Erased, or its Japanese name 僕だけがいないまち (Boku dake ga inai machi), is a Japanese comic, or manga, first serialized in June of 2012, written and illustrated by the brilliant Kei Sanbe. The manga has been adapted into both an anime and a live adaptation film, both of which I highly recommend! The manga and the anime are one of my favorite novels and shows, and I frequently come back to them every once in a while.

The manga edition has a very immersive and riveting nature. The main character, Fujinuma Satoru (Age 29), speaks and thinks in a very cold yet comforting way, especially when speaking to others he holds dear such as his mom or school friends. Fujinuma Satoru undergoes a series of surreal events with a science-fiction power of being able to relive moments before a tragedy as a way to hopefully prevent the tragedy from occurring. Very early on into the manga, Fujinuma Satoru gets into a car accident while trying to save a little boy crossing the street from getting hit by a truck. After the accident, he is sent into a coma and we already develop and close bond with Fujinuma after being with him throughout all of that. Moreover, we understand now that he is a well natured individual who uses his anomalous abilities altruistically. The main instance in which this happens, and of which the whole manga revolves around, is when he is sent back all the way to his life when he was in elementary school and was still residing in his hometown with hopes to prevent a string of serial kidnapping murders targeted at the local kids in the neighborhood, one of which is his classmate Kayo. As the storyline progresses, we grow very close to both Fujinuma Satoru and Kayo and we experience both the joys and sadnesses that they undergo.

Erased contains several different parts of a diverse range of genres and themes. For one, if you’re someone who appreciates a riveting mystery story, especially one of murder, then Erased is an equally if not a more exceptional mystery story. Concurrent with its mysterious nature, it imbues a sense of horror and an eeriness most typically found in murder stories which kept me on edge and anxious through every chapter. If you’re unsure about reading this, I would highly recommend watching the anime adaptation beforehand, and that way you will become familiar with its atmosphere and character connections.

All of my friends or family members who have either read or watched Erased have said remarkably wonderful things about it. Both the anime and manga have different endings yet both of them receive love and appreciation. Even Netflix has gone out of their way to produce a life action adaptation of the series because of its notable and captivating storyline. This series imbues such a warm and cozy feeling inside of me that I often come back to rewatch and reread it, and each time I fall in love with it even more!