''Erased'', known in Japan as ''Boku dake ga Inai Machi'' (, "The Town Where Only I Am Missing"; abbr. , ''BokuMachi''), is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written and illustrated by

Kei Sanbe is a Japanese manga artist born in Tomakomai, Hokkaido and raised in Chiba Prefecture. He has formerly worked under the pseudonym . He is married to illustrator . Sanbe was an honorable mention in the 1990 40th Tezuka Award and a semi-final wi ...

. It was serialized in

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines su ...

's ''

Young Ace is a monthly ''seinen'' manga magazine in Japan published by Kadokawa Shoten, started in 2009. A spin-off web manga magazine titled ''Young Ace UP'' began publication in December 2015. Series ''Young Ace'' *''Akuma no Ikenie'' ('' Devil's Sacri ...

'' magazine from June 2012 to March 2016, and is licensed in English by

Yen Press Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...

. An anime adaptation by

A-1 Pictures is a Japanese animation studio founded by ex-Sunrise producer Mikihiro Iwata and it is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan's anime production firm Aniplex. History The studio was established by SMEJ's animation production division, ...

aired on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...

Noitamina is a Japanese Block programming, programming block on Fuji TV devoted to anime, originally broadcast every Thursday late night/Friday morning from 00:45 to 1:15. It was launched with the intention of expanding the target audience beyond the typic ...

programming block from January to March 2016, and a live action film was released in March 2016. A live-action drama series was released by

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

in December 2017. A spin-off manga was published from June to November 2016 and the spin-off novel series by Hajime Ninomae was released in ''Kadokawa's Bungei Kadokawa'' magazine from November 2015 to March 2016.

Plot

In 2006, 29-year-old Satoru Fujinuma, a man living in

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

, possesses an ability known as "Revival" that sends him back in time moments before a life-threatening incident, enabling him to prevent it from happening again. When his mother is murdered by an unknown assailant in his own home, Satoru's ability sends him back eighteen years into the past and Satoru is given the opportunity to not only save his mother, but also prevent a kidnapping incident that took the lives of three of his childhood friends.

Characters

; : :Played by:

Tatsuya Fujiwara is a Japanese actor. Internationally, he is best known for his leading roles as Shuya Nanahara in the '' Battle Royale'' films, Light Yagami in the ''Death Note'' films, Kaiji Itō in the '' Kaiji'' films, and Rikuhiko Yuki in Hideo Nakata's '' ...

(adult, film), Tsubasa Nakagawa (child, film),

Yuki Furukawa is a Japanese actor, supermodel, guitarist and break dancer. He gained popularity as Naoki Irie in the 2013 television series '' Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo'' and its sequel, ''Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Okinawa''. Personal life Furukawa wa ...

(adult, drama), Reo Uchikawa (child, drama) :Satoru is a 29-year-old

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...

who also works part-time as a delivery man at Oasi Pizza. Many years ago while he was still a child, his father left him and his mother, for which reason he is living in a

single parent A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include divorce, break-up, abandonment, becoming wid ...

home. He possesses an involuntary

time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

-based ability he calls "Revival" which brings him back to a time before a life-threatening incident occurs and allows him to prevent it only by glimpsing a glowing bright blue butterfly, the appearance of which may symbolize the unpredictable effects the unique supernatural ability has not only on himself, but those around him. ; : :Played by:

Rio Suzuki is a Japanese actress and tarento. She is famous for such TV dramas as ''Yae no Sakura'', ''Ashita, Mama ga Inai'' and as a television personality. Filmography Television * (Fuji TV, 2012) – Minagawa Riko * ''Yae's Sakura'' (NHK, 2013) – ...

(film), Rinka Kakihara (drama) :Kayo is one of Satoru's primary school classmates and is one of the original victims of the serial kidnapping case that occurred 18 years ago. ; : :Played by:

Kasumi Arimura is a Japanese actress. Her television roles have included the young Haruko Amano in the 2013 NHK asadora ''Amachan'' and the lead role in the 2017 asadora ''Hiyokko''. She has also appeared in several films, including '' Flying Colors'', for whic ...

(film),

Mio Yūki , whose real name is , is a Japanese actress, model and tarento from Fukushima Prefecture. Career Yūki's acting career began in 2012 when she won the 37th Horipro talent scout caravan. She was chosen from 29,521 applicants. On November 14, 2012, ...

