horror novel, it's amazing! The thing, the mystery, the whole paranormal stuff is so bloody creepy, it gets to you. Anyone can die, there's no one out there to get you, you can get involved just because and that... That's scary as shit. And as the novel goes on it just gets worse, until you reach a point were you think everything is just going down, lost. No more hope.
It was good, ending was unexpected, gory, creepy. Perfect.
The only thing that annoys me is the while paranormal phenomenon that 'changed' records and memories. Really? How, just how? No explanations given. I know Japanese literature is weird, but seriously, that seems too far fetched.
Still, really good novel. Good to creep you out for a while.

[Haiiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Điều đầu tiên tôi muốn nói về Another là mặc dù đã chuẩn bị tâm lí ít nhiều, nó không hề là một cảm giác hớn hở vui tươi khi tôi cầm sách ngồi đọc một mình khi trời tối. Những cái gai ốc vẫn tìm được cách để nổi lên. Nhưng dĩ nhiên, Another vẫn là một câu chuyện hù dọa nhẹ đô nên cứ yên tâm là sẽ không có con ma gớm ghiếc nào thò đầu ra khỏi trang sách để cười với bạn đâu.
Phải thừa nhận rằng tình huống truyện của Another rất khá. Cụ thể là tôi đã phải thốt lên trong đầu: "Chu choa, chuyện này mà cũng nghĩ ra được đó hả?" Nên mặc dù độ kinh dị chỉ được đánh giá là dành cho trẻ em (gì cơ, tôi cũng lớn hơn trẻ em khá nhiều đó!), mặt trinh thám lại càng không tới, nhưng thực tình nếu so với cái kiểu gượng ép buồn cười đến mức ngán ngẩm trong truyện fantasy của Phan Hồn Nhiên thì Another rất có thể sẽ khiến bạn thỏa mãn hơn nhiều. Hệ thống nút thắt mở lớp lang, triển khai tốt, có cao trào, miêu tả tâm lí chắc tay... là những thế mạnh có thể kể đến. Đôi khi tôi thấy như chính mình đang dùng đôi mắt của Sakaki để nhìn Mei vậy.
Điểm trừ là gì? Thật tình, nếu đã sáng tạo được một cốt truyện khá như vậy, tác giả chẳng lẽ không thể tiện thể nghĩ luôn ra một cái lí do gì đó hợp lí cho tất cả những chuyện kì quặc đến với lớp 9-3? Cứ nghĩ đến việc cái "hiện tượng" đó xảy ra chỉ vì nó hiển nhiên xảy ra là tôi lại thấy mắc cười. Thêm nữa, cái kiểu nhiều lần ngừng giải thích giữa lúc kịch tính của Mei (dù biết phải vậy thì truyện mới dài, mới có thắt có mở) có thể khiến bạn tức thổ huyết, thật đó.
Nhưng dù sao thì 4 tiếng đồng hồ để dành cho 2 tập sách này là không tệ nếu bạn muốn trêu chọc hệ thần kinh một chút.
* Ngạc nhiên vỡi, sao Goodreads chấm điểm cao quá vại?

[Mahdiye HajiHosseini · Rating 4 out of 5]

.
شباهت زیادی با انیمه داره اما تا حد زیادی، تا جایی که پیش زمینه داستان اجازه میده معقولتره سیر وقایع، پس اون اتفاقات خارج از ریتم پایان سریال دیگه وجود ندارن تا تو ذوق بزنن.
فک میکنم داستان کندی به حساب بیاد، اما واقعن باب میل من بود. این سوالهای که مستقیم متوجه خود کوئیچی بودند قبل از هر کسی، واقعا از زیبایی ها بود، اینکه ایا مسبب همه اینا اونه؟ ایا خود بلاییه ک نازل شده؟ و حتی اگه هیچ کدوم اینام نباشه چقدر از خاطراتش درستن؟

لینک طاقچه

[Lizzy Lessard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another was originally written in Japanese and it's obvious that this version is a translation. There are riddles that lack the natural flow of language, since I'm sure that there are some words/meanings in Japanese that don't exist in English. I felt as if I was reading a water-down version of a masterpiece. That said, this must be one of the creepiest novels I have ever read. It has the aura of an old-school Hitchcock psychological horror blended with a modern Japanese horror such as Runju, which I had to DNF cause it freaked me out so much. There's a rawness to the story that makes me believe that a child dictated to the writer rather than the writer inventing it. There are some instances that felt put in for 'shock' value that didn't do anything for me. I think it was because Sakakibara was so emotionally distant from the other characters that it was difficult to get attached to them before they died.

The narrator's purpose isn't clear and first and by the end there are still many unanswered questions. I do think that some of the information presented in the narrative could have been left out, as it is re-explained in Sakakibara's POV. Of course there are other things present in the narrative that without being mentioned would make what happens to Sakakibara seem much less spooky. I do like the blend of the two. I feel that they both were definitely needed to tell this story.

There is a few things that happen in this book that remind me that I'm dealing with a different culture. I wish there was even more emphasis on the culture because I found it nearly as fascinated as the storyline.

Even though this is a series, I felt that the ending was completely satisfactory as a standalone. I'll probably read the next installment when it is translated. (B+)

[Minh Nhân Nguyễn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 sao

Truyện ban đầu đọc khá chậm và bực mình với bạn nhân vật chính, mấy tình tiết bí ẩn cứ bị cho lấp lửng mà không đi đến cùng. Đọc về sau thì mới biết đó là dụng ý của tác giả, nên lúc đó lại thấy truyện khá hay và phục ông vì nắm chắc được tâm lý của người đọc.

