Boku dake ga Inai Machi

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!

[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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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

This anime is just perfect. I really feel sad about the many negative reviews that this anime receives because of the fact that the main character doesn't use his power often. It's true that he uses it 2 or 3 times along the story, however these people who wrote that reviews don't realize that he always use his power in the crucial moments, such as he gets arrested. It's true that it is a great power, but it's also true that that power is not necessary to abuse of it so that become the anime more enjoyable, its already entertaining :p. It ... seems like the creators decided to focus more on the past instead the present to change the future. I think that focus was really necessary because in Satoru's present there was an awkward situation with the issues of the persecution, the unknown causes of the deaths of the girls, etc. All of this gets arranged with the acts that were carried out by Satoru in the past, without using his power. Despite the issue of the power, let's talk about the cast of this anime. Overall it seems to me improvable. There are situations where the personalities os some characters may become a little strange, for example the attitude of Kenya on the early days when Satoru reaches the past. Another thing that I loved on this anime was the way in which the creators managed to transmit the feelings of the character to the viewers. At least on my case I felt every tense situation that Satoru lived along the story. From the beginning to the end.

CHARACTERS: 8

As I said the cast of this anime could be inprovable, anyway the character development is very good as the story progresses. The fact of the time travel that happen to Satoru, let us know more about him and the others characters. We discover his fears, his likes, etc. All the characters that are presented both in the past and in the future are very good, above all, the murderer and the mother of Satoru.

STORY: 10

The story begins very strong, however there's a decrease since the seventh episode. That decrease is fixed as Satoru started to arrange the problems of the present, such as the case of Kayo. Besides it has much merit the fact of developing a good story between two times without breaking the plot or the story.

In conclusion, I really recommend this anime to all of those who love the seinen animes, the animes that have nice stories and animes that trasmit feelings.

Thank you very much for reading my review and I hope that it could assist you ;)

Past, Present and Future is a juggling act when you want to change something huh Satoru?

Ok first thing is first, hello hype train, this anime is riding it and you know what it actually deserves it for a decent amount of time, it had a compelling mystery with time travel elements that do heightened the paranoia and intensity of the entire ordeal of Satoru and him going back to the past.

If you haven't already guessed LA liked this series, be it the hype train or not, let LA like and watch a good anime series if LA wants to. LA has liked time travel ... in media for quite a while and this won't be an exception coupled with a rather compelling mystery and LA's paranoia on this anime going through the roof which is something this anime does right.

The characters by all means have lots of development especially from our main protagonist Satoru but as well as most of the other cast members and they are mostly all important, LA says this as LA looked at the characters as this, they can easily be allies or traitorous people towards Satoru thus making the paranoia LA have gotten effective enough to drive the mystery. In any case, LA rather thought most of the cast were fleshed out from both trying to help Satoru and the undefined amount of paranoia towards them making them memorable.

There are ''some'' flaws within this anime however one which will be the typical time travel paradoxes here and there and some pacing issues does occur and the lead up to the ending makes it rather predictable. On speaking of which the ending did satisfy LA due to resolving the story going full circle and although it isn't as climactic as the reveal of the killer, the ending did not disappoint LA.

The animation by A-1 Pictures have a rather high quality throughout which is baffling from the previous ''The Asterisk War'', BUUT for Boku dake ga Inai Machi, LA won't complain A-1 Pictures, you did quite excellent in terms of animation.

Boku dake ga Inai Machi is a compelling mystery, with solid characters and plot developments and sure it has it's flaws but so does MOST media, but considering this is LA's review, what did LA really think about this anime?, it was great and it's mystery was one of it's best parts of it as LA was both paranoid and wanted to find out the mystery, coupled with some great character development and an interesting premise.

Just finished airing, and now for the complete review.

The pros.
This ERASED anime, is something definitely refreshing. Got strong element of feels, a great change of personality, wanting to protect someone, this anime is a great embodiment for slice of life. The feeling of being lonely depicted in this anime feels really familiar to real life. The horror and mystery, either waiting or preventing something bad or good to happen, this anime deliver both of them perfectly. Throughout the show, never once feels lacking.

The cons.
The ending might be just right for most viewer, but for me, one piece is still a mystery that the ending just ... feels not much of an enclosure, could've used 2 or 3 cuts more to perfect it. The director might just left it as it is, either for a second season, if that's happening, then it would be a really far-stretched story that it's better not being produced at all. Or they just think it's the complete and perfect enclosure, or just follow the original story from novel/manga/game, etc...

Conclusion.
This is a great, if not perfect Slice of Life anime. Definitely A Must Watch.

ERASED is a suspense/thriller wrapped in a character drama with elements of mystery sprinkled throughout. That's a mouthful! But it is this level of complexity that I believe elevates ERASED above a lot of other anime, and Tomohiko Itou really did a marvellous job directing this show into a wonderful adaptation. Allow me to elaborate.

