Boku dake ga Inai Machi is a pretty outstanding anime in terms of the originality of the plot and the progression of the story. It's not a lazy anime, so nor should its viewers be. This series progresses in a very realistic and measured manner. despite some minor flaws, all in all, it boasts a maturity and clarity that few animes in recent seasons have been able to deliver.
Story: 10/10 (for what it is)
Erased is not a series that unfolds on a cosmic level, the reach of the protagonists powers is small and thus imbues a sense of reality and care that many animes don't nowadays. I'll make this short; if you're almost exclusively a fan of cheap panty shots, sloppily pieced together plots, and campy harems, you probably will not like this, most likely due to a lack of understanding. If you're not a fan of sentimentality, you probably will like it for its art and clarity, but probably won't be giving this a 10/10.
This story isn't clever beyond belief, but it's intricate and well-paced. The MC has an ability to time travel, but solely altruistically, he cannot change his life, but rather his abilities allow him the privilege (or burden) to save the lives of others, or to stop evil befalling onto innocent people. He uses this power to go back in time to stop an event that defined his childhood, and the childhoods of his classmates at the time.
The story is sweet, simple and well executed. It's not saccharine in its development, but I must say, though it may not be exactly what the viewer wanted or expected, the ending is satisfying.
Art: 9/10
The art style is simple, elegant and DETAILED! even in scenes when there is only dialogue, there is a continuous movement! The background scenes have life in them. they aren't just lazy 2D placeholders, the design elements in this series are almost flawless, watching anything after this will open your eyes to the countless corners that are cut to pump out a lot of the banal animes you see now. Erased is a benchmark for high production value.
Characters: 8/10
The characters are fleshed out and believable, our MC goes through considerable change during the series, and by episode 12 his outlook on life has taken a total 180 (in the most positive sense)
TL;DR: if you want something that is captivating in every sense, watch this anime! It's fun, sweet, tear wrenching and clever in a way that doesn't ask much of the viewer, all it begs of you is that you sit back and watch the story unfold. This is a definite 10/10 that'll leave you searching for something to fill the hole it'll leave once it's done.