(drama) :Airi is a high school student and Satoru's friendly co-worker at Oasi Pizza. She becomes involved with him when she witnesses oddities such as when he manages to save people from certain life-threatening situations. ; : :Played by:

Yuriko Ishida is a Japanese actress and essayist from Nagoya. She was the Japanese voice of the title character San from the 1997 animated film ''Princess Mononoke''. She is the older sister of Hikari Ishida, also an actress. Filmography Films *''Gokudo no On ...

(film);

Tomoka Kurotani Kurotani Tomoka (黒谷友香; born 11 December 1975 in Sakai, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese actress. She starred as the femme fatale female ninja Kagero in ''Shinobi Heart Under Blade''. Partial filmography Films *''Boxer Joe'' (1995) *勝手� ...

(drama) :Sachiko is Satoru's mother and a former news announcer. Her husband left the family many years ago, causing her to raise Satoru on her own. She possesses a sharp eye and is quick to observe any irregularities. ; : :Played by

Kento Hayashi is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in more than 30 films since 2007. Selected filmography Film Television Awards References External links Official Website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayashi, Kento 1990 births Living people People from ...

(film); Masato Yano (drama) :Jun is a stuttering food delivery worker who lives in Satoru's hometown and often approaches lone students around his house. He and Satoru play with paper airplanes. Because he advises lonely children to be more "courageous" and make more friends, he is nicknamed "Yuuki", which means courage. ; : :Played by

Seiji Fukushi is a Japanese actor represented by Owlm. He was a member of Imai Office until 31 March 2015. Biography Fukushi auditioned and debuted in the Mizkan advertisement "Kin no Tsubu" in 2001. His drama debut was in the Fuji Television drama ''The Long ...

(film); Jin Shirasu (drama) :Kenya is one of Satoru's primary school classmates who has a strong sense of justice and is very mature for his age with his intelligent choices. He is an aspiring lawyer who has a keen eye. ; : :Played by

Shigeyuki Totsugi is a Japanese actor, TV personality, voice actor, screenwriter, theatre director, and singer. His real name and former stage name is . He was born in Teine-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido. He is a member of the TEAM NACS. He graduated from Hokkaido Sapporo ...

:Gaku is Satoru's homeroom teacher during his youth and the closest thing he has to a father figure. ; : :Played by Kairi Jyo :Hiromi is one of Satoru's primary school classmates who appears feminine even though he is a boy. He is one of the original victims of the serial kidnapping case. ; : :Osamu is one of Satoru's primary school classmates. ; : :Kazu is one of Satoru's primary school classmates. He is much taller and heavier than the rest of Satoru's friends and goes out of his way to appear "masculine". ; : :Aya is a student who attends Izumi Primary and is one of the original victims of the serial kidnapping case. ; : :Misato is another classmate of Satoru's. She has a strong dislike for Kayo and she often likes to pick on her. ; : :Played by Tamae Ando (film); Noriko Eguchi (drama) :Akemi is Kayo's abusive mother, whose abusive nature was exposed to the public. ; : :Played by Miyu Ando :Kumi is a nine-year-old patient who suffers from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

Media

Manga

The original manga, written by

, was serialized in

's ''

'' magazine from the July 2012 issue (shipping date: June 4, 2012) through the April 2016 issue (shipping date: March 4, 2016). The first ''tankōbon'' volume was released in Japan on January 26, 2013, and the eight volume was published on April 27, 2016. The series is licensed by

, who released the first volume in February 2017. The Yen Press hardcover editions combine two of the original volumes per book, while their ebook editions match the original volume numbering. The series is licensed in France by

Ki-oon Ki-oon is a French manga publisher founded in October 2003 by Cécile Pournin and Ahmed Agne. It released its first manga in March 2004, the first volume of ''Element Line''. The name "Ki-oon" comes from an onomatopoeia meaning "having the heart ...

. Sanbe wrote a spin-off manga titled ''Erased: Re'', which was serialized in ''Young Ace'' from June 4, 2016 to November 4, 2016. It was published as the ninth volume of the series in Japanese on February 4, 2017, and in English by Yen Press on September 18, 2018.

Volumes

Anime

An anime television adaptation produced by

aired on

programming block from January 8 to March 25, 2016, and was simulcast on

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

, Daisuki,

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

and

AnimeLab Crunchyroll Pty. Ltd., trading as Madman Anime, is an Australian distribution company focused on anime and Japanese media. The company handles licensing and distribution of anime in Australia and New Zealand. Originally part of independent film ...

