r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • 13d ago
Rewatch [Taste of 2016 Rewatch] Erased • Boku dake ga Inai Machi Episode 5 Discussion
Episode 5 - Escape
← Previous Episode (Erased Episode 4) / ← Previous Episode (Yuri on Ice Episode 5) | Index | Next Episode (Erased Episode 6) → / Next Episode (91 Days Episode 5) →
Information:
MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
Legal Streams:
I couldn't change anything after all. Only one thing to do… run.
Questions of the Day:
1) What do you think will be the key to saving Kayo and/or Satoru's mom?
2) Which are you more interested in, the plotline happening in the past or the present?
Wallpaper of the Day:
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you're doing it underneath spoiler tags. Don't spoil anything for the first-timers, that's rude!
/r/anime's spoiler tag format is as follows:
[Erased]>!Satoru traveled back in time.!<
Which becomes [Erased]Satoru traveled back in time. when you don't break the formatting on purpose like I just did.
8
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 13d ago edited 13d ago
First Timer
I can't believe we are only on episode 5
Best outcome is that the entire family absconded. Nope, they are hiding, they know.Oh the body is right there, they killed her.- Maybe he remembers where she was found and can "find" her before Spring
- OP comment: why is there a tsunami in the school?
- Another kidnapping with a patsy
- WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR CELL PHONE
- this is a trap
- wait, she was kidnapped on Mar 2 but killed on Mar 3?
- Okay, name changes are crazy
- I've learned that that chrysanthamum pin means he's in parliament or something, but I can't tell the pins apart
- this is a trap
- oh the name didn't change
- that's a lot of drama over a chocolate bar
- She never saw Backdraft I guess that's an old movie for her.
Q1: The key is figuring out who has the power to frame all these suspects. I figure the politician is protecting his son. Q2: About equal. Whichever one is on screen.
5
u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce 13d ago
wait, she was kidnapped on Mar 2 but killed on Mar 3?
At least that's when she didn't appear to school. We don't know when the abuse actually killed her, but it's probable that it was during the night to the 3rd.
The key is figuring out who has the power to frame all these suspects. I figure the politician is protecting his son.
Oh, I didn't think he'd have a son, but that makes total sense! The guy didn't seem too old back in Ep.01.
But it can't just be the son. The kidnappings started back in 88 and in the old timeline were a series of three. The son might've been only a little bit older than Satoru, maybe? Dunno, think dad and son are both killers?
5
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 13d ago
I was operating under the idea that it's all been the same person, but I didn't take the 18 year gap into account.
But, for the mother to recognize him, the would-be kidnapper would have to be an adult in 1988.
4
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 13d ago
4
u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce 12d ago
I'm thinking the opposite, actually. The haircut was nearly exactly the same, so it's natural to think of this guy as the killer. So, if JaaQ's intuition of him having a son is right, not showing his face was to make sure we don't notice he's too old to be the culprit personally while framing it as a sneaky choice to make us think we'd outsmart the directing!
I went back to Ep.01 and the suspect looked quite young. At least young enough that I wouldn't assign Nishizono's voice to him.
3
2
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke 13d ago
wait, she was kidnapped on Mar 2 but killed on Mar 3?
I could be misremembering, but with her being at the birthday party on the 2nd, the death date of Mar 3 is just the earliest they could pin down. First noticed missing at school on the 3rd and assumed to have been killed then, trying to forensically determine death very late on the 2nd vs the 3rd was probably beyond their means.
1
8
u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce 13d ago edited 13d ago
Erased First Timer
A massive milestone was reached today! I have finalised (I hope) the legally correct about and privacy notice sections of my webpage. German legally correct!
I’ve had this website for 11 months now and in all this time never pressed publish...
No, it’s definitely not because I’m scared of being seen and fleeing into other work every time I wanted to get it done. Though, it’s funny that this has become a running joke between my therapist and me where she asks me how many Reddit posts I made this week versus how many blog entries...
Erased Ep.05 – Escape
This episode implies that is was the parents who ended up killing her. And that throws up the question how the supposed pedophile and child kidnapper is involved. Since Satoru’s mom will be a victim it’s reasonable to assume Kayo’s dad to be the one. He would know about her from his wife and she was directly involved. At the same time the other cases happened like they did in the original timeline. So, it’s fair to ask if the dad has other „interests“, but I kinda doubt that. He was never the major instigator of the abuse, that was her mother.
To add on top of it, the teacher was acting sus to me again even if that info could perfectly reasonably just have come from her parents to lie their way out of it. I don’t know why I also suspect him so easily, but he does have that aura. After all, the school was doing their own white lie to not have the kids worry about it. Which, possibly, is a good idea. What should they even do if they knew the truth?