Too often of late in anime, studios are falling back onto fan-service pandering, questionably aged lolis, and read-the-manga endings to try and push more sales. Rarely exists a show of a single cour that delivers one complete, self-contained story with an extremely satisfactory ending and with no ... cheap fan-service to boot! ERASED delivers just that. Reading the manga is an option for a bit of a different telling of the story, but isn't mandatory. These reasons alone are enough to put ERASED above many, many other shows of late, but I'd like to delve through each rating category to see what I think it is that makes the show so compelling!

Story (10/10) - Right out of the gate, the story to ERASED is a fantastic one. It is a mature, grounded story about a man unhappy with his own life and wanting to resolve past regrets that plague him even to this day. Fortunately fate grants him that chance via the ability to travel back through time to his older self and relive pieces of his life in an attempt to change the future! And this is how we begin our story: with our protagonist Satoru having just suffered a terrible loss and immediately sent back to when he was 11 years old, to a time when several girls at his school went missing. He believes it is his job to save them to right past wrongs and hopefully change his terrible future! Unfortunately his task is muddled as he doesn't know who the primary culprit is, so he instead races against the clock to try to save the children from their grim fate. To make matters worse, the main female lead Kayo, one of the targets of this child murderer, is severely abused by her parents making protecting her a rather difficult task. It is a very human story in the middle of this suspense thriller, and it does a fantastic job connecting you to the characters and pulling at your heart strings. It makes you care when they are in danger, and really ratchets up the tension in ominous moments. You get to follow Satoru on this harrowing journey, praying every step of the way that he makes it through. It builds up to a couple huge and very heartfelt climaxes at the end of the show, and then an extremely satisfying finale that ties up all the loose ends. It really is a great story that pulls you in, leaving you stressed one moment and ecstatic the next!

Art (9/10) - The art in this show is quite good. It isn't the best ever, but it is consistently high quality. I never noticed any severe drops in quality, and there was never a point where anything was unclear to the viewer. The character designs are quite interesting and a bit different than what I'm used to seeing, especially with some adults like Satoru's mother, Sachiko. They do a marvellous job of making the children adorable. The art is also cleverly used to convey a lot of symbolism throughout the show, and you really have to pay attention to notice all the clever details packed into the art/animation! Colours and contrast are used to the fullest to deliver a subtle messages to the viewer and influence their emotions as necessary.

Sound (8/10) - The sound in this show is also very well done. There isn't a lot of complexity to it, but the OP/ED are both highly enjoyable to listen to, and the insert tracks throughout the show cue up perfectly at the exact moments required to really punch up the tension of a scene, or melt your heart with joy. The VA work wasn't the best I've ever heard, but it was quite good. I also appreciate the newcomer Shinnosuke Mitsushima voicing Satoru in an attempt to make him different and stand out from the rest of the show. The director was clearly trying to stuff in as much symbolism as he could in ever facet of the show. Kayo's VA and Sachiko's were both excellent and I enjoyed them every time they were on the screen.

Characters (10/10) - The characters of this show are absolutely fantastic. The only real negative I can apply to this category is that the villain of the show is a little bit underdeveloped, but the direction they went with said villain is acceptable in my eyes as he is logically motivated and fleshed out enough to make the story interesting. He doesn't need a deep backstory, as this isn't about the villain, this is a story about the protagonists and their plight. The rest of the main cast were absolutely fantastic though. Satoru was convincing as a super-hero wannabe, Kayo was beautifully developed and her unfortunate abuse really hit home for me, and Sachiko has got to win some awards for best mom in anime. There's also the great supporting cast of all of Satoru's friends that help him along the way that get adequate screen time and do a great job supporting the main cast and letting them grow, while still managing to grow a little bit themselves! I could connect and relate to a lot of the characters in this, with their thoughts often mirroring my own as I watched, and I absolutely adored Kayo and Airi every time they were on the screen. One of the easiest 10/10s I could give, the characters were by far the highlight of this show.

Enjoyment (10/10) - This show was absolutely one of my favourite things to watch of the 2016 Winter season, and probably one of the most enjoyable shows I've seen to date. The human element resonated deeply with me, the suspense had me on the edge of my seat, even when I could have sworn I just KNEW the answer, and the ending was tied up absolutely perfectly for my liking. I got to see people grow, I got to see tragedy, I got to see victory, I got to see a mature story told without pandering fluff. I adored every second of this show, even in spite some of the minor flaws with it, and I would gladly rewatch this again in the future, preferably with a dub so I can try and catch all the subtle details I missed on the first pass!

Overall: 10/10

By now I think you realize I loved ERASED. It really is a fantastic show. I think everyone owes it to themselves to watch ERASED at least once, or to at least give it a try before writing it off at face-value. You may be surprised at how such a simple story can be so engaging. Like Shirobako, it will be a staple recommendation for me to others. The characters are just great, and the ending let me walk away with a smile on my face, regardless of the outcomes of all the characters and what was lost, because what was gained was so much more. Rarely do I get to enjoy such a complete and satisfying experience from an anime, let alone one I think good enough to show to even non-anime fans, but ERASED is definitely one of them. Props to A-1 for delivering such a fantastic experience, I value every second of it!

This is literally one of the most interesting and original suspense anime's I have seen (Based on a manga of course).