Sách mang đặc trưng của văn học Nhật với các tình tiết diễn ra khá chậm nhưng logic và nếu đoạn đầu đọc thấy còn tồn đọng nhiều thắc mắc thì đoạn sau mọi thứ đều được giải đáp hết. Từng lời nói, hành động của các nhân vật đều được giải thích hợp lý, làm cho cốt truyện trở nên sáng sủa và rõ ràng hơn. Đặc biệt nó khiến ta có cảm giác muốn đi tìm một đáp án logic hợp với quy luật truyện đưa ra, mà quên hẳn đây vốn là thể loại truyện kỳ bí tâm linh vốn có thể không lệ thuộc nhiều vào tính logic như vậy. Đó là cái hay của truyện.

Đoạn diễn tiến cuối truyện được đẩy lên cao trào với nhịp điệu dồn dập, đầy kịch tính, cùng với một đáp án bất ngờ, làm mình phải đọc liền một mạch không thể ngừng lại được. Thường thì sau khi xem sách thì 1 thời gian sau mình mới xem phim nhưng đối với cuốn này, đọc xong là muốn xem anime ngay. Vì không giống như phim, anime thường rất trung thành với nguyên tác, nên xem nó cũng như xem chính những hình ảnh từ trong truyện bước ra vậy, mà có lẽ phải đợi đến dịp nào đó mới xem được :)

[kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was 100% ready to easily give this book 4/5 until the last like... 15(?) pages. Given that this is a mystery, there are several reveals/twists near the end, and one rather major one is just.... so dumb??? Like... the dumbest??? Wholly unsatisfying as well, due to the way it was done. I still want to read the manga adaptation and watch the anime, especially bc I’d like to see how certain aspects of the story are handled in those formats. But I really might have to dock a star just because of that one reveal because oof it was real bad.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I've seen the anime already so knew the story already. But still, I enjoyed this story.

The writing style is very simple and easy to read. It seems like it was an actual 15 year old writing, no distespect to the author though. It read exactly like it should.

Definitely worth a read if you fancy a horror story with an interesting twist.

[N.A. Fedorak · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dull and repetitive. The main character has multiple interactions with other characters that literally look like the author just copied and pasted the interactions/chapters into each other and swapped a couple of paragraphs around.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good god, what feels like hundreds of pages and all we've established is that there's a curse, and the curse came about because a student died, everyone pretended like the student was still part of the class, and then every year after that, the attendance for the third year Class 3 had to be exactly right or a vengeful spirit would come back and kill students, family members, teachers, whatever.

Again, this is a book that gets started because a student dies and the class continues to put a chair out for the dead student and talk about them like they're still there. And then a curse gets reactivated
Based. On. The. Class. Roster.

Beyond dumb.

The anime is high on atmosphere but it's mostly the soundtrack that does the heavy lifting. People sit and have utterly banal conversations (I'm not being judgmental here, I'm being descriptive; the conversations are truly about nothing in particular and then a bunch of minor key low note droning to make it seem like there's some kind of menace. It's so incredibly stupid it defies my powers of critique. Apparently the kid wants me to find volume two to read, but I'm going to claim it's not available, finish watching episodes of the anime, and MOVE ON WITH MY LIFE.

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! tal vez influya que soy muy fan del anime ANOTHER, pero la novela es Mejor♥algunos detalles son diferentes y las situaciones tienen más sentido en la novela, asi uno puede entender mejor la adaptación del anime ... En estos momentos no sé cómo describirlo Jajajaja, estoy deseando releer la novela, el manga y ver el anime *.* otra vez .
Por favor Traduzcan las novelas del Señor Yukito Ayatsuji .
Amé cada una de las veces que el protagonista recomendaba novelas y escritores :) , y me emocione muchísimo cada vez que mencionó a Stephen King o alguna de sus novelas ♥. Another va a mi lista de favoritos.

[Anjali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally LOVED this book. I think its perfect for anyone who is a fan of Supernatural Thrillers.
Because it is translated into English, it maybe a little hard to follow at first, but trust me, you'll get the hang of it.
Yukito Ayatsuji's style of writing makes it very easy to follow and imagine what is going on. He sets the eerie, mysterious vibe perfectly. And the ending! The twist was the best part!
Definitely would recommend!

[Ng M.Phuong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trinh thám vừa đủ, kì bí vừa đủ, nhịp truyện lên xuống, nhấn nhá vừa đủ để dần dần đi từ tò mò tới bị cuốn hút và say mê câu chuyện lúc nào không hay. Không quá dị thường với những luồng tâm lí bị cắt xẻ theo kiểu Nhật mà khá Tây khi có vẻ tác giả rất hâm mộ Stephen King hay Dean Koontz, nhưng cuốn sách vẫn đậm chất tâm linh và văn hoá Nhật. Một cuốn sách tuyệt vời để đọc khi đêm về.

[Katie Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply astounding! Definitely did not see the ending coming, but it was still very satisfying and so well written. I knew it was going to be good from the very introduction, Another did not disappoint. I can't wait to read the rest of Ayatsuji's work.

[Kumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

ミステリー、ホラー、というよりファンタジーに近い感じ。

作者らしく、最後に手の内が明かされる時にはびっくりしたが、全体的に主役のキャラクターが弱い気が。ただ、これだけの厚さを一気に読ませるところはさすが。

[Rafia Rahman · Rating 5 out of 5]

অতিউৎসাহী মানুষজন সহজেই বিপদে পড়ে...