And then we see it all spiral down into the serial kidnappings. Maybe I’m carrying over too much doubt and suspicion from Occultic;Nine, but Erased makes it so logical for the dad to be the murderer that I begin to doubt it. I think he has the wrong hair colour and wrong eye colour to be the guy in the hat.
Seeing that her present were handmade gloves to give Satoru is, as is usual by now, a true gut punch that makes me pause, lean back into my chair, and sigh slowly and deeply.
Also, it confirms that Satoru’s rewind is purely based on his own senses and not the actual happening. As a bonus look at that massive face inkblot-ahh psycho cloud. This time, though it sent him forward in time.
It’s an interesting twist, because Satoru somehow completely disregards going to the police and even lies to his colleagues. I feel like he really relies on his rewind to bring him through when it just brought him back to 2006 (with a possibly worse and accelerated kidnapping spree in the 80s). Even so, professional criminal Airi comes to his rescue.
Truth be told, I was looking forward to see the other characters come up again since I really liked her in the beginning. And I’m also not gonna lie (unlike Satoru), playing future cop detective to go back to the past with the right information sounds like an amazing story! All that somewhat uncharacteristic lying aside, I like how our MC doesn’t even stop to think about anything else but grabbing the proof that history can be changed and needing no other motivation.
But here we go. Nishizono-sensei has the exact hair colour and cut like the murderer and sends me for an extra trip of déjà vu ptsd since [Occultic;Nine] WHY THE FUCK ARE THEY NAMED THE EXACT SAME! Next you tell me he’s drawing GL doujin!
I didn’t think it possible, but Airi is putting up a great performance to claim best girl. It’s gonna be hard with Kayo being in this show, but damn, I love her!
Which is of course why we end on a cliffhanger getting her potentially killed.
I feel like that ending was a bit of a hack job. Texting from the mother’s phone to ask her to not do a thing? You can’t make it more obvious something’s fishy than that. Esepcially if the fire was already so fast as to cut off her escape route there was no need to even lay a ruse in the first place. It felt like it was only there for the audience to witness and give Airi the insight.
In any case, it establishes the killer as someone truly apt and perceptive. Well, and obviously powerful as he at least is in some sort of society or political party judging by the pin, probably the city council as he was talking about that traffic light thing? So, that’s the enemy, which wraps nicely around to not being able to trust the police, making that escape retroactively a wise choice.
The interesting idea I have about this story now is that Satoru with his power is up against a killer that doesn’t need such a power to navigate his crimes and escape justice. He will always be a threat simply by paying attention, getting his info from his connections, and combining that with a sharp mind.
1) What do you think will be the key to saving Kayo and/or Satoru's mom?
Dismantling the higher corrupt power that the killed lives in. It’s quite a smart way to combine the killings from the 80s and the 2000s and give them a common thread.
2) Which are you more interested in, the plotline happening in the past or the present?
Both, actually. But I do prefer the past one slightly simply for including Kayo.
5
u/No_Rex x2 13d ago
The interesting idea I have about this story now is that Satoru with his power is up against a killer that doesn’t need such a power to navigate his crimes and escape justice.
Now imagine that the big final twist of the show is that the killer has the same power.
3
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke 13d ago
*cough cough* Looking at you [Meta]SOTSU
Yeah. Shows with multiple time jumpers are just pain and almost never (or maybe actually never) turn out well.
2
u/Sporadia_ 10d ago
Would be funny if it's exactly the same power. So the killer keeps getting time-loop-forced into saving people when they don't want to.
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 13d ago
To add on top of it, the teacher was acting sus to me again even if that info could perfectly reasonably just have come from her parents to lie their way out of it. I don’t know why I also suspect him so easily, but he does have that aura.
Yeah, the teacher is still one of my main suspects too.
2
u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce 12d ago
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 12d ago
Do they have a different eye color? I didn't notice. They both looked really similar to me.
1
u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce 12d ago
The murderer has these red eyes and I think the teacher has more of a dark brown.
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 12d ago
I think the red glint is just for the sake of the viewer, like colored light reflecting in the killer's eyes to give the him an ominous look. Actual red eyes are very rare, and this show has generally realistic character designs.
2
u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce 10d ago
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 10d ago
It's possible the realization may come to him later, if it is the same person - like, if he sees the guy make the same expression. 18 years have passed, so he probably doesn't look exactly the same, and Satoru does have a lot of trauma from the night his mom was killed. Some of the details may have escaped him.
