Boku dake ga Inai Machi

Losing a beloved person would certainly leave any person stricken with grief and confusion: self-condemnation and thoughts of preventing such death are things that would cross anyones mind. Luckily in the case Boku Dake Inai Machi, or Erased in its english title, the protagonist Satoru Fujinuma finds himself able to travel back in time to prevent such tragedy from happening; furthermore, he is set back at the time where a fellow classmate died. This is not everything: the mystery surrounding the death of the girl also seems to be tied to that of his very own family. Erased is a psychological mystery anime that portrays ... human drama, yet sadly was very disappointing, being the characters and numerous plot holes the main culprits. However, it must be mentioned that it has a great direction in animation and a good buildup in the first few episodes, which arguably was enthralling, pulling viewers into the show.

~Story~

The main problem in Erased lies in the little problems that become apparent as the show progresses: these ultimately are magnified by many others, which will be depicted. The concept of preventing occurrences through time travelling has been explored in numerous other works, yet a problem with the anime is the fact that these are completely random, allowing the author to make any necessary changes in direction when necessary. This is not bad on its own, yet instead of using it as means to develop the characters in the story, it utilizes it purely to change the direction in the narrative, which was not done in a subtle manner. Regardless of said issue, it managed to create some tension in the story as viewers never really could correctly anticipate the course of the narrative.

As mentioned earlier, the protagonist is able to travel back in time to his 11-year-old self to prevent a certain death from happening, in a time in which one of his classmates died. However, it becomes soon apparent that the protagonist does not explore said option at all, and instead of going to the root of the problem, investigating the possible murder, he decides to protect Hinazuki, his classmate. Another complication is also associated with the mystery surrounding the murderer: it is very clear who it is, which is not a great issue on its own, but the anime does not offer any alternative that may leave viewers in doubt. In essence, this anime fails at being a good "mystery". The anime also presents human drama, yet was rather poorly portrayed because of the characters actions and all the events tied to those. These were often of very simple nature, such as parents beating their own child, deaths or betrayal just to name some. The main problem with these are that they're cheap, without ever sufficiently expanding on it in a satisfying manner. It must be said that it uses this to its advantage to create tension, but it is just that, tension and shock factor without any strong meaning behind it. In addition, the anime sets up a lot of things, time-travelling, possible consequences of his own actions, yet just never explores them in-depth.

The problems are further magnified by the pacing of the work, which is rather lackluster as well. The introductionary episodes are satisfying, yet as the show progresses, it quickly becomes apparent that important segments that contribute to the overall plot are either too rushed or information is omitted, whereas the more "mundane" moments are too much focused upon. In fact, the majority of the show is centered around Hinazuki and her problems - but to this later. This actually brings into play the positive aspect of the anime, the interludes between the different occurrences, which are generally well executed portraying insight into the characters and their emotional state: however, this doesn't affect the important points of the story. There are just so many improbable events in the story that it just looses any credibility it has, going from nonsensical behaviour of the characters, or just the sheer amount of centering on the violence exerted by a second party - victimizing for the sake of it is not good writing.

~Characters~

The major issue that brought the whole series down were its cast of characters: they didn't act according to their age, their motives/goals were either very lackluster or were just a mess, and ultimately the abrupt changes in behaviour to accommodate the direction in story. There is the 29-year-old Satoru, a typical otaku protagonist being mostly indifferent to society, and has the power to prevent deaths by sneakpeaking into the future. The main problem with this character is his incomprehensible and irrational behaviour he displays throughout the series, such as fleeing from a crime scene he didn't commit or even attempt on murder. In addition, his main goal of seeking the killer just shifts from finding the murderer to protecting his classmate - which in turn brings up the pedophilic tendencies the protagonist displays towards the minor. The anime develops a light romance, which includes Satoru constantly thinking of either being together with said person, or even imagining things when in the bathroom. This came out of nowhere, and just felt very off-putting for obvious reasons. Character development is present, yet is lackluster and limited by the actions of the character himself; rather than resolving the issues on his own, it gets resolved by a second party, which is understandable due to his physical appearance, yet could have been expanded on.

Then there is Hinazuki, a victim of child abuse, which throughout almost the whole series is treated as a mere plot device, rather than human being - it could be compared to seeing a soulless robot. Luckily enough, she gets fleshed out in which through subtle scenes her human side is displayed. Which is a nice change to the constant unnecessary abuse scenes. Other character of interest is the super intelligent psychoanalyst Kenya, who possesses an intellect far superior to that of Satoru despite being only 11 years old. He aids the main character in many instances, yet his motives behind why he supports the protagonist are rather lacking as well, as he apparently was smart enough to solve various issues. Finally, the last character of interest is the murderer: although he is portrayed to be a mastermind behind the scenes, avoiding detection over the span of several decades, he makes tremendous mistakes when the main character is concerned. He ultimately degrades to a simple one-dimensional villain with no convincing motive at all: furthermore, this also raises the question why said person took so many poor decisions and why he just didn't switch his killing target(s) when things became too heated and unfavourable.

The various interactions between the cast are handled poorly in most cases, be it the one dimensional evil parent or perverted manager, or the supporting cast whose poor choices leads viewers questioning their mental age; or just the fact that most act as passive observers. Because of the stale personalities of the cast and their changes in behaviour, the interactions between them feel unnatural: however, this mainly affects the main plot points. For the slice of life moments, these were often well handled by the studio - those were often the most enjoyable parts of the anime, which is a huge disappointment, as it is not the main purpose of the show.

~Animation and sound~

One thing that can be given credit to the studio is its direction and use of animation: this was well done, displaying the various themes the anime had to offer such as loneliness, isolation, happiness, you name it. Through the art it is able to portray the different emotional states as well as physical conditions of the characters; despite executing this well, it is rendered useless when the narrative constantly shows constant abuse, making these little detail utterly pointless, which is a waste of resources. An example would be the focussing upon the bruises of Hinazuki. As for the art style itself, I personally didn't like it and found it off in some situations, be it in the character design or the different facial expressions. The anime also tried to mitigate the problem regarding the mystery behind the killer by applying red eyes to suspects, yet this is a cheap alternative to creating tension, and when everyone is can have those eyes, it loses its purpose.

Concerning the soundtrack of Erased, it often uses the different compositions to its advantage to correctly portray the various atmospheres of the show, intertwining with the dialogue: piano, violins, xylophones, gloomy tones, you name it. There is fact a huge preference to classical instruments, which was a good choice. The opening and endings were equally well crafted, presenting the themes the anime had to offer with some pop tunes to it. As for the voice actors, these generally performed their tasks well, complying with the different personalities of the cast. This wasn't entirely the case with the protagonists, where no significant difference could be appreciated from his various emotional states.

~Enjoyment~

Erased had some potential, yet failed in executing the basic elements of the show, which was due to the little issues that ultimately snowballed into bigger ones - which is a shame, as its direction and usage of animation was befitting and well executed. I quite honestly did not enjoy the series at all, despite being intrigued by the first batch of episodes: the characters, lack of expansion upon key elements as the villain or time travelling gimmick are just a few of the many issues that made it a bad anime. It fails in providing a good mystery with cheap cliffhangers and shock factor to accomplish tension. It praises itself on being a human drama, but it equally lacks in said theme. Now I will admit I never have been a fan of drama, which made it more difficult to enjoy that genre. I personally do not recommend this anime, unless you aren't bothered by the above mentioned problems - which in turn, can make for an intriguing ride. Boku Dake Inai Machi is ultimately a show that feeds itself on cheap emotions and thrills.

Thank you for reading.

Note: Tl;dr at the end for the lazy ones.
*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*


Boku dake ga Inai Machi, or Erased in English, is clearly the most popular Winter Season Anime of 2016. With it's sky rocketing popularity and rank on myanimelist in such a small amount of time, Erased has successfully caught the attention of the crowd and everyone has probably watched it or thought of watching it soon. So here I'm writing a honest and positive review of Erased.


Story: 8/10
Erased narrates the story of Satoru Fujinuma, who is a 29 years old and works as a pizza delivery boy. He posses a strange ability called 'Revival'. This ... ability, 'Revival' sends him 2 to 5 minutes back in time, without his consent, whenever something dangerous happens around him. He usually tries to figure out what is wrong in his surroundings and tries to prevent that dangerous thing from happening. When he was wrongfully accused of murdering his mom, in the first episode itself, he is sent 18 years back in time when he was 11 years old in 6th grade where he tries to solve one mystery of serial abduction and murder going around the school to prevent his mother's murder in the future as they seemed related.
I feel that the initial story (from first to fourth episode) is the reason why Erased became so popular and highly rated! It's thrilling! The suspense will really eat you and will left you wanting for more. You will probably want to binge-watch the show or jump onto reading the manga to know more.
But after the first half of the show, I feel that the story starts moving in a wrong direction and it sort of becomes less thrilling. The studio was clearly rushing a bit to complete the anime in 12 episodes only.
There are many things which are left unexplained. For example, Satoru's ability of 'Revival'. So yeah that's the reason why I have rated the 'Story' section 8 instead of 10.


Art: 9/10
Erased clearly flaunts it's art in many ways. The backgrounds and scenes, like the Christmas Tree scene which was made using the stars in the sky, successfully delivers warm and entertaining moments. The way 'Revival' is portrayed by showing a blue butterfly across the screen and the way history or the future is compared with the timeline using movie reels makes Erased more interesting to watch. The suspenseful atmosphere which Erased is able to create, and the facial expressions which arouses suspicions on various characters are perfectly executed which supports it's mystery genre incredibly well.


Sound: 9/10
Being a fan of Asian Kung-Fu Generation, I loved the opening of Erased, "Re:Re:" right off the bat. The ED "Sore wa Chiisana Hikari no Youna" by Sayuri is a beautiful song indeed. The OSTs are carefully played at crucial moments and is able to set the suspenseful mood very nicely.
Coming to the voice actors, they have done an incredible acting. The way Satoru uses his adult voice to show his real mature self is interesting.


Character: 8/10
There are some characters whom I really liked. And there are a few for whom I don't give a damn.
Satoru Fujinuma, as an adult, is a very boring character. But he has a really good side which forces him to save people whenever 'Revival' is triggered, and sometimes he even hurts himself in that process. On the other hand, Satoru, as a kid, seems more interesting. His boring side is removed and he's got determination, sense of humor and a really cool and gutsy side which makes him a likable character.
Kayo Hinazuki, the girl whom Satoru is determined to save from being the victim on the serial murders, gets a good amount of screen time and development. The circumstances which she is going through like being abused by her mother or bullied by her classmates makes us sympathize her.
Sachiko Fujinuma, Satoru's mother, is another great character. She has been portrayed as a very honest, caring and courageous mother with high willpower. She cooperates with her son in saving Hinazuki from her mother's abuse and nursed his son for 4 hours daily for 15 years which emphasizes mother's love.
Apart from these three characters, Airi Katagiri (a coworker of Satoru in a pizza shop), Kobayashi Kenya (smartest childhood friend of Satoru) etc are a few people who get a little amount of screen time but are still likable.
On the other hand, I never became much attached to Nakanishi Aya or Sugita Hiromi (other two victims of the serial murders) and most of the other side characters.


Enjoyment: 8/10
The idea of putting a supernatural ability like time travel is not a new one. I have seen Steins;Gate, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Higurashi: When They Cry, Charlotte etc in which the character goes back in time to save his friend again and again. Erased, is actually different than all these titles above. It has a dominant mystery genre which is centered around realistic and old school mystery of serial abduction and murdering which makes it enjoyable. If you are into mystery and detective shows then this anime is pretty much recommended.
In the initial episodes, the pacing was excellent. The show does an excellent job in creating suspense and leaves us wanting to know more. But in the second half, it starts to feel a little rush, but still it is able to maintain the the quality of it's genre.
Erased maintains a good sense of humor which makes it fun to watch. For example, Satoru, in his young form, often speaks something out loud while thinking it which puts him into embarrassing or awkward situations.


Overall: 8/10
While Erased is a very enjoyable anime, it still is far from perfect. There are many things left untold, for example, the origin behind Satoru's ability 'Revival'. And it makes even lesser sense in the whole Erased world that Satoru is the only one having this ability. Infact this ability is the only thing which makes this anime a part of Supernatural genre.
Many realistic and thought provoking philosophical themes are offered by this anime. For example, mother's love for her child, child's love for his mother, frustrated parent's abuse on their child, loneliness in youth age, bullies in school, human's tendency to run away from problems, human's tendency to help other's in need, parent's situation whey their child is in a permanent bed rest for years, and I can go on and on.


Tl;dr:

+Very interesting and engaging premise
+Great art and animation style which is suitable for a mystery anime
+Main characters are realistic and interesting
+Great OSTs, OP and ED, excellent voice acting
+Lots of philosophical themes

-Story becomes a little monotonous in the second half
-It starts to feel a little rushed, especially in the last quarter
-Many characters got a very little screentime and character development
-Many things, including the ability 'Revival', are left unexplained
-Sometimes it becomes predictable


Erased is an anime, which you must watch this year. Though only one season has ended, I can guarantee that Erased is going to be one of the best, if not the best, anime of 2016. So if you haven't watched it already, then go for it!

~ updated 03/24 ~
English is not my first language so I'm doing my best writing this review, sorry!

Spoilers of the first episodes ahead!

✧ Introduction/the story:
Someone travels through time to save a person he/she cares for. I've already seen this. Madoka Magica, Steins;Gate, Higurashi. No creativity in that aspect, and in the case of Erased it's even worse because the time travel has no explanation at all. This is not a deconstruction and does not present something we have not seen before. This would not matter if the premise was well executed, but this isn't the case either, let me explain why.

✧ The characters:
The MC is ... a cold, edgy guy that is good on the inside, I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it makes him cliche and boring. He is also terribly written, acting like the story needs him to act, he goes through traumatic situations as he goes to work every day. This would be excused if this was a fighting shonen, but we are talking about a seinen with mystery and drama. The main character even acts irrationally running out of his house when a neighbour saw him near the body of his mom and thought it was him who killed her, which is quite impossible too, why would he worry about being accused of homicide if there are some little things called inspection of the crime scene and evidence?, of course the MC has no absolutely no reason to kill his own mother, which poses the question: is the police brainless in this world or something?

In spite of having a 29 year old mind, he still acts like a child most of the time. The excuse given to the viewers is that he wants others to like him (which is kinda contradictory too, because on the first episode he's cold with everyone), for example, instead of asking for all the help he can when he travels to the past, he thinks he can do everything on his own, which is childish and illogical. Nevermind that he is only a bit surprised when he travels 18 years on the past, when he should be extremely confused and overwhelmed by the situation.

The other characters act like soulless robots too, especially the ones that talk to the MC about the murder of his mother like they were talking about the weather, they are also forgettable because most of them act like passive observers.

The actual kids doesn't talk or act like kids in this show, which takes away all the credibility. For example, there's even a little boy who suspects that the MC is up to something, and when he decides to talk with him, it's like he just read the MC's mind. We are talking about a 10 year old kid, not about a private detective.

✧ Satoru's power:
It's supposed that he "applies" his time travel powers to save his mom, but instead of focusing on that, he tries to save a girl he barely knew. Why would he care about her instead of worry more about his mom and his friend? I know the disappearance of the girl and the murder of his mom are kinda related, but there is not a direct factor between the two events, I mean, yes, he can save his classmate, but the kidnapper could abduct any kid they wanted and the events would end up being the same or simmilar.

Also, if the MC's mind applies the time travel like in the first episode, why didn't this happen when he saw her full of bruises? the time travel has no rules or explanation so the writers can make up anything that is convenient for the plot. You can see the inconstancy of his power only on the first episode.

