What if I asked you the question: “Would you like to go back and relive your childhood, if you were able to?” I think everyone would probably have a different reason to maybe go back, while others would not go back at all. For myself, the answer would maybe surprise you, as I would answer with no. One of the main reasons my answer is no, is that especially in the early schoolyears I got bullied…a lot. So I don’t really have particular fond memories of those days. One of the things that helped me get through all that, were my parents. I am really, really blessed with them, and on that front I really have no complaints whatsoever. As I grew older, things definitely improved, and I have enough happy memories to look back on. Hmm, why this pretty dark and sad opening you might wonder? Well, the Anime series Erased also deals with childhood, but treads the path of something even more terrible than bullying.
Satoru Fujinuma is a 29 year old Manga artist, who has trouble getting the right things on paper. However, he also has a very unique and special power: travelling back short periods in time to prevent death and other tragedies from happening. One day Satoru becomes the suspect of a terrible crime of which he is innocent, but while escaping from the police, his power activates and he is sent back farther in time than ever before. When he wakes up he discovers that he is 10 years old again, but his memories are still those of his 29 year old self. When heading to his high school he meets up with his old classmates including a girl called Kayo. Satoru remembers that Kayo is heading for a very sad and terrible fate, and now he has a chance to maybe change it all in this new timeline. But things become more complicated as he finds out that Kayo’s fate might be tied to his own in the future…
Erased is simply put:a masterpiece. It is almost impossible to mention everything that is great about it, but here are some highlights. People who say that animation is just for kids, will hopefully be silent after seeing this series. One of the subject matters the show deals with is child abuse, and it doesn’t shy away from it either. There were some truly heartbreaking scenes that were at times very hard to watch, but made the story all the more powerful because of it. The story was put together in a very clever way, and is maybe best described as The Butterfly Effect, meets Groundhog Day, with a small blend of the Orange anime series added for effect. Even though the series runs for only 12 episodes you feel an attachment to the characters, that you at times don’t even get from series that have a longer run. Ultimately though, despite the heavy subject matter, what it comes down to is that nobody needs to do things alone. Treasure friends that you have, and be grateful that you have them. Don’t despair though and think that you might need therapy after watching this. Yes there is a lot of heavy stuff going on, but it is also a wonderful, exiting and heartwarming tale, that I dare you to not finish in one run. It really is that good.
Before I give the final grade (which probably won’t be much of a surprise) I want to thank AnnmarieMCQueen for pointing out this gem. She is an up and coming blogger who has a lot different and cool things going on at her blog, so it is worth checking it out, if you haven’t already.
I give Erased a 10 out of 10 score.
That was some high praise. I really enjoyed Erased as a character piece but couldn’t help but be disappointed by the mystery elements of it. They just didn’t hold their weight in an otherwise very well written show.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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Thank you for your comment 😀 I think I know a little about what you mean about the mystery elements of the show and how you were disappointed by them. Ultimately I don’t know exactly if it was the goal of the show to deal with it in that way. I felt this was more of a character driven piece right from the start, and as such it worked very well. But ofcourse I am glad to read that you thought it was a well written show as well 😀 I hope there are going to be more shows like this one that will be coming out 😀
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The character elements of this do work really well and I enjoyed Erased enough to do a rewatch with a friend as soon as the show ended (and they loved it as well).
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“The story was put together in a very clever way, and is maybe best described as The Butterfly Effect, meets Groundhog Day, with a small blend of the Orange anime series added for effect.” This right here sounds like a recipe for a masterpiece, indeed!
But I’m going to be honest here: after reading your awesome review, I am positive this is a brilliant anime but I don’t suppose I will watch it. It’s not just because it deals with strong subjects that are hard for me to stomach, but the overall feeling that I might be sad for days after watching this!
