Endless eight. Steins;Gate. A lot of words relevant only to anime fans popped up in my head when I watched the first episode of Boku dake ga Inai Machi, or also known as Erased. Fujinuma Satoru’s revival threatens to repeat events over and over again since he’s reliving the past with chances of changing them.
Thank goodness none of events were repeated and Satoru’s revival still happens.
Satoru started off as someone who’s just going through life’s motions. After being framed for the death of his mother, he sought to rewrite history with his gift even if it means there’s some serious consequences.
With that, he changed his own future. Drastically.
By reliving the past, Satoru was given the chance not only to save his mother and other victims but also himself. The 29 year old Satoru described himself as insincere. Since returning to the past, Satoru learned to open up or in his words: stop pretending. Instead of pretending to be a friend, he became a friend. A simple change such as that brought big changes in his future. When Satoru was hospitalized earlier in the series, he had no one but a colleague by his bedside. Later on in the series when he was hospitalized once again, he was surrounded by friends and family.
Sure, little Satoru’s heroic actions saved a few lives but it’s his sharp and observant mother that stole the show. That’s my personal opinion anyway. Because if Sachiko is the protective mother most media paint them to be, I’d think events would’ve unfolded differently. She wouldn’t be as open to Satoru’s borderline criminal acts even though it’s for the greater good. Her generosity, warmth and emotional strength made her an outstanding character in this series.
The series also highlights the effects of household abuse, whether it’s child abuse or spousal abuse, and the toxic effects it has on the victims. Flashbacks suggested that the relationship between Hinazuki Kayo and her mother did not started abusively. Kayo’s mother was a victim of abuse herself and Kayo tried to protect her. When her mother finally broke free from the abusive spouse, she channeled her anger and resentment towards Kayo. Only by Kayo’s sheer determination did the loop stop.
Satoru said something rather meaningful at the end of the series. It’s something that I never really ponder on and feel that his words there hold truth. And I’ll leave that screencap here for you to ponder as well.
This post captures some of the thoughts I have after watching the series. Boku dake ga Inai Machi is an anime I’d recommend to anyone. Have you watch it? If yes, what do you think of the series?
World of Yamaguchi Hoshiko 
Best anime this season, every episode always makes me curious and think of every alternatives that could lead to figure out the villain. I didn’t read the manga, some others recommend it rather than the anime itself and some of them got disappointed with the ending after reading the manga because they are different,just like what A-1 pictures always do with their anime. I think i will start to read the manga to get another perspective.
Every episode stops at a place that keeps me wanting to watch the next episode. For me, it’s easy to figure out who the villain is but not sure how the villain will go down. I’m pleased with how things played out in the end, which makes this anime one of the best this season.
I didn’t read the manga as well and that’s probably why I really enjoyed the anime. Sometimes by not going to another source of the same title, we end up enjoying anime more, I think.
Tbh I like Rakugo more, BokuMachi is awesome but the later episodes kinda took a nosedive. I especially don’t really like how they skipped the entire Aya, but I guess they managed to do the best with the allotted time.There are also a few odd inconsistencies here and there but I guess that’s to be expected in such a large-scale mystery. I do plan to read the manga soon though.
It’s hard to compare the two titles because of how Rakugo ended. BokuMachi gave a proper ending given the short amount of time to tell a mystery. I like that things wrapped up nicely. I’m not sure how Aya’s story is handled in manga but if it’s largely the same as Kayo’s, then I’m fine with them skipping it. Besides, not having her story doesn’t affect the overall presentation of Satoru’s revival and his quest to save himself or his mother. That’s what I see anyway.
Maybe the story would have played differently with a different type of mother but I think she was relatively irresponsible to not step in when she knew her son was hiding a classmate from her family.
That minor niggle aside, I really loved this anime and how Satoru’s journey was presented. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this anime.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts as well.
You’re right about that and it is precisely because of her style of parenting that Satoru’s journey of correcting his past is a tad more interesting, I think.