TonyWatchesMovies Anime Review: ERASED: 9 out of 10

TV shows these days tend to leave me bored after a while, simply because all they do is raise the stakes to impossible levels yet leave nothing undamaged in terms of the main characters. Sure, they may take a couple of hits but for the most part the people you know as the main characters stay intact and simply move on to the next situation that they will ultimately overcome. ERASED, however, gives us the stakes in the first episode; three children from his hometown will be kidnapped in 1988, his mother will be murdered and Satoru (the main character) will be condemned for it unless he can go back and change the past. From there, the show now has so many ways in which to go, and the wonderful thing about that is the fact that the audience member now can imagine their own storyline and try to put the pieces together after the episode is over.

TonyWatchesMovies Score: 9 out of 10 Satoru's power of time travel is a little confusing at first, however, the nature of the show allows us to let go of the semantics and immerse ourselves in the world of ERASED simply because they don't try and over-explain how it works. The creators gave us the characters, setting, key facts and story and we all are given the chance to enjoy it for what it is, and episode by episode it continues to change. Who is the mysterious killer? Will Satoru be forcibly pushed back in time by "Revival" (which is what he calls the phenomenon of time travel) at the worst possible moment? How can he fix the past? These things you will always be thinking as you are riding along the many twists and turns that ERASED will throw at you, and each time an episode ends you are always left wanting more. This series also utilizes another key element in storytelling; emotion. Throughout ERASED, you will definitely begin to relate to the different characters in Satoru's 1988 classroom, because we all at some point were children, attempting to find our place and fit in whilst dealing with all of the things that came with growing up. Personally, as I watched this series, I wondered about my own life, the things I could have done to help others or the people around me who were hurting but didn't let others see, and in a way this show gave me a sense of catharsis. Nobody really knows how their actions can affect the future, and many times through the show Satoru will see how certain things he did in the past changed the outcome of future events. In short, ERASED is by far one of my top 3 anime shows of all time. The art style is amazing, the characters and storytelling are vivid, I was constantly on the edge of my seat, waiting with baited breath for the next bad thing to happen or the plot to violently twist, and the relationship between Satoru and Kayo is adorable. And one thing is for certain; either if it is in ERASED or in real life, the action of helping others will always gain the support of naturally good people, and no matter what happens, a helping hand is always a better choice than a blind eye. On a side note, Satoru's mother is by far my favorite character because she reminded me so vividly of my own mother, in the fact that she seemed to always know what was going on no matter how carefully I covered my tracks. Also, ERASED's little nod to the Chaos Effect by making the Revival a butterfly gave me a chuckle. Tip of the cap to you, gentlemen and ladies.

Cheers,

-TonyWatchesMovies