Boku dake ga Inai Machi

Wow. Where am I supposed to begin with such an anime? I guess I should start with the characters. Usually in most animes I have seen I love almost every character but there are a few in the bunch that annoy me a little bit. In this anime, I disliked NO ONE. The characters in this anime were so well detailed and thought out. You really form a connection with every single character in the show because you see their dedication to Satoru and how far lengths they will go to help him out. The story: The story was unbelievably capturing. Very few anime have I actually waited for the timer to tick lower and lower for the new episode to come out. I was planning my Thursday mornings around me having the best "Boku dake ga Inai Machi" experience possible. The story captures you so well, it really keeps you on your toes throughout the entire experience. I got so attached to it, I found myself rooting for Satoru a bunch hoping he would finally succeed in his cause. To my surprise, all of the different time cuts were done absolutely perfectly. I was a bit nervous after episode 1 when the first time shift was introduced, but they did it better than I could have ever imagined. Enjoyment/Overall: This anime overall for me was a total 10/10. I thought everything was done so well and I was connected with the story from basically the beginning! Anyone who loves a good mystery or even just a heartwarming anime should definitely watch this anime! This anime makes you feel happy, sad, and even scared or confused sometimes! In the end, this anime is definitely a must watch, some people might not want to watch it because of the hype, but I do believe it is 100% worth it! Also sorry for my grammar, I now it isn't perfect! And sorry if this was a bad review, it is my first! Also, I tried to keep it short and sweet so some things are left out.

Title: Erased (Boku Dake Inai Machi) - A Disappointing Mystery Drama Erased, also known as Boku Dake Inai Machi, presents an intriguing premise of time travel to prevent tragedies and a murder mystery intertwined with the protagonist's personal life. Unfortunately, the anime falls short in delivering a compelling story due to a myriad of issues, particularly with its characters and numerous plot holes. The concept of time travel and altering events is not unique to Erased, but the problem lies in its randomness. Instead of using time travel to develop the characters, the narrative often changes direction abruptly, leaving viewers feeling disconnected. While this approach does create tension and uncertainty, it feels forced rather than organic. The protagonist, Satoru Fujinuma, has the ability to travel back to his 11-year-old self and prevent a classmate's death. However, he never explores the root of the problem and instead focuses on protecting the classmate, Hinazuki. The mystery of the murderer is evident early on, leaving little room for genuine suspense. The human drama aspect, while present, is poorly portrayed, relying on shocking events without meaningful exploration. The pacing is another letdown, as important plot points are rushed while mundane moments receive excessive focus. Although interludes provide insights into character emotions, they do not contribute significantly to the main story. The presence of improbable events, nonsensical character behavior, and excessive violence also contribute to the story's lack of credibility. The characters are the weakest aspect of Erased. Satoru's irrational behavior and sudden shift in priorities are difficult to comprehend. His romantic interest in a minor feels inappropriate and out of place. Character development is limited, and many issues are resolved by outside parties rather than the characters themselves. Hinazuki's portrayal as a victim of child abuse is treated more like a plot device than a fully realized character until later in the series. Other supporting characters suffer from stale personalities and unrealistic behavior, making their interactions feel forced and unnatural. On a positive note, the animation and sound direction are well-executed, portraying emotions and atmosphere effectively. However, the constant abuse scenes dilute the impact of these artistic details. In conclusion, Erased had the potential to be an engaging mystery drama with its intriguing premise and animation quality. Unfortunately, its many flaws, particularly with characters and plot execution, prevent it from reaching its full potential. The anime relies on cheap emotions and shocks, failing to deliver a truly compelling mystery or human drama. If you can overlook these issues, it may still provide some entertainment, but overall, Erased falls short of its promises.

One of the best animes I've ever seen. Highly recommended. Note: I don't understand all the nasty reviews I'm seeing for this anime. This is the kind of directing, writing, production quality, and voice acting I start every series hoping for. It is worth noting, however, that I haven't read the manga, and this review will not include any analysis of the manga-to-anime transition. Upon discovery of ERASED, I was initially skeptical of the plot and what it was offering me. I am very story oriented, and I worried that I would get so hung up on the time traveling aspects, and it's potential for plot holes, that I wouldn't enjoy what the rest of the show had to offer. I can say that I was very pleasantly proven wrong. ERASED is a masterpiece of direction that will keep you on the edge of your seat. That tantalizing carrot dangling just out of reach will leave you immediately clamoring to click on the next episode. The art was incredibly well done, and manage to find a happy medium between bright and energetic, and dark and menacing. I felt the art helping me ride the emotional roller coaster of ERASED throughout the entire series. Each voice actor fit their role perfectly. Overall, very well done.

