Release Date: 8 January, 2016 - 25 March, 2016
Number of Media: Manga and a live-action adaptation
What's It About: 29-year old Satoru Fujinuma has the ability to leap back in time a small amount before someone in his vicinity is killed. However, he is sent back in time 18 years to his childhood in what he believes is to help an unsolved murder case of an 11-year old girl in his class.
The Good: There are some beautiful moments between Satoru and his classmates, especially Hinazuki, whom he will defend with his life. The animation has a slightly worn, saturated look, and the overall gloomy aesthetic helps push the mood the 1988 scenes depict. The OP and ED are good, as is the soundtrack. Pacing is excellent, and time is given to each character to develop them sufficiently (except for one key figure, who does not appear for most of the series). As a time-travel series, it does a good job of helping us get invested in the main characters, but there are holes that are impossible to miss.
The Bad: Erased jumps around the plot quickly, especially before Satoru goes back to 1988. This is due to the differences in the anime and the manga, where some chapters are skipped to help condense the running time. There are also some key differences that affected the final outcome somewhat, which has drawn criticism. The plot itself is a rehash of time-travel stories we may be familiar with, and character motivations are questionable at best, and gratuitous at worst. The adaptation generally lacks investment where it is needed.
Best Character: Kayo Hinazuki, voiced by Aoi Yuuki. Hinazuki is a victim of abuse, who has low self-esteem and no ability to defend herself from her abusers. She spends alot of her time alone, often in the local park. Her growth arc is the most pronounced in the series - starting out as a cold, distant, numb girl, to someone who eventually learns the value of friendship and trust. Her best scene occurs in episode 9, when she is served breakfast by Satoru's mother Sachiko.
Should I Watch It: This show is one of the standouts of the spring 201 season and generated a great deal of hype. Even though there have been many stories like it, Erased seems to stand out in terms of sentimentality and general production qualities. The music sets a strong tone for the bleakness of much of the story, and the characters are definitely the driving force behind the story's progression (bar a select few who are sorely underdeveloped and seem to serve little purpose beyond moving the plot forward).
Similar Shows: Steins;Gate (2011), Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (2016), ReLIFE (2016)
Trailer:
