By Sanbe Kei
5 Stars
Erased is an anime, manga and live action series that has a blend of both mystery and thriller elements. The story starts off with Satoru Fujinuma, who is a struggling manga artist that faces financial and emotional hardships in his life. He is unable to make a living income with his job as a manga artist, so he resorts to working at a pizza shop to earn him a living. However, his life is forever changed when he discovers about his mother's death, along with getting framed for it. Satoru eventually comes to a realization that his mother's murderer is the same individual responsible for the kidnapping and killings of children from his elementary school when he was in sixth grade.
An aspect that makes Erased unique is Satoru's ability to travel back in time. With this power, he is able to return to his childhood, giving him a chance to uncover the truth, protect the many children that were kidnapped and potentially change his future for the better. The storyline overflows with suspense, constantly keeping the audience questioning who can be trusted and who might be hiding murky secrets.
Personally, I found this series to be a non-stop emotional rollercoaster. The amount of tension and suspense portrayed throughout the storyline, trying to figure out who the imposter is and whom to trust. The major plot twist at the end of the series left me in so many different emotions, like sadness, confusion, frustration, and satisfaction. It's rare to find a story that keeps me hooked throughout each scene and exhibits its fair share of mystery, emotional depth and character development. Overall, I highly recommend Erased to anyone who enjoys mystery and thriller genres. Both the anime and manga adaptations are excellent; however, I strongly agree that the anime stands out more due to the amount of suspense and cliffhangers portrayed after each episode. It's definitely a series that hooks you from start to finish.
Reviewed by Fatima as part of the Teen Reviewer, opens a new window program
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