Amazing story, with a poor ending. Weeks ago I was talking to my friends amazing things about BDGIM, now sadly, I must change, slightly, my opinion about It. The story, even though It doesn't offer us a lot of explanations, I think that this complaint about the time travel, is just plain unnecessary and childish. It does is a solid, agressive, and straightforward story, that sadly ends up with a very lazy, kind-of hurried ending, which wasn't as astonishing as the previous ten episodes (I am considering the ending as the two last episodes of the series). Considering these points, and the loss of quality in the development in the last two chapters, from giving It a ten on a previous review, I must change my opinion to an eight for the story. Some people disliked the art, but in my very own personal opinion, the art is very catchy, and does express the personality of the characters pretty well. I like It and It really ends up creating a true emotional tie with the characters. Sometimes the quality reduced, specially in the series ending, style is not very appealing for adult characters I must admit, but for the children, It was more than correct. Nine. I loved the songs in these anime, I really did, specially the ending. When we talk abou sound effects, It is just average. Opening and ending were amazing, Asian Kung Fu Generation, really gave a nice touch in Re:, which melts amazingly with the stories' mood, but what really keeps up the misterious mood was the ending; dark, melancholic and very emotionally intense. Eight. Characters are amazing, specially the villains (Yashiro and Akemi), they really make us feel an authtentic no-sense evilness, which is the worst kind of evilness you can found in real life, that sick madness for mistreating and killing people, in some times, just for pleasure. MCs are good, but lacked in some way of a more realistic behaivour (Satoru) after some events, Hinazuki was nice, but also, lacking of some necessary emotional response in some situations. SCs like Kenya were quite intriguing, but not fully developed, and also with an unrealistic behaivour towards what Satoru told him, which, even considering his age, sounded just very stupid. Nine, yes, even with the issues mentioned, the characters are pretty nice, I mean, these things are commonly found in bigger manners in much better reviewed animes, and no one is complaining about that. Totally enjoyable, intense, and that keeps you at the edge of the coach, well, at least the first ten chapters did. Is that kind of series which express the quality in front of the spectator, but also not denoting even a bit of mercy for what the spectator felts. Amazing, I will watch again sometime in the future if I have a chance. Ten. Ten delightfully made episode, I was really amazed, until the tenth chapter, after that, the quality dropped, not dramatically as some people said, but yes, It does, and does the manga if you belive It was better, well, It wasn't, is as annoying as the anime's. A very tasteless ending which wasn't that bad, but compared to what the series offered from the beginning, then, yes, It's bad. The eding was hurried, out of tone, mood, and poorly managed. A lot of characters wasn't even developed a bit (Kenya, Hiromi), and some other weren't even mentioned again (Jun). It is a Slice-of-life feeling ending, for a psychological-thriller series, just, unbearable. The time travel issue wasn't necessary to be explained, It isn't that kind of series, get over It (A lot of animes doesn't explain anything of how things work, and I don't see a quarter of million people complaining about It). Boku Dake ga Inai Machi, damn, yes, I will still recommend It, It is that good, maybe the best of the season, but with a very forgettable ending, really, at the point that made a 10/10 series in a 8.8/10 series. If you haven't finished watching It, well, I will recommed you to watch until the tenth chapter, give It a break, and then watch the last two chapters as an alternative ending, I think, It is the best thing you could do with series. It does deserve a remake with a new ending, even if It's not the manga's. Final Veredict: 9/10 (Because I can't put a 8.8/10 in MAL lol).

First i like to say that i rarely give a short anime a 10 RATING !! very rare. however this anime highly deserves a 10 star rating. Literally within the first episode your immediately locked into the anime. It drags you in and makes it very suspenseful for the watcher. Its actually a very simple story line to follow, however what does get complicated is the dates and the time jumps back and forth and Satarou (main character) "Revival" scenes. Once you can follow that you can deff get into this anime. The art was very refreshing and enjoyable to watch. I really like the art style in this one. Sound was pretty good as well. Voice actor for the main character is actually new and he made a great impression with being his first role. Characters are what make this anime unique. I think the character development was amazing and nicely done. Even minor characters had some substance and purpose to the plot line. You really get to see the bond and relationship between Kayo and Satarou get in-depth . And its not rushed either the thing with 12 episode anime's is that everything seems rushed and compacted. Literally you dont feel that at all for this. Each episode had a meaning and purpose behind it and the final episode wrapped up everything. All i have to say is if you like suspense, thriller, simple plot line, and some time traveling involved definitely check out this anime. Its short but very enjoyable, every episode i watched i always was on edge and craved more. Its one of those few short animes that have substance to it yet very enjoyable to watch.

=Spoiler-free zone= This is the first I'm writing a review and I just finished this right now. Like, just a minute ago, because my god this is the best thing I've ever come across. I've never seen thriller anime because to me thriller=horror but damn, if they're like this, I wouldn't mind at all! I'm saddened to see a lot of negative reviews on this but let me just tell you this as a simple-minded plebeian: this is amazing!!11!!1 Every episode had me at the edge of my seat. I laughed. I cried. I was amazed. The only thing that sorta bugged me was the art. Huge lips on the ladies? Didn't feel it at first but I warmed up to it. Either way, this anime is a really great treat, you'll regret passing it up!