✧ The script:
This anime also presents some themes through the dialogue, such as depression, or even existentialism, but never explores them properly, it feels like they were put there just to turn the dialogue into something "out of the ordinary"

The show also presents pretentiousness by showing how a girl is hit by her mom, which is not even necessary and it's shock factor, only there for people who get emotionally manipulated easily.

And no, the abuse is not there to delve into the psyche of the girl, it's just there to victimize her. These themes need to be explored with more delicacy and should not be thrown in your face like this. If you remove those scenes, the story would remain the same, just implying it with the bruises would have been enough, but no, you need to feel bad for a character about which you know literally nothing more than that she is a cute, but abused child. We can only conclude that this series also fails miserably on the psychological aspect.

Erased also fails as a mystery series, because the murderer ends up being really obvious and they don't give us the opportunity of using our minds or feeling excited about the mystery itself because the way that is developed is very hard-set and they never give it too much importance.

The drama on this anime is also forced and ridiculous sometimes, to the point that they want to convince us that a reason for a divorce could be something as improbable as an accusation of stealing a chocolate bar. And the viewers are supposed to take that seriously and feel bad for the characters. This was also an external excuse for the MC to have an ally.

✧ The villains:
Another aspect in which Erased fails with its writing, are clearly the villains, we have two villains, Kayo's mom and the murderer who killed Satoru's mother and the kids.

First, we're going to talk about Kayo's mom:
At first, the show never gives any reasons for the abuse and Kayo's mom even looks happy while beating her own child. You may say that these things happens in the real world all the time, but that doesn't make them realistic or relatable, because not only was the girl murdered by a psychopath, but she was also abused by her mom with no motives at all.
There's always a motive behind such acts in real life. For instance, does her mom have a mental illness? in other words, on why her mom hits her and not only on the act of abuse.
Then, when it's already late for delving into real problems or motivations, the show explains in literally two minutes the "reason" of her being a abuser, this is presented very superficially and in a way that her, Kayo's mom, ends up being victimized too.

Now, the main villain:
I'm not going to say who they are, but their "reasons" for killing little children are also very bad excused through a very morbid metaphor. We never get to know him enough to know his true motives.

People who are bad just because, are a big problem.

✧ Production values:
This anime has a very good animation with delicate shadows and a soft color palette that mix perfectly with the bittersweet feeling that the story wants to transmit. It's also very interesting how they put 2 voices on the MC to differentiate between his old mind and his young body.
The music is on point with the feeling of the characters and it mimetizes perfectly with the way that the characters interact.

The cinematic effect that shows the memories of the MC is very nice and interesting, but they could have taken more advantage of it. It doesn't fit the story altogether.

✧ Conclusion:
This anime is bad, it has poor theme exploration, it's full of conveniences, plot holes, fails on its psychological aspect and creating a good mystery, the tension and the drama are meaningless and the only good aspects are the production values.

It's becoming more apparent to me by each passing season that if an anime gets any sort of recognition like this, it's bound to divide the community into 2 groups. The majority goes on to ride the hype train and hype the series in question up to the high heavens, while the other hops onto the hate train and then the shit-fest begins. I usually see myself not siding with any of these but frankly, the latter seems more reasonable to me than it ever was. I'll try to offer an unbiased opinion on this even though seeing its rating is kinda baffling. So let's ... get into it, the most hyped up anime of the season and quite possibly the most overrated anime of the year (I'm asking to get shot, aren't I?) - Boku dake ga Inai Machi, otherwise known simply as Erased. This review won't spoil anything beyond the first episode.

The story centers around a 29 year old emo Pizza Hut employee who is trying to become a mangaka. On the other hand, he also has a reset power, "Revival", that occurs a few minutes before an accident, lending him the ability to stop said accident before it ever takes place. So yeah, he's basically a Final Destination lead. One day, while stopping an accident from happening he gets injured and in that time his mother moves in to live with him. The next day in Satoru's absence, his mother is stabbed in the back and killed in his apartment by some random guy with a fedora. Do you see the problem here? I said the next day which is quite literally the next day. We don't even get a full episode to get to know or sympathize with this character. Instead we just know her for half of the first episode until she is brutally murdered. Oh no, it's almost like Attack on Titan. Who didn't cry at the first episode of Attack on Titan?!

Anyway, we don't know the man who did it nor do we know his intentions. When Satoru arrives to the crime scene, someone conveniently finds him next to his mother's corpse with blood on his hands. Everything is going downhill for Satoru as the police arrives when he is suddenly, out of nowhere sent 18 years into the past to the year 1988, which at the time he was merely a 10 year old elementary school student. It definitely isn't too far of a stretch to say this is a lame plot device at this point, especially now that he has no control over it. Also, I'd like to mention how further down the line Satoru says that it will be his last Revival. So how does this thing work? Plot convenience, duh.

Prior to this it is also shown that a few kids from Satoru's school were murdered at that time period, namely our loli heroine, Kayo Hinazuki. Hinazuki was a troubled and lonely girl who never got along with anyone and was often abused by her mother. Satoru decides that as well as preventing his mother's death, he will also save Hinazuki before her birthday which is on the 2nd of March. Considering it's already mid February he doesn't have much time. The accused murderer of these kids was 23 year old Jun Shiratori or known to the children simply as Yuuki due to his courageous nature. He was a person who would always approach the lone students around his house, which already raises a giant red flag. However, Satoru always remembered Yuuki to be a kindhearted and happy guy who would never commit a crime.

So obviously the show's primary element is mystery, which I have mixed feelings about. If the mystery is done well it can really lead to a great series, but that usually isn't very easy to pull off and more often that not it just falls flat. The worst mistake a mystery series can make in my eyes is when it raises so many questions but in the end fails to answer them, or maybe just leave it off at a cliffhanger like Rokka no Yuusha. Erased done well in that aspect, seeing as it didn't raise that many questions to begin with. See, what I think is the main problem in Erased's mystery department is the amount of suspects it brings up, or lack thereof. 4 episodes in I was pretty confident in my guess on who the killer was as it was so easy to trace back once you actually think about it. I would of been surprised if my guess was wrong to be totally honest, and that's not because I'm some sort of super-genius.

I seem to have a very obvious bias when it comes to works done by A-1 Pictures. I thought the art style resembled their previous works too strongly and therefore it derived from the series for me as it didn't strike me as dark enough in tone, especially for the kind of series Erased is. So, much like the opening and ending, the art and animation slowly grew on me the further it went on. It's very soothing and visually appealing. Combined with a decent musical direction and atmosphere it even felt cinematic at times.

I wasn't a very big fan of the opening at first to be honest but it gradually grew on me and is easily the best opening of the season and even one of my all-time favorites. That also applies to the ending, it's neat too. As for the OST, I'm indifferent about it. There wasn't anything that struck me as good or above average, it all just felt like regular background music to me but it does it's role, for what it's worth. The voice acting is rather impressive as everyone had a great performance. Seeing as both of Satoru's seiyuu never done any previous work, regarding anime at least impressed me quite a bit. I especially like the guy that does the adult version, his voice is very soothing. Aoi Yuuki was also really good at portraying Hinazuki's character but that is to be expected.

The characters in Erased are for the most part incredibly lackluster - from the protagonist to the supporting cast. Because most of the series takes place in the past, a lot of the characters are just 10 year olds, which leads me to my next point - Most of these kids don't even act their age! At parts they act like full-grown adults which really derives from the show, why even bother making them kids in the first place? Looking at you, Kenya, Hinazuki.

Satoru, while being more interesting than your harem protagonist doesn't have that much going for him, which is fine to a point because the characters aren't really where the series shines but his character could have definitely been more solid or maybe had a stronger personality. He doesn't seem like he particularly enjoys the time resets, but he still decides to help out. What a nice guy! The series has a much heavier focus on the past than the present, so for the most part we just get kid Satoru. Well, he's just a normal 30 year old man who's trying to save his 10 year old girlfriend from her seemingly inevitable demise. Sounds about right.

Hinazuki is a very reserved and closed off girl but she opens up more and more as the series progresses. She gets abused by her parents for some unknown reason aka SHOCK FACTORRRRR. She suffers from the same problem as Satoru, as she doesn't have a personality that defines her either. Instead (for the most part) we are simply supposed to feel sorry for her and like her because of the predicament she's in. She is pretty cute though - good character.

The supporting cast is also very lacking, filled with 1-dimensional characters. The reasoning of a lot of characters can be pretty unreasonable and even ludicrous at times - people getting divorced because of a chocolate bar, etc. Then you have characters like Hinazuki's mother who, every time she is on screen tends to turn this show into a misery porn galore.

Kenya is another instance of wasted potential. They done as much as they could to make us understand that he is incredibly intelligent and by the end of it all, he barely does anything and his character is awfully utilized. I feel the same way about the killer as I've heard his reasoning is a lot clearer and better explained in the manga. It's not that surprising though as they did try to bash 8 volumes into a 12 episode series. All in all, the characters aren't done very well.

I can sit here all I want and point out the flaws of the show, but truth be told, I had quite a lot of fun with it! I think this is mostly due to how the pacing was handled as it is very fast for pretty much the entirety of the series, yet tends to not feel rushed for the majority of the first half. Only at about the halfway point does the pacing start to affect my outlook on it and turns for the worst. Despite this, I was still entertained for most of the show. The two major downfalls here are the tremendous amount of plot conveniences all throughout the story and the (in my opinion) poorly done mystery.

Erased is mediocre in every sense of the word. Despite that, I'd still argue that it's one of the better titles of the season. Does it deserve the hype, praise and to be ranked higher than LotGH? NO. The characters are awfully lackluster + the story is not that great as it has to rely on an iffy plot device and a ton of plot conveniences throughout. I wanted to say that it has more good than bad but A-1 stayed true to their nature and managed to ruin a promising show for me, once again.

In the end, I don't think Erased is neither as good as some praise it to be nor as bad as others make it out to be, it's simply average. It's like a rollercoaster and the further you go down, the messier it becomes. However, if you're not a critical watcher and just want to have some fun, Erased is definitely your go-to this season.

[Disclaimer: The arguments I've made for story structure and such I'd probably still stand by. However, events of the plot I didn't judge necessary to address when I first wrote this review I can't say if I'd defend now. I made the choice to let the review as it stands and make no further edits.]

I was originally not planning in writing anything in regards to this anime in specific, as I thought I had nothing interesting to say about the title. However, after reading the analysis by Zephsilver, I managed to put together some thoughts in regards to Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (or Erased, ... if you are not fond of tongue-twisters) that I’d like to offer in addition to the debate. I also would like to say: Zeph, I appreciate and respect your text, since it had a rational depiction of your perspective that I could reasonably grasp, but I’d like to politely disagree.

Before getting into the review, though, I want to give some context: before the beginning of the winter season I had read the synopsis of Erased and added to my Plan to Watch list, as it seemed mildly interesting. Later, after watching the first two episodes, I was hooked by the premise and highly invested in what could be the outcome of the story. Only then that I got to know about the hype surrounding the series and from that point I witnessed the internet go insane over its score.

Story and Characters

My reviewing method for this one will be somewhat different from the norm. By the time I’m writing this, the series itself is still surrounded by controversy with two sides with very questionable motivations either raising it as the best thing since Page 3 or clamming it’s an overrated abomination pandering to masses who want to think of themselves as smart (doesn’t that apply to 99% of humanity?). Here, besides commenting of the story and characters within the work, I’ll also discus some of the arguments brought up against Erased and offer my perspective if they are correct in any form or if they hold any water. The first thing I think it’s important to understand is that Erased is, at its core, a very simple story. Besides the time-traveling plot, it has a very streamlined narrative and it is focused almost exclusively on the actions of the main character, in accordance to the fact that he is the “strange element” in the child timeline (suddenly feels like I’m talking about Zelda!). What it avoids in complexity, it opts to use in character interaction, developing the drama and the motivations that move the story forward. Before I get to the meat of the argument, though, let’s talk about some of the characters.

Fujinuma Satoru is the main protagonist. “Gifted” with the ability he calls Revival, he can go back a few minutes in time, whenever something bad is about to happen. Detached and constantly feeling unfulfilled, he holds a strong regret due to events of his childhood, when two of his classmates were murdered and one of his friends was incriminated. These feelings lead him to distance himself from his past, but he is forced by a Revival to go back to the days of his childhood in order to prevent those crimes.

Hinazuki Kayo is the girl who Satoru wants to prevent from becoming the first victim. Frequently abused by her mother, she avoids interacting with her classmates and is usually seen alone. She initially tries to keep a distance from Satoru, not understanding his motives for trying to get close to her, but his friendly demeanor ends up softening her emotional barriers.

Yashiro Gaku is Satoru’s teacher and one of the main agents in the narrative, as he seems interested in solving Kayo’s family situation. Satoru later comments on how Yashiro was an influence to him due to a speech he gave at school, before the story had began, and a specific moment in which Yashiro looked like what Satoru expected his deceased father to be.

Shiratori Jun, mostly known as Courage, is an adult who was friends with Satoru in his childhood. Socially awkward and with a heavy stutter, he feels more comfortable interacting with children, which leads him to be framed for the child-murders Satoru tries to prevent. Besides feeding the motivations of the protagonist, the story also uses him to briefly comment in how his inability to be socially active and preferring the company of children led society to misjudge his intentions, especially when Satoru faces a similar situation in the future.

While the thriller aspect of the anime is in the center of the driving forces of the narrative, the bulk of the emotional investment Erased strives to build is on the bonding between Satoru and the people he is trying to save, and his motivations within the story. Great focus is given to his interactions with his friends, who with the exception of Ken’ya, who seems unusually mature for someone of his age, are all very believable child characters. By that I don’t mean being as obnoxious as an inch-deep testicle wound, by the way, these kids are actually designed to be likeable. This aspect of the story is built upon until the conclusion, where they play a part in finally getting the killer arrested. Having all of this in mind, let’s tackle some of the complaints about the series.

“The time travel element is underdeveloped”

The time travel element is kept simple. Firstly, Satoru’s ability to go back in time is nothing more than a plot device to put him on the track of the murders and since it seems to be simply a supernatural element instead of the usual sci-fi occurring, keeping it simply is a better idea. The story in Erased isn't about time travel, it just features such element as the one necessary for kicking the narrative into motion. Stories that are centered around time travel usually stumble and fall when they decide to flesh out this element without paying proper attention to consistency, which leads to gross plot-holes. Maintaining this element simple and undetailed allows Erased to avoid major inconsistences and focus on the main drive of the story. Also, I know some people were upset by the second instance where Satoru goes back to his child-self as it seemed he had gained control over his ability. To that, I hope you can forgive me stepping out of my polite demeanor for a while to say: For fuck’s sake, that only happened ONCE and it doesn’t even look like he had much control over it! Being it a supernatural ability, and one that seems to have a mind of its own, nonetheless, the event itself isn't so out of place as one might think.

“The identity of the killer is obvious and the reveal is underwhelming”

This complaint is one that fans and detractors of the series seem to agree, although in different levels of importance. I mean, the opening itself tells you who it is. The point of contention here is not whether or not the average viewer can easily guess the killer’s identity, but the purpose that such attribute plays in the story. To some, working under the mindset that Erased’s genre is Mystery; such flaw would represent a sign of incompetent use of red-herrings, as well as inability from the writer to effectively create other suspects. In other words, hack writing. Fans of the series, however, work under the mindset that Erased is, in reality, a Thriller. Such idea is supported by an interview with the director of the anime, where he states:

- “I see this story as a suspense thriller, or well, a human drama in the guise of a suspense thriller”

By that definition, the tension within the story would come not from the mystery over the killer’s identity, which is constantly flashed throughout the story, but from the knowledge the audience has in opposition to the cast, since knowing who is the killer would raise tension whenever he and the main characters were close, and that emotion would then culminate when the villain finally reveals itself for the protagonist. Some of his attitudes could be very ambiguous, like the ones at episode 09, but they ultimately filled the role of driving him closer to Satoru, which would then lead to their connection in the years to come, finally bringing his downfall, as Satoru himself had become the killer’s weakness.

