KailaKin

There are definitely issues with Erased, issues that even somebody like me (who tends not to notice plot holes, logical inconsistences, and the like, as I "switch off" while watching) noticed, but regardless, I found Erased to be an enjoyable watch. I binged it, and I think that says it all. 

The first problem is that the last two episodes are the weakest.  The anime would have been stronger, IMO, if the show had ended two episodes earlier. The only problem with that? It'd mean cutting out my favourite part of the anime. But, if you're the kind of person who does notice plot holes or are already fed up with the anime by the end of episode ten, I'd advise pretending the last two don't exist. Even if my favourite part was in those last episodes, they were still exceedingly weak.

The second problem is the realism of some of it. While it is easy to overlook and ignore some parts of it that make no sense, there are certain things that do detract from the realism to a pretty big degree. A lot of this occurs in the last two episodes, but there is plenty sprinkled throughout the series. As somebody that isn't usually bothered by those things there were moments here and there where I was irritated by it. Not enough to impact my overall enjoyment, though. I'm looking at you chocolate bar. 

Thirdly, if you're looking for a mystery then this isn't really it. Things are fairly clear from the outset, and although the anime does try to make it seem as if the factors pointing to a particular person are red herrings, there isn't much doubt as to who the murderer actually is. Plus, the protagonist doesn't really do a lot of sleuthing. Perhaps, appropriate for a child, not so appropriate for an adult, who should be able to critically think things through. A lot can be forgiven, but that is stretched to breaking point.

But, what about the good? I obviously liked it, right?

Well, as a story about friendship, it does a good job. We’ve given scenes that have very little impact except to build up a relationship between characters. It’s able to give us (or me) an emotional connection and how they relate to each other. I’m not saying that this is done perfectly, but I felt like it was something the show did well. Better than either the time travel or the mystery. The bond of Satoru and Kayo was well done, considering how creepy it could have been, and went a long way to changing who Satoru himself really was.

If you disagree, I think that says more about you as a person than it does the anime.

I also liked the relationship between Satoru and his mother, Yuuki (who deserved more screen time), and between kid Satoru and the homeroom teacher. Honestly, the things this anime did right, it really did do right, so it is a shame there was so much that wasn’t very strong. Kayo was great as a character too, and I think they did a wonderful job showing her progression. And this strength helps make up for the other weaknesses – as long as you don’t get het up on genre, that is.

There were also some beautiful scenes in this anime, animation wise. I don’t often notice how good or bad the animation is (unless it is excellent or terrible) but this had one or two shots in it that I really noticed. The problem, I guess is, that the animation also really helps to cement who the bad guy is. Whoops?