Looking at the current generation in the anime production, there are many shows that could exhibit a trend that relates especially to those that observe them closely. Unfortunately, the recent ongoing are presenting decent story plot and in other aspect of the anime. However, in almost every seasons, there are always a few shows that have potential to prove the community a masterpiece is about to come to life. (But whether they could do it is another story). And here we have, Boku dake ga Inai Machi. Set in the year 2006, Satoru Fujinuma, a 29 years old manga artist, has a special ability known as "Revival", in which he would travel back in time several seconds, to grant him an opportunity to help on a crisis event which is usually life-threatening issue. On a fateful day, Sachiko (Satoru's mother) visited him for certain reasons. As the episode continues, she managed to deduce a man who was responsible for the incident that happened 18 years ago. This, in return, caused the said man to come to silence her which costed her her life. As things turned unfavorable, with his "revival", satoru was taken back to the year 1988, when he was still an 11 years old elementary school student. And this isn't the beginning yet. Boku dake ga Inai Machi, as many has also refer it commonly as 'Erased', is a mystery show filled with many interesting details and a smooth flow of mysterious stories. The stories were reveal in Satoru's perspective and each episode is able to catch the viewers' attention, resulting most of them to ask for more. As the refreshing stories were pleasant, both the opening and ending theme songs fit them perfectly. The opening theme song was adequate enough to bring the viewers back into the show. And the ending theme matches the finish scene to end with a strong desire of wanting the next episode. There are many positive factors in Boku dake ga Inai Machi but not all anime are perfect. There are always bound to have flaws - which is either minor enough that most would accept and still satisfied with the show or major to the point that the viewers have to point out their frustrations and disappointment. Now I'll move on to the flaws that concern this anime. In Boku dake ga Inai Machi, the issue though is, some may have grasped the truth in the early episodes. As it's critical to hide the truth to the viewers in mystery shows, this could cause serious damage to some of the viewers in the aftermath. Unfortunately, the flaw does not end here. As there are many things that are fresh and interesting, there is roughly an equal amount that were left unexplained. With this, the show become a paradox. This, thus, create a divide between the viewers, in which one who isn't disturbed by it or the other that is unease. To conclude, the flaws in the show does not affect me as much as it may have done to the other viewers. Hence, in my honest opinion, this show could have the potential to become a masterpiece. But the noticeable flaws are are keeping it from achieving the best and a position in one of the top place. Note: I'm aware of some bad reviews in this show. As a viewer and reviewer myself, your ultimate decision lies in yourself. And I am completely acceptable when others have different opinions as compared to mine.

Just binge watched this because everyone was hyping it so hard that it was through the roof. And honestly, i don't see what's good about this. This might be one of the most overhyped anime after SAO. Minor spoilers ahead. Art is good i guess. It's not outstanding or absolutely disgusting. It's just what most anime looks like. And i didn't pay much attention to the music, but it was pretty enjoyable. I actually enjoyed the first 4-5 episodes. I thought it was gonna be something new and good. It was nice, but i was severely disappointed in the end. Main driving thing that is his powers are barely explained and barely touched. No one knows how does it work or how did he gain it. It's just there as a convenient plot device. The main antagonist is completely revealed at the start and they spend the rest of entire show trying to convince you that he's not the villain. Only to end in a rushed ending that leaves many things half assed. Characters are barely introduced, it focuses on 2 characters so much that it's not even funny, sure we get a glimpse of other characters backgrounds here and there but it doesn't clear up anything. And they just leave one of those 2 characters they were focusing on after episode 8 or so only to show up at the end with someone else's kid. (it's like 5cm per second all over again) Overall i give 4/10 for Boku Cucke. I would've given it 7 or 8 if it was not for the ending.

Wow. Wow. Wow. This is my very first review I guess. You see. For so long, I have been waiting for an anime which the characters acted more like a human. When I said human, I really mean it like a HUMAN. Like us. Normal. Something that portray us and not too fictional. And Boku Dake Ga Inai Machi has just made it. With so much suspends included, I could not even stop watching and I got very irritated when I was not able to continue. I am a sucker for this kind of story. Starting with the main character, Satoru. For me, Satoru is a real man. He may not be your typical hero, but he is just how he is. I am totally satisfied with him. Satoru gives a real feeling of a guy/man. You are going to feel like, he is a common man which you may find around you. However, what makes the story interesting is; that very common person who gets something extraordinary. I really love some lines from Satoru. He said that, in order for everyone to be happy, he would need to sacrifice for them and not seeing them enjoying their merry moments. Other characters which I found superb are; The mother, the friends, the victims, and others. Well, it's better not to mention who are they. Overall, this story might be said by some people to be overrated. But hey! Is there any more realistic anime like this? Maybe there is. Hahaha. WATCH BOKU DAKE GA INAI MACHI! :D