“Erased becomes an unfocused mess in the latter half”

This is the one argument to which my response is a categorical NO. Before I get into a fair explanation in relation to that statement, though, let give a better example of how to define lack of focus. For that, I’ll actually give the other face and throw under the bus an anime that just so happens to be one of my favorites, Ergo Proxy, because self-awareness is important. The first 8 episodes of the anime are some of the most tightly written episodes in anime, with barely any line of dialogue wasted and plenty of subtle details in character reactions. Right before the first half, though, the main characters go into a journey looking for the truth behind the main mystery of the series, and from that point on Ergo Proxy adopts a highly experimental structure, focusing plenty of episodes in isolated conflicts tied only to the theme it wanted to address in that specific episode (I apologize for the repetition). Very little of those episodes has connection to the main goal, and when the characters reach their destination it turns out to be a dead end, forcing them to return in order to find the truth. For all of that, it’s not unreasonable to say that Ergo Proxy specifically lacks focus on its narrative. From the point Kayo leaves the center of the plot, Satoru’s objectives change, from saving the girl to protecting the other victims and uncovering the identity of the assassin. As a result, the series follows along with such change and turns its eyes to him, in the same fashion as does the danger of attracting the attention of the villain, just like we would see later on, when Satoru’s actions lead him to be the new target. In that sense, the anime simply shifts its focus, it didn’t lose it and that was the natural root to take. That also leads us to another topic;

“Erased lost its charm once Kayo left the picture”

I always found questionable the idea of attributing the entire appeal of a story in a side-character, but that aside, let’s understand this argument: The idea here is that, since the anime spent so much time revolving around Satoru’s efforts to save Kayo, much of the audience’s investment was crafted around the girl, as she would be the one the viewer would immediately want to see shielded from harm. The series does many efforts to frame her in sympathetic light and give her endearing qualities, so when she is moved away from the plot many felt it had wasted their investment. This is a comprehensible thought, indeed, but I believe it ignores another important aspect of fiction: by maintaining focus on a character that has already fulfilled its narrative purpose, the work runs the risk of saturating such character, diminishing the values that made them endearing in the first place and ultimately compromising the story to make room for them. Moving Kayo away from the narrative not only makes sense from a logical point of view, as it completely places her away from the killer, but also preserves her from becoming a hindrance to the story and leaves her character with the emotional baggage that comes at play during the last episodes. There is a merit in avoiding wish-fulfillment if it prevents characters from becoming a problem to the flow of the narrative.


"The ending is rushed and the villain's motivations are poorly explained"

This criticism specifically I can understand on the basis of how the anime progresses in his final episodes, but I’d like to explain the reason for my disagreement by discussing one of the references made by the villain, the spider thread tale. This element is first brought up at the beginning of episode 11, when the antagonist comments that after a specific event during his childhood, he begins to see spider threads hanging above the heads of his victims, in reference to a tale about a criminal who gets the chance to escape from hell using the thread sent by Shakyamuni Bhudda, but is condemned once again when the thread breaks, in punishment for his selfishness. In this tale, the thread was the last source of salvation given by a superior being to a soul in despair, so seeing it above the heads of those he wanted to kill can be interpreted as the antagonist’s desire to be someone above his victims, to be an “entity” with the power to condemn or give salvation. When he is finally defeated by Satoru, he sees a spider thread above his own head be torn apart. This is the point when he realizes that he was powerless and susceptible to being manipulated and judged just like his victims, he realizes he’s not an entity in control. By the same line of thought, he takes an interest in Satoru, after the kid survives his first attempt to kill him, because Satoru was the one able to escape his judgment.

Presentation

I believe many of you heard Erased’s visuals being called “cinematic” and that is actually a statement that holds water, as the anime utilizes some techniques of traditional cinema in much more noticeable fashion, a result of the experience the director had working with other professionals like Hosoda Mamoru or Araki Tetsuro, this last one an expert on making anime with mainstream appeal. Now, another term I believe can be applied to the show’s presentation, in general, is minimalistic. The characters are frequently framed in wide shots within the scenery, with the fixed camera giving full comprehension of the environment while the figures are kept small and with minimal action. The purpose of this directing style is to avoid the viewer getting lost in the imagery and lead them to focus only on the details that are relevant to the narrative. In the other hand, it also serves to emphasize emotional moments and heighten the impact of scenes that display a little bit more of flare, giving them a whimsical feel.

A minimalistic presentation, when executed effectively, can suscinctly drive home the emotional core of the scene, and i'd say that Erased uses that method with excelence. This trait also manifests in the characterization, as the shots stealthily introduce certain details and character motivations, like the hero’s Mask in Satoru’s bedroom, to show a figure that inspired him as a kid, or in the manner in which the killer is framed, from the point he’s fully introduced to the brief interactions that hint to his identity, like when the camera is focused upwards, mirroring Satoru’s perspective. These choices of framing serve to cut on the necessity of exposition, reducing the dialogue only to what is essential. This can also be noticed on the sound work: important scenes, like the moment Satoru makes the first impactful contact with Hinazuki, frequently opt for not having soundtrack, driving even more attention to the dialogue and giving full responsibility to the viewer to infer on what is going on between the characters. For an anime that has been accused of being heavy-handed, I’d say this directorial decision is pretty respectful towards the audience.

The points that feature soundtrack, though, don’t tend to be impressive. Most of the noticeable tracks play their purpose, but are fairly generic, serving only to highlight the specific mood the scene wants to convey. Exceptions would be, of course, the highly catch opening, the fitting and mellow ending, and tracks such as “Only I am missing”, “I have to save her”, which is brief but very effective at crafting tension despite the upbeat vibe, “Reasoning” and “She was there, alone”. Hum, I’m noticing a pattern here! When it comes to the acting, it’s very consistent with character portrayal and overall quite solid, but one aspect that might raise disagreements, more than usual at least, is Satoru’s voice actor. Despite a solid performance, even taking into consideration it’s his first anime role, Shinnosuke Mitsushima is one of those actors who has a voice that is too singular, which can drive attention away from the acting itself.

Personal Ramblings

I think now we can address some of the external questions related to Erased.

Is Erased the best thing since dark beer? No, I can myself point out more than a handful of titles that are better, without taking away from the anime itself. Was it overhyped? Sure! I mean, it’s hard to refute that an anime getting into MAL’s top 10 before it is even finished is quite a ludicrous event. Is the negativity warranted? My stance, at least, is “not really”. I believe it’s fair to ask how much of the negativity towards the series is a direct result of its hype, as some people might think it pressures them into a position. I’ve seen even better shows get attacked with far less meaningful arguments, as a result of public opinion being highly favorable towards them, so the attitude itself doesn’t surprise me. The most interesting question, though, seems to be: how did Erased of all anime become so hyped? Think about the most notorious titles of recent years that can be considered overhyped: Attack on Titan was a shounen with focus in drama and a high body count, with an overall gritty setting and story; Kill la Kill was a self-aware ride of nonsensical action with very little restraint; One Punch Man was a parody of superhero tropes centered around fast-paced action and comedy. To think that a slow-paced thriller like Erased, with such an emphasis in children interacting and very little action, would become the hit of the season is a very surprising event.

I must admit that I somewhat enjoyed the polemic surrounding the anime, not so much for how it affected the show itself in the public eye, but because it rings specially close to one of my personal beliefs: fixation on scores is bullshit! People going crazy over one title’s score seemed ludicrous and drove the discussion away from the important elements by turning it into an exercise in group-think. Now you had to rate the show a certain way so that your opinion could be taken seriously by certain sections of the anime community. Now, however, the fires of the flame wars are on the rout to be tamed, so I thought it would be a good idea to offer my perspective on the anime, hoping that it can invoke some respect around.

Since this is the section of the review I leave (specially) dedicated to self-indulgence, I’d like to talk about specific details about Erased that I really like: I like Satoru’s interactions with his mom as a child, showcasing that he still cared for her, even with the distance between them in his adult self; I like his interactions with his friends, both as a child and as an adult, when we can see the contrast their relationship takes; I like the lack of control Satoru has when talking as a child, showing the disconnect between his body and his mind; I like the meaning the title takes at the end of the series; I like the whimsical moments between Satoru and Hinazuki, which really drove home the meaning of his actions even at short term; I like the childishly awesome lines Satoru’s friends said; I like when he reads the text he had written as child, about his favorite hero; I like it, simple as that.

With this review I don’t aim to change people’s opinions or scores about Erased (although if it leads more people to give the show a try it would be really cool!), I hope simply to showcase how this opinion in specific can be valid, because as minimalistic of a story as it was, it did something for me, and for that I appreciate it.

With any established community there are traditions that take fruition from within it. And when it comes to the anime community that tradition can be seen with the ritualistic assignment of labels that is accompanied with every new seasonal lineup. Each season's catalog is cherry-picked through by the ascending masses to be filed away in neat little categories that're decided by whatever the common consensus is at that time. And it's thanks to this unspoken system that we get our "anime of the season," "hidden gems" and "BURN WITH FIRE" shows that, for the most part, seems to be what the general audience agree upon. ... But among these rank-and-filed titles, we always have at least one show that splits the community into opposing camps; with one side exalting it as the next best thing since sliced bread and the other side wanting its head on a stick. These contentious titles ignite the embers of flame wars across several forums and opens the floodgates for keyboard warriors to caps lock the hell out of each other. These are often the most "hyped" show for that given season and tend to remain that way long after its airtime. Ladies and gentlemen, Boku dake ga Inai Machi (or Erased) is without question that title for Winter 2016.

If I was to give a very brief overview of Erased it would be this: engaging 1st half, deplorable 2nd half.

Erased is the type of show that will get under many peoples' skins. There are titles, that upon a 1st glance, you could easily deduce that it will be no better than B-grade schlock, and then there's shows that genuinely get your interest. For most, Erased will be the latter. With a somewhat firm grasp on cinematography, color placement and all around competency in crafting a grounded setting, Erased upon initial viewing, appeared to be one of the most promising prospects from Winter 2016. It exuded this feeling of self-control over its actions that became quite easy to buy into. A reassuring appearance that it will be a smooth ride from start to finish. The reason these kind of titles are more bothersome as opposed to the shows that are instantly identified as bottom-rung, is that with lesser tier titles, there's no expectations set for it. When I view an "Akame Ga Kill" or "Asterisk War" level show, quality is the last thing that comes to mind. I know as a viewer that what I'm getting ready to watch will, at its very best, be easily digestible excerpts of things I've seen done far better. On the other hand, shows that allure me into anticipating something far more substantial carries with it a higher sense of investment. So when these titles fall under their own weight, it packs a bigger punch. As a viewer, there's nothing more disheartening to witness than untapped potential being flushed down the toilet. And like its namesake, Erased "erased" any chances of being herald as anything more than a novelty act.

Instead of reciting the synopsis I'll go right into addressing where Erased showed commendable effort and how it eventually unraveled into a hokey hogwash.

Time-travel as a plot device in any story can be a fickle thing to work with, the slightest overuse or tampering of it to alleviate inevitable conclusions can quickly result in audience backlash with the collective chant of "bullshit!" being ushered out in response. The best use of time-travel is really not using time-travel at all but there's a reason why it's still a compelling tool for writers to dabble with. It can open up scenarios and prospects that previously were made unavailable in the conventions of regular stories. So the reasonable solution for those instances is finding restraint in when and how time-travel is used in the confines of the narrative being presented. This was an area that Erased seemed to have covered relativity well. The main character can jump back in time a few minutes before something tragic happened, as stated by the synopsis. What made this use of time-travel welcoming was that despite this ability, he himself has no true control over these time jump occurrences; the option to jump at will is out of his hands. With this stipulation set in place, Erased found a reasonable limitation to work with. It eliminated the misuse of time-travel by the protagonist to retcon any events whenever the writer sees fit. But as you may have surmised by my statements regarding this show's 2nd half, this established restraint doesn't remain constant, and that spells the first major misstep of the show.

The second major catalyst that crippled Erased was its genre itself. Marketed as a mystery anime, Erased spent a great deal of time foraging through its settings and characters living in it. This is what indirectly set up the first half to seem so promising. There were layers of detail being caked onto the "mystery" story, which helps to better define it to the audience. Erased felt like a place not too far out of reach from our own world, thanks in no small part to the extra time dedicated to making the experience as cinematic as possible. With widescreen angles (Letterboxing) implemented in certain crucial moments, to off-kilter camera angles that helped express messages without the need for expository dialogue, everything the show was doing up to a certain point showed a level of quality not often seen in the anime industry. It was able to build suspense using music cues and proper lighting, giving life to its mystery through comprehensible visual motifs and proper use of color placement. The show expressed capabilities far more common in the world of cinema than what anime usually dabbles with. It's for reasons like these that many flocked to it, labeling it as one of the best without so much as to second guess their stance. And ultimately it's this that also fended off proper judgment for the far inferior 2nd half. The frenzy was too high for rationality to kick in.

While the quality of the show's visual and audible presentation remained relatively consistent, the same could not be said about the writing. When I mentioned the show's genre being a detriment, this is where that becomes apparent. With the primary genre being "mystery," one would think a great deal of time would be dedicated to making that aspect as foolproof as possible, but what we got was nothing short of underwhelming. To those unfamiliar with the purpose of a 'red herring' in a story, it's something or someone that's manifested and exists for the purpose of misleading the viewer from the truth. It's like the slight of hand trick practiced by a magician, while the real action is happening out of sight. A red herring isn't supposed to be your answer but rather a falsehood that takes on the shape of an answer. In a mystery story, red herrings are those clues that lead to a dead end, or the suspects surrounding the true culprit that detracts the viewer from the correct answer. At no time is a red herring suppose to be a final conclusion. Even when there is an attempt to subvert this fact, all that does is make what appears to be the "truth" to be nothing more than another red herring in disguise. So when Erased effectively missed this fundamental fact, it is nothing short of baffling.
In what was an attempt to curve the obvious fake out into the actual truth, Erased single-handily shot itself in the foot. These are the actions of a satire that pokes fun of the genre, not a show that is a part of it, which made the mystery of Erased to be an unintentional joke to those keen to this fact and an underwhelming reveal to those still infatuated with the show up to that point. No one walks out a winner, both cynics and fans alike lose in this situation. Had Erased place in some kind of deviation from the elephant in the room this wouldn't be a problem but poor planning sadly killed those chances. This anime was one script revision away from being passable.

Even if one was to view the show as a thriller (a very common excuse used by detractors that stand against the title's criticisms), it still doesn't hold much merit. A thriller, like its namesake would imply, is a genre that's supposed to "thrill" the audience with an exciting, often intense plot, where the tension feels ever-present and a sense of urgency is placed on the viewer for the character's well-being. It's wound up dread followed by cathartic release. A very textbook component that's the backbone of any successful thriller. That being said, it's hard to be "thrilled" when the narrative makes irrational decisions that quickly breaks immersion, or deflate any tension that was built up with an anticlimactic conclusion. You're supposed to be in a state of nervous anticipation as to the outcome of a storyline, not scratching your head questioning the leaps in logic of said outcome. If a convenient ticket out of every impending danger is offered to the characters, then how could their predicament be anything short of a temporary bump in the road? Without a proper end result to any build-up, the show is essentially leaving you mentally flaccid. When a show continuously makes decisions that negate risk or impending danger, then it ceases to lack consequence in the eyes of the viewer. A thriller with no substantial consequence is like a mystery with no red herrings; and wouldn't you know it, Erased ended up being insufficient in both aspects.

