Boku Dake ga Inai Machi: The Town Without Me

[kmkze04]

Ehhh. Hiromi wouldn't have been my first pick. Actually I thought if it wasn't Satoru it would be Kenya that Kayo would end up with since he was sort of the first one there. You know, the "I didn't step up back then but I am now" kind of story.

That aside, I also want to know how he survived the attempted murder. Lapsing into a coma from the cold I get, so that part of realism was quite nice. But definitely a big plot gap. It was at least interesting that they chose to make a jump in this fashion right at the tail end. Overall, to me, it felt like too little happened in this episode. So much buildup and a sudden slowdown. Which could be intentional to bring out the big guns in a 12th finale episode. But for sure when the ending credits popped up I was going "REALLY? THAT'S ALL?"

Satoru has been doing double the PT and obviously with a purpose, so it's reasonable to believe he is at least capable of some self-defense and he was waiting until he had gotten just strong enough to make this reveal with the intent of trying to take on Yashiro. It's also reasonable to believe that what Kenya was hinted at holding back is actually their collective suspicion of Yashiro and he was waiting for Satoru to confirm it. There was also that phone call with the doc. This could very well be a ploy to get Yashiro to incriminate himself. Now if Satoru is just saving the reveal for himself, yes, I agree that is absolute idiocy to go one on one with Yashiro. Although at that point it's still also on the table for the smarter characters to have laid a trap with Satoru as bait, since we know he is really that stupid.

As for pizza girl, well... when she was 15 he was 29, 11 plus 15 means he's 26 which means right now she's 12. Not gonna make a big appearance here, I guess Kumi could be a relative. Or maybe that'll be the finale, Satoru goes into the working world and stops in on pizza girl already with an edge. I only hope that might happen because Hiromi x Kayo... nahhhhhhhhh...

[shinta|hikari]

Because this was such a rushed twist, I checked the manga. Most of this episode, including the NTR, was true to the source, but it diverged greatly near the end.

What I will say is that the manga art is terrible compared to the anime.

@Buff - Because I was self inserting as Satoru and I feel like I got NTRd. Fuck Hiromi.

EDIT:
Read the manga to the end. It diverged around chapter 33 or so and ends at 44, but in reality, only the last 4 chapters have any meaning after watching this episode.

[MFauli]

Satoru will realize all of what Kraco wrote and become a villain himself, trying to "fill the hole in his heart". He manages to gain control over his ability and start abusing it.

[Kraco]

It's really hard for me to see a good ending for this anymore. I thought maybe if Satoru took Yashiro with him to death, it would not only be more realistic than beating the dude in his current condition, but it would spare him from the lonely, pointless life he was leading originally and that would be his fate now as well. However, it would still leave behind the mom.

[shinta|hikari]

Happy ending ended after his mom used 15 years of her life for her dumb son, who got tricked by the most obvious suspect from the start of the show.

[MFauli]

Happy ending ended after his mom used 15 years of her life for her dumb son, who got tricked by the most obvious suspect from the start of the show.

So obviously the happy ending will be:

Satoru reveals his powers to old Yashiro. Old Yashiro freaks out, tries to kill Satoru. Satoru jumps back again to before the accident. Has it play out as is, EXCEPT he informed Kenya/Yuuki/his mom/the police about it. So when Yashiro has Satoru crash into the water, suddenly people pop up surrounding Yashiro. Satoru is saved, Yashiro got caught in the act.

Final scene of the anime: Young Satoru to young Hiromi: "Sorry, can't let you do that." The End.

[shinta|hikari]

Hiromi ending up with Kayo is the dumbest thing ever. Why not some random dude? Why did it have to be the trap???

[Kraco]

Hiromi ending up with Kayo is the dumbest thing ever. Why not some random dude? Why did it have to be the trap???

Maybe they kept visiting the comatose Satoru. The trap was like a girl so he probably could sit next to a vegetable longer than most boys. With unconscious Satoru being of little fun, Kayo and Hiromi talked with each other a lot. Maybe they even left together, reminiscing about Satoru. I suppose I can see it happening, as much as I wouldn't want to see it happening. Only Satoru's mum could have kept loving a coma patient for so long and persistently. I reckon the rest were only waiting for the funeral already.

[Ryllharu]

Is it really that stupid of Satoru to tell Yashiro he regained his memories back? I think that was the only way to save himself.

For all we know (except shinta who knows everything now), Yashiro is the one who pulled him out of the water. Why? Because Satoru taunted the fuck out of him in his last waking moment. The intro to this episode revealed that. Yashiro was struck to the very core by the taunt that Satoru knew his entire future.

This is a man who was fascinated by the one hamster that survived, a scenario he could never have predicted, and that changed his entire twisted life philosophy. He went from a murderer of animals to a full on predator who toys with his victims, providing them that string before ending them. It brought him great satisfaction.

But now he has his chosen victim, who he's toyed with, given hope, provided that string so he can save others, who's been stopping him at every turn, providing that final bait at the ice rink. Then, when cutting the string, that victim screams that he knows how this will all turn out.

