Boku Dake Ga Inai Machi

 Time to try and scrape off another of Noshi's already watched anime of the list, and this time it's one found on Netflix under it's english title, Erased.

 

Released in 2016, this is a 12 episode series, and it was, I can already say, good... 

 

It takes place in 2006, where 29 year old Satoru is a struggling mangaka in Chiba.  He has a special power that he calls Revival, and when a fatal accident is about to happen near him he rewinds a little in time to prevent it by seeing a bright blue glowing butterfly.  When his mother visits, he remembers an event of his childhood in Hokkaido where someone he trusted, Yuki, was arrested for the murder of three local children, two of them being classmates.

 

When his mother witnesses a man trying to kidnap a child, she deduces he is the true killer from 18 years ago, but before she can inform anyone she is murdered in Satoru's appartment, who needs to flee as he is the prime suspect.  He forces his conscious back to 1988 when he was an eleven year old student.  Back in his past, he goes about trying to prevent the original murders, and find out who was the culprit to change the future.

 

He confides with his teacher, Gaku Yashiro, who thinks Kayo, one of the girl's who would become a victim, is abused at home.  But all his efforts do change the sequence and dates of events, but not the outcome and Kayo is still murdered.  Back in 2006, his friend Airi is trapped in a burning house for helping him, making Saturo realise the killer is back and trying to prevent discovery.  

 

He returns to 1988, and goes about differently now to try and prevent it all, including exposing Kayo's mother as an abuser and have Kayo go live with her grandmother.  As he slowly starts preventing the murders, it is revealed Yashiro, his teacher, is actually the killer and wants to kill him aswell for foiling his plans.  He survives, but spends years in a coma as a result.  When waking up, he at first has no memories, but when Yashiro comes to visit they return and he tricks Yashiro in being arrested.

 

 He meets with all his friends, including the ones he saved by preventing the murders, and meets Airi again under a bridge from where he disappeared...

 

A really intriguing and good series, and definitly worth the watch if you like some mystery and time travelling loops!