It's really sad that a lot of people say that this anime is "not that good" because the author is not doing what a mystery anime needs to be good. So, I'll try to clarify some things with what I understand in this anime, hoping that it'll change the mind of some people. Don't read the part about the story until you haven't seen completely the anime! Story: First of all, we might wonder about the meaning of the word "mystery". We are talking about mystery in an anime when there is something that is not clear or kept secret or remains unexplained during a part of a story. It's not the same that a detective story! If it was the case, then the investigation would be the principal plot and for those who think that this anime is this kind of story, I have just one question: ARE YOU SERIOUS ?! The author told us almost in the beginning of the story who is guilty. Watch again the last seconds of the third episode if you don't believe me. Then, if it was a detective story, it would be not interesting if it's to discover what we already know. So, the plot of this anime is ABSOLUTELY NOT the investigation and it doesn't pretend to be one of this kind. But there is truly mystery and the author is managing this very well. Even if we know the identity of the murderer, we are not absolutely sure of it, there is a doubt as it's not said clearly if it's him or not until the main character, Fujinuma Satoru, realises it himself. In addition to that, there are some scenes where the alleged offender is doing what should be not in his interest and that accentuate this feeling. Also, we often cannot predict how the events are going to happen, even if we can guess what will happen. So, we imagine many scenarios for the following events at the end of an episode and that's the sign of a good script for such story. But this is just a part of this story. This anime is also a lesson. The author is showing us exactly how most of children and adults react in the case where there is a beaten and isolated child: they do nothing. Like the others, during his first childhood, Satoru didn't react. But he grew up and he knew what he should have done before. At this moment, he became a good model for those who're watching. It reminds that we have to be vigilant for such things and that we must take this seriously, to children as to adults. Maybe it seems obvious reading these lines, but it's often forgotten in everyday life, as well as the fact we have to be wary of the persons around us, even if we have the feeling to know them. But more generally, it reminds that we should act so to not have any regrets, to not become as Satoru before his first travel to his childhood. After all, we live just once normally, it's better to regret to have done something than to regret the opposite in most of the cases. And don't be mistaken between parents who are well-wishing with those who are not like that. If you have the chance to have good parents, don't fight with them for anything, it would be a waste. Finally, I think that it's a good story, whatever the age of the viewers. It's not a complicated one but it permits to keep us in suspense throughout the episodes. Art and sound: For the animation, the studio has done a good work. The drawings are good, as the shooting with plans that I love very much. They know how to show a stressful moment and a magnificent one too. And I thank Yuki Kajiura, among others, for her excellent job with the soundtrack, as usual, which accompanying very well the important moments. Characters: The main character Fujinuma Satoru is supposed to be a young man like another, with no special abilities (except that he can make time travels) and for that, he matches the role while being quite appealing. Besides him, I really like Hinazuki Kayo with her personality, even if I think that it doesn't match really well with a child. But, personally, I think that my favourite character is the teacher Yashiro Gaku (I usually love mad characters). The others have their specific aspects too and are appreciable. Conclusion: I think that if one day I have a child, I'll absolutely show him this anime. Nothing is perfect but I think this anime is close enough to it to be a masterpiece.

”I’m sure that what’s in front of you is all still in progress. The conclusion is still up ahead and nobody knows what it is yet.” - Katagiri Airi “Boku dake ga Inai Machi” or “Erased” is another addition to the growing number of time-travel anime. This anime caused a huge uproar to MAL users when it started, it only took the first episode to drop it at rank 25 at the all-time anime rankings and it continued climbing the ladder every week. Its popularity is not limited on MAL; it is also famous on various anime sites. I’ve read an article in goboiano.com with a caption stating that the first episode of “Erased” is what every anime should strive for, and I truly agree in that. Episode 1 is like the prelude to climax already, it feels like you’ve already watch half of an anime series. With all that said, “Erased” is not just about its pilot episode, the whole story itself is magnificent! Now let’s get things started. STORY: 9/10 Part of being human is having regrets. And through having regrets, you’ll wound up thinking wishful things like “if I had done this” ”if I had done that.” Still, we cannot turn back the time. Life is not as considerate as a digital game; it has no save points and your only choice is to move forward. However, “Fujinuma Satoru” is different. He got an out of this world ability that most humans would want to have; he can undo his previous actions for a better outcome. He sometimes goes back between one to five minutes in time whenever something bad is about to happen. In that short amount of time, he searches for something that is amiss to prevent the worst-case scenario. As grand and heroic as it sounds but this entire feat is not through his will, it just happens automatically and he sometimes gets the receiving end of the incident he prevented. He named this phenomenon as “Revival.” Now let’s go for the plot. “Fujinuma Satoru” is a 29 years old striving manga author and he’s been living his life in peace when a life-changing event happened; his mother got murdered and he is the prime suspect. Amidst the confusion, his “Revival” triggered. Then, he finds himself more than five minutes back in time, he returned to 18 years from his past. It is the time where he has to face his greatest regret, the time before the disappearance of his fifth grade classmate; “Hinazuki Kayo.” Now back in his 11 years old body, “Satoru” deduced that preventing “Kayo’s” demise might be the key in changing the future. Thus begins the tale of a prince’s struggle in saving his princess, the great story of resisting fate. ART: 7/10 The character design and facial expressions are ok. The background is well-done if you take a better look at it, one example of it is ”Satoru’s” footprint on the snow at the beginning of episode 10. SOUND: 6/10 The background music is good and appropriate for the scenes. The ending song is ok. What has to notice is the opening song, it is freaking awesome! The song’s title is “Re:Re:” and it is sang by “Asian Kung-Fu Generation.” It’s a pretty lame band name and it is my first time hearing about them but damn! That song is just too great that it even gave me an earworm. CHARACTER: 8/10 The characters were great. Truth be told, there were a lot of fans who got disappointed in “Erased’s” character developments. Just like what I have mentioned above, it started at rank 25 and continued rising till rank 5. But, when episode 11 got out, I saw its rank went down for the first time. Right now it’s on rank 10. Well, as for me, the character developments were fine. It’s appropriate and realistic for how the plot proceeded. ENJOYMENT: 10/10 I got my Steins;Gate syndrome back! My feeling in watching “Erased” is similar to how I felt when I first encountered “Steins;Gate.” These two anime were awesome and they both tackles time travelling. In addition, both don’t show any preview for the next episode that it got me feeling like “What the f**k!” “Are you f**king serious!” every time an episode ends and I feel like wanting more. Well, you won’t feel this way now that it’s done, you can watch it non-stop. What is adding more to the excitement in “Erased” is the thrill in figuring out who the culprit is; this serves as the main engine for boosting the enjoyment in watching it. My overall score for “Erased” is 9. One last push and I might have given it a perfect score, too bad that push never came. Still, I can’t deny that it truly is a masterpiece and it surely did leave a mark in the history of anime. I bet the talks about “Erased” won’t die anytime soon and its legacy will continue to amaze people. If you haven’t seen it yet then you better start now to understand the difference between great and crap animes. Well, that wraps it! See you on my other reviews!

