[FIRST IMPRESSION] Boku Dake ga Inai Machi 僕だけかいない街

Plot:

Satoru has a gift. When something bad is about to happen, he experiences what he calls a ‘Revival’, a reversal in time which gives him the opportunity to fix things before they go wrong. As a struggling mangaka working a part-time job as a delivery driver, he shuts down any memory of his past, which is shrouded in the mystery of an eighteen year old crime. But he is forced to relive those memories, as his ability sends him back to 1988, the year that three of his classmates were murdered.

Impression:

This is quite possibly the most popular series of the Winter 2016 season, and it’s not hard to see why.  Merging elements of procedural dramas like Sherlock with the fantastical theme of time-travel, it’s a combination that works. The nature of the show encourages the audience to keep guessing, trying to figure out what is going to happen, because that is exactly what the protagonist is doing at the same time. From watching the first episode, nothing is immediately obvious and the plot could go in any direction. This is apparent from the last five minutes of episode one, with a shock twist which changes everything.

Similar to:

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time – What started as an accidental skip in time turns into a race to fix past mistakes.

Eden of the East -Mysterious circumstances thrust a boy and a girl together in order to investigate a crime.

Death Note – Murder Mystery at its finest, only this time we don’t know who it is.

 

For more Winter 2016 coverage, click here.