This half-baked writing also seeped its way into the visual presentation, as the show's ineptitude in handling its symbolism and motifs became quickly apparent. What is important to note is the proper usage of these elements in a story and not the actual meaning of said elements. In any form of grounded storytelling, symbolism and motifs are suppose to be implemented with finesse. They're placed there to add subtext to what is being presented at face value. They're things that don't necessarily need to be identified to properly understand what you're watching, but upon analytical inspection, adds a new layer of meaning to what is presented on screen or implied in the narrative. To put it in layman's terms, they're like brownie points for those that dig deeper into the subject matter they're presented with. That being said, when these literary devices are spoon fed to the audience, it defeats the purpose of their usage. At that point, it's no longer a praiseworthy effort, but something that's equally detestable with the likes of lazily implemented expository dialogue. It's the difference between letting the visuals and action speak for themselves, oppose to beating the audience over the head with the obvious answer (Yes MothersBasement, red = danger.. In other news, cows go moo). Something being symbolic doesn't inherently make it good, an aspect that Erased failed to comprehend.

And like a snowball effect, all these shortcomings kept on culminating into something far too glaring to be rectified. This brings us to the conclusion of the plot in the show's 1st half, which saw our protagonist Satoru muster everything in his power to protect Kayo. All of the show's efforts were slowly crafted around this plot. It was a gradual buildup to Kayo's revelation in the story. This brought with it the show's best efforts. Viewers were swayed into investing in this conflict, which became more gripping by each new episode. "Will Satoru finally save her?" "Would his efforts be in vain?"; these and many more questions were raised along with the stakes as things drew closer to its final destination. And after all the layers of suspense, all that attachment, all that investing... the conclusion quickly deflated in value by a poorly-realized, rushed solution that saw a character be re-written and patronized, while simultaneously removing one of the central focuses from the story entirely. So when one of the biggest investments for many viewers were removed from the equation, all these aforementioned issues that were initially dismissed, no longer had anything to hide behind. The shit was out in the open, it was just a matter of stepping back to finally realize it.

If I had to say what the biggest issue with Erased was it would be that all of the great aspects of it, all of the promises it made, and all of the standards that it set, was quickly counteracted by the occurrence of everything in the 2nd half. While the same issues were also there in the 1st act, it was never made apparent when the show pulled focus away from it. For every high point that Erased offered, an equally appalling low point balanced it out. It was a duality that kept it from being any better than where it ultimately ended up in the end.

Enjoyment: 6/10

For the first 6 episodes or so Erased was quite the enjoyable experience. I was invested in the conflict, I wanted to see the protagonist succeed, as well as uncover the mystery surrounding the killer. The show had my interest. But just as quickly as it drew me in, it lost me with the same speed. The 2nd half of Erased is nothing short of painfully mediocre to intellectually insulting. It was disappointing to see what it could have been, and how it turned out instead.

Overall: 4/10

Erased could have been great, what it did well it did exceedingly well, the potential was there in ample proportions. But almost like a countermeasure, when it faltered it didn't just trip a little before catching itself, no, when it fumbled, it pretty much fell down a flight of stairs, breaking every bone on its way down. So do I recommend Erased even with acknowledgment of this? Yes, I do. Despite what trouble it had, later on, the 1st half was enjoyable enough to still warrant giving it a try. You may not like the end result but there's enough inherent value here for the 12 episodes to be worth going through for yourself.

So I've just finished this anime and if you're wondering if it's worth watching, I will tell you it truly is. A great masterpiece that keep me wanting more. The characters aren't too overwhelming or annoying and the pacing is nice. The story line is great also.

Some elements of the story may seem predictable at times but that's only if you really pay attention to the details. The ending was memorable and left you feeling complete which truly made this anime stand out from many others.

Overall, I recommend this anime if you haven't already seen it but I'm sure you have since it's been ... everywhere for the past 3 months. One of the best anime of the winter season

Well, I've almost watched all anime masterpieces and undoubtedly, this is one of them. I've never written a review before, but now I do, because this anime really earned it.

Everything about this anime has a unique atmosphere which you can feel from the first episode.

Story:
Some people like to compare this anime to Stein's Gate because it involves some time travelling. Other people wondered about the mystery and crime genre and compared it to Death Note. This anime is neither of them. It doesn't revolve around time travelling as the main idea or the plot of the story. Also, it doesn't involve that much darkness and ... crime twist as Death Note.
It is about loneliness and friendship, courage and hesitation, evil and good, family and abuse; It is about a lot.

Art:
The art in the anime is much better than the manga. It is also somehow unique than other animes I 've watched. You will unlikely to find mistakes while watching that may disturb you. The art is very well done.

Sound:
It just got me in the story. I didn't feel that there is a SOUND being played. I just felt the story going before my eyes while I am feeling it.

Characters:
I felt the characters as they're real. Actually, I think the characters are taken from real persons. The characters, their backgrounds, feelings and complications are very well put. You can watch the character grow up and evolve as you march through the anime.

Enjoyment:
YOU WILL NEVER GET BORED WATCHING THIS ANIME.

Overall:
I gave this anime 10/10.

Ever felt like you made a big mistake in life and wanted to fix it? Or perhaps you just want things to go in the right direction if given another chance? Most people will never get that sort of opportunity. But for a guy named Satoru Fujinuma, that’s another story. His ability, Revival is pretty much a gift that allows him to travel back in time with his memories. So in essence, the guy can basically fix mistakes in his life with a second opportunity. Actually, I should probably rephrase that. What he has isn’t just a gift but also a responsibility. The ability to ... time travel is an extraordinary power but it also comes with a lot of responsibility because in this story, Satoru has an encounter with a very experienced killer that puts him, his friends, and family at risk.

Based on the manga, Boku dake Ini Machi (also known as Erased) is a psychological thriller. Adapted by A-1 Pictures, the series chronicles Satoru’s life and his responsibilities to avert certain events. From the first episode, we see that he is a rather cynical man who seems indifferent about every day events except when there’s some sort of oddity or strange event happening. As one of these events, Satoru encounters a bizarre instance when an unknown man emerges from his neighborhood. This apparently has connections with a series of murders in his community that also includes the death of a family member. I guess it’s easy to tell what comes next as Satoru uses his Revival ability to avert such a tragedy. The problem? The unknown man/killer is very experienced so it takes much more than just time travel to prevent such a tragedy.

Now I have to admit, this series has quite an intriguing premise. The idea of being able to witness events again and being able to fix them sets up a lot of plot planning for Satoru. The first few episodes establishes this as we see how events are constructed based on memories and narratives. What’s interesting to see is how Satoru sees his own past. It’s noticeable because of how the past relationship he shares with his mother is a bit different from the one we see in the future. In essence, Satoru begins to realize how happy he was and attempts to forge a stronger relationship with his mother. This is sharp contrast to Kayo Hinazuki, a lonely girl in the past timeline. Kayo’s mother is the antithesis of a good parent. She is manipulative, abusive, foul mouthed, and treats her daughter like her property. Furthermore, her role in the story seems to be influence Kayo’s personality as she becomes like a hollow shell. Of course, that does change once Satoru appears in her life.

One of the stronger dynamics of the series is the relationship and chemistry between certain characters. Besides Satoru and his mother, Satoru and Kayo easily has the most prominent relationship. From strangers to allies to friends, the two builds trust and a tight connection. At first, it’s not easy because of how other students in the class also ostracizes Kayo. However, Satoru is able to break down her barrier of solitude. This is achieved by standing up to her bullies, treating her with kindness, and even confronting Kayo’s mother as a way to show her wrongful deeds. In essence, this naturally allows Kayo to open up more and show her own cheerful side. At times, it’s easy to see that Kayo’s personality seems to be a bit of a reflection of Satoru in the future timeline. This also brings out Satoru’s character as he realizes his own weakness at times as he feels powerless to stop certain events from time to time.

Another one of Satoru’s important relationships is the one he shares with his friends, most importantly Kenya. Despite being a supporting character, he helps Satoru and is able to deduce certain abnormalities with his cunning mind. His strong sense of justice also inspires Satoru to stop crimes from happening especially to find the crafty killer in both the past and present. Despite this, I do think some relationships suffers. Satoru and Airi’s relationship in the show is less noticeable and seems to be only based on trust. While it share similarity with Satoru/Kayo, it doesn’t have the amount of emotional appeal. Even during one scenario where Airi’s life is in danger, it feels like the show doesn’t really appeal more than just the typical “Satoru jumps in to save the day”. Similarly, Satoru’s relationship with his teacher is also based on trust as he seems to be one of the few adults that he can rely on. In essence, trust is a controversial part of the series as well because in the end, events that happens in the story isn’t always what they seem.

By the time you’ve watched 1/3 of the show, it’s easy to tell that the series is very story centric. Every episode builds on more and more with the construction of events, the descriptive narratives from Satoru’s point of view, and how important events influence one another. Satoru’s revival ability creates opportunities, not just for himself but others too. Unfortunately, the killer is also a very crafty individual so they often plan ahead to strategically carry out their goals. This leads to Satoru’s trouble with the law as he finds himself powerless at times. This is one of the weaknesses of the series. Satoru’s motivation is to save certain people but he is sometimes unable to save himself. The weakness here is that we may feel that Satoru relies too much on himself rather than others, at least for a good portion of the story. Remember, Satoru only has the pieces of the past that he sees clearly but not always the solutions. Speaking of story, the show is also a bit predictable. Despite being labeled as a thrilling mystery, it’s not difficult to predict who the killer is. On the other hand, there’s also the idea about the motives. It will get the viewers to ask why certain people acts according to their actions. This includes Kayo’s parents, friends, and obviously the killer himself. Also on a technical note, the series is only adapted into a 1-cour so expect a compressed adaptation. There are certain events that is omitted from the manga to speed up the pace while trying to keep the story as credible as possible.

On the visual front, the series has some pretty good quality. There’s a lot of foreshadowing so the show is able to carefully piece together with clever camera angles, in particular with the moving framework. Even the show itself presents itself like a movie cinema, which is a reason why I’d recommend watching the show on a big screen. In addition, character designs are very stellar to create the thrilling mood. The atmospheric feel of the show is delivered by the character expressions to show their personalities from the compassionate mother Sachiko, stoic Kayo, or the casual friend Airi. The killer is the also most noticeable in the show with his red eyes to reflect his dark twisted desires. Another character that stand out part is Sachiko with her signature lips, a distinctive way to show her as a prominent adult in the series.

Soundtrack is another strong dynamic of the series. Yuki Kaijura helms the series composition and is fairly well known for her ability to create a thrilling atmosphere. This is accomplished by the fine details of eerie music especially during suspenseful scenes. Furthermore, there’s the OP and ED theme songs with not just foreshadowing but also elements of mystery. Another noticeable part about the show is the character voices. Now obviously, there’s a sharp contrast in voice tone between Satoru’s present and future self because of the age gap. However, the praise should go to Shinnosuke Mitsushima, a newcomer with his ability to portray Satoru.

Boku dake ga Inai Machi is far from a masterpiece. The story is predictable and despite a good amount of characterization, certain characters can be easily forgettable. Furthermore, time travel isn’t a new concept as series such as Steins;Gate, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and even Zetusen no Tempest has dived into such themes. However, it’s still a thrilling series mostly with how it keeps the audience at their seat. We want to see Satoru succeed and each episode builds more and more on that. The relationship dynamics remains one of the most prominent concepts of the series and it easily brings the story to life. From the past to the present, it shows how characters progress with fine details through storytelling. And speaking of fine details, the production team really did put a good amount of effort in the visual quality and soundtrack. As for a show like this, it’s about embracing the story and see what it has to offer. If you’re a fan of that, then there’s a lot to look into to.

"Everything will eventually rot away. As long as the factor of time continues being the apex predator of the universe, the inevitable decay of all pain and memory is unstoppable." - Overpriced Mac computer

In the beginning of 2016 an anime with an absurd rating popped out of nowhere on Mal's top list.That anime was ofcoarse Boku dake ga Inai Machi.Being the tea-drinking gentleman that i am,i've disregarded it as the Oscars did with Edward Norton,but lately i've mustered some fate in humanity and decided to give the short 12 episode mystery a chance.


The story centers around ... a 29 year old pizzaman (sadly that is not Kenji the Enji) trying to become mangaka,while also having convenient time traveling powers given to him by the Magical Space Jesus,that only work when they are needed for the plot.
One day,while driving his fancy pizzamobile,he sees a speeding vehicle going towards a little kid and much like a certain protagonist from Yu Yu Hakusho he decides to be the hero.While managing to save the kid he also ends up being in a hospital.After being released his mom decides to live with him and on the next day in his absence she gets stabbed to death by a shady looking character wearing fedora.When he returns and finds her body some woman conveniently sees him and calls police.The police then assumes him as the prime suspect,but instead of clearing his name,he runs away from them,using his inexplicable time traveling powers given to him by the Magical Space Jesus to go back in time,precisely 18 years ago and find and prevent the killer from killing his mother.But to do so by his logic he must become someone else,he must become something else.That something is his 11 year old self,By doing that he assumes that if he prevents the kidnapping of a classmate of his - Kayo,he will exculpate his friend who was originally framed for the kidnapping and sentenced to death,leaving the real perpetrator free to kill his mom in the future.So he decides to get friendly with her until the day of her kidnapping,giving a weird uncomfortable pedo vibe.
But the thing is,it really didn't matter which kid would the killed choose to as his victim.Making the entire effort pointless if the wasn't convenient for the plot the killer to be someone that Satoru knows from 18 years ago.
Another thing thing i want to mention is that the emotional scenes in this particular "gem" are probably the worse i've seen in just about anything.I've laughed in every single supposed sad scene there was.

Characterization is probably the biggest flaw in Boku dake ga Inai Machi. The characters are irritating, flat, inconsistent, contrived, and they alone destroy any possibility of this being even a decent anime..
Every single one of them is a bland plot device which acts anyway the plot wants them to act and without a doubt will be forgotten in the next 2 months or so.You really can't tell which one is worse or best since they all suck.
But ofcoarse then most noticable one is the one with the most screen time.That ofcoarse is Satoru.He makes really illogical actions in just about every episode.
The other main character for the majority of the series is Kayo.For the sake of shock factor,she is abused by her one dimentional evil mother, a fact which all the adults around her are aware of,but are unable to do anything about. Child Protective services had attempted to deal with the situation but were unable to gain any concrete proof or even set up a meeting.
Due to this abuse, she's a social outcast at school, preferring to distance herself from other people, hoping that if she wears the mask of apathy long enough, it will become real. After school, she spends her time mostly alone at a local park until 6 P.M., to avoid going home and facing her mother.
The killer is an absolute copy of Mark Jefferson,except that his plans make no sense at all and unlike the charismatic Life is Strange villain,he is very predictable and his motivations are non-existent.
The rest of the characters's personalities can be deducted from their character designs alone.It was like they weren't real life people, with their own mindsets and ideas.
Although the ending wasn't bad,although extremely cheese and predictable,because of the poor character development it didn't manage to become paramount.

The animation as avarage as it gets for this damn age !Nothing more to be said.

The voice acting was as bland as the characters which in this case is a good thing.
The ost was pretty meh.It didn't make my ears bleed nor did it impress me,so it's between avarage and fine.

Although having avarage Sound and avarage animation,this anime had MAJOR phasing problem,rushing until the very end,failing to emotionally connect the viewer to the characters and some''genius'' mind though using monologues to the point of beating a dead horse.