There are no spoilers in this review. :) This is my first review and i'm not american, so sorry for the bad spelling. Boku Dake Ga Inai Machi is a masterpiece, a unique anime, with beautiful animation, incredible story telling and A LOT OF PLOT TWISTS. The story follows Satoru and his quest to save his friends and his mother, using his special ability, the revival, he can go back in time and change the future, his main objective is to stop a murder and discover his true identity, I can't say who is he, but I can tell that his identity is a little predictable, but the relationship betwen him and Satoru reminds a lot Batman and Joker. I highly recommend everyone to watch this masterpiece, even if you usually watch shounen or other action animes, or even if you think this kind of anime is boring, this one will change you mind :)

Wow..I loved it. It started off on a high and ended up nicely. I really really liked it. I can't really pin down why I liked it from the very first episode off but something about how different the art was and how sorry I felt for Satoru in his boring adulthood life. I liked the butterfly concept element which only got better and better as it went on. I loved all the characters. Every single one. Pacing was excellent. I have only good things to say about this anime. It can get dark and upsetting for some people, but as a whole it's very much worth it. Reading the manga now and as far as I've gotten it's just as good and I anticipate it might be even better as they expanded the story a tiny bit more.

If you've already seen the first season of Steins;Gate and Re:ZERO, this series probably won't have the same effect. Erased starts with an interesting idea and a pace that, at the time of its release, could have truly kept you on the edge of your seat. However, revisiting it today, in 2025, after having already absorbed works that play more sophisticatedly with temporal paradoxes, psychological tension, and mystery-building, ends up making it very predictable. After a few episodes, you already know who the villain is, and this takes away much of the impact the series was aiming to build. In 2016, when the genre wasn't yet so overused and we hadn't seen plots as elaborate as those of Steins;Gate or Re:ZERO, surprise worked much better. Today, however, we find ourselves following the story with every narrative twist already in mind, and this inevitably detracts from the experience. Personally, I continued watching it only because I don't like to interrupt something I've started, but the overall effect was that of a work that no longer manages to amaze as it probably did upon release. Erased remains a well-crafted series with some emotionally charged moments, but if you're used to more complex titles, it risks simply seeming too predictable.