Review:

Story 9/10
For those of you who have not seen the fist episode. Won't spoil (End of episode one should be considered spoiler). It's intense

Art+Sound+Character
9/10, 10/10, 9.5/10
Characters are believable, art style is that of a professional movie with scenes taking place in a beautiful atmosphere. Sound is a amazing as soundtrack fits mood and suspense of the show.
...
Overall 9.4/10
Its one of the best (short) suspense anime of all time. Highly recommended.

P.S. Even though the last two episodes deviated from the manga quite a lot, the important theme and messages are still in there.

Pros:
Music
Cliffhanger Endings

Cons:
- "Possible" easy villain to spot, but it is more atmospheric than mystery
- Deviation from manga in final two episodes, but still maintaining some core values.

A manga artist with a special ability
to go back in time when a death occurs
became the victim of a kidnapper's hostility
needed to make their deaths deferred

Save his mother, and his friends
travel back to 1988
solve the mystery; make the amends
he alone will decide their fate.

... “Pretending to smile, pretending to worry... I don't think that's a bad thing” - Kayo Hinazuki (ERASED, 2011)


At last, behold the anime that has climbed its way to the top of the rankings of MyAnimeList within the first few episodes; it comes as surprise to many veterans of anime whom have long searched for a series worthy of becoming the successor to Steins; Gate’s legacy. Boku dake ga Inai Machi, also known as “ERASED,” tells the tale of a dark yet heartwarming story that is sure to keep you awake cuddling underneath your blankets.

Story (10/10): ERASED is set near the present in which our main character, 29 year old Satoru Fujinuma possesses a supernatural ability forces him to go back into time, triggering whenever something bad happens. The fact that he is a struggling manga author is hardly relevant to the story at hand but may be explained in detail later. Satoru is involved in an incident which forces him to go back into time, all the way to 1988, where he must solve a murder mystery in order to change the future. He must uncover the details of the murder of a girl in grade school.

That girl’s name was Kayo Hinazuki.

ERASED is noticeably different from Steins; Gate, in the aspect that the former is part of the science fiction genre, while the latter is supernatural. The plot of ERASED is superbly written, and the pacing is perfect, each episode packed full of action and each ending leaving you craving for the next episode. In fact, it’s formatted so perfectly that I almost couldn’t resist reading the manga just to solve the mystery for myself. This anime is shown from Satoru’s point of view, and the balance of active dialogue along with narrative is a perfect mix as well, keeping viewers interested yet not in the dark about our main character’s thought processes.

In a similar sense Steins; Gate, both plots begin in the same way with a death, which creates a sense of urgency and dread for the viewers. This really allows the people watching this anime to connect with the characters on a much deeper scale. ERASED also deals with other darker issues, including child abuse. This anime is one of the few out there making social commentary on issues most wouldn’t even consider thinking about; it has really enlightened me and made me think more about issues brought up. It is worth mentioning that Satoru's "Revival" ability isn't quite explained fully and does tend to gravitate towards being used as a plot device, but this could be overlooked.

Character (9/10): In terms of character design, the characters all look very original. The art style and coloring fit the anime’s darker mood as well, and the characters are not so “moe” that it takes away from the realism aspect. Each character also has many different outfits, as expected from A-1 Pictures. As the setting is a school setting (for the most part), most of the time they are wearing student uniforms, which is expected. The background scenes are very well drawn and animated, as well as the character animation.

Music (8/10):The soundtrack for the anime is amazing as well. The great variety of BGM empowers each scene, whether it's a sad or a catastrophic scene. Each of the tracks appeals to any number of human emotions and adds to the atmosphere of the story and scenes.

The opening sequence consists of young Satoru and his friends doing random things at his school. Almost everything is animated and isn’t taken from any scenes from any actual episodes, so A-1 Pictures definitely put in the effort weren’t lazy. Same with the ending. The opening “Re:Re:” by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION is decent but not something insanely good like “My Dearest” from Guilty Crown. The ending, “Sore wa Chiisana Hikari no Youna,” by Sayuri fits the theme of the anime better and also sounds decent.

Voice Actors (9/10):What really impressed me the most was the voice actors. ERASED features a cast of well-known and experienced actors in the industry as well as two new voice actors making their debut: Mitsushima Shinnosuke and Tsuchiya Tao really impressed me even though it was their first time voice acting for an anime. On the other hand, Taichi You and Takayama Minami, who both possess massive talent and experience were able to bring to life their characters and really make this anime a pleasure to watch and listen to.

Character Development (8/10): At the beginning of the anime, even though Satoru has the "mind of an adult" and the body of a child, he still thinks he can solve everything himself, which is very childish thinking. However, progressively he learns to trust his friends and work together to find success. Hinazuki also opens up to Satoru more and more as the story progresses. Other than those two characters, there isn't much development for the other characters yet. Will be updated at end.

ERASED brings to life a dark and mysterious thriller that will definitely keep you on your toes. It’s execution of the plot is superb and art, animation, characters and music makes it definitely worth watching. Definitely, in my opinion, the best anime of the Winter 2016 season and could even be a top contender for best anime of the 2016 year.