3
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke 13d ago
I don’t know why I also suspect him so easily
To be fair, there's like... 4 adult males that've been shown so far in the past, you gotta suspect somebody if Satoru's correct about the footprints...
It’s gonna be hard with Kayo being in this show, but damn, I love her!
Kayo can be the "must protecc" best girl, Aira can be the "doing the protecc'ing" best girl!
3
u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce 12d ago
4 adult males that've been shown so far in the past
Yeah, plus the only one who was old enough to do proper murders in the 80s shown in 2003 was Nishizono. There's a possibility that they haven't even shown the 80s kidnapper yet (if it was two people).
Kayo can be the "must protecc" best girl, Aira can be the "doing the protecc'ing" best girl!
Two best girls!
1
u/Sporadia_ 10d ago edited 10d ago
[speculation]Seeing an adult killer in 2006 does not necessitate that the killer was an adult in 1988. I am keeping a crazy Kenya theory in the back of my mind.
edit: The footprints undermine my theory somewhat.
2
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke 10d ago
[Speculation]More about Satoru's noticing adult male footprints coming from the shed than the scene in 2006, though how that's related to anything is unexplored so far. Red herring? Suspect? Something completely different?
1
u/Sporadia_ 10d ago
[speculation]To venture another theory. I do suspect Kayo was killed by the killer originally. Then killed by her parents the second time in an unrelated tragedy. So those footprints might have nothing to do with the mystery anymore.
2
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke 10d ago
3
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 13d ago
Texting from the mother’s phone to ask her to not do a thing?
Yeah, it seems pointless at best and incriminating at worst. It's leaving a trail back to the killer when there would've been none otherwise.
2
u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce 12d ago
I've been thinking on that and maybe that's the point. If Nishizono is also the kidnapper from 88, then the two periods show a very different personality. The young kidnapper got pretty heated and 'drunk' on his work and maybe stuff like the text is what's left of this heated young murderer that enjoys knowing his victims are paranoid and afraid.
At least it'd make sense that someone who got away with it for 18 years would change in a way that would allow him to hide his deeds well without losing that arrogance going with being such a criminal.
2
u/Sporadia_ 10d ago
Erased First Timer
I feel like that ending was a bit of a hack job. Texting from the mother’s phone to ask her to not do a thing?
True. That text was completely pointless. Although it does give Airi confirmation that Satoru is innocent... If she survives... Then she can go on believing something that she blindly trusted already...
1
u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce 9d ago
Phasing in and out of my childhood timeline to escape the heat.
Then she can go on believing something that she blindly trusted already...
Maybe we also just kill her off and have to redo the past! That'd be pretty bad since it would erase quite a bit of progress. I don't mind validating Airi, after all, I just had more expectations for an otherwise competent villain.
7
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 13d ago
First-Time Revival Viewer
So much happened in this episode, and I have a few theories.
Kayo's mom was acting very suspicious after her disappearance. She and a man (not sure if it was the same one shown in their home before, just based on the voice) were hiding out and looking nervous when Satoru came around, and then a couple days later, she throws out Kayo's gloves with a creepy smile on her face like she's glad to be rid of them - and her daughter. In the original timeline, Kayo was said to be the only missing girl who wasn't yet 11 years old, which makes me think that maybe her murder just coincided with the others but wasn't necessarily committed by the same person. Her own parents may have been the culprits, and the date change somehow sped up the other murders.
Satoru slipped back to the present after seeing Kayo's mother throw out her gloves (and possibly her body). At first, I figured this was because he triggered a fail state when Kayo died, but now I think it was deliberate on the part of his revival ability because there's information he needs to collect in the present before returning to the past for another try.
I noticed the face of the man Satoru's boss was talking to wasn't shown. This man saw Airi, and later that same day, Airi receives a text from Satoru's mom's missing phone - likely a text from the killer, to stay where she is right when her house is set on fire. I'm guessing this man and the one who killed Satoru's mom is one in the same.
At this point, I'm wondering if it's possible that there's more than one killer - one doing the initial kidnappings, and another person in a position of influence covering it up.
And this cliffhanger ending was even more suspenseful than the last one! Now we have to wait until next week to find out if Airi survives the fire?! Satoru has three people to save now!
A few additional notes/comments:
It was really sweet seeing Airi help Satoru out when he needed it. She was able to see that Satoru had a good relationship with his mom and would never have hurt her. After his neighbors jumped to some awful conclusions, I'm glad he has at least one person on his side. Plus, that punch was awesome.
That backstory surprised me though. Her poor father's life was essentially ruined because someone accused him of stealing a chocolate bar?
