(Personally I don't think there are any spoilers, but people can get pretty nitpicky.)
At the time of me writing this review, the reviews seem pretty polarizing, some being overly positive, others being overly negative. (Top reviews being downwards of 5, holy shit.)
I figured I'd add some neutrality into all of this.
Story:
At first, the story's pretty fucking intriguing, I mean, who doesn't love time-travel, with it's inherent plot holes and the like. Except, this time around, the inconsistencies are pretty blatant. The power Satoru has is never explained and seems to be used whenever the plot demands it and that's not the only problem. There are a plethora of other contrivances stuffed into this power, it's rules, Satoru's actions when he's in the past, and Satoru's reversion to his child-like mind when he's actually 29.
But anyone can complain about this show's flaws and even though these holes in the plot make it seem cheap, it doesn't change that it creates intense and genuinely entertaining situations, albeit, the intensity of the scenes can be heavily attributed to the directioning, nonetheless, the story serves as a popcorn thriller pretty well. If you're looking for something that's relatively easy to digest, then this show's probably pretty good for you. However, if you're looking for a good mystery and were mislead by the tags on MyAnimeList, then this isn't the show for you. The mystery aspect is not very well done, as the mystery of the murderer seems to be more of a simple motivation to drive the plot along. Combined with the undisputed fact that the killer is obvious ultimately results in a lackluster mystery.
Art:
The art in Erased is actually a bit more unique by way of direction. For some, it might seem extremely blatant and obvious. For others, the directioning is interesting and subtle enough. In the end though, some of the symbolism incorporated into the anime is actually decently subtle, like the park scene in episode 2, and the not-so-subtle symbolism isn't as in-your-face as some people exaggerate it to be. At the very least it isn't insulting, unless you're one of those weird people who need to nitpick at that kind of thing. The character designs are also pretty unique, with most characters being extremely recognizable only from their face, a rarity in this medium.
Sound:
I'm not Japanese or anything, so my opinion on voice actors essentially doesn't mean jack shit, but I noticed Satoru's voice is very distinct, pretty different from what I hear in my animus, and I really like it. It's nice to make a distinction between the main character and the rest of the cast. The fact that he sounds a little bored or stoic really drives home the point that he's been static in his way of life at the beginning of the first episode, which works well for Satoru's character.
The soundtrack doesn't really stand out to me, but they fit the scene they accompany adequately, so it shouldn't really be a bother. On another note, the OP and ED are really good, Asian Kung- Fu Generation is one of my favorite J-rock bands, and Re:Re is a good choice for this anime regarding the theme, if you look up the lyrics. Sayuri's song isn't as straightforward in who it's for, but otherwise, it's still a great sounding song, and Sayuri's vocals do strange things to me.
Characters:
Sadly, characters isn't this show's strong point. The anime solely focuses on Satoru, but likes to throw a bone every so often to other characters, but that bone is incredibly insignificant. In terms of character development, though, I do like how Satoru and Kayo ended up, and I personally find that I like that the anime resonated Satoru's character more to the theme than the manga did.
Kayo's character was, at first, a plot device. The abuse was inserted into the story only to get the viewers to sympathize with her and the show didn't do much with it in the end. However, her interactions with Satoru and Co. were pretty well done and seeing her open up slowly made her less of a plot device, thankfully. Another notable character who, unfortunately, didn't get any development or focus, was Satoru's mom. She's pretty much one of the best moms I've seen in anime and actually waited 15 years for Satoru and didn't fucking cuck him.
The rest of the characters are pretty one-dimensional, having next to no backstory, development, or focus. One of these characters in particular is Kenya, who could've been an interesting character, but the show wasted his potential. I thought the scene at the stairs especially could have lead to interesting changes in his character, but sadly, nothing happened for him. The importance of Airi is also incredibly downplayed in the anime, making the ending seem to come right out of the writer's ass. Given the time frame, it's understandable, but that doesn't change the fact that it seemed to come out of nowhere.
Enjoyment:
The first few episodes of Erased were extremely interesting, causing the initial hype of the show. Unfortunately, somewhere at the halfway point of the show, it loses steam gradually, and you can't help but think, "This shit could've been really good." Fortunately, if you don't think like that, or don't like to stay stuck on lost potential, then you could have a grand ol' time with this show as it's legitimately entertaining.
Overall:
I think the only reason it's recently gotten a lot of flak is purely due to how it got really popular. The bias is extremely strong on sites like these, so take most of these reviews (and mine), with a grain of salt. The story had it's holes. The art and directioning were adequate. The sound was adequate as well, but Satoru's voice actor really stood out to me. The characters could have LARGELY been expanded upon, but what they did touch upon was decently well done. If you aren't thinking too critically on the show's plotholes or waste of characters, you will probably enjoy this anime.
Story:6
Art:7
Sound:7
Character:7
Enjoyment:8
Overall:7