Alright, well this is gonna have a lot to cover since I feel this anime, Boku dake ga Inai Machi, did SOOO MUCH right and left me feeling like it could never be duplicated or repeated by any other creator. Lets start with the first episode that was released thirteen weeks ago; It was just... just.... GAHHHHHHHHHH! There was so much to say! It starts the story with the MC, Satoru Fujinuma, living a deadbeat life, no friends, no success, trying to become a manga artist and working at a pizza shop to cover his living expenses. Except he has a power. As the name, ... Revival, says, he’s able to go back to a time where some awful predicament is going to happen and make changes to fix it. I know right? Pretty hard to get the feels with. Suddenly, after some pretty unbelievable turn of events that make you rip your hair out, Satoru suddenly finds himself in 1988! Back in his 11 year old body to change his past! AND THAT WAS JUST EPISODE 1!

So I'm gonna hit the sounds first because I think it was a VERY heavy influence on the outcome of this anime. Both the intro and outro were awesome, but sadly I skipped them for the amazing anime. The bgm was perfect, you never knew it was there because it fit so well, never overtaking the animation, with its surroundings and made you feel that things were going to happen without realizing that you knew things were going to happen because you were still so focused on the anime! The voice actors are my favorite. I wracked my brain around EVERY time I heard the MC's voice because I could NOT for the life of me figure out who the actor was. Well turns out that this is the voice actor's first role and he slayed it like a monster. I can't wait to hear him play more characters. The voices used for the other characters I think were very well done as well, as every voice resonated with the character's personality and there was no contradiction between them.

Getting back into my normal pace, let’s hit the story second. Unique, engulfing, and heart-tearing are the first three words that I feel for this anime. I don't think I've ever watched an anime or read a manga where the story forces the MC to live his present life and his past life back and forth the way this anime did. The need... no, the DESIRE to want this character to succeed is ridiculous! Just outright, you feel that everything this character does is just beyond human and that he has to have a good ending! It just pulls when it wants to pull and there is no way for you to feel anything but what the anime wants you to feel. And the cliff hangers! They were too good! Unbelievably good!

Now hitting the art, I think it was nothing really impressive. In fact certain character's faces made me cringe and wish I could ask for them to be remade, but it’s okay because I really liked the way the art looked for the actually important characters, likes the kids the story focused on. I did really enjoy the use of the 3D panning during key situations of the anime. All in all though, I don't really think the animation had much to cover, as it really didn't stand out as anything amazing.

Normally an anime without any character development would've upset me and cause me to give it a bad review right there, but Boku dake ga Inai Machi did very well giving ONLY the three most important characters' backgrounds, but even then, we really know almost nothing about any of the characters. Its an insignificant detail but I feel like they could've made this anime a little longer, maybe a 13 episode, just to but in a little more detail for certain characters instead of just making them extremely important but not letting us know why they cared about the MC so much. Clearly the Mother's reasoning was obvious but the really questions is why Kenya went as far as he did to make sure the MC had his justice. There just did not seem to be any reason other than making it convenient to the anime.

Overall, I thoroughly thought this anime was extremely well made and had a lot doing it justice. My feeling for the MC during the whole anime just never quit wanting to make sure he hit that goal of finding the killer and the reason that these outrageous events were unfolding. This anime will become a favorite of mine for sure; it just had so many key aspects that I always look for in anime. Just so much of it clearly stood out above the rest, and no matter how heavy or soft the cliff hanger was, you always felt a desire for more, it was just THERE. Like an undying thirst of a zombie, you just wanted it without a reason to feel so invigorated! I rated this anime a 10/10 because, while I had some issues with the art and characters, I feel it was just too greatly executed to not get a 10. I hope everyone can enjoy this anime and this new voice actor!!

Why I believe so many people were disappointed by Boku Dake ga Inai Machi/ERASED, and why I liked it: Review

Warning: Spoilers ahead

When Bokumachi started off, it was quickly hailed as one of the most promising animes of the season. It bravely covered topics like child abuse, kidnapping and time travel; it had a mature and non-generic lead character and seemed to generally target an older audience. Besides, who doesn’t love a good mystery?

I admit that I was a little hesitant about the first episodes. While I admired the show for challenging topics like child abuse and not being afraid to portray a darker take on ... what was, aside from the time traveling, meant to be a pretty realistic story, I did not particularly like its symbolism. Symbolism gets its strength from being subtle, from being discovered rather than being seen. The viewer is meant to be left wondering about the metaphors, interpreting them in his/her/their own way. But Erased was just too obvious with its symbolism, most of the time. We get it, a blue butterfly is meant to hint at the butterfly effect, which is in turn meant to hint at time traveling (seriously how many times have I seen this before?). We get that Hinazuki is abused. We get that she has bruises, you don’t need a black and white scene for me to notice how awful they are. We know Hinazuki’s mom is capable of doing horrible things. We know the teacher is suspicious without his face being covered in shadow. Often, I felt like the series was just throwing everything into my face, assuming I was too slow to notice otherwise.

