Another Novel

Yukito Ayatsuji’s ANOTHER: The Novel
“ANOTHER” was originally serialized in the monthly literary magazine “Yasei Jidai” from July 2006 through May 2009 (some breaks inbetween, for a total of thirty issues). The title is influenced by the movies “The Other” by Robert Mulligan, and “The Others” by Alejandro Amenábar, although Ayatsuji admits that his story has nothing to do with either movie. The text was revised and edited into a 679-paged hardcover book format released in October 2009 by Kadokawa Shoten. Subsequently, “ANOTHER” was broken into a two paperback novel release in November 2011 (in anticipation of the anime) and a two-volume “light novel” edition in March 2012 (with cover illustrations by Noizi Ito).

The story is told in first person narrative by Kouichi Sakakibara. The main characters are Kouichi, Mei Misaki, Naoya Teshigawara, and Tatsuji Chibiki. All the other characters play minor roles, and the majority of students in class 3-3 are nameless.

Novel vs. Anime
As of Episode 10, the anime is fairly faithful to the original source, especially up to episode 7. Here are some of the differences (beware of spoilers).

1) The opening dialogue in the novel (Introduction) between the two students goes deeper into the “Misaki” legend. To add to the mystery, the male student confirms that it’s not known if Misaki was a boy or a girl, or if the name was a first or last name. Also, some of the legends refer to the student as “Masaki.”

 2)   Izumi Akazawa is only a minor character in the story. She is mentioned periodically, such as being absent on the first day of school and how she’ll be angry at her classmates for not running interference with Mei and Kouichi. The few times she is mentioned include her nomination as Female Class Rep, glaring at Kouichi with other classmates after a death, her confrontation with Mei at the Sakitani Kinenkan (the first time she actually speaks) and her death at Sakitani Kinenkan. Her inclusion in the anime is most likely to add more female characters to a heavy male cast.

 3)   Tomohiko Kazami appears more often in the story. For example, when he and Sakuragi visit Kouichi in the hospital, he is the one that shakes his hand. Some of the scenes in the novel where Kazami appears, Akazawa is used in the anime instead.

 4)   Kouichi’s meeting with Mei at the hospital actually happens during the day, instead of at night. He notices her right away in the elevator.

 5)   Kouichi’s discovery of Kirika’s museum is after he goes to the hospital and asks Mizuno about the name of the female patient that died. He is looking for a place to eat and also runs into Kirika (who is walking up the stairs to her workshop). He does not go in though until he follows Mei a few days later.

 6)   Kirika’s dolls are a mix of female and male. Also, the doll in the coffin that looks like Mei has reddish-brown hair, and is not a life-size doll (slightly smaller) that wears a light colored dress.

 7)   The layout of the three school buildings is explained on Kouichi’s first day of school by Kazami and Teshigawara, including that the art club is in the old school building “A.” They also ask if Kouichi believes in curses and unexplained circumstances. Kouichi recalls this conversation later when they go to look for Matsunaga’s tape, which also happens in the anime.

 8)   The deaths occur off scene (except Kubodera’s). Sakuragi’s is one of the most detailed, since Kouichi discovers her after hearing her fall down the stairs.

 9)   The causes attributing to Sakuragi’s death: On rainy days, Yomikita students don’t change their shoes when they walk outside, meaning the floors are wet (and possibly slippery). Also, Sakuragi was still recovering from her sprained ankle. The news of her mother (and aunt’s) car accident along with the fear of running into Mei/Kouichi in the hallway, she rushed to use the opposite set of stairs, slipped and unfortunately landed on her umbrella. Sakuragi dies on the way to the hospital. Also, her mother died in the hospital after a car accident, while her aunt was badly injured.

 10)    Kouichi has slightly more interaction with his grandparents. His grandmother coddles him, which causes some irritation to him. Also, he does not have a comfortable relationship with Reiko, although he realizes when she’s the “Other” that he really does love her.

 11)   The calamity seems to only affect the memory of humans, or humans not afflicted with metal illness. The family pet “Rei-chan” repeats things that Kouichi’s grandparents probably said regarding Reiko’s death (Why? Cheer up!). Also, his slightly senile grandfather mentions “Poor Ritsuko, and poor Reiko” and “I’ve had enough of funerals.”

 12)    Kouichi is slightly cruel to Mochizuki, and takes his frustration with the class’s treatment of Mei on him. Also, Kouichi sometimes refers to him as “Boy.”

 13)    Mochizuki visits Kouichi’s house to tell him to put up with what ever may happen. Later, Kouichi realizes that Mochizuki probably came to see if Ms. Mikami was OK, due to his crush on her. Also, Mochizuki receives word of Takabayashi’s death by phone.

 14)    Chibiki was not aware of Ritsuko’s (Kouichi’s mother) death, although he realizes the connection. According to Kouichi, Ritsuko died of illness that year in Yomiyama. Also he has records of the “Dead Ones” from previous years. In the first year, it appeared to be Yomiyama’s younger brother that died in the fire.

 15)    According to Chibiki, the “calamity” has its limits and weakens like a cell phone signal when away from Yomiyama. Also, the only family members that are affected are parents, grandparents, and siblings. Cousins and aunts/uncles are safe.

