The story of Erased is nothing new- because we have seen stuff like this ages ago ranging from anime like Steins; Gate to movies like The Butterfly Effect. But, its different in the sense in how it presents the story to its audience.
The first half of the series was thrilling, suspenseful and even very dramatic. I felt like that the mystery element worked really well during that time period. You wondered what would happen to our sweet Kayo and whether or not things will work out for Satoru's favour or not. Seeing her abused the way she did and how it affected her life- is something which countless unfortunate children go through on a daily basis. I actually know about someone in my town like Kayo that gets abused by their parents- and that person's behaviour is oddly similar to that of hers. I found that aspect very realistic in my opinion- as she is afraid to open up to others, and tries keeping hush about her situation in fear of her mother.
That's why Satoru's role kicks in the story- as a way of being the friend she deserves. Seeing them grow as friends tugged at my heartstrings- and he dare I say it- did save her from her nightmarish life. Even if it was just to save his mother's life- Satoru did end up considering Kayo a valuable friend and vice versa. I feel like the friendship between the children were some of the best parts about the anime.
However, the second half of the series does pale in comparison to the first half- and majority of it felt like filler. Not only that, but it was way too obvious who our main villain was- and the show would have benefited if they revealed his identity a long time back. In fact, it would have a been a whole lot better if this anime didn't have the mystery tag attached to it. The last two episodes were satisfying though and I felt that it concluded the series as best as they could. I know, a lot of people are disappointed that a lot of stuff got cut from the manga- but at the end of the day what we got wasn't terrible either.
The characters in this anime are pretty decent, but Satoru's mother was the best character in this anime- in my opinion. She was a very caring mother who looked after his son after that incident(can't mention it because spoilers). But, also she was a loving mother towards Kayo- who deserves a good Mom might I add. I hated Kayo's Mom- and she was honestly more despicable than the killer in this show. Speaking of which, they should have explored his character a bit more. If they did, then this guy would have been a very memorable and epic villain.
The animation was done by A1 Pictures- and it was pretty good might I add. It set up a nice dark and serious tone with the colours being not too muted nor too bright. It was overall very clean, with the character designs being good-if not great. I do, wonder why the heck Satoru's Mom looks so young. Then again, after watching Clannad- I doubt mothers in anime age at all!
The music was something I liked, and I enjoyed the OP and ED very much- the latter being one of my recent all time faves. The music was done by Yuki Kajiura and I must admit- from what I have heard from the background music it was pretty fantastic and different from her previous works. I do however need to listen to the full album once it comes out to judge it properly- but for now I am going to say that the music was really good.
Overall, even if I don't think Erased was a masterpiece- I do think it's a show worth checking out. It stands out with its touching story and relatable characters. This anime could have been something excellent if it was longer. Also, the build up to the plot twist(if I can even call it that) was done poorly- but at least they didn't do an asspull and reveal that someone other than the obvious person was the villain.
I am awarding this anime with a 7 out of 10, as it did tug at my heartstrings from time to time- but if you are expecting incredible then you are going to be left feeling disappointed!