Overall:
Boku dake ga Inai Machi is one of the dumbest show to ever take itself seriously. It is essentially a hackneyed amalgamation of cliches and overused plot devices that clumsily attempts to disguise itself as something greater.
Watch Boku dake ga Inai Machi if you have a weird Deus ex Machina fetish, but otherwise stay away. It does nothing new and it does nothing well. It doesn’t even fail in an interesting or original way, destroying any chance for campy "so-bad-it's-good" appeal. As a result, I can't think of a single positive thing to say about it, and I have no choice but to give it a 2.

Moral of this is.....
It's time to stop!It's time to stop!Ok?No more!Where are your parents!?Who are your parents ?I'm gonna call Child Protective services!It's time to stop !

For some actually good anime that revolves around Time travel i point you not towards Steins;Gate,because chances are that you've already watched it,but towards Noein.Not one of my personal favourites tho,but it did everything that Boku dake ga Inai Machi failed to do with flying colours.Even Crispin Freeman is in it.Who doesn't like Crispin Freeman ?Nobody!

SPOILER FREE AND STRAIGHT FORWARD REVIEW

Story (9/10): The plot is well written and fairly original (realistic with a hint of supernatural to get the action going), with very little and debatable plot holes.

Art (9/10): It is not a masterpiece of animation, but there are little scenes that require a lot of movement. The art style is not out of the ordinary, but directing is great, the scenes being very nicely cut and hiding a lot of meaning.

Sound (8/10): It has nice opening and ending songs, but there are not part of a soundtrack you would search a playlist of and play it on repeat.

Character ... (10/10): For only 12 episodes, the characters (both positive and negative) are greatly written, being diverse in mentality and always delivering smart and introspective lines.

Overall: 9/10 Enjoyable to watch and it makes you think (and feel).

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**

Erased is a grippingly cinematic, but ultimately childish and half-baked attempt at an anime mystery drama that makes a mockery out of the serious themes it chooses to incorporate. However, that didn’t seem to stop it from taking the anime world by storm and soaring into the top FIVE on the all time MAL rankings while it was still airing. Yikes. This show is clumsy, saturated in over-convenience, and excruciatingly awkward at times, but it’s obvious that something about Erased really resonated with a lot of people. Let’s find exactly what makes this show popular and, more importantly, where it all went wrong.

Synopsis: ... Satoru Fujinuma, our protagonist, is a detached 29 year old Manga artist who possesses a special ability that he refers to as “Revival”, which causes him to be sent back in time several minutes before tragic accidents that occur in his general vicinity, whether he wants to or not. He will continue to be sent back in time until he stops the event in question from occurring. One day, tragedy strikes, but this time, Satoru is sent 18 whole years in the past. Soon, he realizes that the event he has to prevent is the abduction and killing of one of his classmates, the solitary and mysterious Kayo Hinazuki, which took place when he was a child.

If you couldn’t tell right of the bat after reading the synopsis, Erased was playing with fire from the very beginning. The use of time resets as a plot device carries great power in the context of a story, and with great power comes great responsibility. The problem with time resets is that if you don’t establish strict and appropriate rules and restrictions from the very beginning, it becomes nothing more than a transparently lazy deus ex machina whose properties bend and shape to the convenience of the plot. Nothing breaks immersion like some mystical superpower with no established boundaries that seamlessly drifts in and out of the plot for no discernible reason, only reappearing to solve otherwise unsolvable problems. This is a problem that Erased has, and it’s one of the main things that make the story so impossible to take seriously. Satoru’s “Revival” ability has absolutely no rules. It shows up for no logical reason, doesn’t show up in situations where it did before, contradicts the very short and insufficient explanation we were given of it, and the story can’t seem to decide if he has the ability to consciously trigger it or if he does not. It’s madness. Utter chaos. The foundation of this anime’s premise was so badly botched that it causes the world of Erased to come off as one that doesn’t have any rules, and that is far and away its biggest failure as a mystery drama. I don’t mean to suggest that Revival is the only aspect of this show that is overly convenient and lazy though; the anime is riddled with poor planning and lack of explanation. For example, people show up for no reason and out of nowhere at the best/worst possible moment on a consistent basis, like this is some sort of battle shounen. Erased’s writing is a disaster, plain and simple.

I could talk for a long time about the technical problems of Erased’s storyline, but it commits a sin that is perhaps even more egregious: The bastardization of a mature theme. Namely, child abuse. If you are going to incorporate such a serious and heart-wrenching topic into your story, fine; just make sure that you treat it with the respect that it deserves. Unfortunately, Erased utterly fails to do that. Instead, it merely shoehorns it in as a cheap, lowest-common-denominator way of tugging at our heartstrings. Erased chooses to make us feel bad for its characters not by fleshing them out with personality, but by having them be graphically beaten on camera for reasons that are completely unnecessary to the plot. This edgy, shock-factor bullshit is what cemented my dislike of this show. This is the kind of thing that doesn’t just impede my enjoyment of the anime, but makes me genuinely angry that the writers thought they could manipulate the emotions of the viewers so underhandedly. It’s completely shameless, and they should be embarrassed.

There’s one more aspect of this show’s plot that I can’t resist mentioning... *Sigh… Hear me out on this one. Maybe this is just me, but the entire premise of this show is fucking CREEPY. Seriously. There are some shockingly blatant pedophilic undertones in Erased. There are multiple instances where the protagonist, WHO IS 29 YEARS OLD, gets obviously aroused by the thought of a relationship (or more…) with Hinazuki, who is a child. If you think I’m joking, there is scene in the latter half of the show where Hinazuki is taking a bath and Satoru overhears her from the other room. He then gets a flustered/uncomfortable, flushed look on his face and thinks to himself, and I quote, “Get a hold of yourself. You’re 29.” WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT SHIT MAN??? That’s not a one-time thing either! That is a reoccurring gag throughout the show! Who the HELL thought that would be a good idea?! Is this some sort of underground fetish show or something? Was it made for people who fantasize about fucking children while they are also in the body of a child? Nobody is ever going to convince me that Satoru’s reoccurring and vague attraction to Hinazuki is not disturbing as hell. It makes my skin crawl, and more importantly, it makes the show even more impossible to take seriously. This is incorporating humor into your show GONE WRONG.

As bad as Erased’s plot is, even shows with bad plots can often be redeemed if they have a strong cast of characters. Well, Erased doesn’t have that. Not even close, in fact. Our protagonist, Satoru, is your standard white-knight archetype. If you don’t know what that is, it’s when a character is defined entirely by his desire to be morally righteous and help others. There is literally no other defining trait to this character whatsoever! The first episode makes it seem like they would make him deadpan or detached or, hell, SOMETHING in order to differentiate him, but no. Any individuality Satoru may have possessed in the first episode completely evaporates and is nowhere to be found from episode 2 and onwards. He’s just a walking, talking robot who spurns the plot forward with his soulless, mechanically predictable actions. At no point, except maybe in the first episode, did I care about this character, and that is a certain way for a show to fail.

Now let’s talk about Satoru’s love interest (Yes, I’m calling her that. This show knows what it did), Kayo Hinazuki. Kayo is a character that is able to single-handedly exemplify so much of what is wrong with this show, in the sense that she is not a real character at all; she is a plot device, just like the rest of the cast. Her sole purpose is to be used as a literal whipping post just so that justice-kun can swoop in to be her knight in shining armor and pretend he doesn’t want to get into those prepubescent pants. She is nothing more than an object the show utilizes to manipulate the emotions of the viewers; an artificially created victim who exists only to suffer some one-dimensional, interchangeable hardship rather than an actual character with a personality and interesting outlooks, dreams, or crises. Erased is lazy, deceiving character writing at its finest.

So at this point, if you haven’t watched Erased, you may be wondering that if everything I wrote in the above paragraphs is true, what is the appeal of this show? The answer, quite simply, is that the cinematography is very well executed and the directing is very engaging. The environments are always crisp and detailed, plus the shot composition is absolutely spot-on in most instances. There are notable exceptions, but I won’t get into that. As for the directing, Erased presents information to the viewer in a very streamlined, matter of fact manner. Scenes intended to be connected are always spelled out to the viewer through the use of flashbacks, and lots of creative transition sequences are used with narrative accompaniment between scenes. I prefer when shows leave it up to the viewer to deduce certain things rather than being spoon-fed, but for what they were going for, they did a good job. Erased looks good, is animated dramatically, and is easy to digest. Those are the factors that lead to its massive popularity, and frankly, those are the only aspects of the show that can’t be harshly criticized justifiably.

At the end of the day, Erased is just another overhyped anime written for edgy teens that uses cheap, manipulative tactics to emotionally affect the audience, fooling them into thinking it’s a well-written show when it obviously isn’t. It’s immature, terribly inconsistent, the characters are soulless plot devices, and its laughable use of the ultimate anime cliché “time resets” is just the icing on the cake. Erased is a bad show with good animation, and sometimes, that’s all a show needs to get popular.

Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED) is an anime that capitalizes on emotional appeal. It incorporates plot devices that primarily targets the audience’s pathos and on a surface level achieves this very effectively. Unfortunately, these same plot devices are only contrived for the sole purpose of making the audience have the so-called “feels.” From a more logical perspective, they do not make any sense, and because of this, we are left with an inconsistent plotline that is riddled with flaws.

(Side note: minor spoilers from this point on.)

As one example, consider how Kayo was abused by her mother. Although I am sure the author meant to ... incorporate some level of realism into his writing, Kayo’s abuse was ultimately used as a way to draw the audience on an emotional basis. Since society frowns down upon all forms of child abuse, most people would accept it at face value and never question it. But let’s be honest for a second: none of it was explained. Why was the abuse occurring? Were there any specific triggers? Why didn’t anyone notice this if this has been happening for years? And so on.

Plus, was it really necessary to use child abuse like this? There are so many other ways that you could have elicited just as powerful of an emotional response and NOT use something controversial. Being heartbroken, amending broken friendships, taking a stand with your friends, etc. (all of which could have been implemented in the context of this show, by the way) could have just as easily done the trick.

Now aside from the emotional appeal, the rest of the plot doesn’t make any sense either. For something that is so fundamental to the plot, there is no explanation as to how Satoru gained the Revival ability other than the fact that he somehow magically has it. In a world that is governed by the natural laws of this universe, the Revival ability hardly seems remotely realistic and, as a result, it seems to serve no real purpose other than to force the plot along. On top of all of that, the Satoru’s Revival ability seemingly has no rules to it other than Satoru’s free will. Need to use it because you really don’t want to go to jail? No problem, Revival time! Don’t need Revival ever again because you said so? Okay adios, now it’s gone. Forever. Because of reasons.

As for pacing, it spans the entire spectrum: fast, slow, just right – it’s all there. Sometimes the show pulls it off just dandy. The first episode, for example, was crazy fast, but it still eked out the main gist of what was going on: Satoru’s weird mysterious power, the main characters, and so on. On the other hand, the last three episodes were fast too, but they were all crammed in a way that resulted in unsubstantial character development (e.g. Hiromi and Aya) even though it was clear from the first episode that the two of them played a significant role in the entire plot. Furthermore, all of this cramming eventually leads to important parts in the manga being left out – so, manga readers, beware!

Now onto the characters. Sure, Satoru is collected and analytical, but his personality is incredibly dry. A lot of the other characters did not stand out that much either, minus maybe the smart, attentive Kenya. But what I found most remarkable about the characters was that some of them shared deep, meaningful relationships. For example: Satoru and his mom, Sachiko. A true motherly figure, Sachiko not only takes care of Satoru but also his friends. She knows how he thinks and operates on a day-to-day basis. She knows when not to pry into her son’s life, and she respects him for who he is as a person. All of this is reflected in the short yet interesting dialogues between her and Satoru.

Unfortunately, some other relationships end up not being as strong as Satoru’s and Sachiko’s. Satoru and Kayo is one example of this. The middle 6 or 7 episodes were intentionally slowed down in terms of pacing so that the two of them could build their relationship from out of thin air to something deep. And for the most part, the show accomplishes this well. But in the last three episodes of the show, the show takes a complete U-turn, tossing out their entire relationship out the window. Now before you accuse me for being super butthurt or laughing at me because their “ship” sank, let me be clear: I would have no problem with this if this were executed well, but let’s break down what happens. To start off, Satoru’s been there for Kayo from the very beginning, so it really does not make sense how she would turn her back on him after Satoru reawakens. Sure, maybe the other-guy-in-the-picture had gotten to know Kayo when Satoru wasn’t physically around, but there was nothing in the anime that suggested such a thing. Just a minute of explanation and leaving things at the status quo wouldn’t be an issue. Satoru and Airi is another example, since the anime leaves out a huge chunk of their relationship in its adaptation.

Moving away from the characters and now onto the sound and the art. The artwork is animated by A-1 Pictures. They’ve also animated Shigatsu, AnoHana, SAO, and the whole spiel so it is done well. Sound is also great. The music was timed well to create an ominous mood when it was needed. Voice acting was decent too, although none of it was that exceptional.

In the grand scheme of things, ERASED is a watchable show and I wouldn’t mind recommending this to others. Emotional appeal isn’t inherently bad. Think about Clannad After Story, Little Busters! Refrain, and others – they all had their charm, and ERASED is just another show that falls into that category. However, basing an entire plot primarily on emotional appeal – that’s when things start to fall apart and become incomprehensible and illogical. That’s why ERASED isn’t a masterpiece – but it’s not downright horrible either.

Overall: C+

Author's Disclaimer: Please remember, this is my own personal opinion. I critique anime primarily on how the story is executed and how well-rounded the characters are. This review is not meant to target any other review but was intended to provide a more holistic analysis.

It should also be noted that this is a full-fledged review of the entire season.

It was a cold, uncompromising winter in the early weeks of 2016 but thankfully a new anime had heralded its arrival with a promise warm the world’s hearts. People braved the blizzard of mediocrity to find that one show that could rise to the top and be the ray of sunshine they craved. Boku dake ga Inai Machi (Or known by its English title ‘Erased’) waved its hand high and proud, promising a touching tale of one man’s journey to fix both the past and the present. The show did indeed have a certain glow about it that appealed to me but it’s sad to ... say that it died out into a whimper by the time the curtains had closed.

It’s unsurprising to see the initial widespread interest Erased generated because it had a list of ingredients that when put together could create something special. Time travel? Murder? Mystery? I strapped myself in for what I expected to be a tense experience that would leave me searching for answers. But as anyone would know, you could have a list of the finest ingredients available and in the hands of an incompetent chef it would turn into a disaster. Erased delivers what is an underwhelming execution to a setting that promised more. I was left bitterly disappointed by the show’s conveniences placed into the script and its underwhelming reveals. Despite some memorable scenes, Erased has left little impact on me.

We follow Satoru Fujinuma (Voiced by anime debutants Shinnosuke Mitsushima and Tao Tsuchiya), a 29-year-old manga artist with an ability to go back in time several minutes before some form of tragedy strikes. His ability, which he titles ‘revival’, gives him a chance to change events to prevent any disaster from happening. When one of the most horrifying incidents imaginable befalls him, his ability kicks in. This time however it’s not just minutes but years that Satoru gets sent back. Working with his old school classmates he tries his best to catch a criminal and change the future – or the present he just arrived from depending how you look at it. Realising the significance of the time period he’s found himself in, Satoru starts to dig around for the solution to not just change one but several lives for the better.

The opening episode of Erased was one that left me asking questions – but in a good way. It had easily done enough to get me make me care about what the end result could be. It screamed one thing above all: Potential. There was one big problem that began to develop however and that was the anime betrayed my expectations that it had helped me to establish early on in the piece. Following its presentation of suspects and the crimes in 1988 that took place I was led to believe that we would be dealing with a mystery. Everything in the first couple of episodes pointed the show towards going in that direction, from being shown the wrongfully accused to Satoru playing the detective with his childhood friends. As the episodes progressed, however, I came to realise that there was no chance the show would be taking that route. The perpetrator becomes bleeding obvious far too early on, so all that was left was to see Satoru’s progress in getting closer to them. I couldn’t help but feel that the writers of Erased were treating me, the viewer, like an idiot. Any ‘clues’ they start to throw your way are as subtle as taking a tyre iron to the head. This strange misdirection Erased put me through took me some time to assess and get over.

