Boku Dake ga Inai Machi: The Town Without Me

[shinta|hikari]

Well, if Satoru is happy with that, why not.

I think my biggest issue really is Kayo growing bigger and worse, having a fucking baby.

[MFauli]

I think my biggest issue really is Kayo growing bigger and worse, having a fucking baby.

When a boy and a girl decide to become a family, they ... well.

[shinta|hikari]

Not all of them. You can be a family without having a baby.

[MFauli]

Not all of them. You can be a family without having a baby.

A family is defined by blood-relation. Unless we´re talking incest, that´s hardly possible without having a baby. Of course, in the modern world, it´s perfectly fine to call yourself a family with a non-blood-related child. But still, that´s what it contains to call yourself a family.

[shinta|hikari]

Of course, in the modern world, it´s perfectly fine to call yourself a family with a non-blood-related child. But still, that´s what it contains to call yourself a family.

You just contradicted yourself.

[MFauli]

You just contradicted yourself.

I did not. I was being politically correct and pointed out that the child doesn´t have to be blood-related. That still means there has to be a child.

[shinta|hikari]

Then Kayo can adopt one while being a loli. Growing up and having a baby is the problem. If the baby grows a bit, then there can be 2 lolis.

[shinta|hikari]

Ending.










That was an excellent ending, much better than its manga counterpart. All in all, my only complaints about this show are Satoru's stupidity, which is intentional for suspense and danger, and the teacher being the culprit. Thinking back, I think they intentionally made the teacher the obvious choice to make him a fake red herring. People wouldn't suspect him because he was too obvious. The only problem with that strategy is it requires a different suspect to work, something this show never introduced.

The teacher getting caught because Satoru, who was always aloof, finally managed to trust in others also made perfect sense and showed Satoru's growth during the time loops.

So... Is "Erased" still a fitting title for this show? The term "Boku dake ga inai machi" kept being used in the story to great effect that I suspect the one who came up with that stupid English title did not know how the story would unfold and made it up after reading the summary on ANN.

The town where only he was missing is Satoru's treasure and reward. That was an excellent way to wrap this all up.

Now that I think about it, Airi is the best fit for Satoru, who is sorta a lolicon. Kayo is his age now (EW!?), so the teenage Airi definitely wins in my book. Also, Kayo never did anything for Satoru, while Airi almost sacrificed her life for him. She deserves the best fate in this story, well... aside from Youkai. Satoru's expression in the end was excellent.

[Kraco]

When this episode was nearing the end and it was starting to look like everybody else was living in a happy relationship, I decided to lower my score of this show by one full point. But then the last minute indeed did fix my greatest regret. I was all the time thinking it would be impossile for Satoru himself go after Airi due to their age difference. Like I said earlier, I believe, unless it was on irc, it was obvious Satoru wouldn't live his life identically anymore, so he would never work at the pizza joint. Thus he would have no excuse whatsoever to get friendly with an underage girl. Conversely Airi doesn't, in this timeline, even know Satoru at all, so obviously she couldn't pursue him. But then we got that cheesy scene of Fate throwing them together for no particular reason. But I don't mind the improbability. The most important thing is that Satoru got someone. It's better it was an old character and not just some previously unknown person, which would have felt next to meaningless.

I have no complaints about how this last ep handled the teacher either. Since he was a psycho with the theme of looking to fill the hole in his heart, this all sounded quite plausible. As soon as Satoru was selected for that role, he couldn't let go. Although I have to say they sure selected a highly dramatic fashion for ensnaring the dude. Dropping like that form the roof of a building isn't without its risks, for sure.

[Ryllharu]

I'm not so sure about Airi never needing to pursue him. She always found him interesting, even when he was at the pizza joint.

It's hard to see in that final scene, but he has his hands up, framing the scenery around him, and Airi appears in the distance taking pictures of the snow. But before she dashes toward him to strike up a conversation, she's pauses when looking in his direction, and brings her camera up to take one more picture...of him.