But I’m definitely adding it to my to watch list, just in case I might feel prepared to deal with infinite emotion one day hahahaha. Keep up the great work 🙂
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Thank you so much for your kind words again. They mean a lot 😊 As for this Anime, yes the show does indeed deal with some heavy subjects, but in the end it leaves you with a hopeful feeling, and a smile on your face, that will make you forget the earlier sadness. It is not an easy show, won’t lie to you there, but in the end it was all worth it 😀
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Well, then that makes me feel a bit more inclined to watch it hahaha
And no problem ^^
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Oh you finished it! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Now I can send you these links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOB4_Bs9A0k
I liked this youtuber’s take/analysis on some of the elements in Erased! Great review as per usual! Looking forward to seeing the next one!
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I too enjoy watching Animated movies. They are so cleverly produced and directed.
You say this is a 12 Nos Series? Is it not a film, which I can download and see ? I feel the story is very interesting and would love to watch it. Could you give me the link, from where to download.
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Yes this one is a 12 episode tv series. The best place to find it is at Daisuki. It is a free to download app, where you can watch the entire series for free. After each episode you get a 30 second commercial break, but otherwise you can watch everything without interruptions 😀 Thanks for your comment, and I hope you will enjoy the series 😊
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Hey! Yayy so glad to see that you enjoyed it as much as I did, it truly is a work of art and it’s great to see other people appreciating it too 🙂 I finished Orange yesterday and absolutely loved it – thanks so much for the recommendation, send them over to me anytime. I adore anything similar to Orange/Ano Hana/Erased. Also thank you for the lovely shoutout! All the blogger love ❤ xx
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Your are very welcome 😊As for more recommendations, you might want to check out Eden of the East. It is a pretty unusual anime as well, with a not everyday story. I wrote a post of it a couple of weeks back. If I think of something else, I will let you know 😀
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I don’t think i would choose to go back either. My childhood wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t that good either. Age 10 in particular…ah I remember being a little shit with severe anger issues. Fun times.
So no time travel for me but I am very interested in checking out this anime. I’ve seen it around, both praised and not, and so far I’ve been on the fence about it. Your review has pushed me over to the “Will watch” crowd. Thanks for sharing.
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Wow, this anime is definitely something I must check out! I’ve definitely thought about going back to my childhood. I’ve even wrote fiction stories in the same vein as this about an adult retaining their memories when going back to their teen years. This anime has a bunch of things I like: time travel, butterfly effect, intriguing story. Will definitely be giving this a try 🙂
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It really was a fantastic ride all the way, and well worth watching. You can find it on the Daisuki app for free (apart from a small commercial at the end of every episode) you can watch every episode with no interruptions 😀 Hope you enjoy it as much as I did 😀
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I just completed Erased today, and it really was a terrific series! Thank you for reviewing it because I wouldn’t have watched it otherwise. It’s exactly the kind of story I enjoy with a nice mix of fantasy, mystery, interesting characters, and heartwarming moments. Don’t hesitate to recommend me more you think are similar. The List always has openings 🙂
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You are very welcome 😀 I glad you enjoyed it. It really was one of the best Animeseries that I have seen all year. As for shows that are similar, you might want to check out Orange ( there is a review for it on my blog, which you can find here: https://raistlin0903.wordpress.com/2016/10/02/orange-anime-tv-series-2016/
This series as I stated in my review has people loving/hating it, but it really is similar in tone to Erased.😀
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Thanks for the rec 🙂
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This anime was overhyped and I know the main Satori wants to save this mother and Kayo
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Well, overhyped or not, I really enjoyed watching it. It has (for me at least 😀) been one of the best Anime series that I have seen this year. You are right about him wanting to save his mother and Kayo by the way 😀
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I told you that you were in for a treat! While it wasn’t a 10 for me, because I felt like the tension bottomed out a little after you discovered the villain of the piece, I absolutely get where you’re coming from with the incredible way it balances its moods. It tackles serious issues with maturity, and yet keeps up that atmosphere of childlike awe in the face of the hugeness of life. Because of that, the happy ending doesn’t feel like it’s there for the sake of it. I like that Satoru is an unconventional hero in certain ways, and yet still has his hero’s triumph.
