Sometimes it takes me three, four, or even five episodes to get into an anime series. With Erased, it took me five minutes.

Satoru is a failed manga artist working in a pizza restaurant. He also has the experience of slipping back in time for a few minutes. These episodes, which he calls resurrections, usually come when something dangerous or tragic is about to happen. There are some dark memories in his past, from a father who abandoned him and his mother, to an elementary school classmate who was kidnapped and murdered.

So much for the set-up. Now the plot. After discovering his mother’s murdered body, Satoru slips back in time to the 5th grade, when a quiet loner named Kayo fell victim to a serial killer. Is there a connection between the two murders, and if Satoru can prevent Kayo’s death can it save his mother? It’s not much to go on, but it’s all he has.

Erased is dark and violent, especially on the psychological level. With child abuse as one of its main themes, don’t expect anything else.

There are enough clues for the viewer to solve the mystery before Satoru, but there are still plenty of plot twists and turns in the story line, and several cliffhanger moments.

The animation and artwork are average. They don’t add or detract from the story. But the screen ratio differs when showing Satoru’s story as an adult, and then as a child. It is an interesting perspective.

But primarily what you get from Erased is a great story, which leads you down a deceptive path. If you like it dark and you like mind games, this anime is for you.

Oh, and the closing theme is by Sayuri. I mentioned her in the Animation in Japanese Videos thread: https://www.animeforum.com/showthrea...e-Music-Videos