It disappointed me a little, because at other times, I thought the series did symbolism magnificently. Like the fact that Satoru’s voice actor was someone with next to no experience (and sounded like it), while the rest of the cast had pretty experienced voice actors. It felt like a little nod at the show’s title - The Town Where Only I am Missing. Or the red eyes, which were not only noticeable among the antagonists, but also among protagonists, like Satoru and Kenya. Why were Kenya’s eyes red when he was talking to the teacher? We don’t know for sure, and that’s what symbolism is all about: creating your own hypotheses.

Still, I really enjoyed watching this show. I think a lot of people were left disappointed because they had expectations that the show never intended to meet. It took me a couple of episodes to realize this. When I started watching, I was really excited about figuring out who the culprit was. I love a good whodunit, and I already had a list of suspects from the first episode on. However, it quickly became clear to me that this show did not want to be a whodunit. I began to wonder why the series wasn’t making the teacher less suspicious. In a kidnapping/child murder mystery, the teacher is often the culprit. There is no way the creators weren’t aware of that. That’s when I realized the show was not trying to hide the fact that the teacher was suspicious. Quite the opposite: they wanted us to find out who the culprit was, as soon as possible. His eyes would be red, his face would be hidden in shadows, he would look at the kids in a certain way, and the person who killed Satoru’s mom did not fit any other profile than the teacher’s. Because what the show was truly about, was not finding out who was the culprit.

I may be wrong, but I believe this series, through all of its chaotic plots twists, from time traveling to child abuse to homicide to police investigations, was trying to give us an underlying message. Throughout all of the episodes, you have to keep the title in mind. I’ll repeat it for you: “The Town Where Only I am missing.” Satoru never really fit in, no matter which time arc he traveled to. In his own time, Satoru had been a failed manga artist, trying to make some extra cash by delivering pizza. He had next to no friends or interests, or memories he cherished. When he traveled back in time, he obviously did not fit in, with his 29 year mind in a 10 year old’s body. His friends, especially the clever ones like Kenya, were quick to catch up on this. Satoru himself noticed too that he was out of place, like when he experienced feelings of caring for Hinazuki (in a purely friendly way, I believe) which just didn’t seem right for a 29 year old man to have. Back in his own time arc, he was suspected of being a criminal. In this arc too, people didn’t really know him for who he really was. Where could he fit in? Which arc would make him the happiest? It was clear that Satoru had to create a town in which he would belong. And the only way to do that, was to bond with others.
If I were to summarize the series’ message, it would be something like “A hero is not just one person; it’s multiple people working together.” Because what would Satoru have been able to do without his mom’s bold intuition? Or without Kenya’s cleverness? Or Hiro’s ability to notice people who didn’t fit in?
That brings me to another subject I loved about this show. The show made a point about how “the weak” ones are the most likely targets of people with bad intentions. But weak does not always mean weak in a stereotypical way. Weak here meant: those who are alone, those who don’t have anyone else standing up for them, those who cannot talk to anyone else, those who come home to an empty house. The way Satoru and his friends defeated the teacher, was not through any sly method. It was through the best way a 10 year old kid could do things: by befriending whoever was alone. I really, sincerely loved that message.

I’d like to end this with a last point that I loved about this show. When I said that Satoru did not fit in in any time arc, I wasn’t exactly right. If you’ve watched the show, you may have noticed that there is one thread that is represented in every time arc: Satoru’s mom. She is, in my opinion, the single most important character in the series. When Satoru would come across as “ a different person” to his friends or to Hinazuki, when he would even lose touch with his own identity - being a 29 year old in a 10 year old body- his mom would remind him that he was still her son. No matter which time arc he was in, his mom would always accept him for who he was. She knew him through and through. He was his mom’s son, no matter where he went, and that helped to keep his sense of identity. This was beautifully exemplified when, when Satoru truly went missing from his town - by being in a coma for years- his mom kept taking care of him, as if he wasn’t missing, but had been there all the time.
(Yeah I have a lot of feelings about Satoru’s mom.)

So, in hindsight, I thought this was a really heart-warming anime that I enjoyed watching. A little pretentious by the end, not always as deep as it wanted to be (like Airi’s disappointing lack of character depth) and maybe with a few plot holes and unanswered questions (I still wonder why Hiro was targeted since he was a boy… was he just an alibi for the teacher?).
But I will forgive those things, because it did have some unique, beautiful moments. I would still recommend it to others.
There is, however, not a doubt in my mind that the manga is better. I think I will read it.

EraseD SUCKS!!!!!!!!11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111!111111!!1!1/10 thanks for reading my re:review

……………… … … …

are they gone yet…?

The Town Where Only I Am Missing (the name that actually has context) is actually a great anime in several places, so much that it partially makes up for the places where it isn’t great. Partially. Its biggest strengths lie in its “show, not tell” approach and emotional storytelling, but things start to go south when the story has completed its main arc and needs to shift gears. The first eight episodes would be a solid 8-9/10 with the last four being about a 5-6/10. Ultimately, it doesn’t handle its supernatural and ... (arguably) mystery elements very well, so if those are what drew you here, you’re gonna have a bad time.