So glad you enjoyed watching it. For anyone who has regrets from childhood, myself included, it transports you with the show’s nostalgia combined with your own. That feeling I got from watching is perhaps my favourite thing about Erased. It made me feel that if I could go back I would, and show some compassion to people who needed it, as I can now see with that 20/20 eyesight.
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Or rather, *hindsight 😛
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Well, you definitely weren’t kidding 😀 It was a great show indeed, there were a lot of feelgood moments, amongst the heartbreaking ones, and that is what made this show so great. I thought it was very well balanced. I get what you are saying about the tension dropping a little bit after discovering who the villain was. Luckily that happened pretty much at the end 😀 Yes, it is a bit like what I said about Orange a couple of weeks back: everyone has regrets, and would it not be nice to be able to travel back in time to correct a few mistakes along the way? Oh well, maybe a timemachine will be invented one day 😂 Thank you for your great comment! 😀
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I totally agree with you. I haven’t seen Groundhog Day, but if it’s anything like Erased I’ll be checking it out now. I loved this show and it’s now one of my favorites. Great review!
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Thank you ver much 😀 Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray is one of those really classic, must see films. It starts off as a comedy, but as the film progresses it turns into something much better than that. To tell more, would be to spoil things, so not going to do that 😀
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I’ll add it to my to-watch list then!
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I REALLY need to watch this show! It always annoys me when people say anime is just for kids. If they watched just a few anime episodes they would see that there are many shows that deal with complex issues. Even shows considered “light-hearted” like Ouran High School Host Club actually deal with some complex issues, for example gender identity/fluidity jumps right off the bat. I’m going to have to move this show up the list!
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I could not agree more. When I tell people at work that I like anime, they always look at me with some kind of faint smile, but just from the look they give me I can tell what they are thinking: “that guy is crazy and insane, and childish” . Well…I love anime, it is most definitely not childish…and I am just proud to be an animefan all the way 😊 As for this series, it truly is awesome. I hope you get around to it. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it. Thank you for your comment 😊
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I’ve def been there! I’ll have a review for Erased when I watch it and I might even do a first impressions sort of post. This show sounds to good to pass up.
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My childhood was also plagued by bullies. If given the chance I wouldn’t mind going back to my youth though. With my current knowledge and personality I think things would go better on a second run.
This series sounds awesome. I am a sucker for anything involving time travel. Looks like Crunchyroll is trolling me because they say that this show isn’t available in my region (boo hiss.) Guess I’ll have to find the series elsewhere.
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Yeah, I guess that would definitely be the same with me as well. There are certain,y a couple of things I would be doing very differently as well. Sorry to hear your childhood was plagued by bullies as well, that really sucks 😢
This series was absolutely amazing I hope you are able to find it somewhere. Knowing your taste in anime, I definitely know you will enjoy this series 😀 Annoying that it isn’t available on Chrunchyroll for you: Boo, hiss indeed 😢
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It looks like some shows I can stream and others I can’t. Oh well, the good thing about the 14 day trial is that I can assess how much content is available to me before deciding whether it’s worth to start paying monthly.
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Honestly…that is a bot strange. For me I can’t watch certain shows, but they simply don’t appear at all for me to select them. From what I understand on your end, you can select them, but you are not allowed to view them at times. Weird…hopefully there is still enough content for you ro enjoy ( In between Netflix and Crunchyroll, I have more than a handful lol 😂😂).
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Awww, I want this RIGHT NOW. Hehehe. 🙂 🙂 🙂
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This one is terrific! There is also a live action series for it over on Netflix, which surprisingly enough was very good. The anime is slightky better though, and truly one of the best animes that I have seen 😊
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I think I will start with Orange but i’m gonna watch this one next… Thanks again. 🙂 I’m more interested with the anime though.
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