. The series was directed by Tomohiko Itō and written by

Taku Kishimoto is a Japanese anime screenwriter. After leaving Studio Ghibli, he was put in charge of screenwriting for ''Bunny Drop''. Following its completion, he has worked on several series, some of which are ''Haikyu!!'', '' Erased'', and the remake of ''F ...

, with character design by Keigo Sasaki. The opening theme is " Re:Re:" by

Asian Kung-Fu Generation (stylized as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION) is a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Yokohama in 1996. For its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotoh, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyo ...

, while the ending theme is by Sayuri. The series is licensed in North America by

Aniplex of America Aniplex of America Inc. or Aniplex USA is the U.S. distribution enterprise of Aniplex, an anime and music production company owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. It was established in March 2005 in Santa Monica, California, with the goal o ...

, in Australia by

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatr ...

, and in the United Kingdom by

Anime Limited Anime Limited, also known as All the Anime is a British anime distribution company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It releases anime for British, Irish, French and other European audiences. The company was established in 2012 by Andrew Partridge, b ...

. Aniplex of America announced that the series would receive an English dub in May 2016. The series was simulcast in certain countries in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

with English subtitles on Aniplus Asia and is available to stream on

Iflix WeTV iflix, or simply iflix, is a Malaysian free and subscription video on demand (VOD) service focused on emerging markets. Its global headquarters are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The site serves as a digital hosting and distribution platform fo ...

in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Brunei with English subtitles.

Episode list

Live-action adaptations

A live-action film adaptation of ''Erased'' featuring

as Satoru Fujinuma debuted in cinemas throughout Japan on March 19, 2016. The theme song is by Chise Kanna. In March 2017,

announced a live-action adaptation of the manga series, co-created with

Kansai TV JODX-DTV, virtual channel 8 ( UHF digital channel 17), branded as or , is the Kansai region key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and Fuji Network System (FNS), operated by the . Kansai TV is a company affiliated in Hankyu Hanshin Holdin ...

. The

Netflix Original Netflix is an American global Internet streaming-on-demand media provider that has distributed a number of original streaming television shows, including original series, specials, miniseries, and documentaries and films. Netflix's original pro ...

series was released worldwide on December 15, 2017. Unlike the anime and live-action film, the live-action web drama covers the manga fully and does not deviate from the source material. The drama stars

as 29-year-old Satoru Fujinuma, Reo Uchikawa as Satoru as a child, and

as Airi.

Novel

A spin-off novel titled ''Boku Dake ga Inai Machi: Another Record'', written by Hajime Ninomae, was serialized in Kadokawa's monthly digital novel magazine ''Bungei Kadokawa'' from November 2015 to March 2016. A volume collecting the chapters was released on March 30, 2016.

Reception

Volume 4 reached the 12th place on the weekly

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

manga chart and, as of June 15, 2014, has sold 73,983 copies. The manga was number sixteen on the 2014 ''Kono Manga ga Sugoi!'' Top 20 Manga for Male Readers survey. It was nominated for the 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Reader Award. It was also nominated for the 7th

Manga Taishō The is a Japanese comics award recognizing achievement in manga. It is awarded annually to a manga series published in the previous calendar year of eight or fewer collected volumes in length. The Manga Taishō was founded with the aim of re ...

, receiving 82 points and placing 2nd among the ten nominees. It is nominated for the 8th Manga Taishō. The staff at manga-news.com gave the French edition a grade of 17.33 out of 20. On Manga Sanctuary one of the staff members gave it an 8 out of 10.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{A-1 Pictures television series 2012 manga 2016 anime television series debuts A-1 Pictures Anime and manga about time travel Anime and manga set in Hokkaido Anime composed by Yuki Kajiura Anime series based on manga Aniplex Child abduction in fiction Comics about time travel Crime in anime and manga Crunchyroll Anime Awards winners Fiction about assassinations Fiction about child murder Fiction about suicide Fiction set in 1988 Fiction set in 2003 Fiction set in 2005 Fiction set in 2006 Japanese-language Netflix original programming Japanese time travel television series Kadokawa Dwango franchises Kadokawa Shoten manga Kei Sanbe Manga adapted into films Mystery anime and manga Noitamina Seinen manga Thriller anime and manga Time loop anime and manga Works about fictional serial killers Yen Press titles