The star of the show is Fujinuma Satoru, an incredibly deadbeat 29-year-old pizza driver with no friends and only one hobby that he sucks at, so he’s good as far as being a character for the audience to project themselves to goes. He has a supernatural ability called ‘butterfly;effect’, officially named “Revival”, where time jumps back a few moments and only he remembers, and this apparently happens whenever something bad happens and it’s somehow his job to save it, ‘cuz why not. But when the only person close to him is murdered and he’s framed as the suspect, he has a massive Revival that sets his life eighteen years back, just before the start of a kidnapping series that an old friend was wrongly convicted for.

And thus, the emotional rollercoaster begins. But, you know how rollercoasters work, right? They usually start off slow so they can build up enough height for the drops to actually work. Erased starts off pretty slow, and I’ll admit that it took me a couple episodes to be interested beyond the level of “What’s gonna happen from here?” But episode three was incredible for its intense drama and tear-jerking finale. I mean, I may be a misanthropic basement-dweller with no ambitions whatsoever, but for fuck’s sake, I still have feelings, you know? Erased, with its big emotional moments, wipes away all that hate for some time and makes me not want the 10-year-olds to get brutally sawed in half by a rake. Except that one girl from the lunch money incident. Yo, fuck that kid. No pedo.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the good writing.

Erased has a great way of showing us what we need to know, instead of just telling us. Instead of saying “Kayo is abused, feel bad!” we see it, but without getting gratuitous about it. Instead of hearing “This is making a big difference on Kayo’s life!” we see her responses and recognize the changes ourselves. Little things like these are what I appreciate, but it doesn’t feel too subtle and doesn’t require you to think hard about what’s going on. We see everything we need to know at just the right amount. ...Except for the things that aren’t shown at all, but we’ll get into that.

So, what else did I like? Well, Satoru and Kayo, the two main characters, have great chemistry together that starts off a little awkward, ‘cuz Kayo’s like some socially inept punching bag and Satoru is a 29-year-old stuck inside a 10-year-old’s body. No pedo. But as Satoru makes it his life’s goal to protect Kayo (because Pokemon didn’t exist in 1988, what a harsh world), he grows attached to her and Kayo opens up to him and to those around her. It’s taken a little further because 29-year-old Satoru surprises himself as he occasionally says things in the moment, perhaps being more like his 10-year-old self instead.

Overall, the story is pretty good, but it falls apart after about eight episodes. The arc comes to a close, but there’s still a lot of ground to cover, and it’s clear that it needed to hurry in order to squeeze everything in the 12-episode limitation. What made this anime so good from the beginning were its incredible character moments, but daddy’s love is gone after the main arc is completed, as it’s clear that not much effort was put into the characters and plot that came afterwards. We get the new kid and a small plot to save them and not a single fuck was given that day. Anyone wanna go play Dragon Quest?

During these last episodes, the killer is finally revealed. Except it’s like the most obvious reveal ever. Like, if you didn’t figure it out at least an episode before then… you… might be… re……spected as a normal human being who simply processes things differently than me. The thing is, this was kinda labeled as a mystery series, but there wasn’t really any mystery. It’s disappointing because there’s another character that actually seemed sketchy to me. In the short time we see him, I thought that, just maybe, it wasn’t gonna be what ended up being the totally obvious. Unfortunately, they chose not to go down that avenue, and so we only get one legitimate suspect. You can’t play Clue with one character. However, all that being the case, I did actually enjoy the eventual reveal. I thought that, even if the show didn’t really try to hide it, they made this big bang pretty interesting.

While this certain villain is an interesting one, their motives were just… confusing. Something about a short story and seeing themself and their actions as the character to this story, something like that… Well, I did understand the concept, anyway, but like, WHY? Why are this person’s actions being driven by some made-up tale for children? It’s incredibly vague. I couldn’t connect with it.

Something also happens along with the villain’s reveal. It’s a spoiler so I won’t say what it is, but there’s no explanation of how it was resolved at all. It happens, and we’re just forced to accept the result even though there’s nothing in between to make sense of it. You’ll know it when you get to it.

The last thing that bothered me was Revival, Satoru’s time-travelling ability. It is NEVER explained how this works. Whenever I say these sorts of things, people say “oh fenne-kun~, yer so cynical, it’s like, totally beyond our knowledge, y’know??? it’s like God, it can’t be explained main, just accept it!!” Yeah, but here’s the thing. God is still defined to some extent and affects many people. You can’t just allow a supernatural phenomenon to affect one single person and expect everyone to go with it. That’s bullshit. Revival affects Satoru only (idc if this will later be given to someone else through the upcoming spin-off or whatever, what matters are these twelve episodes that are supposed to tell a complete story) and goes away when the story is over. The entire plot literally depends on Revival, because without Revival then Satoru wouldn’t go back to 1988, he’d still be a boring pizza guy who makes shit manga, and we wouldn’t have the story itself. It’s too important to shrug off.

Now, Revival doesn’t exactly have to be explained. I CAN interpret it as something that transcends our world and our knowledge of it. But, if anything, the villain should’ve had the same ability. SOMEONE should’ve had the same ability. This should not have been excluded to Satoru only, it is way too convenient. I like to compare and contrast Revival with The Force from Star Wars. It’s not explained (phantom menace literally does not exist), but it’s there, and many people (or… things) have it. It’s incredibly surreal and mysterious, but it’s central to the series’ lore. Something like that would’ve been a good inspiration for Erased.