Time travel is a dangerous concept. I'm not referring to how meddling with the past is an astronomically terrible idea that could invalidate the future. I'm referring to how things are never gonna fully make sense once you use it. An entire anime based on time travel is bound to require you to make concessions in order to still appreciate it. If the character writing and general narrative are strong enough, even the dodgier time travel elements can be excused. Just look at "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya", the most beloved and most gorgeous installment in the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise. Meanwhile ERASED is an example of what happens when the writing can't hold up to scrutiny, crumbling under the time travel weight. Perhaps that's not accurate enough, especially since for about 2/3 of the series, the writing is generally solid despite its child characters being practically written like teenagers and the directing being a little heavy-handed. Call this a case of a beloved series going downhill: the classic television tragedy. One of the major problems of the series is that it tries to set itself up like a mystery when: A. It barely follows up on that until episode 10 despite how much the show likes to remind you of this plotline, mainly focusing on time travel and relationships instead. B. For a mystery, there really weren't enough feasible suspects, and the true culprit doesn't carry a very strong motivation for committing the crime of murder in the present day, one such murder that affected main lead Satoru enough to inadvertently jump 18 YEARS into the past. Sure, a dramatic story about child abuse is presented, but the payoff to both that and the "mystery" set up at the beginning were so unbelievably bad that they kicked off the ruinous final third of the series. Then again, the cracks were beginning to show earlier on. After discovering that Kayo's mom beats her on a regular basis, Satoru convinces his mom and his friends to allow him to hide Kayo somewhere safe, knowing the danger of both her mom, and a kidnapper that happened around this time. He convinces his friends that this was all just role play, and given that, it is more than a little difficult to accept how they allow this to temporarily change their lives so abruptly for an extended period of time. The time travel aspect isn't really fleshed out or explained properly, as it's apparently supposed to be this involuntary and symbolic thing, yet if it's so involuntary, why did Satoru have to manually activate it via screaming towards the heavens? What is up with that stupid, stupid time skip? What is with the whole symbolic anecdote about the spider web from heaven? Perhaps the manga makes sense of all of this, but you shouldn't have to handwave it with "oh it's symbolism" so that it can be a justified and still not properly explained core mechanic of your series and its world-building. Then again, that's the price you pay for settling for a 12 episode slot when what you're adapting requires at least one and a half times that amount if shows like Blazblue Alter Memory were any indication. The finale being a laughable Batman and Joker style encounter after a huge time skip that ends via asspulls and anticlimaxes is just the final nail in the coffin. From what I've gathered, integral aspects of two characters (Airi and Kenya) were cut out from the adaptation. As troublesome as that is given their lack of relevance, both of them were generally likable. Satoru is a likable enough protagonist forced to grapple with all sorts of death while reeling through the failures of his manga-author life, while his mother is perhaps the purest character in the entire show. The other mom in the show, Kayo's mom, is utter garbage. For the majority of the show, she's just this singularly vile being without a hint of redeeming or tragic qualities to speak of, and then episode 9 tries to pull a sob story out of her in an attempt to make us care. Yeah, no. Fuck that. Maybe try making her an actually complex character instead of trying to make her earn cheap sympathy points at the very end. It undermines the abuse story, which was already hampered by the mother being almost cartoonishly evil. Kayo herself is a jaded child character suffering from abuse, and the target of the audience's sympathy. She's ok for what she is. The main antagonist of the show is not only obvious, but very shallow and idiotic as a villain once he's revealed. Also, yes, it is odd seeing tweens (11-year-olds to be specific) tackle such serious topics so seriously, even despite Satoru convincing them that this was role play, all except for Kenya who knows what's really going on. Maybe if these guys were around the age of 15, it would be more understandable in a lot of ways. They're basically written like teenagers anyway. Despite how terrible A-1 Pictures' working conditions are, they're sometimes capable of releasing anime that look pretty good. This is perhaps one of their most visually distinct titles. Some of the environments look great, particularly the sky during the aurora Borealis scene. The art style is also one of the more attractive ones that this studio has done. Tomohiko Itou's directing is a bit hit and miss. There are some problems with how heavy-handed the visual communication can be, especially regarding its...shall we say, "liberal" use of the "red means dead" motif. On the flip side, there are plenty of lovely match-cuts and shots that are simply gorgeous. The letterboxing also adds a distinct style to the show's visuals. The OP, "Re:Re" by Asian Kung-Fu, Generation, is one of their best songs. Even more impressive are its visuals, always having more than enough stuff moving to not only keep your eyes plastered to the screen, but new tricks and sights to see if you merely slightly adjust where you look. The ED, "Sore wa Chiisana Hikari no Youna" by Sayuri, is one of her best songs as it's a wonderfully uplifting and grandiose song with a somber start before kicking into overdrive. The vibrant colors and minimalistic shapes are also a feast for the eyes. As for Yuki Kajiura's OST, it's surprisingly unmemorable. Nothing really stood out, which is odd for her and disappointing for me. There's really nothing else I can stay. I remember when a few episodes in, ERASED was widely heralded as an absolute masterpiece. Things sure do change. After the show's final act, ERASED quickly went from a critical darling to one of the most common examples of a great show that couldn't stick the landing in the eyes of many. Several fans would still recommend the show despite the dodgy conclusion, and to some extent, I can see why. There aren't that many abuse stories in anime, let alone popular ones. It does have an exciting premise. Its visuals are some of the best in the studio despite some heavy-handed moments. That said, I'm not sure I can do the same. The show isn't terrible, at least until the last act. However, it's difficult to recommend something that implodes later down the line. It's even more difficult when the show was already questionable at times beforehand. It's a shame since I did enjoy this show at first, and there are great things that can be said about it. Alas, here we are at the corpse. The case behind this particular murder is closed, and the autopsy is complete.