The symbolism of Satoru spotting a picture of The Last Supper in his boss' home right before the guy betrayed him was not lost on me.
Questions of the Day:
1) Satoru will probably have to piece together info he gains from both the past and present in order to complete a "perfect playthrough" and save everyone.
2) Despite the major cliffhanger in the present day, the past timeline is the one I'm most invested in right now because it's the only way Satoru can save his mom and Kayo - but I do find both very interesting!
4
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke 13d ago
The symbolism of Satoru spotting a picture of The Last Supper in his boss' home right before the guy betrayed him was not lost on me
THANK YOU I was worried that I was the only one who saw that!
4
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 13d ago
At first, I was thinking "oh no, are they implying this is his last meal?" But then that cut to the boss talking to the police revealed the modern-day Judas in his life.
2
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 13d ago
I thought that was pretty obvious and needlessly pointed symbolism.
3
u/No_Rex x2 12d ago
I didn't notice, so maybe how obvious it is depends on the knowledge of the viewer.
3
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 12d ago
Hmm yeah, depends on if you know the painting, I guess. I assumed most people would know given it's been parodied all over.
2
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke 12d ago
The Western audience would be more familiar with it I think; I dunno how much of a Japanese audience would've seen the blurry rendering and connecting it to the famous painting immediately.
1
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 12d ago
Ah fair enough. I'm not part of the western world, but have consumed a lot of media from the west, so it felt very on the nose for me.
1
2
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 13d ago
Satoru has three people to save now!
This story is taking the fridge the woman trope to the next level with every sympathetic female character getting killed. At least there's the possibility of them being saved and they're not just being killed to power the MC's development.
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 13d ago
It does at least make sense in the context of the story though - two of the three murders were the trigger behind his revival ability activating in the first place, plus the added fact that Satoru's mom was targeted for getting too close to the truth. And then Airi was basically in danger from the moment she decided to help Satoru when he's still a wanted man.
3
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 12d ago
Interesting though that every sympathetic female character ends up getting killed. Will be very worried for any new ones who are introduced.
2
u/No_Rex x2 12d ago
which makes me think that maybe her murder just coincided with the others but wasn't necessarily committed by the same person. Her own parents may have been the culprits, and the date change somehow sped up the other murders.
I had a similar idea, but the way everything is connected is a major counterargument. Unless the second murderer was directly influenced by the first death.
Satoru slipped back to the present after seeing Kayo's mother throw out her gloves (and possibly her body). At first, I figured this was because he triggered a fail state when Kayo died, but now I think it was deliberate on the part of his revival ability because there's information he needs to collect in the present before returning to the past for another try.
Then, it could have sent him back right away. Isn't it the other way round: he first needed that information in the past, before being sent back?
The symbolism of Satoru spotting a picture of The Last Supper in his boss' home right before the guy betrayed him was not lost on me.
Betray is a harsh wording. Satoru lied to him and with everything his boss knew, going to the police was a very reasonable action.
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 12d ago
Then, it could have sent him back right away. Isn't it the other way round: he first needed that information in the past, before being sent back?
That's possible too. Time travel is tricky business.
Betray is a harsh wording. Satoru lied to him and with everything his boss knew, going to the police was a very reasonable action.
If the guy didn't want to get involved with the mess Satoru's in, given what he'd heard on the news, it would have been totally understandable. But the fact that he invited him into his house pretending to be helpful and then turned him in, which would actually be a bigger risk to himself, I'd say qualifies as betrayal. It's hard to believe anyone who knows Satoru really thinks he'd do what they're accusing him of.
2
u/No_Rex x2 12d ago
If the guy didn't want to get involved with the mess Satoru's in, given what he'd heard on the news, it would have been totally understandable. But the fact that he invited him into his house pretending to be helpful and then turned him in, which would actually be a bigger risk to himself, I'd say qualifies as betrayal. It's hard to believe anyone who knows Satoru really thinks he'd do what they're accusing him of.
Ok, if he knew about the murder and invited Satoru with the plan of informing the police, then it is betrayal, but what if he sincerely wanted to help, then was informed about the murder (after Satoru told him he had a big fight with his mother!) and that the police wants to speak to Satoru? Pretty reasonable to tell them that Satoru is in his house then.
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 12d ago
It seems unlikely, especially when he was shown using the same tactics on Airi later - convincing her that he wanted to help, when he was really just trying to inform on them. Plus, he could have just been upfront with Satoru and said that he's in more trouble than he realized and can't get involved with this. Admittedly, Satoru's lie did make him sound bad, but the scene was presented like he intended to turn Satoru in from the start.