The main character is a bit of a controversial one. Satoru is, again, a 29-year-old now who spends most of the show trapped inside a 10-year-old’s body. No pedo. And so, his personalities conflict with one another and get confusing. The moments when his 29-year-old mind will ask himself questions are the best, but they’re too infrequent. It’s good that he has a little self-awareness, it’s just that he doesn’t have enough self-awareness. It’s like his first day on the job as a color commentator for a sport he knows nothing about. But, looking back, his dual personalities were the only interesting thing about him. Look at either of them individually and see that there’s not much to look at in the first place. But… is that so wrong? Really? I won’t defend him as an interesting character, but I don’t think it’s totally fair to judge a deadbeat 29-year-old loser for being a 29-year-old loser, or for thinking an ordinary 10-year-old kid is an ordinary 10-year-old kid.

Kayo, on the other hand, has a much more defined personality due to her bitchy mother being a bitch to her. She’s closed off and even cold to others, but she opens and warms up to not only Satoru, but anyone else around her as she finally learns how to live. You see a really positive and satisfying change to her. No pedo. Beyond development, the character herself is interesting anyway, since she’s much more thoughtful and will sometimes say some interesting things, like her characteristic “Are you stupid?”.

There are two supporting characters all fulfill their roles greatly. Kenya is one of Satoru’s classmates. He’s mature and intelligent for his age and is not only helpful to Satoru, but can detect that something is wrong. Not what is wrong, just that something is, and it’s probably beyond him. He knows his place. Good kid. No pedo. Sachiko, Satoru’s mom, not only has some hot MILF lips, but is well-written in just a couple simple ways. She gets killed, right? But instead of hyping her up to be truly deserving of a coffee mug that says “WORLD’S BEST MOM”, she’s killed instantly without us getting to know her, but they later build her character up to be very likable so that we hope Satoru succeeds in reversing the future killings. Also, she’s just a good motherly character, which is important in the context of Erased, where one of the biggest plot threads involves Kayo getting abused by her mother. She’s basically the foil to this antagonist. Or… it’s the other way around… i failed ap english okay

There’s also Airi, a supporting character in the present time… While she had some real p-u-n-c-h at times, I thought she was a little too convenient? Like, she only showed up when the story absolutely needed someone to help Satoru out. Maybe that’s just me, but I didn’t really care for her. She at least had her reasons, though. Don’t steal chocolate bars, kids.

There are some other characters, of course, namely Satoru’s other friends, but they’re not needed so their lack of depth is okay. They’re just along for the ride.

The OP of Erased is actually really, really good. I didn’t care for it much at first, but it grew on me quickly, and I think I’ll be getting into the band Asian Kung-Fu Generation soon. The song has a very moderate-paced alternative rock sound characterized by some highs and lows after the first verse. The lack of any electronic or string accompaniment makes it feel more natural, and in a way, more human. It’s pretty fitting to the theme of the anime, and the animation supporting it is nothing short of acceptable. The ED holds its own as well with its gentle, but heartfelt feel that later ascends into a powerful, grand song about… whatever. I don’t actually know what it’s about. Whoops. Anyway, while I was never crazy for this theme, the full version played over the last episode was absolutely stunning. Shut up, kid, lemme play my air guitar.

The rest of the soundtrack ranges from decent to good; it’s evidently an emotional one and sets the tone very well, but it has a tendency to reuse certain pieces a little too often. The voice acting is nothing special, but it gets the job done; many characters sound casual, as they should. Satoru himself has an incredibly deadbeat voice, and sometimes I think it’s a little TOO monotonous; I get that he’s a boring dude, but for fuck’s sake, man, lighten up a little. You’re a kid again. Everyone else is okay.

Visually, Erased is a bit of an oddity for its wide, theatrical aspect ratio during its time in the 80’s. For modern scenes, you’re getting a typical ratio. This was a good move and somehow added to the drama of the past. It also contains some pretty good camera shots and not-so-subtle symbolism which aren’t groundbreaking by any means, but are also welcome additions. The art itself is pleasant with some good, but also casual environments complemented by some good lighting and some passable character designs that probably won’t stand out on their own through time, but this isn’t supposed to be some wild, crazy fantasy. One common complaint is that A-1 Pictures makes extremely similar-looking characters in most of their anime, but Erased is an exception to this. Congrats, you guys. You actually did something right for about two seconds, and then Grimgar happened. But that’s for another review...

All this said, I enjoyed Erased for the most part. I don’t want the final four episodes to completely muddy the excitement of the first eight. (That includes the chocolate bar incident. Yes, I am okay with that story. It seems perfectly plausible to me.) I even felt… a little content with the overall ending. It wasn’t horrible, even if the events leading up to it were rushed. But the ending was at least mostly satisfying. No pedo.

Erased is simply a good show with some really noticeable bruises. Just like Kayo.

