An emotion-inducing drama with mysterious and supernatural elements, Erased follows the 29-year old Satoru Fujinuma as he is sent back 18 years in time to prevent his mother's murder which is linked to a series of unresolved child abductions.
While its premise sets it up as a murder mystery, where Erased shines is in its poignant human moments. Satoru's interactions with the troubled Kayo and her touching reactions to hitherto unaccustomed kindness are by far the best part of the show. On the artistic front, the animation while not flashy is done well and suits the suburban setting admirably. The cinematic camera angles, the first-person perspective shots, the catchy theme and a melodious soundtrack to complement the scenes also all deserve praise.
Unfortunately, Erased is brought down and has its quality diminished by some significant weaknesses. As a result of including a vague time travel mechanic, a lot of the tension is lost when viewing events like Satoru's mother's death or Satoru's own arrest in the present timeline. The identity of the murderer is largely predictable and the motives behind his criminal acts are unsatisfying at best; indeed, the entire final confrontation between Satoru and the villain feels poorly constructed. Characters like Airi are redundant, features like the surprising sharpness of Kenya seem strangely misplaced, Satoru's mother appears to be a typical Mary Sue and Kayo's mother is the stereotypical abusive parent.
In conclusion, I appreciated Erased more for its emotive and audiovisual qualities than for its narrative strength. For those who like short moving anime dramas, they will likely derive significant enjoyment by watching this show.
While its premise sets it up as a murder mystery, where Erased shines is in its poignant human moments. Satoru's interactions with the troubled Kayo and her touching reactions to hitherto unaccustomed kindness are by far the best part of the show. On the artistic front, the animation while not flashy is done well and suits the suburban setting admirably. The cinematic camera angles, the first-person perspective shots, the catchy theme and a melodious soundtrack to complement the scenes also all deserve praise.
Unfortunately, Erased is brought down and has its quality diminished by some significant weaknesses. As a result of including a vague time travel mechanic, a lot of the tension is lost when viewing events like Satoru's mother's death or Satoru's own arrest in the present timeline. The identity of the murderer is largely predictable and the motives behind his criminal acts are unsatisfying at best; indeed, the entire final confrontation between Satoru and the villain feels poorly constructed. Characters like Airi are redundant, features like the surprising sharpness of Kenya seem strangely misplaced, Satoru's mother appears to be a typical Mary Sue and Kayo's mother is the stereotypical abusive parent.
In conclusion, I appreciated Erased more for its emotive and audiovisual qualities than for its narrative strength. For those who like short moving anime dramas, they will likely derive significant enjoyment by watching this show.