(L+CR) Boku Dake ga Inai Machi - ERASED [Manga comparisons forbidden]

[DemonneoPT]

Originally Posted by xrick

Anime-only Viewers don't seem to understand that most stories adapted from a source material (Manga, LN, VN, Game, etc) are intended to garner people's interest in those through the adaptation.
It's unfortunate that one can't simply enjoy a story through it's Anime series (especially those who simply prefer to stubbornly refuse to check the source materials) but that's how things are going.

Because anime original endings and rushed episodes are pure garbage. How can one enjoy such anti-climatic scenes and poor character development? if i need to check the original source for some closure and story details, of course the anime itself can never be enjoyed as much, especially when the studio deliberately makes the adaption inferior just to bait it's audience to buy the manga.
A lot of people are like me. We hate read. I really hate reading..lol. I simply can't enjoy a LN and no matter how hard they try to bait me into that, i will never read one even if it's free. Luckily, i'm still able to appreciate manga because it's a very light reading with the drawings helping my poor imagination..lol. That is why i consider myself an anime only viewer and only check the manga if the anime really surprises me and it's incomplete like, for example, One Punch Man or Gate.

At least the first 8 episodes or so were awesome and made me want to read Bokumachi's manga. I guess A1-pictures achieved their goal of promoting the author's original work but it's still sad for us, anime only viewers, getting fucked up like this. The DVD/BD's sales would be way higher if they made it right... just saying...

[Freeter]

It's unfortunate that one can't simply enjoy a story through it's Anime series (especially those who simply prefer to stubbornly refuse to check the source materials) but that's how things are going.

It all really depends on how the anime version is handled. Some series can actually surpass their source material while telling a complete story, such as Junketsu no Maria.

I don't know how much forward planning they do, but it almost feels like they came to this realization only an episode or two ago, since it had such a sudden switch from taking the time to make it beautiful to cramming as much into each minute as possible in a race to the finish.

The studio probably assumed they were going to get the greenlight for another cour as production commenced. It's a risky prospect that can cripple the narrative if the gamble doesn't pay off.

[Reckoner]

OK guys. I think the episode had many flaws myself, but one of those flaws is not that Satoru got NTR'd.

What kind of perverse line of thinking does it take to think that Kayo is anywhere near a bad person for finding love in her life while Satoru is in a coma from which he may never wake up? Is she supposed to sacrifice her life for at best a 11 year old crush? They were elementary school kids! How many people find real romance when they are in elementary school? Sorry but that sort of thinking to me is just sick, and a bit objectifying if I may add.

[BWTraveller]

Originally Posted by Freeter

The studio probably assumed they were going to get the greenlight for another cour as production commenced. It's a risky prospect that can cripple the narrative if the gamble doesn't pay off.

I rather doubt that. I don't think this is a two-cour story. Having too many episodes for a story can be just as destructive as having too few. I feel like this story was meant to have maybe fourteen to sixteen episodes. Seventeen if you include all the material that'd been cut out. Any more and you'd be stretching and dragging and filling, at the risk of damaging the core plot.

Maybe if we're lucky they'll go the OreImo route and make an OVA series that retells the last few episodes. I sincerely doubt it, but a guy can dream, right?

And I agree with Reckoner. I don't see there being any problem with Kayo finding love and becoming happy, though it was a little sad and surprising when it happened. But she still should have taken things just a little slower rather than immediately showing her kid to a guy who could remember being her crush (and returning it) like it was yesterday, because it pretty much was for him.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Reckoner

OK guys. I think the episode had many flaws myself, but one of those flaws is not that Satoru got NTR'd.

Yeah, that's about the only thing it did right. These are two people who were fated to die, but now are alive and gave birth to a baby called Future. This is the most tangible proof that Satoru is a hero.

Unfortunately, the rest of the episode was a total disaster.

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by DemonneoPT

The DVD/BD's sales would be way higher if they made it right... just saying...

No they won't. It doesn't work like that. Just stop assuming that because an anime is higher in quality it automatically means higher sales. It doesn't. Just for the record, the highest ranking for the BDs of volume 1 on Amazon was achieved just today. Higher than at any point where the anime was going strongest (meaning, prior to episode 10).

Originally Posted by BWTraveller

Maybe if we're lucky they'll go the OreImo route and make an OVA series that retells the last few episodes. I sincerely doubt it, but a guy can dream, right?

