If I was to give a very brief overview of Erased it would be this: engaging 1st half, deplorable 2nd half.
Erased is the type of show that will get under many peoples' skins. There are titles, that upon a 1st glance, you could easily deduce that it will be no better than B-grade schlock, and then there's shows that genuinely get your interest. For most, Erased will be the latter. With a somewhat firm grasp on cinematography, color placement and all around competency in crafting a grounded setting, Erased upon initial viewing, appeared to be one of the most promising prospects from Winter 2016. It exuded this feeling of self-control over its actions that became quite easy to buy into. A reassuring appearance that it will be a smooth ride from start to finish. The reason these kind of titles are more bothersome as opposed to the shows that are instantly identified as bottom-rung, is that with lesser tier titles, there's no expectations set for it. When I view an "Akame Ga Kill" or "Asterisk War" level show, quality is the last thing that comes to mind. I know as a viewer that what I'm getting ready to watch will, at its very best, be easily digestible excerpts of things I've seen done far better. On the other hand, shows that allure me into anticipating something far more substantial carries with it a higher sense of investment. So when these titles fall under their own weight, it packs a bigger punch. As a viewer, there's nothing more disheartening to witness than untapped potential being flushed down the toilet. And like its namesake, Erased "erased" any chances of being herald as anything more than a novelty act.
Instead of reciting the synopsis I'll go right into addressing where Erased showed commendable effort and how it eventually unraveled into a hokey hogwash.
Time-travel as a plot device in any story can be a fickle thing to work with, the slightest overuse or tampering of it to alleviate inevitable conclusions can quickly result in audience backlash with the collective chant of "bullshit!" being ushered out in response. The best use of time-travel is really not using time-travel at all but there's a reason why it's still a compelling tool for writers to dabble with. It can open up scenarios and prospects that previously were made unavailable in the conventions of regular stories. So the reasonable solution for those instances is finding restraint in when and how time-travel is used in the confines of the narrative being presented. This was an area that Erased seemed to have covered relativity well. The main character can jump back in time a few minutes before something tragic happened, as stated by the synopsis. What made this use of time-travel welcoming was that despite this ability, he himself has no true control over these time jump occurrences; the option to jump at will is out of his hands. With this stipulation set in place, Erased found a reasonable limitation to work with. It eliminated the misuse of time-travel by the protagonist to retcon any events whenever the writer sees fit. But as you may have surmised by my statements regarding this show's 2nd half, this established restraint doesn't remain constant, and that spells the first major misstep of the show.
The second major catalyst that crippled Erased was its genre itself. Marketed as a mystery anime, Erased spent a great deal of time foraging through its settings and characters living in it. This is what indirectly set up the first half to seem so promising. There were layers of detail being caked onto the "mystery" story, which helps to better define it to the audience. Erased felt like a place not too far out of reach from our own world, thanks in no small part to the extra time dedicated to making the experience as cinematic as possible. With widescreen angles (Letterboxing) implemented in certain crucial moments, to off-kilter camera angles that helped express messages without the need for expository dialogue, everything the show was doing up to a certain point showed a level of quality not often seen in the anime industry. It was able to build suspense using music cues and proper lighting, giving life to its mystery through comprehensible visual motifs and proper use of color placement. The show expressed capabilities far more common in the world of cinema than what anime usually dabbles with. It's for reasons like these that many flocked to it, labeling it as one of the best without so much as to second guess their stance. And ultimately it's this that also fended off proper judgment for the far inferior 2nd half. The frenzy was too high for rationality to kick in.
While the quality of the show's visual and audible presentation remained relatively consistent, the same could not be said about the writing. When I mentioned the show's genre being a detriment, this is where that becomes apparent. With the primary genre being "mystery," one would think a great deal of time would be dedicated to making that aspect as foolproof as possible, but what we got was nothing short of underwhelming. To those unfamiliar with the purpose of a 'red herring' in a story, it's something or someone that's manifested and exists for the purpose of misleading the viewer from the truth. It's like the slight of hand trick practiced by a magician, while the real action is happening out of sight. A red herring isn't supposed to be your answer but rather a falsehood that takes on the shape of an answer. In a mystery story, red herrings are those clues that lead to a dead end, or the suspects surrounding the true culprit that detracts the viewer from the correct answer. At no time is a red herring suppose to be a final conclusion. Even when there is an attempt to subvert this fact, all that does is make what appears to be the "truth" to be nothing more than another red herring in disguise. So when Erased effectively missed this fundamental fact, it is nothing short of baffling.
In what was an attempt to curve the obvious fake out into the actual truth, Erased single-handily shot itself in the foot. These are the actions of a satire that pokes fun of the genre, not a show that is a part of it, which made the mystery of Erased to be an unintentional joke to those keen to this fact and an underwhelming reveal to those still infatuated with the show up to that point. No one walks out a winner, both cynics and fans alike lose in this situation. Had Erased place in some kind of deviation from the elephant in the room this wouldn't be a problem but poor planning sadly killed those chances. This anime was one script revision away from being passable.
