TribstyAnn
Me.
Towns Folk
ERASED, Japanese title Boku dake ga Inai Machi, is a 2016 anime based off the manga written by Kei Sanbe, of the same name. The manga was adapted into anime by A-1 Pictures studio, directed by Tomohiko Ito, produced by Kenta Suzuki and Taku Matsuo, and written by Taku Kishimoto. It aired January 8 through March 25, 2016, with a total of 12 episodes. It is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll.com. I was nominated for Anime of the Year: 2016 on Crunchyroll.com but did not win.
I'm just going to start with a warning. I know this review might irritate some people. I'm giving this anime a perfect 10/10 score. I love it, think it's a masterpiece, recommend it to everyone (of a mature age), and it is my favorite anime. I know it has some issues, but for me personally I completely overlook them. I know, I'm just admitting this now so you know that this review is going to be completely biased right from the start.
First Episode Spoilers Below: (And some other spoilers) Just go watch the show yourself.
In the first episode we find out about the main characters unexplained power, that is beyond his control. Sometimes randomly he'll jump back in time a few seconds. If he is able to find what is different from what happened the first time he is able to stop something bad from happening. Some people complain that this power is never explained. I honestly don't think it needs to be. It is the catalyst for an interesting story, and therefore is the explanation itself.
At the end of the episode his mom is murdered, and he is suspected of the crime. In running away from the police he transports back in time, with his unexplained ability, to the time when he was a kid in grade school. He believes his mothers murder to be connected to several kidnappings that happened in the area when he was a child, and therefore sets about to figure them out, prevent them, and save his mom.
There is this was one of the victims. She didn't have friends, would wait in the park long into the evening instead of going home, and would often come to school with bruises. It's obvious the she is a child abuse victim, and that why she was targeted is because she was vulnerable. Our main character slowly becomes her friend, in an effort for her to not be alone on the date of her kidnapping.
Why I love this show is because of it's good portrayal serious things that happen in today's world, like abuse violence, and injustice. It also shows how people can help stop these horrible things from happening. There's no super powers, monsters, or magic, just normal humans doing their human thing. And this is what I feel makes this show so powerful. It not afraid to show the nastiest side of humanity, while also showing in contrast the loving side of it as well. I has a powerful message of how just by being a friend to the friendless can save someone's life.
This series is heavy. It deals with real, nasty, ugly things. It's not afraid of it. It shows it in a realistic way. But that also leads to some of the best, most wonderful heartfelt moments. This show resonates with me because of it subject matter. My family has been a safe place, and have house different people suffering from different thing. We do our best to help others in need, by loving them the best we can, when they have nowhere else to go. We have housed and helped abuse victims.
The characters are also one of my favorite parts. They all feel so human. It's hard to explain in words, though. Everything they do is something you can do. No superpowers required. It's something that really made me love them, and made them feel like real people in my own neighborhood.
The villain also is very well done, and sent shivers down my spin whenever he was on screen.
Some people argue over the pacing, and whether this is a mystery show or not. Closer to the end of the show it does feel a little rushed, and ends in a kind of weird way, unlike what I was expecting. The villain that has been a mystery is also just kinda BAM! revealed without the main character figuring it out himself. I personally didn't notice this while watching it, and I feel it is a minor nitpick at best.
No, Erased isn't perfect. It has it flaws an it's mistakes, most of which I didn't talk about here. Why I love it so much I because of the reality of it, and the beautiful messages it teaches. I don't see that I can perfectly express my feeling about this show, and I keep thinking there's a different way I should have worded something, or something else I should have added. I still believe though, that everyone should watch it and that it still completely deserves the perfect score.
Final Score: 10/10
I'm just going to start with a warning. I know this review might irritate some people. I'm giving this anime a perfect 10/10 score. I love it, think it's a masterpiece, recommend it to everyone (of a mature age), and it is my favorite anime. I know it has some issues, but for me personally I completely overlook them. I know, I'm just admitting this now so you know that this review is going to be completely biased right from the start.
First Episode Spoilers Below: (And some other spoilers) Just go watch the show yourself.
In the first episode we find out about the main characters unexplained power, that is beyond his control. Sometimes randomly he'll jump back in time a few seconds. If he is able to find what is different from what happened the first time he is able to stop something bad from happening. Some people complain that this power is never explained. I honestly don't think it needs to be. It is the catalyst for an interesting story, and therefore is the explanation itself.
At the end of the episode his mom is murdered, and he is suspected of the crime. In running away from the police he transports back in time, with his unexplained ability, to the time when he was a kid in grade school. He believes his mothers murder to be connected to several kidnappings that happened in the area when he was a child, and therefore sets about to figure them out, prevent them, and save his mom.
There is this was one of the victims. She didn't have friends, would wait in the park long into the evening instead of going home, and would often come to school with bruises. It's obvious the she is a child abuse victim, and that why she was targeted is because she was vulnerable. Our main character slowly becomes her friend, in an effort for her to not be alone on the date of her kidnapping.
Why I love this show is because of it's good portrayal serious things that happen in today's world, like abuse violence, and injustice. It also shows how people can help stop these horrible things from happening. There's no super powers, monsters, or magic, just normal humans doing their human thing. And this is what I feel makes this show so powerful. It not afraid to show the nastiest side of humanity, while also showing in contrast the loving side of it as well. I has a powerful message of how just by being a friend to the friendless can save someone's life.
This series is heavy. It deals with real, nasty, ugly things. It's not afraid of it. It shows it in a realistic way. But that also leads to some of the best, most wonderful heartfelt moments. This show resonates with me because of it subject matter. My family has been a safe place, and have house different people suffering from different thing. We do our best to help others in need, by loving them the best we can, when they have nowhere else to go. We have housed and helped abuse victims.
The characters are also one of my favorite parts. They all feel so human. It's hard to explain in words, though. Everything they do is something you can do. No superpowers required. It's something that really made me love them, and made them feel like real people in my own neighborhood.
The villain also is very well done, and sent shivers down my spin whenever he was on screen.
Some people argue over the pacing, and whether this is a mystery show or not. Closer to the end of the show it does feel a little rushed, and ends in a kind of weird way, unlike what I was expecting. The villain that has been a mystery is also just kinda BAM! revealed without the main character figuring it out himself. I personally didn't notice this while watching it, and I feel it is a minor nitpick at best.
No, Erased isn't perfect. It has it flaws an it's mistakes, most of which I didn't talk about here. Why I love it so much I because of the reality of it, and the beautiful messages it teaches. I don't see that I can perfectly express my feeling about this show, and I keep thinking there's a different way I should have worded something, or something else I should have added. I still believe though, that everyone should watch it and that it still completely deserves the perfect score.
Final Score: 10/10