I'm more puzzled why they didn't at least consider giving the anime 13 episodes instead of 12. In any case, they messed up the pacing rather badly the past three episodes.

[karice67]

About Kayo bringing her baby: he looks like he's only a few months old at best. Who's she meant to keave him with? Hiromi, who's probably at work? I'd understand if we're talking about a toddler, perhaps, but at that age, please, it's really quite impractical for her to come alone.

[DemonneoPT]

Originally Posted by Kakurin-san

No they won't. It doesn't work like that. Just stop assuming that because an anime is higher in quality it automatically means higher sales. It doesn't. Just for the record, the highest ranking for the BDs of volume 1 on Amazon was achieved just today. Higher than at any point where the anime was going strongest (meaning, prior to episode 10).

I will not stop assuming nothing. It's common sense. I'm not saying bad adaptation won't sell but if the anime has a good adaptation, people would be more inclined to spend their money on it. At least, that's what i would do.
If the sales are high even tho the last episodes were disappointing, imagine if this had a proper adaptation. It would definitely be higher, because not only would attract the buyers that are already spending their money on it now, but also people like me that actually enjoy seeing a proper adaptation (in regard to the last episodes).

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by DemonneoPT

I will not stop assuming nothing. It's common sense. I'm not saying bad adaptation won't sell but if the anime has a good adaptation, people would be more inclined to spend their money on it. At least, that's what i would do.

Making anime isn't cheap, and actual economical success is so scarce that producers aren't all that willing to take risks. Generally speaking, only big-name franchises get decent budget, and sometimes not even them.

It's an niche market. And it's over saturated too. It only survives on overpriced products and exploiting the animators.

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by DemonneoPT

I will not stop assuming nothing. It's common sense. I'm not saying bad adaptation won't sell but if the anime has a good adaptation, people would be more inclined to spend their money on it. At least, that's what i would do.
If the sales are high even tho the last episodes were disappointing, imagine if this had a proper adaptation. It would definitely be higher, because not only would attract the buyers that are already spending their money on it now, but also people like me that actually enjoy seeing a proper adaptation (in regard to the last episodes).

It doesn't work that way. There are plenty of terrific anime that absolutely flopped in terms of sales. There are also plenty of bad anime that have sold like crazy. There is a reason why anime BDs are so damn expensive. Because the market of people who actually are ready to spend money to buy them is small. They are mainly aimed at collectors. There is no expectation of people to buy them to watch the anime since there are enough alternative routes to buying them yourself in Japan if you simply want to watch. While a better adaptation certainly won't hurt the sales number it's plain wrong to assume that a better adaptation will automatically sell better, since you are working off the wrong assumption.

[BBOvenGuy]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

Unfortunately, the rest of the episode was a total disaster.

People keep saying that. Why is that? Apart from "It's not the manga," I mean. Judging the episode on its own merits as an anime episode, what was so terrible? I'll grant you that it was a little on the flat side compared to the previous episodes, but it was still a perfectly serviceable show. Why would someone who knew nothing about the manga and was watching the anime purely for itself think this episode was a "total disaster?"

[DemonneoPT]

Originally Posted by Kakurin-san

It doesn't work that way. There are plenty of terrific anime that absolutely flopped in terms of sales. There are also plenty of bad anime that have sold like crazy. There is a reason why anime BDs are so damn expensive. Because the market of people who actually are ready to spend money to buy them is small. They are mainly aimed at collectors. There is no expectation of people to buy them to watch the anime since there are enough alternative routes to buying them yourself in Japan if you simply want to watch. While a better adaptation certainly won't hurt the sales number it's plain wrong to assume that a better adaptation will automatically sell better, since you are working off the wrong assumption.

Yes, i know only a few selected themes/genres are somewhat guaranteed to be sold and that the majority of those "colectors" are nothing more than porn/ecchi/moe addicts. I can understand why the studio did not expected this anime to make so much success and therefore delivering only 12 episodes. But when i say proper adaptation, it does not mean i'm only talking about adding more episodes (although that is the ideal). My main critic is why rushing the end and not the middle episodes? The same mistake was made in Overlord. I kinda feel it's not the best tactic. The number of episodes and money spent would be the same but at least we would get proper climax and closure in each character's story. I'm sure some will disagree but i for one would never buy a dvd with a rushed anime original ending.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by BBOvenGuy

People keep saying that. Why is that? Apart from "It's not the manga," I mean. Judging the episode on its own merits as an anime episode, what was so terrible? I'll grant you that it was a little on the flat side compared to the previous episodes, but it was still a perfectly serviceable show. Why would someone who knew nothing about the manga and was watching the anime purely for itself think this episode was a "total disaster?"

