So, I read Another. Great manga, great manga. So great, I should give it an award.

Though I must say, I really expected to be hiding under the blankets from this. I mean, it's so popular, so I thought it was really scary or something. But no. The thing that scared me the most was *SPOILER* this:

Yeeeah...I had several things to say about it when I first saw it. Sure, there were some shocking things that came up, but not anything to make me put it down and try to sleep (most likely unsuccessfully). Though, I probably would have found it scarier if I hadn't endured this:

This image [^] is the cover for the first volume of Ibitsu, a horror manga about this guy who finds a strange girl one night and ends up being stalked and harassed constantly [along with two equally horrifying bonus stories about completely different urban legends]. I would go into more detail, but let's just say that this was probably why I expected so much from Another.

But, back to Another, I loved the fact that it wrapped up everything in a neat little bow and did not leave anything unexplained so that the reader [or me] would be pulling out their hair and screaming about how they can't figure out why this was this or that was that. The plot, to me, was very well planned and had and interesting vibe for me. 

Yay for vibes! I can't say I particularly loved all the characters, since, eh...

*MAYBE A SPOILER??* I found her to be self-centered. Sure, I can understand that people don't want to die, but she kept saying "I don't want to die". It came off as that Izumi here could care less if her classmates died as long as she could still survive. I mean, what the heck? If it was me, I'd be scared for EVERYONE, because none of them deserve that! Next time, Izumi, say "we", would you?

Everyone else I was fine with. They each had their weaknesses and none of them were really "God-like" (because we all hate those invincible characters we can't relate to). I could relate to their fears and behavior, and I never hated them for *SPOILER* turning their backs on Koichi (main guy) because he talked to Mei (main girl). 

Lastly, the art was very well done (good job Hiro Kiyohara!). It actually helped convey the tension and shock that it was supposed to give out! 

Anyways, that's my very long and detailed opinion on Another. What's yours?