「達成」 (Tassei)
“Accomplishment”

For the most part, this week’s episode was more about triumph than error. It was an endearing look at 11-year-olds in a “relationship” – cute and sweet. Satoru has progressed his relationship with Kayo and they’re already going on dates, and holding hands… that’s adorable right there. He even says so himself, he’s a 29-year-old man that finds an 11-year-old girl pretty. Somehow I don’t find that creepy but maybe that’s because Satoru doesn’t behave like a 29-year-old would. He’s still very naïve, straightforward and he’s not willing to push for big changes. I noticed it a bit last week, but more so now, Satoru hasn’t really done anything to make a difference. He needs to do more, do bigger, louder things to really change Kayo’s fate. Standing up for her in class? That’s a great example. Losing to the same boy in skating? That’s not a great example even though he’s fully capable.

For the most part, this episode actually gave me a lot of hope and happiness for Kayo and Satoru. He tried his best to save Kayo and he made it past what he thought was “Dooms Day”. He ended up celebrating their birthday, he saw his friends and they ate a bunch of sandwiches together! What a great day. What touched my heart were all the moments leading up to the scarf though. The fact that Satoru walked Kayo home almost every day. He stood up to Kayo’s mother even though she’s such a terrible human being and he even bought her a present! Oh my gosh, childhood love is cute! Not to mention that Kayo took the time to make something for Satoru in return. A handmade gift? It’s got to be a scarf or hat… all preteens knit their boyfriends a scarf. Kawaii!!

That love is short-lived though. When we get to the end of the episode, the fairytale is over and Satoru is hit with reality. Kayo is late for school. Kayo is absent from school. This doesn’t mean that Kayo has been murdered or kidnapped… but once Satoru took his eyes off the prize, he might have lost the opportunity to change fate. I don’t want to speculate too much. Kayo’s mom is still a huge suspect in this case right now, but to the point of killing your daughter?. She knows that Kayo has a “boyfriend”, so to carelessly “get rid of her” would point all signs in her direction. Unless she doesn’t think that the police will trust Satoru’s testimony. During that fateful day of March 1st, there were also a lot of other suspects that got a bit of screen time. Everyone from Kenya to Gaku to Yuuki… you just don’t know who’s going to make a move. All I know is that someone is guilty or guilty of knowing more information and it’s going to be revealed soon.

Another thing that struck me as odd was how Satoru’s memories are beginning to fade (or potentially change overtime). Is this becoming his new future or present? I don’t think he has another shot at changing history so I believe that maybe he’s going to have to live out this life again. Like this is now his present. I don’t see any possible way of him changing his past and then going forward 11 years (that’s a bit too convenient for me). A few other subtle (or not so subtle) conversations this week that struck me as odd was how the girl that sits beside Satoru thinks that all the other girls in the class are flirting with Gaku. Flirting?! I mean, they’re 11 so they’re not oblivious if they have feelings for a man, but these girls are so young and it’d be twisted for Gaku to treat them as anything than his young students. I still don’t see the connection between Gaku, Kenya and the murderer… but I still would keep my eye on him since his actions are too suspicious. And I’m sorry if he turns out to be a good guy, but d*mn, the anime is not painting that picture right now.

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: A relatively sweet episode about a young boy’s efforts to save his “girlfriend”. I was almost fooled into thinking he made it. Then again, I don’t know if he actually failed (yet?) so let’s wait and see…. #Bokumachi #僕街

53 Comments

  1. This show gives me anxiety. I enjoy watching it through and through, but the mystery element to the show is so overwhelmingly present and well done that I’m just worried all the time in the back of my head. I literally trust nobody. Even less than I did with Rokka no Yuusha.
    I don’t trust that perceptive boy
    I don’t trust the teacher
    I don’t trust any of those little brats that dislike Kayo
    I don’t trust any parents
    I only have trust in Satoru.

    But he really isn’t going about this correctly. He’s making modest strides, but he has to understand the only way he’s going to save this girl is if he stops holding back.
    This show gives me anxiety. This and Grimgar leave me with an endless supply of worry.