What I was left with when the show reached its final few episodes was some strange mess caught halfway between a mystery and a thriller, just floundering about and being below average at both genres. For a while there was enough in both respects to keep Erased entertaining. It seemed the less I knew about the overall picture that the more the show had me by the hook. But as it peels away the layers of the story guarding the identity of the culprit it tore away my emotional investment. There aren’t enough interwoven clues in the story to be deemed a rewarding mystery yet there is nowhere near enough tension to labelled a competent thriller. Is there at least some interesting character dynamics to cling on to? Not really. Because the characters at the centre of the conflict aren’t compelling – particularly the culprit – I didn’t find myself on the edge of my seat when I was clearly being prompted to. Erased is, essentially, a show with no identity.

Erased ultimately abandons its ‘mystery’ and spends far too long building up the relationship between Satoru and classmate Kayo Hinazuki in its place. In a rough defence of this, Kayo’s story at least does enough to keep the show watchable. Watching her outlook on the world shift thanks to the events of the show is somewhat satisfying. Aoi Yuuki (Madoka Kaname of Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica) is a good choice as Kayo’s voice actress, carrying across a certain bitterness and melancholy to the role of the downtrodden class member. Her arc at least did enough to get me invested in her character but the cast as a whole just didn’t reel me in. Kayo’s angle could only carry the overall story for so long, and it’s clear to see the pacing then kicks up into overdrive to compensate for the lost time. As much as I didn’t mind her screen time, Erased spends too much time making us care for Kayo when Satoru could have used a similar amount of attention. The character interactions suffer because Satoru’s at the centre of most of them. A negative mention must also go towards Kayo’s mother who was a laughably over-malicious character written that way just to stir the pot, looking at baiting an emotional response from the viewer with her abusive antics. The reasons for her behaviour are never explored and thus cheapens the attempt at generating empathy for Kayo.

The writing behind Satoru’s character is bizarre. For a 29-year-old he seems to lose a ton of emotional maturity upon being sent back to his 10-year-old body. On top of that, for someone attempting to play the detective, logic seems devoid from Satoru. He makes some unbelievable decisions throughout the course of the show that might have been excusable for a 10 or 11-year-old to make but not someone with two decades more life experience. It’s almost like the writers forgot to separate his mind from body when writing the scenes set in 1988. There actually isn’t much that’s memorable about Satoru’s character as a whole, whether it be his older or younger self. He’s a standard, cold main character that does nothing to leave an impression. We’re supposed to be following his story but it feels like we’re riding along the coattails of others.

It’s disappointing to see that the show’s writing doesn’t match up to its presentation. There’s a few good visuals utilised to help set the tone. There are some scenes that can even be called drop-dead gorgeous. It’s ultimately a wasted effort because a good script and interesting characters aren’t there to make use of it. The motivations of the perpetrator are glossed over to the point where I even questioned why on earth I even bothered to use my brain to try and search for the answer myself. The reasoning was so unsatisfying it actually made me angry, considering it was what set the entire series into action. I’m not a manga reader of the series but, from what I have discerned, the writers left a massive chunk of information out of this area. The best villains in fiction are flawed for reasons we can understand, when we are given reasons for their actions that we can dwell upon. If you come into Erased expecting something of that sort, then prepare to be left sorely disappointed.

After a first episode that got me hooked Erased began to stall, then ultimately collapse under the weight of all that it was trying to take on in the space of 12 episodes. No amount of decent visuals from A-1 Pictures could fix their clunky handling of the story, mostly forgettable cast and simply shambolic writing choices. Conveniences that lay around every corner go a long way to distracting me from any tension director Tomohiko Itou (Sword Art Online, Gin no Saji) was attempting to layer into the story. There always feels like a way out no matter how cornered or dangerous a situation seems to be. Satoru’s revival ability isn’t explored or explained in great detail, making itself useful at the most convenient of times. Many parts of the story feel irrelevant considering the conclusion the show arrives at. Erased seems like an appropriate title for a show that won't be hanging around in my memory for long.

Boku dake ga Inai Machi, also known as Erased, is a show that exploded in popularity at the start of 2016. When a show with this much popularity arrive on the scene, you can bet on the vast continuum of viewers out there. Some would hate the show with a passion, some would love the show with equal passion, and a lot of viewers in between. I am someone who, based on the score I’ve given, would be seen in the group of fans that loved it. Indeed, I have. Here are my thoughts of Erased, and it’s going to be a long one, folks.

To ... start with, I am a fan of time-travelling stories. And because I am well acquainted with time-travelling, I know the common pitfalls and problems people have with a show such as Erased. Yes, the mechanic of time-travelling is very flawed. Neither was the mechanic of time-travelling even explained in detail. I believe that’s the point. The goal of this anime isn’t about creating some kind of reasonable realistic time-travelling show. If you watch this show hoping that they will explain why our protagonist is giving the power to do so, you will be disappointed. Perhaps its original source material will eventually progress to that point, but it didn’t seem to be the core theme of the show.

Erased, to me, is a show about the hypothetical question of, “what would you do differently in your life if you had the choice?” Like the person who asks this question, the show is not interested in answering a completely different question of “how do you even make that possible?” The person mostly wants to know about your values, beliefs, past experiences, and where you would want to change if you had the choice. Erased, then, is focused on our main protagonist, Satoru Fujinuma, and how Satoru goes about answering this question. In this aspect, Erased is similar to the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The supernatural element of both fictions is there to emphasize the growth of characters and provide a means for these characters to look at themselves in a different light. Similarly, a recent movie “About Time” showed a very similar impression to Erased’s time-travelling mechanic. It was never explained in detail but used more as a plot device to highlight character development. A certain level of suspension of disbelief is needed when it comes to these shows. If you are going in this show with the wrong expectations such as comparing Erased to say, Steins;Gate, you will be very disappointed.

At the same time, Erased also isn’t entirely focused on the murder mystery. Much of the backdrop is indeed based on Satoru investigating and attempting to prevent a string of murders from ever happening, but it isn’t the main element that will stick with you after the series end. At its core, Erased is a character drama that let us see the mind of Satoru and the progress he makes, the hardships he endures, and how he develops from a rather indifferent and uncaring character at the beginning to an endearing character at the end.

At the beginning, we see a brief interaction with his mother Sachiko and see Satoru mildly annoyed that she is going to stay with him for a few days. We don’t really know what their relationship is like, but it seems there is distance between them. Toward the end, we have no question about what that relationship really is. We see Sachiko unconditionally care for Satoru and how much he means to her. We have no doubt that Satoru means the world for her, and how much she means to him. Compared to the beginning of the show, we know that Satoru’s views on family had changed. We also see Satoru opening up to other children and people, becoming more honest, learning and understanding about himself; to finally see him grow into a more complete and caring character. Near the end, we see a photo of Satoru with his friends, which set up a very neat comparison to his life in the beginning of the show.

Along the way, several themes related to the concept of family were explored. Satoru is raised in a single-mother home with a loving mom who’s a bit too good at knowing what he is thinking. Kayo Hinazuki, the main victim that Satoru felt obligated to save, is a girl who’s been consistently abused by her mother, also living in a single-mother home. The show examines what we typically take for granted in a family and shows a clear contrast between a loving parent and a despicable one. One of the most emotional scenes in the show was Kayo seeing a delicious breakfast meal made for her in Satoru’s home when quick flashbacks showed how poorly her mom treated her in the past. Parental abuse isn’t entirely a new concept in anime, but Erased explores it well on how characters would interact with each other and the small subtleties such as seeing a good meal for the first time.

Perhaps more importantly, Erased understands that issues do not occur in a vacuum. Kayo’s mother, despite being obviously one of the clear “villains” in this show, is shown to have been abused before and is clearly under some kind of substance abuse. As an empathetic viewer, I can see that even though she mistreated her daughter over and over again, I can’t really blame her entirely. Bad things happen to people, and it tends to spread quite easily. Of course, she was definitely in the wrong, but just a little of empathy goes out to her as well.

With that said, it becomes a bit puzzling that the same consideration was not made of the main antagonist. Several people have critiqued Erased’s pacing, specifically the latter third of the show. Little backstory was provided about the villain. Here, we see a similar problem akin to the time-travelling problems I discussed earlier. Erased treats the villain mostly as a plot device and a premise of the show rather than highlight any meaningful character development in said person. Much of the development is focused on Satoru, Sachiko, and Kayo, with some minor focus on Kenya and Airi. This problem, to me, appears to be a logistics issue outside the merit of the show itself. It seems 12-13 episode series had become all too common so our perception that the show felt rushed in the latter halves should at least be somewhat accurate. With a 12-13 episode limit, it would be hard to actually shed light on many character motivations, which definitely leaves some room for criticism and improvement.

Other criticisms are also quite valid. One common issue aside from time-travelling is a time skip that happens later on in the show. This is especially problematic because Erased seem to have forgotten that this event ever happened and fails to shed any light on what actually happened. Even for me, as someone who acknowledges that time-travelling is merely used as a plot device with its fair share of plot holes, this appeared to simply be a plot hole with no excuses attached.

Another issue was how obvious who the real antagonist was. The show doesn’t really show enough possibilities to leave us guessing. As a crime show, Erased lacks quite a bit in the area. We’re pretty sure who the antagonist is, even though the show tries to create doubt in its viewers. At some points, I truly wished the antagonist wasn’t this person, but with such a limited cast, it felt like the show had no other choice but this person to be the villain. And when this person is poorly introduced in their motives and background, it really would dampen your opinions on the show especially if you went in expecting an excellent crime drama. That said, Erased do excel in creating suspense in certain parts of the show. An obvious example is having the antagonist enter the same place that Kayo was currently placed. Again, this really isn’t a novel idea, but I haven’t felt real suspense in anime for quite a bit so it’s refreshing to have moments like these where you are at the edge of your seat on what will happen next.

Lastly, I want to bring another concern that I noted when watching this show. When it comes to characters, one particular character acts way, way wiser than what an elementary school child should be. This character’s role seemed like yet another plot device, or an exposition device. If a scenario got too awkward, this character would come in. If there is a burning question that the audience had in mind, this character would ask or answer. While it’s fine to have that element in the show, it asks a bit too much out of its viewers to suspend disbelief. We know why this character is here, but this character did not really fit how children are supposed to act and behave. That said, it’s not like really smart and wise children don’t exist... but this character appeared just a biiiit too mature for its viewers to suspend disbelief.

You might have realized I have not talked about the show’s animation, art or music. There isn’t much to be said in these departments. It’s all around quality material. A-1 is known to create decent artwork and animation, and the music can be spot on in its tender moments and suspenseful moments. The food looks delicious, the lighting is spot on, characters that only have like one dialogue looks unique enough, and there’s enough settings to please the eye.

In summary, I’ll say Erased excelled in creating a character drama where you can become wholly emotionally invested into its characters. I have cried on at least 3 occasions, probably because the topic of family is such a sensitive issue for me. Many viewers will be disappointed with Erased, either because time-travelling is poorly explained, the main antagonist being a bit too obvious, or that the latter parts of the series felt rushed. These are all legitimately valid criticisms and I appreciate the fanbase for dissecting this series. However, I believe the core theme of Erased is based on the complexity of family dynamics and character interactions of those involved. It highlights how bad parental abuse can be, and highlights just how difficult it is to actually try and stop what has been happening. It also highlights common themes we’ve loved about in anime: friendship, trust, and moral dilemmas on what we believe as right or wrong. In these aspects, Erased had well-crafted characters in Satoru, Sachiko, Kayo, and even some of its side characters.

As you can probably tell from the score and this long review, I enjoyed Erased immensely. I have described some of its flaws, but as we all probably heard this quote before: “Love isn't about finding a perfect person; it's seeing an imperfect person perfectly.” As I reiterate and this applies to all works of fiction: If you watch something with the wrong expectations, you will surely be disappointed. Despite Erased’s immense popularity, it definitely isn’t a show for everyone. It demands its viewers to suspend quite a bit of disbelief, which is perhaps asking a bit too much.

However, if you are open-minded and understood the main themes that Erased tried to get across, then hopefully you would or had enjoyed the series as much as I had.

Spoilers ahead!

Overall: 4/10
ERASED is the single most overrated anime I have ever come across. The fact that this is a 9.08/10 on MAL at the time of writing is unbelievable. Please completely disregard the reviewing credibility of those proclaiming this anime as a masterpiece and a 10/10 because it most definitely not.

Story: 3/10
This is the worst part about the show. The story was an absolute trainwreck that fails to be intriguing or interesting at any point. The mystery element of the show is absolutely dreadful as it was clear who was the killer from the start. This meant the suspense of the story ... was completely meaningless due to the fact that Yashiro was the only person that the show indicated the killer to be. It was the most obvious reveal for a poor excuse for a villain I have EVER seen. The last few episodes were also very anti climatic and rushed, with a last episode being the worst example of these problems.

Characters: 5/10
Now, the characters of ERASED aren't all that bad; but they're nothing special, either. I thought Satoru, Hinazuki and Satoru's mum were all decent characters, but I don't feel the same about any of the others. All of Satoru's friends were relatively uninteresting with no defining qualities and they remained quite one-dimensional throughout the story, blindly following Satoru in his quest to save children from loneliness with no real motives of their own.
Following this, Hinzauki's mother was the poorest character of them all, with her abuse of her daughter being justified through "oh she was a victim too". She also shows no motives for her abuse of Hinazuki but simply beats her as a plot device.
Yashiro is a close second to the worst character of the anime. The show spouted some mumbo jumbo shit expecting the viewers to buy the poor justification it gives to Yashiro's killing.

Sound: 7/10
I liked the OP and ED of the series and this was probably the aspect of the show I liked the most. The OP was riddled with imagery and meaningful aspects.

Art: 6/10
The art of the show was pretty average to be honest. I liked the style and some scenes had excellent use of colour but there were a few CGI shots that I felt to be out of place that detached me from the experience.

Enjoyment: 3/10
I looked forward to every episode of the show during the first 3 episodes but after that I started to easily notice the problems that the anime had and the lack of suspense in this "mystery" anime.

Well, now that Erased reviews are a dime a dozen, might as well add my two cents.
--Quick version:
The first thing to consider when reviewing Erased is what exactly is it good at?
The mystery?
No. The formula is taken straight from Scooby Doo, some people predicted the killer before the halfway point of the series.
And no, the red herrings don't make it any less predictable after they've been used multiple times already.
Well is it a good thriller then?
No. The predictability kills any thrills this show would've had.
Maybe it's a decent drama then?
Kinda...sorta...when they don't use pointless victimization by one-dimensional characters to make you feel bad for ... the cast, now that's some lazy writing.
Also the time travel is BS.
Nothing too great to watch.

--Full review: spoilers incoming.

-Presentation (visuals & sound)
Definitely the strongest part of the show.
Asian Kung-fu generation does a great job with the opening and the ending is almost as good.
The director clearly knows what he's doing with how he presents things, The film bars especially were a great addition.
I like how they present Satorus Internal dialogue and how he actually speaks differently at times.
Nothing looks out of place and I have nothing to complain about here.