Story - 6/10
Art - 9/10
Sound - 7/10
Characters - 7/10
Enjoyment - 7/10
Feels - Needsmorekayo/10
Overall - 7/10
Favorite character - Kayo
Favorite episode - 8
Recommendation level - Medium

Time travel isn't anything new to anime. We've seen it done again, and again, and again. Sure, some stories really throw a curveball into a mind-blowing plot, while others bite the dust of overused concepts. Every single episode of Erased is a cliff hanger. You want to know what's going to happen next every single time. It isn't your typical "better go back in time and save some friends" story. It really has it's own personal twist on it. The characters are easy to fall for, the main characters especially over the lesser important ones. While there's little relationship between Satoru and the 2 different ... girls that the viewers would like to ship them with, the story is really heartwarming and mature. There are many different layers to it. When you think you've figured out what will happen next, you're thrown in a completely different direction. The art for the most part is really enjoyable, and the sound is clear. This is a fantastic anime that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a new favorite. I don't see why the reviews are so mixed between low and high, but this definitely gets a 10 on my list. The few nitty gritty details don't knock it down to a 9.

NOTE: TL;DR for a quick summary at bottom | I keep my reviews SHORT

I give Boku dake ga Inai Machi a 9/10

(May contain minor spoilers) Wow, Just wow. Erased took winter by storm. It showed to viewers that it can be one of the greatest anime ever made. It gives us a sense of mystery as well as a sense of love towards others such as our friends. It gives us hope of what may come in the future and ways to prevent it. Erased is an outstanding anime that I have seen. I especially love how this anime has portrayed the whole memory ... subject in a movie metaphor. You can tell we are going through time by looking at the memories just by the OP.

Erased teaches us many form of things. From caring about the less fortunate, and to caring for your friends. Friends are what are made from childhood, so its only important to cherish them forever. TRUST is a big issue that has played in this anime. The anime has taught us that with trust, you can defeat a single battle with ease, even when it almost looks like the bad guy is about to win.

Story:
The story follows Satoru, a aspiring mana artist who is once had this ability to "reel" back in time. Once, a close relative of Satorus' is murdered by an unknown killer. This unknown killer is the same killer who killed 3 children, back in 1988, 18 years in the past. Satoru is sent back in time (Very similar to Stiens;Gate concept of time travel), and is where he has 18 years ago with everyone alive. Satoru now must live a life of finding out who this killer is. What is his motive? Why did he kill those children?

Satoru believes is he saves Kayo, he will change the future but it isn't just that simple. The process of trail and error is what keeps him going, having hope in what he is doing and becoming the hero that he has set out to become. We live the life of Satoru as a child as he finds to uncover the killer.

The story itself is really ORIGINAL and unique. Not many anime's do originally stories such as Erased has shown us. I really liked the concept of time travel to find the killer back in time rather than the present. The only thing that I find really annoying is the fact that the killer is too predictable later on in the middle half of the anime.

Art:
The art is mind-blowing. The art really represents the atmosphere of whats going on and which timeline Satoru is in. The anime used clear, vibrant colours to show the anime is an amazing way like no one has ever seen before. Everything from the scenery to the character design was very well presented. This is an prime example of how a mystery anime should look.

I especially like how the darkness and colours represented the mood. I noticed that it didn't snow when Satoru was in a coma but soon after it started snowing when he was able to be himself again.

Sound:
The sound is a very well produced masterpiece in my opinion. I really liked how the OP was shown. It was metaphorically shown to show Satoru and his life throughout the cinema reel. I liked the OST that were presented in the background.

The sound just made the anime feel a lot more immersive and made the viewer feel a lot more engaged with the anime. Therefore the viewer will emotionally be attached to the anime that they just have witnessed right before there very own eyes.

Character:
The characters played a big part in the anime. Apart from Satoru viewpoint, a lot of the characters played a big part in the mystery of the story. Popular characters such as Satoru and Kayo were immediately loved by people simply because of their unique personalities. Each character had their own personality, for example Kenya was the thinker, he would always think about whats going on and what doesn't seem ordinary.

Personally I loved the characters, I really liked how they all played a part in Satoru's investigation to saving the children and to uncover the killer.

Enjoyment:
Personally, I really enjoyed this anime. Each episode had me wanting more and sometimes it did end will really big cliff hangers which made me die. I had to wait a week just to watch the next episode which just comes to show how brilliant this anime was. I really liked how everything was portrayed.

However, in my opinion, I didn't like the fact that the killer was too easy to predict which made me hate the story a little bit because I wanted to be someone who no one would ever suspect.

Overall:
Overall this anime is a brilliant show. It makes the viewer denote everything that the producers have encoded in the show. It makes them wonder who is the killer and what are his motives. I like how everything was shown, slowly at a time. Sometimes I did feel like the anime was rushed (especially near the end), but it didn't take my mind of the story. It was the ending that I deserved. My only remark on this anime is the killer was to predictable.

Story - 8
Art - 10
Sound - 9
Character - 9
Enjoyment - 9
Overall - 9

TL;DR - Watch this anime if you're in the mood for some mystery and want to uncover it bit by bit!