theguywhoreads

Mangas have been a medium of many good stories. From family, romance, comedy, drama to fantasy, science fiction, horror and thriller mystery, it takes a good writer and an artist to craft out an interesting plot to keep the readers kept up following a series. While there are many well-known titles in the market that commonly in love with around the world (like Naruto, Bleach, Dragonball or even Doraemon),there are some titles that is under the radar that is good, that is worth reading. One of them was Erased, which I had finished reading earlier this morning.

Erased is actually a science-fiction mystery thriller short series about a 29-year old man (Satoru Fujinuma) who dream of being a manga-artist may not come true and has to make-ends-meet as a pizza delivery motorcyclist has an ability to go back in time a few minutes before some thing bad happens. He calls it Revival and this ability it seems is not within his control. He doesn't like it because it brought unwanted attention from people he knows... until one night, when he return home, was the night his mother was murdered. Wanting to stop the murderer from killing his mother, he tries to use 'Revival' to go back in time... only he went back 18 years of his life as a young boy in 1988. Why that particular year? It was the year that a murder case happened that changes every thing from the life he lead that he felt unhappy with.

Complicated right? Some how, I felt the plot was quite similar to some stories I have read (I can't place it but I know the similarity was there) but what was more interesting, was the depth of the plot that creator Kei Sanbehad created that makes this manga series worth picking up, and its not because of the cover (which was I first attracted with). Erased isn't any thing new to offer but it was the depth that drawn me the complications and slightly dark characters that I felt worth going for. I like the part where when one is an adult, our memories as a child can be misleading that can't be trusted. Especially, when Satoruwanted to save a girl from being murdered, unsure if he had changed any thing in the past or were they still the same. Further more, his relationship with his mother plays well if whether memories can be trusted if they indeed had a good relationship and things that we can't remember is realistic. Although for me, I do find the murder mystery part did not do a good job in making as a goal, it was what Satoru can or cannot remember that make's the mystery a little more interesting on why he can or can't remember.

I am sure after reading the first volume (consist of two mangas) I will be following up this series until the last to find out how it ends but my only hope is that it ends proper. Like most manga titles, there are not many really Japanese writer/artist ends their series well and its always half-hearted that leaves some thing of any good desire.