Even if one was to view the show as a thriller (a very common excuse used by detractors that stand against the title's criticisms), it still doesn't hold much merit. A thriller, like its namesake would imply, is a genre that's supposed to "thrill" the audience with an exciting, often intense plot, where the tension feels ever-present and a sense of urgency is placed on the viewer for the character's well-being. It's wound up dread followed by cathartic release. A very textbook component that's the backbone of any successful thriller. That being said, it's hard to be "thrilled" when the narrative makes irrational decisions that quickly breaks immersion, or deflate any tension that was built up with an anticlimactic conclusion. You're supposed to be in a state of nervous anticipation as to the outcome of a storyline, not scratching your head questioning the leaps in logic of said outcome. If a convenient ticket out of every impending danger is offered to the characters, then how could their predicament be anything short of a temporary bump in the road? Without a proper end result to any build-up, the show is essentially leaving you mentally flaccid. When a show continuously makes decisions that negate risk or impending danger, then it ceases to lack consequence in the eyes of the viewer. A thriller with no substantial consequence is like a mystery with no red herrings; and wouldn't you know it, Erased ended up being insufficient in both aspects.
This half-baked writing also seeped its way into the visual presentation, as the show's ineptitude in handling its symbolism and motifs became quickly apparent. What is important to note is the proper usage of these elements in a story and not the actual meaning of said elements. In any form of grounded storytelling, symbolism and motifs are suppose to be implemented with finesse. They're placed there to add subtext to what is being presented at face value. They're things that don't necessarily need to be identified to properly understand what you're watching, but upon analytical inspection, adds a new layer of meaning to what is presented on screen or implied in the narrative. To put it in layman's terms, they're like brownie points for those that dig deeper into the subject matter they're presented with. That being said, when these literary devices are spoon fed to the audience, it defeats the purpose of their usage. At that point, it's no longer a praiseworthy effort, but something that's equally detestable with the likes of lazily implemented expository dialogue. It's the difference between letting the visuals and action speak for themselves, oppose to beating the audience over the head with the obvious answer (Yes MothersBasement, red = danger.. In other news, cows go moo). Something being symbolic doesn't inherently make it good, an aspect that Erased failed to comprehend.
And like a snowball effect, all these shortcomings kept on culminating into something far too glaring to be rectified. This brings us to the conclusion of the plot in the show's 1st half, which saw our protagonist Satoru muster everything in his power to protect Kayo. All of the show's efforts were slowly crafted around this plot. It was a gradual buildup to Kayo's revelation in the story. This brought with it the show's best efforts. Viewers were swayed into investing in this conflict, which became more gripping by each new episode. "Will Satoru finally save her?" "Would his efforts be in vain?"; these and many more questions were raised along with the stakes as things drew closer to its final destination. And after all the layers of suspense, all that attachment, all that investing... the conclusion quickly deflated in value by a poorly-realized, rushed solution that saw a character be re-written and patronized, while simultaneously removing one of the central focuses from the story entirely. So when one of the biggest investments for many viewers were removed from the equation, all these aforementioned issues that were initially dismissed, no longer had anything to hide behind. The shit was out in the open, it was just a matter of stepping back to finally realize it.
If I had to say what the biggest issue with Erased was it would be that all of the great aspects of it, all of the promises it made, and all of the standards that it set, was quickly counteracted by the occurrence of everything in the 2nd half. While the same issues were also there in the 1st act, it was never made apparent when the show pulled focus away from it. For every high point that Erased offered, an equally appalling low point balanced it out. It was a duality that kept it from being any better than where it ultimately ended up in the end.
Enjoyment: 6/10
For the first 6 episodes or so Erased was quite the enjoyable experience. I was invested in the conflict, I wanted to see the protagonist succeed, as well as uncover the mystery surrounding the killer. The show had my interest. But just as quickly as it drew me in, it lost me with the same speed. The 2nd half of Erased is nothing short of painfully mediocre to intellectually insulting. It was disappointing to see what it could have been, and how it turned out instead.
Overall: 4/10
Erased could have been great, what it did well it did exceedingly well, the potential was there in ample proportions. But almost like a countermeasure, when it faltered it didn't just trip a little before catching itself, no, when it fumbled, it pretty much fell down a flight of stairs, breaking every bone on its way down. So do I recommend Erased even with acknowledgment of this? Yes, I do. Despite what trouble it had, later on, the 1st half was enjoyable enough to still warrant giving it a try. You may not like the end result but there's enough inherent value here for the 12 episodes to be worth going through for yourself.