That revelation fascinated him like nothing else. It wasn't just a final yell of defiance. That Satoru had prevented every single victim in his long-prepared plan proved that Satoru was telling the truth.

The initial reality, he was a politician, but he was interfering with the local neighborhood, keeping his old patterns, completely ignorant that Satoru was around. This time he's been dutifully watching over the hospitals, waiting for Satoru to wake up. He needs to, wants to, has to hear what Satoru was going to say. The chance for his next evolutionary state.

He was disappointed that Satoru hadn't gained his memories back. He was ready to end it, disappointed, and go back to dropping that string for others.

Now Satoru has his attention again. Yashiro doesn't have the power now because he's too fascinated to hear what comes next. Something he hasn't planned for, a person he couldn't outthink when fighting over victims, a situation he couldn't predict. He wants to know.

As for Kenya and the journalist? I think they know who it was. Satoru fucked up his plans enough that the suspect list in Satoru (and only Satoru's) attack should be very narrow. They're waiting to pounce.

As for Kayo, that sucks for Satoru, and we don't know what he thinks yet because he only just got his memories back. But he seemed pleased with the drawing. I felt that was showing he was okay with losing his childhood love to one of his friends, because she looked so content and happy.

edit:
I felt like the case with Yashiro will end (not gonna guess at this point), and Satoru will go back to doing rehab. The little girl will either be the sister of Misato (the "ugly" bitchy girl he called out for framing Kayo) and it will end that way, or timeskip and he'll meet Airi at the pizza place like kmkze said.

[shinta|hikari]

I don't know much really because they changed stuff a lot at the end of this episode.

Why didn't they friggin' change the NTRapment?

[Kraco]

Hmm... That's a good theory. It's certainly supported by the fact that even if it wasn't Yashiro who saved Satoru, he still didn't get rid of the dude when he was comatose. We already know he's not above random murders to cover his tracks because that's what we saw in the beginning. So, it indeed looks like he was specifically waiting for Satoru to wake up. However, it's still a big risk for him, and thus he obviously couldn't wait any longer.

I failed to realise it earlier, but since Satoru got his memories back, he can actively seek out Airi if he wants. Although I don't think he would find approaching her easy at all, quite the contrary. His variant memories of the past future might make it impossible for him to act natural in her company, so much so that he ought to drop the whole idea as I doubt he would try to hit on a child now that he's back in an adult's body.

[Harima Kenji]

I believe we'll get a final time jump.
The OP kind of hints at things that are going to happen, like the flooding of the school hallway (Satoru's near drowning).. ánd.. a fired bullet, followed by the camera (satoru right before his time jump?)moving to the edge, and falling off of a building.
Speaking of the OP, in this episode it doesn't show young and old Satoru at the movies, just an empty theatre.

If he really regained his memories (I think the tapping finger might have triggered something), and if he has ány control over his power, a final jump to right before he got in the car with his teacher would be a good idea. Take a knife with you to cut the seatbelt or something, although he's still fucked after escaping a flooded car in freezing water due to hypothermia.. so a quick call that he's being kidnapped or something will be more useful to catch the teacher red handed.
I can't imagine Satoru winning a direct confrontation with his teacher in his current condition. I can only imagine him just milking as much info from him until he jumps again to screw him over in the past. It depends on if we'll have 1 or 2 more episodes.

[Buffalobiian]

To put into perspective, Satoru was happy to never see Kayo again as long as he could save her. Her being alive, married to Hiromi to boot, is simply a great outcome for him.

Also in case anyone forgot, Yuuki is still currently out of the picture. At this point I don't know if there's a point in talking about him again.

[Kraco]

To put into perspective, Satoru was happy to never see Kayo again as long as he could save her. Her being alive, married to Hiromi to boot, is simply a great outcome for him.

That's true, but it's not exactly my complaint. I wanted Satoru to have a happy ending (with Kayo). I couldn't have cared less about Hiromi. I suppose I could have accepted someone else as well, if it had looked plausible, but right now it doesn't.

[Buffalobiian]

Hmm, well if we're talking about dissatisfaction, Hiromi should have stayed pretty. That would have been better.

I'm one of the few that thinks Satoru x Pizza Girl is the true pairing.

[shinta|hikari]

I'm part of the few. The Kayo end is just wishful thinking. I just don't want Kayo with a fat Hiromi. A random dude would've been acceptable.

[MFauli]

Random fat shaming, got it, shinta

I´m fine with Satoru x Pizza girl, too, although it seems unlikely at the moment. Still wonder how she fits into all of that. Yashiro´s daughter?

[Buffalobiian]

Umm... that would mean Yashiro set fire to his own daughter...

Kinda weird I'd think. Not to mention Airi not recognising her own father in her store.

[shinta|hikari]

@Mfauli - I didn't intend to shame fatties. I just didn't want Kayo to end up with fat Hiromi. Like Buff said, at least he should've stayed a bishounen to justify the NTR.

[MFauli]

Would have been nice, if pretty Hiromi had ended up with Satoru ;>