-Story
And here's the weakest part of the show.
From the first episode it's clear that the story could be better, the first mistake was to make the MC, Satoru run from the police for no reason.
They actually explained the whole thing in the manga, and that shows that the whole thing is a pretty rushed adaptation.
The time travel makes no real sense, it works when it's convenient, it doesn't take butterfly effect into consideration and it always seems to transport Satoru to a safe location for no reason.
Also there doesn't seem to be any limitation to the time travel abilities, which is yet another reason why this show is just not very thrilling.
Something that also got stuck in my mind is how forced the drama can feel, this show has characters whose only job in the story is to victimize others.Lazy writing.
The killer's motives are also just...pointless...basically he does it because he likes it...I'm starting to think Scooby Doo actually had better writing.
Also the children in this anime actually seem smarter than most of the adults.
As I said before Having a mystery most people will be able to solve before the characters makes the mystery almost pointless from that point on.
The ending felt a bit comical and corny to me, but aside from that no real problems there.
I also have a couple of nitpicks about the show:
-Satoru doesn't know how seat belts work(you know what i mean).
-Some people have claimed that having a 20-something year old guy in his 10 year old body almost dating another 10 year old is creepy,
it didn't seem like that to me, aside from one scene where Hinazuki is taking a shower with Satoru's mom. That actually seemed a bit weird, why is that even there?

-Characters
Finally something I even have a few positive things to say about.
Satoru's mom is made to be a very compassionate person, maybe even overly so, but i can't complain because there's a real lack of decent parents in anime.
Most of the characters don't have that much personality behind them, but at least they're not cardboard cut outs.
Satoru himself is a very cynical MC, those have been very popular lately, he develops pretty much like you would expect.
So at least halfway decent main cast, but as I said before Some characters are just obviously evil and have no redeeming qualities.
The killer is also a completely uninteresting character.
Satoru's friends at least got a personality quirk or two.
And the pizza girl whoever she was felt like a pretty pointless character.

-Summary
The best thing I could compare this anime to is Mirai nikki, That one is also completely filled with plot holes and has a cool premise that doesn't really work out.
It's not a good watch if you want a mystery, it's not good as a thriller and it only kinda works as a drama.
At the very least it's presented nicely so it's easy to consume.
Unless you absolutely need to watch a Time travel Drama and can't just watch Steins;Gate again there's nothing here for you.
It's not like this is the worst thing ever but it was still a big waste of potential.
PS. can we all just collectively agree to never hype shit up again?

The Bystander Effect, when an individual fails to react appropriately to an emergency situation because of the presence of other people. This is the overlooked basis of Erased, which points out that Satoru's own apathy toward the people around him when he was a child as being the cause to his situation in the present. The "present" being one in which someone close to him has been brutally murdered, and he is now considered the likely suspect by authorities.

This apathy is not something exclusive to Satoru, it is a common in most people. Even when we see something that we consider alarming, we often overlook ... it in hopes that someone else will do something about it first. We don't want to break social norms or risk consequences of going out of our way. So while Satoru is our protagonist, it isn't about his negligence specifically but about how in classroom full of people, when the signs were all there that someone needed help, no one outstretched their hand.

Erased is not alone about Satoru and his group of friends learning that their actions, no matter how small, have far reaching consequences that can be positive ones. It is also about child abuse and how the system is setup in such a way that children often can't get the help that they need even when authorities are alerted. This series isn't content to be entertainment; it's a social commentary on how small acts of kindness and inclusion can save lives.

Most people reviewing and watching seem to misconstrue this for a whodunnit suspense series, but this isn't Scooby Doo. Erased is not asking you to search for the culprit, which is why the "big reveal" left many dissatisfied. It puts the victims in the spotlight where the media has taught us to ignore their stories. We learn about Kayo, we watch her bond with Satoru and we come to care about her. For us and for Satoru, it is no longer about saving the present where he is 29 years old; it is about saving the past where a person in front of him that he has come to care about is in very real danger of being a victim. The reveal is meant to have impact because of what it does to Satoru, not because it's supposed to be a shock to the viewer.

The story of Erased is not one that is particularly new and inventive with its mechanics, we have seen time travel in many series before that have scored high ratings. Its creativity lies in its presentation of the material. The series presents itself as a gripping mystery, building suspense and momentum every episode. We begin with a murder in the first episode that reels in the viewer. From there, the pacing in each episode is such that the tension just continues to build and we end almost every one with a cliffhanger that keeps the viewer wanting to watch more.

While the emphasis is not intended to be on the revelation of the Big Bad, Erased does do quite a clever job of misleading the viewer into thinking so and becoming invested. This deception has to be intentional, because were it not, then Erased would be one of the worst murder mysteries in the history of anime. Given how well it portrays child abuse and stresses the message of believing in and supporting other people, it seems difficult to think the author simply got lazy with the mystery of the series.

That said, the explanations provided for the villain's motive feel insubstantial as a viewer. This could be intentional on part of the anime creators because, ultimately, truly evil people do not have "motives." Their minds work on a different level than most peoples and their actions tend to be incomprehensible to us. That said, they still have their own rationale that they are working with and while we may not understand it, it is something we can analyze. In the manga this was detailed better than the anime, and its absence is felt even if one could argue that there wasn't enough time to add it in.

Erased has a symbolic opening and ending, although the depth of meaning of both of these songs may be lost on an English-only speaking audience. I would recommend looking up translations of these lyrics because it may give you a better appreciation for how well they set the tone of the series. The opening especially encompasses Satoru's conflicting emotions, particularly his guilt and frustration at not realizing what he had around him until it was already gone.

The series has appropriate music to the set the tone for each scene. It knows when to cut the music because sometimes silence can carry enough impact on its own. That said, on the whole, the soundtrack isn't particularly memorable outside of its opening and closing.

The voice cast features primarily experienced seiyuu that support two new rookies, both of whom voice Satoru. Mitsushima Shinnosuke voices an older Satoru while Tsuchiya Tao voices his younger self. The two of them do an amazing job for being put in such a demanding role. While there are moments where their lack of experience shows, it rarely detracts from the emotion and depth of the character they portray.

The animation for Erased is superb, because the director purposefully tailored the characters to look much softer in comparison to their manga counterparts. The lines are not as sharp, because he wanted to give a more inviting atmosphere to the viewer especially seeing the children on screen. This was the perfect choice because it really immerses the viewer in the world and invites a positive, naive perception that falls in line with how the children see the world. The added effect of the video reel borders in the flashback give an added distinct feel to how Satoru views the world, specifically in regards to his "revivals." All throughout the anime there are small details like these that go unnoticed by the viewer because they are added in so seamlessly.

For all the praise I have delivered to multiple facets on the series, my enjoyment if probably less than I would rate any other category. It isn't to say that I didn't love the series on the whole because I did. However, like everyone else, although I could appreciate the reason why the focus was not on the unveiling of the antagonist, the series setup my expectations for it. I went in and was reeled in again and again every week, waiting for the inevitable twist that I trusted the show to deliver. It was predictable and fell short, and whether that was purposeful or not, I walk away feeling a little betrayed by the expectations the show setup for me.

That said, I still really appreciate the depth that Erased brought with its plot and with its characters. It masqueraded as one thing only to surprise us and be something entirely different. At the end, the message was something that was so obvious that most of us probably missed it. At any point in our lives we may see someone in need of help, and without thinking we may dismiss the option to give that person a hand on the basis that surely someone else will help them. The problem with that thinking is that other people will fall into the same line of thinking. Then who will help those in need? So ultimately, it's about paying more attention to small interactions that could change another person's life. Erased reminds us that both small and large acts of kindness can be the difference in saving someone's life.

Hype can be a fickle thing when it comes to seasonal anime. At first it allows fans to get excited and anxious for the next episode, but majority of the time it ends up with many feeling somewhat disappointed with what they had been watching. This can be attributed to the fact that only one episode is released per week, and this week-long wait between episodes is a breeding ground for die-hard fans to praise a show as one of the best anime after only having seen a couple episodes. You only have to see the ‘Top Anime List’ on MAL to see that whenever ... you’re reading this, there’s probably at least one show currently airing that snuck its way onto the list, only to slowly drop off once hype dies down and reality sets in. At one point I was a victim of this mentality, but now after experiencing disappointment as a result, I see hyping up a show like this as asinine, often leading to impairments in judgement. Erased, a Winter 2016 anime produced by A1 Pictures is one of the best examples of this: before the halfway point of its runtime, Erased had managed to capture the #4 spot on MAL’s Top Anime List, a feat I have never seen any other weekly seasonal anime do. And as I am writing this it isn’t even in the Top 50 anymore, with many of its top reviews being negative; truly a fall from grace. So, looking back at show over a year since it ended, here are my thoughts on Erased:

*EDIT: SPOILERS ABOUND, BEWARE IF YOU LIVE UNDER A ROCK AND SOMEHOW HAVE NOT WATCHED THE SHOW YET*

The story of Erased follows Satoru Fujinuma, a struggling manga artist in his twenties living a rather dour life, having to work a pizza delivery day job to make ends meet. However, Satoru has a supernatural ability called ‘Revival’ that causes him to travel back through his own time, usually only by a couple minutes, allowing him to stop any accidents or disasters nearby. The catch is that Satoru’s time-travel ability works out of his control, being the setup for the premise of Erased. By the end of the first episode Satoru finds his mother murdered at his house, and is quickly framed as the prime suspect. This chain of events causes Revival to activate, sending Satoru 18 years into the past and back to his 10-year-old child self. Seeing this as a sign, Satoru uses this opportunity to prevent the abduction and murder of three young students at the hands of a serial killer, starting with the first victim, Kayo Hinazuki. The premise alone is nothing special and somewhat contrived from the start, but the way it is presented through great visual direction along with setting up an important mystery element in the murderer/serial killer leaves viewers eager to see how things will unfold.

Episodes 2-4 are what I consider to be the highlight of the entire show. It’s in these episodes where we see Satoru attempt to save Kayo’s fate through befriending her when no one else would. Kayo is cold towards everyone due to domestic abuse from her mother and her overall troubled life at home, so it’s no surprise that she does not care about Satoru’s attempts at friendship initially, but Satoru remains committed and continues to pursue her. The process takes some time but she slowly opens up to Satoru and sees him more like a real friend as time goes on. The 4th episode also leaves us with a cliff-hanger regarding Kayo’s safety; was Satoru successful in stopping Kayo’s fate? Or was all his effort still not enough to change the past? The character interactions, atmosphere and overall direction all worked well here, drawing more viewers into the world, the relationship between the two leads and Satoru’s goal. The supporting characters also get some shine on screen, with Satoru’s mother Sachiko and his teacher Gaku slowly getting more involved in the main plotline, as well as his friend Kenya who seemed to know more about the story than what a boy his age should have. Characters still need more development, questions still need answering and they could use some more exploration overall but from the great setup so far, it’s not surprising that fans were excited for the series and what would happen next. Sadly, this was the highlight of the show, meaning what would happen next would be when the series starts to fall.

It’s revealed in episode 5 that Kayo did in fact go missing, and Satoru having failed to change the past is brought back to his own time, still under suspicion of Sachiko’s murder and goes into hiding. He encounters Aira, his co-worker who believes him to be innocent and allows him to stay at her place. Aira was on screen with Satoru before the time-skip, even admiring him after seeing him save a child from being hit by a truck, but it’s here where her overall character is explored and, unfortunately, there’s not much to go into. Airi and Satoru have a conversation about how she can trust him and she reveals how her parents divorced over the theft of a chocolate bar, this being one of the dumber explanations in the show overall. Regardless, from using that awful example she states how she has conflicting thoughts when it comes to believing in people and their motives. This could have been an interesting concept if explored into, but that never happens, and that seems to be a common nuance I have with the show overall. It has these interesting concepts and elements that could have the series more interesting and deep, but they all end up being undeveloped, underwhelming and a waste of potential.

The writing only gets worse from here. Satoru activates Revival through sheer willpower and reverts back to his child form soon after he is found and arrested by police, and with this second chance he intends to do everything he can to stop Kayo from being kidnapped. His actions go so far as to ‘abduct’ her himself and attempting to murder her mother. Both of these actions are pretty ridiculous, especially when you consider that it’s a 29 year old man that’s doing this, not a child. Eventually he returns her to her mother, who reacts violently towards Satoru and Sachiko, going so far as to try and kill Sachiko with a shovel. Now it is obvious that Kayo’s mother is a loon that needs more than just counselling, but I find it annoying how she was previously shown to have gone through all the trouble of making sure her abuse wasn’t noticeable, given that she was shown to have almost struck her daughter while in the company of other people. Through poor writing as the plot progressed, she proved to only be a one-dimensional villain; a mere caricature that ultimately holds no merits. Unfortunately, she’s not the only one who turns out like this.

It is at this point where I see the story start to turn into shambles. Because of her mother’s actions, Kayo moves away to live with her grandmother and away from Satoru, and with that subplot finished, Satoru begins on working to save the lives of the other two abductees. So far the show was loved by many at this point because of the progression of Satoru and Kayo’s relationship and their individual development; Kayo learning to open up to others and Satoru never giving up on others. It was a cute friendship with hints of romance that swooned the anime community with its cute charm and visual guise. So when one half had left the show, it made many viewers feel like their investment had been somewhat wasted, myself included. However, there are more problems that stem from this change of focus, mainly in regards to the characters. The other two victims are Hiromi Sugita, one of his classmates, and Aya Nakanishi, a student from a neighbouring school and viewers learn next to nothing about either character. While Kayo was never the pinnacle of character development by any means, she mattered so much more to the overarching plot than Hiromi and Aya. It is so obvious that they are nothing more than replaceable characters to make Satoru look more heroic and likeable. Other supporting characters are also left lacklustre, with much of their rationale turning out to be, ironically, irrational. Kenya, one of Satoru’s classmates, is perhaps the biggest example of this, seeming to be a character that was far more intelligent than he initially led on. But he just ended up getting shafted by poor writing, like most of the other characters in the show. The best character by far is Sachiko, and the reason why is because all of her actions are completely logical as well as the fact that beyond episode 1, she is never really explored, thus never even having the chance to get screwed up unlike everyone else.

But there is one character that stands out from the rest by just how awful he was utilized, and that is the real culprit; the man that abducted Kayo 18 years ago, and in present-time killed Sachiko. That man was revealed to be none other than Gaku Yashiro, Satoru’s homeroom teacher. This revelation is made in episode 10 to Satoru minutes before his apparent death by being trapped in a frozen lake. This moment had any sense of shock or suspense completely absent because no one who watched this show was even surprised! The killer’s identity is so obvious that it destroys any element of mystery – which it was initially marketed as – and does not help the show in any possible way. It only takes a couple episodes to figure out who the killer is with the blatant foreshadowing, and even if by some chance you don’t realise it then, it’s simple process of elimination. Just ask yourself “Which characters look like the killer?” and there’s probably only one person that comes up. Another issue I have with the character is how he is presented as a mastermind for half the show, seemingly omnipresent and always throwing the blame to someone else. But towards the end, he turns into this incompetent idiot so drastically that it’s laughable. Gaku being caught as the killer is also incredibly stupid to the point where you legitimately cannot take the series seriously anymore. It’s as if his entire development jumped off a building ala Satoru in the last episode. Terrible

Matter of fact, the entire ending is terrible and leaves a sour taste in the mouths of even the most die-hard fans. From the lead up with Satoru being in a coma for 15 years, to the final moment where Satoru and Airi meet again, it is all so contrived and full of plot holes that makes me wonder just what the original writer was thinking. Satoru becoming a successful manga artist afterwards because he ‘found himself’? I call bullshit! It left so many questions unanswered and decided to go for a “happy ending” than anything realistic, sacrificing what was left of any good writing and revealing its true colours as a show that at its core, was just emotionally manipulative. Its comparable to a slap in the face to those who wanted to know more about the world and the people in it, but perhaps the biggest problem I had most of all was how it completely ditched the concept of Revival.