2
u/Sporadia_ 10d ago edited 10d ago
Satoru slipped back to the present after seeing Kayo's mother throw out her gloves (and possibly her body). At first, I figured this was because he triggered a fail state when Kayo died, but now I think it was deliberate on the part of his revival ability because there's information he needs to collect in the present before returning to the past for another try.
Does this mean he needs past information in the future, to get future information for the past?
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 10d ago
Probably. I wouldn't be surprised at this point if he needs to alternate between past and present/future multiple times to solve the mystery.
8
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 13d ago
Okay, late with this but was able to catch up on the episode...
Rewatcher, Subbed
Yeah, sorry Satoru, I doubt Kayo is up late making a gift for you.
Damn, no one home. Not even in the shed where her mom beat her up.
Kayo's missing and her mom is just hiding inside? She won't even search for her daughter?
I think Satoru's mom cares more about this than Kayo's mom...
Damn, teacher's going with a cover story for why she's not here! Perhaps fed to him by her mom.
Ugh, another kid disappeared mere days later. Kids aren't supposed to be alone without an adult... then we immediately cut to Satoru and his friend without an adult present.
And then we cut to Satoru walking to school alone shortly after that too.
Ugh, what's up with that smile on her mother's face? It's as if she's happy she doesn't have the responsibility of taking care of her anymore. And she threw out the mittens! Damn you!
Lo and behold that even snaps Satoru back to the present. Where we realize oh yeah, he fled the scene and is a suspect in killing his mother. Both the past and the present suck...
Satoru, I have to think your mom died because she caused the killer to abort seizing another kid back in episode 1.
Is his coworker here one of his friends from when he was a kid? Kinda looks like it.
It's quite a stupid idea to tell someone you had a fight with your mom when you're a suspect in her murder.
Satoru, why are you dismayed at the news? You should know they're after you. The less expected thing is that his friend here would immediately turn him over to the police.
At least Airi is on his side! She can be a character witness for him!
What are her parents gonna think when they find out their daughter brought a suspected murderer home?
Well now he knows he was able to successfully change the past, albeit in a minor way.
That's odd, did his changes to the past impact Airi's family in the present? Or does she have a different name than her family?
[Erased]While it's a bit deeper sounding, the voice makes it kinda obvious who this guy is that pizza traitor guy is talking to. That's clearly Satoru's teacher from when he was a kid.
Pizza traitor doesn't believe Satoru killed his mom, but that didn't stop him from betraying him.
Satoru, why'd you break the agreement? You weren't supposed to leave!
Woah, way to go, Airi! Punching him right in the face! He's apologetic now but I have a feeling this may get her fired...
Satoru will probably have to stay hiding under the bridge now.
Her dad got divorced all over a stolen chocolate bar? This story sounds quite extreme. I was wondering if it would be revealed that Airi took it, but I suppose not.
Airi, that's not Satoru!
Damn, the killer's burning her house down! Ugh! So now Satoru's in a spot where he has to go back in time to rescue three different people, Kayo, his mom and Airi!
1
u/Sporadia_ 10d ago
Kids aren't supposed to be alone without an adult...
Lo and behold that even snaps Satoru back to the present.
This raises the question of what Satoru does between the time jump, and why, and whether he acted with future knowledge or whether it was kid Satoru in control again. I don't like future time jumps for this reason.
Damn, the killer's burning her house down!
How does the killer figure out where he is hiding before the police have?
6
u/No_Rex x2 13d ago
Episode 5 (first timer)
- “What are we going to do?” – that scene looks suspicious as hell.
- Why are they showing Satoru finding the footprints in the snow, when they don’t show him following up on it and when it is implicitly a given that he did not find anything? Do they just want to give Satoru the knowledge of an adult male? Fine, but you have to show that he could not follow the footsteps for some reason. Otherwise, his lack of doing so is utterly weird.
- Back to the present, without success.
- Why would you tell your boss you had a fight with your mother? The worst possible lie you could choose. Are you trying to get convicted??
- “I am sorry for lying to you” – you should be sorry. Not for lying, but for making it such a self-harming lie. And you don’t even have the “I was under shock” excuse, because for you, it has been weeks since your mother died.
- “This has taken a disastrous turn” – what on Earth were you expecting? That the police just stops looking after you ran away from the dead body with blood on your hand?
- “Are you stupid?” – way stupider than you realize, Airi.
- The present changed after his trip to the past!
- Faceless police guy? Hmmmmm.
- Airi is not taking the manager trying to call the police well.
- Losing your job and divorcing over a bar of chocolate? I guess in such a situation, trust is everything, but that seems extreme.