Suddenly the until-this-point very careful killer was all over Satoru, advertising himself without a care in the world. I get it, the climax is coming and there's no time for proper buildup, but if you threw characterization out of the window for that reason, the result is a rushed piece of... well, crap.

I also didn't appreciate how Satoru, who at this point should have learned not to play the lone hero anymore (trusting his friends was part of his character development), is doing the batman act all over again. Again, characterization thrown out of the window for the sake of getting things done on time.

Ultimately, the overall problem is time management. The 1988 part should have been at least one episode shorter.

[Kenu]

Originally Posted by DemonneoPT

LOL at people thinking Kayo marrying Hiromi was a dick move xD. Like many users here already said, Satoru was never in love with Kayo. He was just trying to save her. Sure they had some nice moments between them but Kayo was just a kid..

IKR!

It reminds me of those Sasu X Saku vs Naru X Saku vs Naru X Hina converstations..

Now its.. Sato X Kayo vs Hiro X Kayo ..

[Gan_HOPE326]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

I also didn't appreciate how Satoru, who at this point should have learned not to play the lone hero anymore (trusting his friends was part of his character development), is doing the batman act all over again. Again, characterization thrown out of the window for the sake of getting things done on time.

We still don't know that for sure. My assumption was that he'd actually recovered his memories already some time ago and he's talked with someone already and is now acting as bait for a trap. If he's really trying to confront alone, wheelchair-bound and fresh out of rehab, the killer that already owned and almost killed him in the past, then yeah, I'll agree with you, he's an idiot and needs to die for the sake of humanity's gene pool.

[Yamada II]

Episode 11
So no Satoru in the OP. Nice.

Satoru was somehow rescued from that situation and he survived but was in a coma for 15 years. He didn't get a time jump and time moved on from that point. He doesn't remember anything that happened before he went into the coma. And when he tries to remember stuff, it's all hazy and he mixes up stuff from when he revived as a kid and when he was an adult. Kenya is a lawyer, Hiromi is a doctor and is married to Kayo (poor Satoru got his girl stolen lol) and also has a baby. Satoru's mom cared for him throughout those coma years so that his body doesn't rot away in case he wakes up.

And the final person to show up is that bastard, Yashiro. Yashiro became a politician and changed his name to Nishizono. Turns out he was a twisted little bastard from the beginning. He drowned the six or so hamsters given to him once upon a time and the surviving hamster caught his fancy. He didn't have a sad story or whatever as a reason for killing those kids – he's just twisted down to his very core, that's all.

And Satoru meets this new sensei but doesn't have memories. And now his memories have returned and he's alone on the roof with a murderer and is completely vulnerable since his muscles don't have enough strength. And the possibility that we get a similar scene to the last moments of the OP is there. Although I doubt Satoru will be dying just. Also, Airi and Satoru haven't met in this time-line as Satoru never worked at the pizza place since he's been in a coma all this time. Will be interesting to see what role Airi might have now, if any.

[BBOvenGuy]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

Suddenly the until-this-point very careful killer was all over Satoru, advertising himself without a care in the world. I get it, the climax is coming and there's no time for proper buildup, but if you threw characterization out of the window for that reason, the result is a rushed piece of... well, crap.

"Suddenly" is a matter of perspective. From our perspective, yes the killer was being very careful to stay hidden just last week - but from his perspective, it's been fifteen years. Fifteen years of watching Satoru, knowing that Satoru could identify him if he ever woke up. Even before the opening titles, the show establishes Yashiro's obsession with Satoru, and then Yashiro says that he's been maneuvering to get Satoru alone all the time that he's been in the hospital. From his perspective, he's still the same careful killer.

I also didn't appreciate how Satoru, who at this point should have learned not to play the lone hero anymore (trusting his friends was part of his character development), is doing the batman act all over again. Again, characterization thrown out of the window for the sake of getting things done on time.

