Boku Dake ga Inai Machu's first episode is exceptionally good. It's
easily the best Winter 2016 first episode I've seen so far (well, as long as we don't count Macross Δ).
I truly
love this show's premise, and it was executed extremely effectively in the first episode (the pitch-perfect occasionally haunting BGM is a big part of that). Similar to Foxy, I'm slightly sad to (likely) be saying goodbye to one of the core characters of Episode 1, but at least the other core characters should still be there, albeit in a very different context.
Satoru is the slightly jaded loner character type done
right, in my opinion. I usually don't go for this type of character, but Satoru still resonated strongly with me. It probably helps that his inner monologues don't faff around a lot, and are more straightforward and pointed while still having moments of real strength. For example, him being afraid of the heart of his own mind came through very nicely.
On the whole, Boku Dake ga Inai Machu struck me as bold and brilliant, though that might be partly since I haven't read/seen this premise done before much. And I can't recall ever seeing this done from the very first episode of an anime. For me, this all feels very new and fresh, with a narrative concept that I find fascinating. I'd say more, but for those going in mostly blind, I don't want to spoil the ending of Episode 1 for you. It was like the final exclamation mark on a very good performance which turns it into an excellent performance, if not a masterpiece. Really, there's nothing about Episode 1 that I think deserves criticism. Even the character designs and art-syle, though a bit blander/basic than what I normally go for, nonetheless suits this show and its tone very well so far.
I highly recommend Boku Dake ga Inai Machu to every member of the RRRound Table. Consider this a Holy Grail worth capturing, my Knights!
I'll probably have more to say on other Winter 2016 shows later, but I really felt this show was worthy of its own post, dedicated entirely to it.