0
0
Year: 2016
Genre: Fantasy, mystery, thriller
Episodes: 12
Rating: 4.25 out of 5
Have you ever wished you could go back and change a particular point in time of your life? Have you ever sat around and said, “Damn! If I did that differently, I could’ve been off so much better than I am now. If you could go back to change a point in your life, what would it be? Would you try to win the lottery or a fortune off a game? Would you try to get a lost love that got away from you? Would you try and make sure a particular event didn’t happen in time? What if you could stop a person from getting murdered? Would you do it? Would you take that risk? Here’s the kicker, if you go back, you will be the age that it happened. Could you live in your body as a teenager or little kid again without letting people know you’re from the future?
Erased is an anime that takes the concept of going back in time to prevent someone from being killed. The only problem is that the main character goes back to stop a killer but also returned to his younger self. Get ready for a thriller that will have you wondering if the main character can save the person he wanted to save.
Overview:
Erased follows the story of Satoru Fujinuma. Satoru is a detached 29-year old manga artist, struggling in the world to make a name for himself. Even with all his problems, Satoru possesses an extraordinary ability. Satoru possesses an ability that sends him back in time moments before a life-threatening incident, allowing him to prevent it from happening. Satoru calls this experience/ability REVIVAL, and it will continue to occur until the conflict is erased.
One day while walking home from work, Satoru stops and notices a tree. Even though his memory is fuzzy, he remembers a girl from his elementary class that was killed. He wonders how it happened before moving on home. Once home, he notices that his mother is in the kitchen. She states that she will be living with him for a while, much to his annoyance. While doing grocery shopping, Satoru gets a REVIVAL sensation. He desperately tries to figure it out when the crises pass. His mother notices something was up with one of the customers and calls her friend for help.
After a day of the incident, Satoru wonders what happens when he makes it home. As he opens the door, he sees that his mother was murdered by an unknown killer. Satoru’s ability suddenly sends him back eighteen years to when he was in elementary school. While walking to school, he sees the girl that was killed long ago.
Satoru believes that this is his opportunity to change the future where his mother was killed along with saving the girl that lost her life long ago.
Review:
Erased is a great anime to watch that will have you wondering if the main character, Satoru, will be able to change the future for one of his classmates. The anime is not as extreme of a thriller as “Death Note” nor a mystery like “Another” or “Stein’s Gate,” but it does hold its own for the 12 episodes it’s presented in. When watching Erased, it reminded me of the 2004 movie, “The Butterfly Effect.” The main character, Satoru, possesses an ability that sends him back in time one to five moments before a life-threatening incident, allowing him to prevent it from happening. This is usually represented by a blue butterfly, aka the Butterfly Effect. The difference between Ashton Kutcher’s character and Satoru is Kutcher’s character can control his ability while reading his journal, while Satoru only comes and goes. The anime does a great job intertwining the elements of mystery and thrills. At first, we never know how and why Satoru has developed his ability, which he named Revival. When his Revival is set off, you become on edge like he does, wondering what is about to happen because it is never a clear cut situation. Satoru usually has to figure out in a split second to change the future. The story really picks up when a situation happens that makes Satoru go into the past. Once in the past, I like how Satoru loses his ability, and he has to figure out how to do things as an elementary school student. What I also like is how, when Satoru messes up, he will go back to the present, and the situation that he was in is still the same. The only way he can change his loop is to save the girl.
The story of Erased is pretty intense with the mystery that Satoru must solve and accomplish. First, Satoru has the ability to change the future, but also it’s not a story where it takes place in the present. A large amount of the story happens when Satoru is in elementary school. Saving the life of a girl is a pretty tall task for an elementary school student and his friends. While the story evolves from saving one character, it also affects what happens in the present with Satoru needing saving while saving the life of a loved one. The mystery part of the story is who actually killed the little girl. Was it the person that police said it was, or was it a person that framed the person to get away with it? Is the killer a person out in the community, or is it a family member of the deceased? The anime also does a great job continuing the effects when Satoru messes up in the past and comes back to the present. The anime keeps the same issues and problems that Satoru had before he went back. Many elements of the story come together in the end where all is revealed.
The characters in Erased are pretty good in terms of character development and interaction. The most development time is spent on Satoru. At the start of the series, Satoru is a 29-year-old manga artist. He seems to be very uninterested in life and lacks motivation. After a particular incident and going back to the past, his younger self is a determined minded person who tries to keep everyone safe. Even though he tries to solve all the problems on his own, when he fails the first time around, he isn’t afraid to get help from her friends. The dialogue with his mother is spot on as he has a habit of saying things out loud where he gets scolded for.
Kayo is the girl that was killed years before the start of the series and the reason Satoru goes back to save. In the past life, Satoru didn’t know her that well. In the Revival period, Satoru makes an effort to get to know her. Kayo turns from a loner to being one that felt happy to have friends. She hardly smiles, but when she does is happy. She keeps to herself as we find out she lives in a very abusive household. My favorite character is Satoru’s mother, Sachiko. Sachiko is the mother everyone should love. She is protective of her son but also lets him be his own person. She uses to be a former news announcer that helps her with her qualities of having a sharp eye and being quick in observing any irregularities. She has no problem scolding Satoru for the mistakes he makes.
What is very great about this anime is certain parts of the animation. The anime is very crisp and appealing to the eye. What the anime does well is put little factors in to make it sense that something is wrong. Evil characters or the killer always show with red eyes. It shows the malice in their eyes. The main killer’s eyes are red along with Kayo’s mother. Another excellent example of the animation is the dealing of Satoru’s memories. They are presented as a jumbled up film strip. As the story progresses, the film reel is bright and moves forward. When Satoru goes into a coma, the animation shows the jumbled up film strip slowly darkening until it goes black. When Satoru regains consciousness, the film strip starts to brighten up again and move forward, but the animators show the bits and pieces that are missing from his memories as the film strip is blank.
Erased is an excellent anime if you want something that will tickle your interest in mystery. Even though one might think that this is a time travel anime, it’s not at all. The anime does a good job of keeping the pace of the anime interesting. It also does an excellent job of showing the mistakes of the main character. Even though he is from the future, he does mess up a few times to come with an answer. The anime also does an excellent job of transitioning from the past and the present. Showing how little changes in the past doesn’t necessarily mean you changed the future the way you want to. This anime is highly recommended for the detective in your family or group.