That argument depends on when Satoru got his memories back and realized who Yashiro was. Several pages back, someone suggested that his memories came back when he and baby Mirai touched hands, but personally, I think you could make a case that Satoru didn't realize who Yashiro was until they were in the elevator and Yashiro started tapping the handle of Satoru's wheelchair. The closeup of Yashiro's finger going tap-tap-tap is just like the closeup of his finger tapping on the steering wheel in the previous episode. You could make a case that the tapping was a trigger that snapped Satoru's memories back into place right then and there. And if that's what happened, then it's not a matter of Satoru "choosing to be Batman" and fight Yashiro alone. There simply isn't anyone else around to help him.

Mind you, in a sense I'm playing devil's advocate, because in another thread you've already explained what's in the manga version and I understand what you feel is lacking. But I did ask about evaluating this episode on its own merits, and the moderators have asked that the manga not be discussed here. So there you go.

[PreSage]

I just realized that the part where Kenya brought Sachiko's news media friend along and he said "We waited 15 years...we can wait a little longer" could hint that Satoru has already regained his memory at this point, and the three of them basically developed a trap for Yashiro to catch him in the act. I'm guessing Satoru probably figured Yashiro will try to silence him once and for all soon.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by BBOvenGuy

"Suddenly" is a matter of perspective. From our perspective, yes the killer was being very careful to stay hidden just last week - but from his perspective, it's been fifteen years. Fifteen years of watching Satoru, knowing that Satoru could identify him if he ever woke up. Even before the opening titles, the show establishes Yashiro's obsession with Satoru, and then Yashiro says that he's been maneuvering to get Satoru alone all the time that he's been in the hospital. From his perspective, he's still the same careful killer.

They need to add that sort of bullshit explanations because the whole thing is forced as fuck.

I think you could make a case that Satoru didn't realize who Yashiro was until they were in the elevator and Yashiro started tapping the handle of Satoru's wheelchair. The closeup of Yashiro's finger going tap-tap-tap is just like the closeup of his finger tapping on the steering wheel in the previous episode. You could make a case that the tapping was a trigger that snapped Satoru's memories back into place right then and there. And if that's what happened, then it's not a matter of Satoru "choosing to be Batman" and fight Yashiro alone. There simply isn't anyone else around to help him.

Even if that was the case, revealing that he got his memories back doesn't do him any favors. Keeping that to himself could be an advantage, even in this situation. That's why this looks like he's just playing the hero again. Of course, this could be part of some well thought out plan that involves his friends and all. I hope that's the case. But for now it really looks like they threw his character growth out of the window.

But I did ask about evaluating this episode on its own merits.

And that's what I posted. I have my complains as a manga reader, but that's a totally different thing.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

Suddenly the until-this-point very careful killer was all over Satoru, advertising himself without a care in the world. I get it, the climax is coming and there's no time for proper buildup, but if you threw characterization out of the window for that reason, the result is a rushed piece of... well, crap.

Perhaps Yashiro has become so attached to Satoru that he just has to play out this rivalry with Satoru to a final climax, even if it results in Yashiro getting killed or being put into jail.

Yashiro's narration dialogue was pretty effective/chilling, and it speaks to how Satoru has become special to Yashiro. It's funny you compare Satoru to Batman, because maybe Yashiro now has a relationship with Satoru that's similar to The Joker's with Batman. In other words, Satoru now looms very large in Yashiro's mind, and Yashiro feels compelled to very theatrically play out this rivalry with Satoru to a definitive climax (either Satoru dead, or Yashiro dead/in jail, or both).

I also didn't appreciate how Satoru, who at this point should have learned not to play the lone hero anymore (trusting his friends was part of his character development), is doing the batman act all over again. Again, characterization thrown out of the window for the sake of getting things done on time.

If a wheelchair-using Satoru actually tries to defeat Yashiro in an one-on-one rooftop fight... then yeah, that's pretty bad. Even if Satoru succeeds at this, it'll be pure writer's fiat.

So yeah, I'm definitely wondering why Satoru is now telling Yashiro, in stern ominous voice, that he has his memories back. That's pretty much forcing a confrontation with Yashiro, under seemingly very risky circumstances for Satoru. Great cliffhanger, but ridiculously risky if Satoru's plan is to solo Yashiro in a fight.