THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
When we watch anime, common tropes are almost always used. The slice of life genre especially contains the same high school setting with the average protagonist. Of course, they are not carbon copies; They mix in new elements to change things, but the formula is the same. However, we never get to see different environments, new experiences and changes. Taking a chance on a new story is risky, but this type of alternative experience is very necessary. This is where animes like Boku dake ga Inai Machi or ERASED come into play.
ERASED tells a story about a unique individual and mystery surrounds the world around him. The main character is Satoru Fujinuma. He’s kind of like your average protagonist, but he’s older at the age of 29. His life doesn’t exactly go according to plan as he struggles to make it as a manga artist. The only benefit it has is that it has the ability to repeat certain events, going back in time to stop catastrophes.
From the beginning I thought the series would revolve entirely around his powers, presenting everyday situations and being a small-time superhero. This expectation was completely dashed when he was sent back in time to solve a murder mystery that occurred during his elementary school days.
It begins with the murder of his mother and he is incriminated as the culprit. Becoming a fugitive and then being forced to return to the past, he has to relive this time in his life with an adult mindset and a new drive to stop the murders.
Although we may not have the opportunity to remake our past, we can learn from it. In ERASED, Satoru is literally given a second chance at life to correct his mistakes and solve mysteries. While you may be changing the past, you are ultimately changing the future.
I think this is a metaphor for how we as humans make mistakes in life, but we need to reexamine them to do better in the future. The things that Satoru experienced in life are things that we all deal with. Changing ourselves to fit in with the crowd, avoiding risks, and not believing we are in control of our lives and ourselves are common problems. It took Satoru 29 years and a little outside help to realize this, but for everyone else, it’s a change we can make now.
This moral is shown when Satoru relives the elementary school and discovers that a student in his class is the first victim. Her name is Kayo Hinazuki, the girl at school who is reserved and comes from an abusive home. She is linked to Satoru’s past life. As a child, our protagonist wanted to make an effort and talk to her, but he never dared to do so. This time, he decides to interact with her, becoming close friends and forming an even childish romantic relationship. Although he improves his life and does everything possible to save the girl from abuse and murder, in the end he fails.
He is once again forced to time travel to the future, back to his unfavorable situation. He is saved and protected by his co-worker, Airi Katagari, the girl who is linked to his future life. When things look bleak, he takes control of time travel and is sent back to the past once again.
Before, Satoru tried to live life alone. He corrects his past mistakes, but finds it difficult to cover all the bases, especially stopping the murder, on his own. He learned from his mistakes but he also learns that he can’t do everything alone.
By taking influences from both the past and the future, we learn that both are important and that getting too caught up in either can be detrimental. A very important lesson also shown is that life is much more difficult when you work alone, so finding reliable companions is the path to success. On Satoru’s third chance in the past, he learns from this and puts his faith in his comrades. The rest is history.
ERASE may focus on magical powers and seem unrealistic, but it touches on very real themes. In reality, humans may not be able to relive their younger days and fix everything they have done wrong. However, this is not the goal of the series.
I think the message is that change happens when you believe in yourself and in control of your destiny. When you’re willing to have this kind of mindset, nothing can stop you, at least not forever. This means getting out of a desperate situation and moving forward. In a sense, you can create your own second chances, similar to how Satoru did.
This anime is packed with things to write about and I can’t fit them all in one post, but if you want to know more about ERASED, let me know! I would definitely like to recommend the anime to everyone, and you can find more information about it on their MyAnimeList page.
As always, thanks for reading!