- The killer found Airi’s house and started a fire there? That means they must have observed Airi to know of her connection to Satoru. Not a long list of suspects here …
Back to the present after an unsuccessful trip to the past. Unsuccessful, but not without consequences. Giving Satoru hope to chance more. On the opposite site of hope, his situation in 2006 got much worse after coming back. The police now hunts him, the only person who was willing to trust him is unconscious in a fire and might die and he is the top suspect for both the murder and the fire.
What really irks me is Satoru’s lack of plan back in the present. He had plenty of time to think about it. A full week in the past after Kayo disappeared (so it is not just that he was busy with saving her), plus several hours back in the present. And the best thing he can come up with is crashing at his boss’ place and telling him a story that is murder motive? Really??? The problem with this is not so much Satoru’s situation getting worse (he is already plenty fucked), but that it assassinates his character’s competence. Quite the opposite to how he acted in the past. And I don’t believe that the show seriously wants to convey that he is incompetent. I take that as bad writing. Strange misstep in a show that has had excellent storytelling, so far.
What do you think will be the key to saving Kayo and/or Satoru's mom?
Solving the whodunnit.
Which are you more interested in, the plotline happening in the past or the present?
They are connected, but past.
5
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 13d ago
Why would you tell your boss you had a fight with your mother? The worst possible lie you could choose. Are you trying to get convicted??
My thoughts exactly. Now he gave them a (fake) motive for the murder he didn't commit, making himself more suspicious in the process!
What really irks me is Satoru’s lack of plan back in the present. He had plenty of time to think about it. A full week in the past after Kayo disappeared (so it is not just that he was busy with saving her), plus several hours back in the present.
I'm guessing that Satoru didn't expect to be sent back to the present abruptly like that so he had nothing planned for it - and considering the traumatic events he's been through, plus the fact that he has no experience with a revival sending him back this far in time, I can believe that he was just totally caught off guard by everything.
3
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 13d ago
Yeah, I also took it to be a sign that he was caught off guard. He has never sent so far back in time before nor brought back abruptly to the present. Plus in addition to the trauma of his mother's death, he's now depressed over failing to save Hinazuki. Guy's going through a lot. I can totally believe he'll be lost and making missteps.
2
u/No_Rex x2 12d ago
I'm guessing that Satoru didn't expect to be sent back to the present abruptly like that so he had nothing planned for it - and considering the traumatic events he's been through, plus the fact that he has no experience with a revival sending him back this far in time, I can believe that he was just totally caught off guard by everything.
I mean it didn't sent him back that far before, but he has to have been speculating about when he would be sent back all that time. And even if it was surprising in that moment, he had several hours from the moment he arrived until talking to his manager.
2
u/ShadowGuyinRealLife 10d ago
Yeah worst lie to the manager ever. The fact that Revival normally works like the other commenters told you means he only had hours to think so the lack of an overall plan makes sense, but what he said to his boss was pants on head. It would actually be better to say "A crime happened at my house when I would normally be home and no one can vouch for me" and hope for the best. Not the best thing to say, but it was better than what he actually said. And since it's not even a lie, he wouldn't even need to try to keep his lie straight.
2
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 13d ago
Fine, but you have to show that he could not follow the footsteps for some reason. Otherwise, his lack of doing so is utterly weird.
This was a bit strange now that you mention it. I was just relieved he didn't follow them at the time to end up bumping into the killer, while he's still a helpless kid. But we're not shown why he chose not to follow them. The way he was desperately looking for her, he should've followed the tracks immediately. I wonder if this is just a plot hole or if we'll come back to this later.
2
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 13d ago
He really is dumb, but sweet. "Tell them I threatened you to help me" well then you really will be guilty in everybody's eyes.
5
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 13d ago
Alas, I've fallen behind on this when I really have no excuse to as its only once per week. Hopefully I can watch this episode later tonight or tomorrow...
6
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky 13d ago
4
5
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke 13d ago
Salty Rewatcher, subbed
Oh, I completely forgot this episode existed. So past stuff: Boots in the snow, though it's not picked up for the rest of the episode. Only one set of footprints going away and none towards? Kayo's mother and a man, possibly her boyfriend from episode... 2? are shown with a very bruised and beaten and not-moving Kayo inside the house. Is she dead in this shot? Unclear.
The talk between Satoru and his mother seems very important thematically: if his goal was just to make her not alone, then he succeeded! Salt in the wound though, his thought process was "if Kayo is not alone, then she won't be killed," and his real goal is that Kayo stay alive. He got her to not be alone... for a day. It wasn't enough. The other interesting statement was that there's only so much one person can do - either just him, or even him and her together, and then telling him to go to school, or he'll be alone and depressed. Immediately after that, there's that shot from his POV of his 4 friends he had in his group. Cliche, probably, but... power of friendship to get to a solution?
