Boku dake ga Inai Machi - Anime

Imagine you had the ability to relive events that have already occurred, what would you do then? Would you do the same things, or try to be different? Interesting questions I find myself asking after finishing this recent anime that gripped me with its fascinating plot as it explored the rather dark matter of child killings.

Boku dake ga inai machi proved to be more interesting than I initially gave it credit for as it offered up a sci-fi kind of story that made for an interesting viewing that had me thinking of my childhood and various things I would do, if given a chance to relive them. The story revolves around Satoru Fujinuma, a 29 year old man who lives just getting by each day as he struggles to become a manga artist. However, Satoru isn’t your average person as he has an ability that allows him to go back in time right before a life threatening incident and prevent it.

One day when Satoru stumbles across his mother who has been murdered in their home and he has been branded the suspected killer, we see him freak out and go on the run. While doing this his ability activates and he is transported back in time. But instead of the present day where his mother has been murdered we see Satoru transported back to his childhood, much farther than he has ever been.

Suddenly in his 11 year old body he decides to investigate his mother’s death, which he suspects is connected to an incident that happened to one of his classmates who was killed. Determined to change things he goes off to save the ill-fated Kayo Hinazuki and, in the process, maybe save his mother in the future. But being a hero isn’t as easy to do when you’re stuck in your younger self and time seems to want to happen despite your efforts, something Satoru learns and tries to fight against with all he has.

In the end we see Satoru risking his life to change the course of history and save his loved ones, ensuring that the future he has returned from never happens. It is truly an intriguing story to watch as you see this ten year old fighting against the odds along with consequences of his actions in the future. There is also a nice message that comes across as you watch Satoru go through his struggles and see that not everything can be controlled, no matter how much you know in advance.

This anime is very good. I like the serious tone as it approaches the dark situations the protagonist goes through. I especially like the realism, despite the sci-fi aspect, where we see the limitations a young boy would face as opposed to an older individual and all the frustrations that come with it. The animation is also pretty good as it sticks to the dark and gloomy atmosphere that is required to set the overall tone of the whole series.

Definitely some good time spent on this and I must say I look forward to watching how things are adapted into live action, as the movie becomes available to the rest of the world. I just hope it delivers on all the anime promises as well as keeping true to the story line that has gripped one so thoroughly.