Erased (Anime)
Summary
Erased (2016) is a time-travel mystery thriller anime based off of a manga with the same name by Kei Sanbe. In it, Satoru Fujinuma is a 29-year-old manga artist who can’t seem to get his feet under him in the industry. He struggles through life with little passion or ambition, held back by traumatic events from his childhood he can barely remember. In addition to this, Satoru has been saddled with a mysterious event he’s called “Revival”, where he travels backwards in time to prevent disasters. After the murder of someone close to him, Satoru’s Revival takes him all the way back to his childhood, where he has an opportunity to undo the past and save the future.
Assessment
Erased, known in Japanese as “The Town Without Me” or “The Town Where Only I am Missing” is a 12-episode science fiction crime thriller about a man (Satoru) given the opportunity prevent the kidnappings and murders of his childhood friends and classmates. With a dash of time travel and a heavy dose of mystery, this intelligent and heartfelt thriller puts self-sacrifice and bravery at the very front of the story. The show keeps the focus on the heroes, rather than the villain, drawing on core messages of courage to do the right thing even if it’s difficult or awkward.
The show does not have an intentional Christian theology as such, but uplifts strong values that are by nature Biblical, including the above mentioned courage as well as protecting the innocent. Although the main characters are children, this is definitely not an anime for a younger audience. While Erased is not particularly graphic, a lot of the subject matter (child abuse and serial murder) is on the more intense side. There is also a fair amount of cussing in both the subbed and dubbed versions, which is usually done by the antagonists. This is definitely meant for older teens and adults.
Light-o-Meter
Overall — 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Story: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Voice Acting: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Animation: 7 out of 7 Little Lights
Music: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Quality: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: N/A
Age Appropriateness — Suitable for Older Teens and Adults as it features some cussing, depictions of child abuse, and kidnapping/murder.
Talk
A decade ago, my opinion of Erased was that it was one of the most heroic stories I’ve ever watched, read, or listened to. Now, with my recent rewatch, I can confidently say that the me of my younger years was absolutely correct. This is still one of the most heroic stories I’ve ever encountered in any format. It is the kind of story that I want when I need a little encouragement to be brave and do the right thing. Whether that right thing is caring for a sick friend, rebuking a brother or sister in Christ in love, or sharing the Gospel, this is the story that I can turn to for that little boost of “yeah! I can do it!” (alongside some wisdom from Scripture, of course).
When the there was something about the overall aesthetic that I was really drawn to. It might’ve been the wintery scenery or the gorgeous animation, but I remember wrestling with the show more than enjoying it for the first few episodes. I do not like serial killer stories, especially when they do that whole “deep dive into the mind of a killer” kind of stuff. Some people really enjoy that kind of story, I am not among them. However, the more I watched Erased the more I realized that isn’t the point of the show at all. The point of the show is about Satoru’s bravery and steadfastness when it came to his friends and righting the injustices from his childhood. He is pretty much the fixed point at which the entire show revolves; the entire plot is a push-and-pull about how his actions and his decisions change the course of the future and the only way he can change the course of the future is by sticking his own neck out and being brave.
Also, I appreciate the fact that this show came out before “second chance” stories became so popular in anime and manga. This meant it was developed and produced before the genre became so formulaic (not that there is necessarily anything wrong with a good formula, but if Erased had followed the trends too much, I think it would’ve lost a lot of its uniqueness).
In terms of content rating, as I stated earlier this is definitely not a show for children. At all. There is detailed — but not graphic — murder, there is kidnapping, there is a hint of intentional social isolation, and there is a decent amount of cussing (although, no F-bomb that I can recall). Given the context of the show, even the curse words don’t feel like the author is going “hey, look at all these sins and crimes! Go pursue them!”. All of the sins depicted in the show are either presented as evil that needs defeated or in a way that highlights the brokenness of these characters. For a series with, as far as I’m aware, zero Christian background, this does one of the best jobs drawing the line between good, Godly behavior and sin.
Note: There is also a live action version as well as the original manga. I haven’t seen the live action version yet, but I did read the manga a few years ago. From what I recall, the manga is great, but it does dive a little deeper into some of the more disturbing content of the show as well as the serial killer’s background which is also very intense. I would recommend it for an even older audience (mostly adults only or very mature older teens).
Where to Enjoy
Amazon (through Crunchyroll): https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CH9BFPHJ/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
Crunchyroll: Watch ERASED - Crunchyroll
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