The very first thing that intrigued me about this show was the Revival ability. While I did care about other features of the show later on, I was always thinking about the concept of it and how it could be explained. Time travel is in no way a new concept when it comes to anime, and the notion for it in this case seemed to just be a simple plot device to move the narrative along, but with time, effort and proper focus, could have developed into something more substantial. But as the show went on, the potential for this slowly dwindled down to false hope. At first, Revival only activates when an accident happens nearby, but on the fourth reset he was able to trigger it by yelling “Go Back!” with no accidents nearby him (of course, this had to happen the minute after the police had found him). And then they have the audacity to say Revival no longer activates once the real culprit is caught. What was even the point? The time resets were only used when it was convenient with all kinds of ways to trigger them, losing any sense of consistency by the end.

When it comes to the visuals, Erased is consistently good with some breakout scenes here and there. The animation was done by A1 Pictures, a studio well known for their shows having a similar art style and while I can see many similarities to shows like Sword Art Online and GATE, Erased’s style feels more refined and unique. This is probably due to how the show tries to go for a more cinematic look; the animation techniques used really helped to intensify the plot and overall atmosphere. It has the kind of visual look similar to that of Mamoru Hosoda films, a kind of spectacle uncommon among the medium. The way Erased was also able to present character emotions, specifically Satoru’s internal conflict is certainly commendable; the kind of detail that is rarely seen in anime. However I do think the overall animation is somewhat overrated when it comes to symbolism. Both their handling and utilization of ‘red is dead’ and spider threads was glaring, almost transparent when attributed to the grounded storytelling the show bears. When these literary devices are dumbed down so much, it should not be praised. Spoon feeding symbolism to viewers like they are all children is just lazy.

Thankfully, Erased does manage to excel when it comes to its music. The soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura, known for her great work on the music from Sword Art Online and Fate/Zero, but here her work feels somewhat unimpressive. Many of the tracks complement the variety of scenes they are in, but overall are fairly typical and generic, with one OST in particularly – Only I Am Missing – sounding more like a classic Ghibli track than otherwise. The OP and ED however, were definite standouts, with Re:Re being an upbeat catchy opening that was never skipped and the ending fitting the mellow undertones quite well. Both were well crafted and made the experience more enjoyable. The English dub overall was well done, with extra compliments for having Satoru sound the least anime-like of all the characters; a rare yet wise decision from the director. Not only was this choice helpful in making the story feel more special, but also helped make Satoru a more likeable and relatable protagonist. The sound effects were the most admirable part of the entire show, as throughout all 12 episodes it has some of the most technically proficient use of basic sound that A1 Pictures has ever produced: from the footsteps in the snow to the whistling wind. These little things made the most impact in my opinion as it further immersed myself into the story and overall experience.

And thus, these are my thoughts on Erased. It set the standard quite high in the beginning, but this turned out to do more harm than good in the long run. I would still recommend the show as it is an enjoyable watch and tells a heart-warming tale of a man trying to save those he lost in the past. But that in no way correlates to a good show. For every aspect about how visually stunning the show is, lies a handful of issues and problems in the writing. And when it slowly exposed these flaws it was as if the show was a snowball rolling down a hill, gradually picking up more plot holes and contrivances overall. But when it hits the ground, it breaks apart under its own weight, leaving hunks of snow in its place. Children still play with what is left, until it slowly vanishes and disappears from the ground. They’re all sad the snow has left but only for a short time, as they all see right on the horizon another snowball starting to make its way down the hill. And just in time for the next season too.

Man, the amount of negativity the director is getting is insane...You guys do realize that the director is the reason why ERASED got an anime adaptation right? That's usually the producer's (Aniplex and Kadokawa) job, not the director. He basically convinced Aniplex and Kadokawa to produce an anime adaptation but they only gave him and A-1 Pictures 12 episodes. I honestly believe the hate towards him is unjustified and it's obvious he tried his best to fit everything in 12 episodes. He probably wanted this series to be 2 cour because no one is dumb enough to adapt a manga with 44 chapters in 12 ... episodes. Anyways, I'll explain somewhere below why I gave this show with a score of 9.

(There will be SPOILERS in my review)

[Story]: (8/10)
29 years old struggling manga author Satoru Fujinuma has a special ability. He can prevent someone's death or catastrophe by being sent back in time before the incident occurs. One day, he was framed and his ability sent him back in time to when he was a grade schooler a month before his fellow classmate Kayo Hinazuki went missing. Satoru now embarks on a new quest to save Sayo and solve the mystery behind her disappearance.

When I first heard about this series back in January, I didn't really care about this series that much. I mean, Mystery/Thriller and A-1 Pictures does not go well together. When I finally decided to go and watch the first episode, I was intrigued but it wasn't until the 2nd episode where the show pulled me in like I was stuck on a fish bait. Amazing premise, elementary school setting but has a mature theme, great character interactions and of course, that phenomenal "Park scene". The Park Scene where Satoru confronted Kayo is the main reason why I fell in love with the show. Basically, it showed Satoru and Kayo's bond building and growing perfectly accompanied with one of the best cinematography in the anime industry that I have ever seen and clever use of imagery which made the scene more impactful. I was surprised considering the fact that this series was being directed by Itou Tomohiko, who is by the way, the same director as Sword Art Online. Going back to the first episode, they did a great job getting right to the action. They didn't take a very long time explaining who the main protagonist is, how his ability works, and etc. while at the same time keeping a steady pace.

I'm a big fan of time travel like "S;G" and also a big fan of mysteries like "Hyouka" and ERASED has both elements. I'm very strict when it comes to time travelling and since I'm very strict, I would have docked a shit ton of points from ERASED because they never explained where he got his ability from and how the world is being affected with the use of his ability. Hell, they never even explained why he and only he has the ability and not someone else. "I would" if this was a sci-fi show except it's not. The whole point of this show is the murder mystery and not the time travel itself. Besides, KEY's anime does the exact same thing. Remember Little Busters: Refrain and Clannad: After Story? Characters can somehow time travel back in time to fix whatever they need to fix and we (and also I) don't have a problem with that. Since I'm not a hypocrite, I also don't have a problem with ERASED not explaining how the MC got the ability. I only have one problem with ERASED's time travel though and it's the scene where he was able to use his ability when he wasn't even able to do so. Didn't the first episode say that his ability is activated when someone is about to die? Then how the hell was he able to use his ability at the time he got arrested? Seems to me that his ability was activated for the sake of plot.

Though, for the most part, the time travel aspect of the show is used fairly well and I don't think it failed on that aspect. Now to talk about the mystery and how well did the staff handle the mystery. Answer? Decent but not great..They dropped way too many hints in this show which is a big no-no in a mystery show. Like who is this show targeted for? Dumb ass little kids? They dropped a hint in Ep. 3, they dropped another one in Ep, 5, and another one in Ep. 6 and another one in the future episodes. Hell, the killer was spoiled in the OP. Honestly, they could have taken out like 75% of the hints. I mean, the teacher became so suspicious to me because of the cliffhanger in Ep. 6. To make things short, the reveal was quite predictable and they probably could have done a better job hiding and not revealing too much hints. The show did try to steer the viewer's eyes away from the teacher at times. Like how there were times where I thought Kenya would be the killer or maybe Jun.

Even though the reveal was quite predictable, I was still heavily engaged because watching Saturo figuring out who the killer is and doing everything he can to save Hinazuki was entertaining and it never got boring...at all! Every time a new episode comes out every week, I would ready my pop and chips and lock my room with my lights turned off. I have only done that 5 times in my life which proves how much I enjoyed ERASED. I would always be on the edge of my seat and once the episode ends, I would curse the show for its effective use of cliffhanger. Based on what I’ve just said, that should tell you that the show did an outstanding job on the “Thriller” element which should also explain why there are so many hints in the show which made the killer somewhat predictable. Do you really think A-1 Pictures is that bad at hiding the killer? In an interview with Crunchyroll, the director did intend ERASED to be a “Thriller” show rather than a mystery. Now you know why I rated this show with a score of 9?

Another reason why I love this show is the emotional and dramatic elements in this show. A-1 Pictures is the master of melodramatic animes and I'm not really a big fan of melodramatic scenes. Thank God, that wasn't the case here. ERASED has a right amount of drama, whether that's Kayo crying when she ate breakfast with Satoru and his mother or Airi explaining why she's helping Satoru out. The emotional scenes worked because the characters have been given enough development to make me care for them. I was so invested in Kayo that when she cried during that breakfast scene, I knew how she felt and I knew why she was crying. I gotta admit, I also cried a little and there were legit tears in my eyes. Moving on, I now want to talk about the pacing and the ending.

If you have watched an A-1 Pictures before and I'm sure you have at least watched one, you know that A-1 Pictures does not have a good track record with their pacing. Their show either ends up as a messy rushed adaptation or a painful boring slow ass adaptation. So does ERASED fall in the former or the latter? I'd say it's in the middle. A-1 Pictures adapted a manga that has 44 chapters and they tried to do so in 12 episodes. The first half of the show had a perfect pacing. It didn't go too slow nor did it go too fast. However, in the second half of the show, the pacing started to sped up which wasn't a surprise. Here's what I found surprising though, the final episode's pacing wasn't too rushed. I mean, it was still somewhat rushed but not as rushed as Charlotte, which had a messy and very rushed ending. Even though ERASED's ending was somewhat rushed, it was still a satisfying ending for me.
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[ERASED's effective use of its title]
"Boke dake ga Inai Machi" or in English "The Town Where Only I Am Missing" is a very smart and genius title and very impactful once you know what it means. Just like "Your Lie in April", the ending pretty much explain what the title means. Like seriously, I thought the title referred referred to Kayo disappearing but I was so wrong. "The Town where only I am missing" is about Satoru sacrificing himself for 15 years to bring his friends happiness. He gave them peace and happiness but he wasn't there because he was in a coma. He was "missing" in a "town"that he lived in. Boke dake ga Inai Machi wasn't Kayo's story. It was her essay that was shown in Ep. 2 called "Watashi Dake ga Inai Machi". We all know the story. She wanted to go to a faraway island so she doesn't get hurt anymore. If you look at the story from another standpoint, she's no longer being abused by her mother and has gained her freedom because she's dead. She's no longer part of the town. I've already said it and I wanted to say it again, both the title of the show and the essay are genius.
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[Art/Animation]: (9/10)
Each season, A-1 Pictures produces a lot of shows per season so their animation quality is either decent or great. For this show, it falls on the latter. The thing is, they couldn't keep the animation quality consistent. Especially the character designs. In the first half, they looked great but in the second half, I kind of noticed a decrease in quality. The decrease is not that big though so don't think that the animation will suddenly turn into Shinsekai yori.
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[Sound]: (10/10)
Serious question..Does ERASED have the same composer as SAO? If you listen to the background theme used in emotional scenes, it sounds exactly the same as the one used in SAO II Mother's Rosario's emotional scenes and I'm sure I'm not going crazy because there were at least 2 other people who said the exact same thing. Either way, I really don't care if the theme is recycled because it's a great theme to begin with. Now the OP and ED theme song(s).

The OP theme song is Re: Re: by Asian Kung Fu Generation and the ED theme song is #2: "Sore wa Chiisana Hikari no Youna" by Sayuri. This should explain why I gave the "Sound" section a perfect score of 10. It's a rarity in anime these days to both have a perfect OP and ED theme song but ERASED managed to do just that. The OP theme song is great and syncs perfectly with the OP Animation and honestly, I love the ED theme song because of Sayuri and the fact that it gives me chills every time I listen to it.
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[Characters]: (9/10)
I have stated this in a forum post before..The characters are the second reason why I really REALLY enjoyed ERASED. The character's maturity and their unique, likable and believable personalities are the reasons why I enjoyed ERASED. So what makes these characters great? Let's find out..

First, we have Saturo Fujinuma, a depressed 29 year old manga author who regrets the actions that he did in the past. In the original timeline, He regrets not doing anything to save a lonely classmate who always hanged around the park. He could have done something but he didn't. Deep down inside though, he cares about her and now that he's ability sent him back to when he was an elementary schooler, he can now prove that he cares by saving a certain classmate. When Satoru was sent back as a kid, I thought he was going to be an immature and annoying little shit but he retained his adult personality. I love his character because the fact that he's doing everything in his power to save Kayo and his mother shows how much of a compassionate and caring character he is.

Next up is Kayo Hinazuki, a character that made ERASED a very strong show in the first and early second half. You know, instead of making every kid character in the anime a loli just to satisfy the pedophiles, Oh, I mean a "lolicon" because there's a clear "difference" between the two, why not make a kid character that you can have legit emotions to and not those creepy "pedophilia" emotions. The horrible shit that she went through, the way she's trying to cope with her current situation and her personality because of what she went through makes her a much more believable character. Ever since that Powerful "Park Scene" in Episode 2, a range of emotions that I got from her is surreal. I felt pity for her, I felt sympathetic for her, I felt as though I want to protect her from a certain person who beats the crap out of her and she even made me cry. It's pretty sad that the chances of me seeing a well-written character who manages to steal tears inside my eye and a dark and well-written backstory is very low.

Then there's Sachiko Fujinuma, a mother of Satoru. Sachiko is easily a mother of the year for me. I have been saying that for like 3 months right now and I still stand by my statement, despite her big lips which would made A-1 Pictures a bunch of racist chinks if she were black. Anyways.... The way she takes care of Satoru, the way she shows how much love she has for Satoru and how much support that she gives to his own son is really intriguing. She reminds me of my own mother which is one of the reasons why I love her.

Since I won't be talking about every characters in the series, I'll skip right to one of my favourite characters in the series Airi Katagiri. She's a teenager but that's not the reason why I like her character. It's the fact that she's a mature teenager is the reason why I like her character. Wow..an anime with a mature teenager?! The chances of me seeing a mature teenager like Airi is the same as me getting struck by lighting twice in a same spot. She has a likable personality and she's not an annoying teen character unlike most anime teenagers today who are all a bunch of violent tsunderes or some snotty rich kid who likes to show off. Airi helping Satoru out and believing in him may seem random at first but it's backed up by her backstory which might seem like a ridiculous backstory to some but not to me. You know, if I get the chance to interview the director of this show, this is the first thing I'll ask him.."Do you hate Airi that much?". Like this the only problem I have with Airi's character. She just didn't get enough screen time.

Also, whoever supports the Satoru x Airi ship are a bunch of sick f*cks. Though, I don't blame them because of what Kayo did.
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[Enjoyment]: (9/10)
Watching ERASED for 3 months while it was airing was a very fun ride. Everytime I get home from work in Tuesdays, I would always load up the FUNimation or Crunchyroll website and just sit, relax, and watch ERASED for 24 mins. That has been part of my routine for the past 3 months and I'm bummed out that I won't ever get to do that again anytime soon
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[VERDICT]
ERASED may not be a masterpiece due to some flaws that cannot be simply ignored but it is one of the best anime shows I have seen. ERASED has a mature theme, the way A-1 Pictures handled the emotional scenes is simply perfect and is probably the strongest element that ERASED has, believable characters with great personalities, no fanservice and of course, the "Thriller" aspect of the show was really well done. Now that the show has finished airing, I won't be able to do something like locking myself in the room and watching an exciting Seasonal Anime until the Summer of 2016 because next season is full of uninteresting shounen animes.

[OVERALL]: (8.9/10)


Pros:
+Great Story
+The "Thriller" element of the show was very well-done plus effective use of cliffhangers
+Powerful "Park Scene (Ep. 2)" with outstanding cinematography
+Great Animation
+Outstanding Soundtrack
+Outstanding OP and ED theme song(s)
+Perfect pacing in the first half of the show
+ERASED's number 1 strength is its emotional scenes
+Mature and Believable Characters

Cons:
-Mystery aspect of the show was not the greatest
-Pacing issues in the 2nd half
-Slightly Rushed Ending
-Airi did not get enough screen time