Boku dake ga inai Machi is nothing but short of a masterpiece.
It is to Anime what The Last of Us is to gaming or what Citizen Kane is to movies. It is thoroughly thought provoking, breathtakingly emotional and genuinely invested in telling a compelling story.
Story: 10/10
The story revolves around the life of Satoru Fujinuuma, a 29 yearold pizza delivery boy that possesses a strange ability that he dubs "Revival".
This ability allows to him to travel 2-5 minutes back in time or rather is forced to go back in time every time something dangerous happens around him. Whenever this happens he tries his best to avert whatever it is that's about to happen e.g. saving a baby from a truck being
When Satoru's mother is killed by a serial killer, he mistakenly ends up being targeted by the police as the perpetrator of the crime forcing him to go on the run. In the process, another episode of 'Revival" ends up sending him 18 years back in time. He inadvertently ends up in his 11 year old body, back in his 6th grade class. Now sent back in time, Satoru strives to solve the mystery of the person who killed his mother before it's too late. In the first episode Satoru finds out the killer might be linked to several murders in the past that happened around the same time he is sent back to. In a harrowing journey through time, Satoru must now save his fellow classmate Kayo Hinazuki from being murdered, the first of many victims in a trail of dead bodies that eventually leads to his mothers death.
Art: 9/10
As expected from an Anime in 2016, the art is absolutely beautiful and clearly had a lot of effort put in it.
A large part of the series revolves around environments filled with snow and the artists do a wonderful job of animating it. The characters are amazingly well done, with each character design accurately representing their personality.
The Anime makes clever use of butterflies to depict whenever a "Revival" is about to take place, as well as using filmstrips to depict timelines, with the strips changing or getting cut which serves as a well functioning plot device to help transition to different time periods.
Sound: 10/10
The opening of Boku dake ga inai Machi has to be one of the best OPs I have ever heard. Performed by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, "Re:Re:" is right up there with the likes of Tokyo Ghouls "Unravel" and Parasytes "Let Me Hear".
The OP really sets up the emotional tone of the Anime, perfectly harmonizing Satoru's internal struggle with the the several tragedies that happen in his life.
The OST is vital to the story, contributing heavily to the very well done emotional set pieces. Happiness, sadness, anger, tension and suspense are all perfectly enamored with the music making for a breathtaking experience.
The VA itself is also nothing short of amazing, giving each character a distinct personality and with conjunction to the the aforementioned character art makes for amazingly believable performances.
Take Satoru for example, his adult self is supposed to be a boring, mature and somewhat laid back guy and the VA does an excellent job on portraying that. Likewise his child self is the exact opposite, full of excitement, childlike and very energetic, and for his VA to portray that without making us forget that this is the same Satoru we know as an adult just really goes to show how much effort the the creators have put into making it.
The ED performed by Sayuri, "Sore wa Chiisana Hikari no Youna" is indeed a beautiful piece of work that really manages to hit the viewer emotionally. The ED is especially exceptionally emotional during the 12th and final episode, playing over a scene of beautifully enacted sequences, bringing the end of the series to a very satisfying conclusion.
Character: 10/10
The Anime spends a lot of time building up the characters, trying hard to make sure we are fully invested in them and care for them and for the most part the anime does a good job in that aspect.
Satoru doesn't really come of as a likable character in the beginning but neither does he come off as unlikable either. To say the least, Satoru just feels like a very boring person, someone you'd most likely not want to hang out with. It's not to say he is completely dull and doesn't meet the requirements of what most of us come to expect from a protagonist, cause he certainly does posses some of those traits such as bravery, which he displays when he risks his life to prevent an accident from occurring which often results in him being hurt himself, thus also displaying courage.
As a child Satoru is pretty much the epitome of a good protagonist. Brave, courageous, energetic and foremost caring and compassionate, this is displayed when Satoru stands up for Kayo when she is falsely accused of stealing the the class' field trip money.
His relationship with Kayo is easily the best aspect of the series, which the series does an excellent job on building up towards.
Kayo Hinazuki, is definitely the best character for me in the series. Kayo's personality, behavior and those tics she displays such as avoiding her gaze while talking really makes it hard to not like her as a character. However those aren't the things what makes her my favorite character. What does is the very character itself, Kayo is a deeply complicated and complex character for a child and that's what makes her so interesting to watch. Kayo is physically abused at home by her mother, is distant from people and doesn't really have any friends until Satoru comes into the fray. Being alone is something not most of us are comfortable with, let alone the very idea of being separated from the very reality we live in.
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 his 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.
Enjoyment: 9/10
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: 10/10
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 his 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. Regardless of the flaws or imperfections, the anime still manages to hit you right at your core and for that very reason it deserves a 10/10 for me.