Boku dake ga Inai machi, or ‘Erased’ in its English title, is the anime adaption of Kei Sanbe’s supernatural/thriller/mystery manga which had dominated the charts throughout its run in the summer season of 2016. At its peak Erased managed to reach as high as the 4th overall placement by score on MAL, while currently sitting just within the ‘Top 50’ range. The 29 year old protagonist, Satoru Fujinuma, is a failing manga artist currently employed as a pizza delivery guy. Satoru is an unassuming person seemingly without any exceptional qualities, hence his current state of employment. His character design is pretty boring; the standard scraggly brown hair, slender physique, etc. this design choice does emphasize how ‘normal’ his life is at a glance, but this image is quickly and intentionally flipped on its head. During a scene of Satoru out on a delivery he witnesses a traffic accident, the frame distorts and a jarring sound blares. When Satoru returns to his senses, he realizes that he has been pulled back a few minutes into the past, where he has time to intervene preventing the accident from happening, Furthurmore, this is a common occurrence for Satoru. This ability initially has some intrigue to it, as a viewer I really enjoy when time control is well executed in anime. The implications of cause and effect are vast enough that the idea can be explored in an innumerable amount of ways, and this style of vaguely introducing the ability provided them with infinite freedom to flesh out its mechanics; What conditions must be met to trigger a loop?, What’s the extent and frequency to which Satoru can control it?, How did he come to possess this ability in the first place?, Are there consequences to using it? There were a limitless amount of ways they could have spun the idea, but they did literally nothing with it. It’s mind blowing how so much potential was cast aside here. The only time Satoru ever mentions this incredible ability of his, he always says something to the effect of “it’s something that happens sometimes before a disaster”. The ability is turned into a plot device; an unexplained contrivance which completely negates any tension the narrative attempts to establish. Anytime that Satoru messes up anything remotely important, he is returned to a convenient point without any consequences; Erased ends it’s episodes on cliffhangers in an attempt to force tension, but it’s always followed by an anti climactic payoff in the form of either a time reset, or a character appearing out of nowhere to help him out because plot convenience. The reasoning behind Satoru’s desire to intervene in the these future situations during the early episodes is never explained or justified either, they leave it to the viewer to assume he is ‘just a good person’, which isn’t preferable to providing us with set characterization. This way of writing let’s Satoru act whatever way works best for the narrative, because the audience can just ‘assume’ things about how he thinks. Back to the narrative’s lead up; after discovering that his mother has been murdered, Satoru becomes implicated as a primary suspect in the investigation, because he ran away from the scene. There is no motive, and no evidence, the decision to run away from the police was a stupid one that only served to strengthen the case against him when he was only implicated because of a misunderstanding to begin with. This is understandable considering his state of mind at the time, but even after he calms down his thought process remains unchanged. The dramatic crux of the introductory arc involves Satoru being sent back in time to 1988 when he was eleven years old. Events lead Satoru to the realization that the murderer of his mother might be the same criminal who murdered a young girl when he was in elementary school, killed the same year Satoru is currently reliving. By preventing the death of the child he can indirectly save his mother. This establishes Satoru’s motivations, and leads us into an interesting setting. The only thing I have to question here is why Satoru is so certain that this will work, he doesn’t question that this is the singular deciding factor of future events, even though there are a lot of things he can do over the next 20 years that would protect his mother. The unique perspective of an adult living in a child’s body is actually pretty well utilized. The biggest problem being the awkward hints of a possible romantic route for the relationship between Hinazuki and Satoru thrown in despite the obvious age difference, there wouldn’t be a way to write this without it being absurdly creepy, so it’s played off as comedic, and scraped pretty quickly. In his adult life Satoru was almost constantly alone, the only relationships in his life are with his mother, and a coworker who had taken a friendly interest in him. Whenever Satoru provides exposition as to what his life was like as a child, he always mentions that he had plenty of ‘friends’ but never formed a meaningful connection with anyone, something he came to regret as he grew up. This set a foundation of development for Satoru, he has an opportunity to improve himself layered below his primary motivation of saving his mother. Kayo Hinazuki is the single exceptional character aside from Satoru, her character arc spans through the majority of the series early episodes considering she is the child Satoru is sent back in time to protect. Satoru has vague memories of Hinazuki from before her murder, but remarks that she was always quiet and doesn’t know much about her. While attending school, now an observant adult, he notices a bruise on Hinazuki and quickly pieces together her situation at home. His suspicions of child abuse are later reinforced by the contents of an essay written by Hinazuki found later in the episode. She’s presented to have an apathetic front covering her emotional nature, and she cuts herself off socially because she is afraid of getting hurt. Satoru and Hinazuki share some great dialog between them, and the contrast in their home lives create a really interesting character dynamic that leads into the biggest emotional outpouring in the series; Hinazuki’s realization of what a family is supposed to be like, and her experiencing it for the first time in her life. Satoru act’s under the impression that if he pushes Hinazuki’s life in a direction of stability in enough ways, while watching over her as much as he can as a child, he can make her a difficult target for abduction, and eventually end the abuse she receives from her parents. Outside of Satoru and Hinazuki, everyone else in this series is made of cardboard. The other children are especially poorly written, their characterization over the course of the series doesn’t even extend as far as being set within an archetype for some of them. They are vehicles in Satoru’s development and nothing else, except for a child named Kenya, whose characterization actually makes him worse. His whole character can be described as ‘the smart one who wants to be a detective’, convenient for a mystery anime. Kenya’s only relevance is to provide insightful exposition in uncovering the murderer’s identity. What makes his character ‘worse’ doesn’t lie in how minimalist his characterization was, but in that they made this 11 year old child smarter than every adult, including Satoru, in the entire series. Every character in Erased seems to act only on what Satoru tell’s them to do, they don’t even ask for specific details as to why a lot of the time. There is a point where the children help Satoru to practically kidnap Hinazuki for a three day span, they don’t know that she is being targeted by a future serial killer, he tells them nothing about the situation, but they don’t even bother to ask for a reason. Unfortunately, Erased completely fails in the handling of its mystery element. The mystery genre is inherently difficult to write within. The author must attempt to introduc…