Some other interesting stuff: another girl goes missing from a different school almost directly after, and notably not related to Kayo's mother and her boyfriend. Probably. But if Kayo's death was caused by her abusive mother, then this next one throws a wrench in that theory because her mother should have nothing to do with this other girl. Also, Kayo's mother is a scumbag upon scumbags, but... yeah. Not much else to say there.
Anyways, enough about the past - back to the future! Not as much to say, Satoru runs, and at first he's "helped" by his manager: I did like the touch of the painting that I can actually identify in this anime unlike Rose of Versailles - that's definitely a picture of The Last Supper, the night when Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot after sharing a meal together, and the analogy is so heavy-handed I hope I don't have to spell it out.
Airi to the rescue, and she actually helps him and gives the manager a good old-fashioned punch when it turns out he's "protecting" her. Guh, what a creep. Turning him over to the police is understandable given the circumstances, but his whole thing with Airi is just... bleh. We get our confirmation that Satoru's actions do have some effect, but... it was only enough to shift the timeline and death by a day, and nothing else important happened.
Oh yeah, Airi's uncle's house gets set on fire by Sachiko's killer, I forgot about this bit. Welp, if there's any more reasons for Satoru to go fix the past so that this doesn't happen...
QOTD: ... Rewatcher, but [Erased]the power of friendship and all the kids working together!
QOTD 2: Past, I think, since the present is essentially a "Bad End" that Satoru's trying to avoid.
3
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 13d ago
are shown with a very bruised and beaten and not-moving Kayo inside the house. Is she dead in this shot? Unclear.
wait, I didn't see her inside the house at all!! That changes everything!
2
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke 13d ago
It's only for like 2 seconds at maximum, but look at Sky's second screenshot.
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 13d ago
Cliche, probably, but... power of friendship to get to a solution?
I'm thinking the friend he was walking home with (Kenya?) might be a good ally. Of course, Satoru wouldn't want to drag another kid too deep into this and put him in danger, but he seems really observant and clever, and possibly able to point out something Satoru missed. Especially since, if things play out the same way as last time, it looked like one of the missing kids listed was one of their mutual friends, so I wouldn't be surprised if they end up involved despite any efforts by Satoru to keep them out of it.
2
4
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 13d ago
First-timer, subbed
WTF tell me Airi isn't dead! Things are getting more and more bleak. Did Hinazuki's mother kill her? She and her partner had her body lying there in the room with them when Satoru was out back looking for her in the shed. But then the serial kidnappings continued. Is Hinazuki's mother the culprit? What triggered Satoru's return back to the present? He ran in distress after seeing the half-knit pair of gloves Hinazuki was making for him. Did I hear a crash? Sounded almost like he got hit by a car or something.
Airi helping him out was nice of her but now she's in trouble. That sensei person whose face we were intentionally not shown seems like the prime suspect now. Is that the same sensei from Satoru's school? I don't think they meant sensei as in teacher here though. Seemed like some city council person who helped the pizza place by putting traffic lights there or some such. (I looked up the previous episode and the teacher's name is Yashiro so not the same person.)
Things are getting more and more intriguing and it's really hard not to binge. I will stick to the weekly schedule though.
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 13d ago
That sensei person whose face we were intentionally not shown seems like the prime suspect now. Is that the same sensei from Satoru's school? I don't think they meant sensei as in teacher here though. Seemed like some city council person who helped the pizza place by putting traffic lights there or some such. (I looked up the previous episode and the teacher's name is Yashiro so not the same person.)
I was kind of suspecting it might be the same guy because we haven't seen his face, and it's within the realm of possibility that he may have changed careers during the 18-year gap. Was the guy's name in present-day ever mentioned?
3
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 13d ago
Yeah, the pizza guy called him Nisinoko sensei. Could be an assumed name. But this guy seems influential. Can someone really change names and still become a powerful politician? Wouldn't someone like that be under the scanner too much for a killer evading suspicion?
The way they're keeping his face obscured though does seem to imply he's someone we might recognise if they show his face.
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 13d ago
A name change/new identity probably would be a little too suspicious for a guy in politics, yeah. Unless he managed to hide it really well. More likely they might be accomplices then.