She's naturally drawn toward him, and that little revival butterfly hints that their meeting was fated to always occur, in some shape or form.

I liked the way they dealt with Yashiro, Satoru not sacrificing himself to take the satisfaction from Yashiro, and not Yashiro dying for murders he didn't commit in this timeline. Satoru outplayed him completely instead. Much more satisfying. He forced Yashiro to recognize that he hole he had was now filled (or at least plugged) and stole everything from him instead, including Yashiro's final attempt at following his prey to the grave.

That served to annihilate Yashiro's arrogant pride (since there is someone who can completely outmaneuver him) and put an end to the way he gained satisfaction by forcing him to spare one of his targets.

Misato got totally hot, and so did Aya.

Best character of the series though? Hands down Sachiko. Easily tied with the greatest of all mothers, Minase Akiko. May they reign supreme together for all eternity.

[Kraco]

I'm not so sure about Airi never needing to pursue him. She always found him interesting, even when he was at the pizza joint.

Yeah, there's nothing to do if fate itself pushes them together, no matter what. However, that's just something out of fiction. Like I said, under normal circumstances they wouldn't even meet ever in this timeline. So, how could she find him interesting and chase after him (conveniently removing Satoru's need to be a lolicon and hit on a younger girl) if she never met him? That's what I was talking about. It's kind of dodgy she would have been smitten by him if he had just visited the pizza place once or twice to buy food. An endless amount of dudes must be visiting it. Now she instead encountered him under peculiar circumstances, which is good nutrient for a romance.

[MFauli]

Okay finale. This anime went full-Death Note with its showdown scene between Satoru and Yashiro. I could almost hear Yashiro saying "Ore wa kira!"

What really disappoints me is the lack of an explanation for his time jumps. Sure, you can decide to take it as some irregular natural occurrence, but I can´t. I need an explanation for something that outlandish. Without having it explained, it makes this story entirely construed, like, "ALright, I have to come up with an exciting story ... damn, can´t think of anything. AH, let´s make the hero travel through time to create some drama!" and leave it at that. That´s just lazy to the max.

Also it´s a bit unfortunate that he met Airi at the end. After all, having his mom cared for his body for 15 years, that´s the perfect opening for an incestuous relationship. And his mom, even in the present, is still the hottest girl in the anime (especially when Kayo went chubby-faced).

[shinta|hikari]

Your mistake is thinking that he can't have the Yokai on the side. Unlike girlfriends, his mom is always gonna be there for him. She's immortal, after all.

[MFauli]

Lol, that´s who you meant with Yokai. Damn, shinta, sometimes you´re too otaku for me to understand you ;o

[Ryllharu]

Obvious his revival powers were inherited from his demonic mother. She's an immortal telepath. He has temporal powers and an inability to maintain an inner monologue.

[shinta|hikari]

And their incest-born child/grandchild/sister/daughter will have the power to bend the laws on statutory rape.

@Mfauli - I don't wanna hear that from a fat guy.

[Harima Kenji]

The original title fits the show perfectly given this ending, but 'Erased' can somehow been explaned as well. Due to his actions during his time jumps, he erased himself from history for 15 years. Although 'The town without me' would fit better.

[MFauli]

Wow, fu, shinta! I asked you to make me a hot Megumin signature. Now look who has one!!1 ;/

How about you make me one featuring Satoru´s mom?!

[Edort4]

The ending wasnt exactally what I expected but it was a good one. Still lots of inconsistencies and I dont feel at all like Satoru beating the Teacher but instead him handing the "win". Satoru was so "annoying", make all his plans fail, that he decided to like give up.

Show started amazing, derailed completely till the ending that was actually pretty good. Too much happy ending but delivered in a "painful/melancholic" way.

Didnt know there was a manga of this. Is the ending really different? like more sad ending without all alive, lovey dovey and so?

[shinta|hikari]

No, the ending is very similar, but the execution in the anime made far more sense.