This anime dragged me in for a really late night binge to find a place to stop for the night on episode 6. Did another binge to finish. I really really liked this anime up until episode 10. Every episode before 10 was easily a 9.5 or 10/10 and I was eating it all up I loved it, so well written and left you wondering and wanting so much more. Then episode 10 hit, it broke a major rule of time travel. After the 10th episode I was so unhappy about the outcome, Yes this is because the romance lover in me wanted Satoru to be with the main girl (you'll know who I am talking about when you see past episode 3), I am so so hating the new timeline. **********This does contain a potential spoiler read at your own risk I am trying very hard not to give anything away so please be warned! I do not want to ruin this for anyone!********************************* Do not get me wrong this is an amazing anime and it did phenomenal on the story and made it interesting to say the least but, this new timeline was so reminiscent of Rumbling Hearts and I hated how that turned out too. If you have seen that, you most likely can figure out to an extent what is going to happen. I am really glad I did not watch this as it aired or I would have gone crazy waiting for another episode, this was really a great story and I loved it but the last 2 episodes in my opinion should have been re-written to go back to the not major rule broken timeline. In the end, this anime leaves me wanting way more than it gave me. And honestly, not in the good way, the last 2 episodes just were a giant "Hey you know those feelings you developed and you totally would ship it? Well nope we are going somewhere else so you end up voting us at a 4/10" Seriously I really really hope they do a movie of this anime, but stick to the sub plot (that we all freaking want) Storyboard you know da*n well what I am talking about! DO IT FOR US! YOU KNOW WE WANTED IT! Would I watch this again? Maybe when I forget what it was about and what not, right now? No I need to go and watch something that serves my romance fanboy addiction. Recommend? Before episode 10 I was all over it! After episode 10 I am very hesitant to do so.

Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED), a anime where the main protagonist is trying to change the past and find the murderer behind the death of 3 children. For the Winter Season, I felt that although there was criticisms of how there were a lack of suspects and how the ending seemed disappointing and I get why people feel this way. I actually enjoyed this anime because it gave me a Steins;Gate feel as I really enjoyed that anime. I would recommend this anime if you really enjoy mystery and psychological anime, be my guest and try this anime out. Although I didn't fully enjoy the anime due to my experience of having interests in other anime, the story was actually extremely unique to the point where you want more. In this anime, I find it unique where the opening would match the time period in where Boku Dake ga Inai Machi takes as the opening theme was made in 2004. Overall, although there might be some parts of the story that people might not like, I would recommend this anime to new anime watchers who want to get a sense of the combination of psychological and mystery genre.

Erased: a great anime to watch, but even with it's rushed ending, it still is one of the best anime's of the year so far. Spoiler-free don't worry. I watches this the time it started to the time it ended, but I guess I'm late. Story: so a late-20's aged dude who is a struggling manga writer has this strange specialty of his that makes him go back in time (temporarily) to the event he chooses to. After his mom comes over to see him, he comes home one night...... and that should be it for now. The story is very good and has twists and turns, great or just completely expected. The ending is the downfall of this show, which gave me the impression that with this tweaked better and a better pace to finish, than this would really be a 10. Art: some scenes show how great the art is in this show, but has to adapt to the overall setting of the town (that you will see later in the show). The art seems bland, but sort of gives the overall tone in specific scenes, which is fine with me. Sound: the voice acting was pretty good for the most part, but the opening and ending song that goes on throughout the series was VERY addictive. The opening was made by the Asian Kung-Fu Genaration (a very good band), and the ending is called Sore wa Chiisana Hikari no Youna. Character: awesome characters. They, well most of them, give off some type of happiness and friendship that will give off one of the main themes the show is trying to convey to the audience. Some characters really go through changes as the series goes on, and creates shock, happiness, relief, and maybe some tears if you are easily moved by shows. Overall: I enjoyed this A LOT. HOWEVER, the ending rushed WAY too fast, but the ending wasn't enough for me to throw my computer like everyone else. Just keep an open mind like any show you watch and I will be sure you will be fascinated. 9/10

I watched this a few weeks ago and didn't have much free time to write a reviews. I decided to write a review about my thoughts about the show since I am thinking what was the spring 2016 anime I don't regret watching the most. Erased is a time travel story like many others where the MC travels back in time to change something. I have been a fan of Steins Gate, All You Need Is Kill, Back To The Future and Doctor Who so a show about time travel is appealing to me. Usually a majority of time travel stories has continuity problems or the story is to dragged on or messy to keep a viewers attention. Erase takes note of this issue and does not fall into it. Story 10/10 The story of Erased focuses on Sotaru our MC who has a time travel ability that lets him go back in time to prevent tragedy's a few minutes before they happen. On one of these occasions he gets sent back years instead of minutes to when he is a kid in order to stop a 15 year old tragedy. I do not want to say what it is for spoiler reasons. It is a bit of a dark story with some dark themes. Apart from that The pacing in the story is perfect and they know where to end unlike many time travel stories seen in modern fiction where the writers do not focus on the delivery of an end. Art 9/10 The art in the series is good especially mixed with all the lighting and snow. The character designs are not bland but are colorful and memorable. The antagonist had a interesting character design that made me think trouble was afoot with his appearance in some scenes. Sound 9/10 There is some good music in the original soundtrack but its does not leave and big impression on me. The only music that left a impression on me is the opening theme that gives a good vibe of what your going into. The most major sound effects used are snow and cars. The character voices are done well and fit the attitude of the characters. Characters 9/10 Our MC his mother and some of his classmates are very intriguing characters that help move the story. The antagonist is interesting but not too interesting when I think about it. Most of the characters in the past timeline sit with me well but the characters in the future did not get as much development as needed to make the viewer think highly of their role in the story. Enjoyment 10/10 I consider my enjoyment a ten because I watched the series in a total binge because I desperately wanted to watch the next episode. This usually how I know I'm enjoying the show. Also this show made me feel happy afterwards because did not feel like I wasted my time watching it. Overall 10/10