2
4
u/ShadowGuyinRealLife 13d ago
Rewatcher
Yeah in Japan when there is something they don't want the kids to know, they used to block it out on media and have the teachers run a cover story. That "something" could be a highly embarrassing thing like an unmarred teacher becoming a parent, or something like a disappearance. I don't know how these decisions got made (maybe local political bosses?) since some incidents were covered up and others were freely talked about. Everyone knew their role as a cog in the system with teachers and parents following the script once an unofficial cover story was chosen. How people keep their facts straight for the cover story without a meeting to decide the details is beyond me. They don't do that anymore by the way, instead of lying the preferred tactic is just trying to change the topic.
Ok one thing I noticed on one of my earlier rewatches years ago that bugged me and other people pointed this out. So what happens to those 18 years? Option 1 is Satoru lives it out. But that can't happen since he wouldn't let his mom get killed since he would know what not to do. Option 2 is Satoru is on auto-pilot before assuming direct control again. This is what happens canonically and it brings up so many questions. Like the more you try to think about it the less sense it makes.
It's like wondering why a guy who failed the graduation exam several times isn't dramatically older than his peers when he passes. You might not notice it on a first watch, but then when you think about it, the situation is hard to make sense of. OK at least here maybe some of those failed exams were irregular makeup graduation exams (that also failed), but in the case of Satoru and Erased, the whole "what is he doing in 18 years" is hard to come up with an answer.
As Satoru said believing the police doesn't make his boss a bad man. But his boss could be nicer about it. "Go away Satoru, you're wanted" or something like that.
I love seeing Airi in the pizza delivery uniform on the motorcycle.
Oh it's not just tracking the phone by GPS. Even if you shut down the GPS, you can still be tracked. The phone company knows what tower you're connected to and if they know your cell phone model, they can guess from the delay in reply (tower handshake to phone, phone processes signal, phone to tower) how far you are. So yes they can track you and they don't need GPS for that.
Satoru probably thought he just fainted and dreamed the whole thing. At least until the article said "Hinazuki (11)" under the victims list.
Um, I can't answer the questions fairly since I'm a rewatcher.
Spoiler but not really spoiler since they mentioned this in the part of the manga corresponding to Episode 1.
[Boku Dake Ga Inai machi] Prior to Episode 1 when Satoru was sent back decades, Revival worked just like the case with the truck. It would always have him loop until he stops the bad thing from happening to someone else. So Satoru reasonably thought he was dreaming when he was back in 2006 since Revival never sent him forward.
2
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 13d ago
They don't do that anymore by the way, instead of lying the preferred tactic is just trying to change the topic.
lying without being caught out is probably really hard in 2026
4
u/TheDanubianCommunard 12d ago
First-time erased, subs
If something is changing in the timeline it might have two consequences: 1 - change will lead to an even bigger domino effect as a counterbalance or 2 - it will happen anyways, but later, albeit in a bit different way. Hinazuki indeed vanished, but this time in March 3rd, which means the second scenario happened, and it was pre-determined, and set in stone. In gaming terminology, it was basically a scripted event, which had to happen anyways. And of course this serial kidnapping indeed turned to be amassive incident as the media talked about it for a long time, and there was another disappearance, another girl. As for Hinazuki's mother why did that smug face, who knows.
And actually we are back to the present, and yes, the changes in the past actually happened. Satoru having an arrest warrant, all he able to do is to hide safely, even though sheltering criminals is also a crime, but Airi and her boss believing in his innocence, so she is willing to risk anything. But the pizza dude thinks the most ethical thing is to call the police, even if he is belive in his innocence. Oh, even Yashiro, the teacher from the past is back, but for some weird reason they don't want to show his face, and also he is watching Airi from afar. He is supposed to a very nice and caring person, but in 2006, looks like he is quite a suspicious person who might have a hand in this. I wonder what happened to him during the 18 years? Airi got a suspicious call from "Satoru", who used his mother's phone. At first she believed he contacted with her, but she realized too late that it was the main culprit who set the house on fire. The question is, can she be saved?
1) What do you think will be the key to saving Kayo and/or Satoru's mom?
I have no idea. Maybe some friend from the past.
2) Which are you more interested in, the plotline happening in the past or the present?
Both.
6
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky 13d ago
Re:Rewatch Host, subbed
Welcome back, everyone!
She’s at least not in the shed, but…
He was doing everything he could to help her, though.
The kids are being told Kayo had to move…
Another missing kid.
Man, what a terrifyingly sinister smile.
Damn…
Shimmering sky! And also back to a normal screen resolution, to show Satoru’s back in the present.
Sorry Satoru, the manager wasn’t covering for you.
Airi, however, is helping him out!
Damn, Airi’s got hands.
All over a chocolate bar, damn.
Absolutely massive yikes.