 16)    Kouichi visits Mei’s house about four times in the story. In the anime, some of the conversations they share are combined into a single visit. Also, Mei visits Kouichi’s house before the school trip, most likely to confirm who the “Dead One” is and perhaps to get a glimpse of Reiko. It is at his house that they look at his mother’s old pictures, including the “ghost photo” with Misaki Yomiyama. In the anime, this scene happens at the Sakitani Kinenkan.

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"> 17)    Mochizuki’s family owns the restaurant “Inoya” where his half-sister Tomoka works. Kouichi does meet Mochizuki and Teshigawara there and learns of what Matsunaga says. The students and Ritsuko do not meet Matsunaga. Everything they need to know about finding the “object” in the old 3-3 classroom comes from Tomoka’s conversation.

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"> 18)    Episode 8 is an original anime story. It seems to be nothing more than an excuse to add some sexiness to the story and the female characters. Also, Nakao’s death does not happen until the end of the story at the Sakitani Kinenkan.

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"> 19)    The search for Matsunaga’s tape does not happen on a rainy day, although the boys meet at school at 3 pm in their school uniforms (in case a teacher asks them what they are doing on school grounds). Mei does not participate in the search, since she is on vacation with her parents (Mei gives Kouichi her cell phone number prior to this in case of an emergency). The old 3-3 classroom is not in disarray and goes without an incident. Matsunaga’s tape is ruined when they tear off the packing tape that its wrapped in. Mochizuki does take it home to repair it.

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"> 20)    The character of Aya Ayano does not exist in the novel. Thus her death with her family was an additional three to the story.

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"> 21)    The boys listen to Matsunaga’s tape before the school trip. They bring a tape player so Mei can listen to it.

22)   Only fourteen students of the remaining 28 attend the school trip to Sakitani Kinenkan (in the anime, 19 students attend). Of those students in the novel, five die (Izumi Akazawa, Manabu Maejima, Shigeki Yonemura, Takako Sugiura, Junta Nakao).

23)   In the novel, only five female students attend the school trip. With two students per room, Mei gets her own room and invites Kouichi so she can listen to the tape. She also tells him about her adoption, her older sister Misaki, and the “color of death” she sees with her doll eye. Mei also reveals that the reason why she has to carry a cell phone is because of her mother’s paranoia that she’ll want to go to her birth mother.

24)  Only a few characters have cell phones in the story, which includes Kouichi, Mei, and Teshigawara. This becomes important when Wakui has an asthma attack at the Sakitani Kinenkan and a phone is needed. Kouichi left his in his room, but was able to call Mei earlier in the day.

25) There are four “Interlude” chapters that are conversations between different characters. These scenes were not animated, but explain some reactions to the events that happen in the story. The first interlude is a conversation between two Yomikita students from another class about how they believe the curse has started with Sakuragi’s death, while other interludes include conversations between other students in Class 3-3. One of these interludes explains why no one tells Kouichi to avoid Mei. If they did so, they’d be acknowledging Mei’s existence and thus breaking the countermeasure.

List of Deaths
In the novel, for the class of 1998, there were 15 deaths. As of Episode 10 of the anime, there were 13 deaths as of July (Nakao and Ayano’s family are four extra deaths).

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 1) Misaki Fujioka  (April – complications with kidney transplant)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 2) Yukari Sakuragi  (May – fall down stairs at school, impaled by umbrella tip)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 3)   Mieko Sakuragi (mother) (May – car accident on a rainy day)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 4)   Sanae Mizuno (June – death in an old, rarely maintained hospital elevator)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 5)   Ikuo Takabayashi (June – heart attack)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 6)   Kubodera (July – suicide with meat knife in classroom)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 7)   Kubodera’s Mother (July – murdered by son)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 8) Atsushi Ogura  Atsushi Ogura (July – crushed by a runaway tractor that crashed into his house)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 9)   Kensaku Numata (August - Proprietor of Sakitani Kinenkan, Takabayashi’s grandfather – killed by Keiko Numata)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 10)   Keiko Numata (August - Proprietress of Sakitani Kinenkan, Takabayashi’s grandmother – suicide by biting off tongue)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 11) Izumi Akazawa   (August – killed by Keiko Numata, fell off second story veranda, neck broken)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 12)   Manabu Maejima (August – killed by Keiko Numata with knife)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 13) Shigeki Yonemura  (August – killed by Keiko Numata with knife)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 14)   Takako Sugiura (August – killed by Keiko Numata with knife)

<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:list .5in"> 15)   Junta Nakao (August – killed by Keiko Numata with knife)

Overall Impression
Reading the novel often feels like watching the anime. Very similar, although some minor differences pop up. The two most noticeable differences are of course the lack of Akazawa’s presence and the episode 8 beach story.

One major problem I had with the narration has to do with the original format to book format. Moving from a magazine serial to a single volume, some of the dialogue is repetitive. In the serial format, Kouichi often remembers what Mei or other characters have said, which was used to remind readers of a chapter of the story a month or more ago. In the single volume format, these lines do not appear to be edited, and some of these lines are repeated every twenty pages or so. Also, Ayatsuji loves to use hash marks which are probably the English equivalent of Italics or quotation marks. Instead of subtle reminders, these are used so often, it’s an irritating and constant hit over the head to the reader of what they need to pay attention to (again sometimes the same quoted lines from a few pages before). Finally, if you don’t know the word “unazuku” (to nod), you’ll read about characters doing this motion quite often.