    Kabble
    1. Unless the culprit has accomplices which I doubt, I don’t think the kids are involved in the kidnapping as initiators. I doubt the parents did it either because there are other kids who have been kidnapped as well besides Kayo. And I think the “cliffhanger” or preview from the previous episode clears the perceptive kid as he was probably asking about the birthday of Kayo. Remember in the first episode, after Satoru returns home, we see a snippet of the culprit’s build and upper face as he tips his hat. I’m already suspecting one character who has already been introduced and they seem like the obvious pick, but I won’t say it here.

      dude
  2. So far it have been 4 thrilling and awesome episodes, with great characters, a heart warming relatioship between the protagonists, believable development and awesome art direction, i’m really enjoying the sh*t out of this show. And because of this i’m really really worried by two things:
    First is if they will be able to maintain such high level of quality throught all of the remaining episodes and second is the end, the source material (the manga) is still ongoing so they have two options, they end with a cliffhanger leaving us wishing for a second season, or they close the plot with some kind of (probably) rushed end, and japanese are so good making bad endings…

    Micheleuno
  3. It is no exaggeration to say this anime has been a roller coaster of emotion. Every time we’re treated with such endearing and cute scenes of Kayo and Satoru, we get slammed with something that goes wrong. There’s no way everything would be settled with 8 episodes left after all.

    I feel like the teacher and kenya are red herrings, like the show wants us to believe they’re suspicious but they may actually be good people, but we’ll have to see. So very tempted every episode to read the manga but I’ll happily wait when we get such quality episodes every week.

    ChromeNova
  4. Man, this episode seriously made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, until that last-minute cliffhanger (although I kind of knew it would happen). This show really knows how to deliver the emotional gut punch!

    Also, it would be a shame not to mention how great Satoru’s mom is. So far she has been extremely loving and supportive of Satoru and his relationship with Kayo, not to mention her razor-sharp perceptions and DAT BADASS INTERRUPTION when Kayo’s mom (a terrible human being no doubt) was about to slap her daughter. Maybe that’s how she has always been, but previous timeline Satoru, perhaps too caught up in self-blame and depression, did not notice, leading to his cold attitude towards her we saw in the first ep. Funny how a fresh perspective as a 29-year-old-mind-trapped-in-a-11-year-old-body can reveal the hidden depths of people around him.

    tldr, Satoru’s mom, you da real MVP!

    Teikun
  5. About the 29 year old future self back in a 11 year old body. I have seen other works with this proposal.

    On a sci-fi take, I wonder if the 11 year old brain would interfere with the 29 year old soul, resulting in a Satoru that is the fusion between them. After all, he is really enjoying the times with his friends as a legitimate child, not as an adult trying to emulate.

    Grahav
    1. I think part of that comes from the fact that he wasnt as close to his friends in his original timeline. Here, he gets to make up for all that. It’s liek “man, i missed my old friends and to see them all alive and vinrant as there were back in the day, it’s such a good feeling to be around them again”. In regards to satoru calling kayo “pretty”: i mean sure he has his 11 year old hormones running through his body, but i think his “pretty” comment was more of him making an innocuous comment to a fellow person in the way an adult would compliment an adorable looking child by saying “oh my god you’re so pretty”.

      sonicsenryaku
      1. Actually, if you read the manga, you understand that what he accidentally blurs out have a different and non-romantic meaning; which ends up misinterpreted and score. In this case, he actually meant that she looks better since there are no bruises in her face/neck.

        banzemanga
      2. Actually, it’s an double entrendere. Satoru said “kirei”, which can mean clean, or pretty.

        When he said that to Hinazuki, he was refering to the lack of abuse marks left by Hinazuki’s mother. He said “clean”, but the class (and Hinazuki) heard “pretty”.

        Hinazuki had an adorable reaction though!

        kageKun
  6. Well come ON, guys! You didn’t think it would be THAT easy, right? Here’s what I think Satoru screwed up: he only payed attention to one aspect: Kayo. Yes, I understand his drive to help her, especially since he knows what abuse she endures, but it never crossed his mind that Kayo was only one part of the whole picture.

    DmonHiro
    1. Definitely agree with your point here! I mentioned it last week that it looks like another one of Satoru’s friends is also a victim of the serial killer. I know that Kayo is the first one, but he should look for relationships between all three of the victims, maybe he’ll learn a bit more about the murderer that way.

  7. “Another thing that struck me as odd was how Satoru’s memories are beginning to fade (or potentially change overtime). Is this becoming his new future or present?”

    It doesn’t seem like his memories are fading or changing, it’s more like he’s started to remember some things he’d forgotten as he experiences them and is getting a deja-vu feeling.

    qwert
    1. I think they are changing. Here’s my theory – in the early episodes
      when he has a “revival”, he actually re-lives that time without his
      mental state reverting – he knows what has happened but he doesn’t know
      exactly why. He has to observe, figure it out and change it. It’s like
      he jumped to a different parallel time-line, and his life continues from
      that point in that “new” time-line.

      Now, in this case, it was an 18 year jump – yeah, he gets to do everything
      all over again – lucky bastard! So as he changes his behaviour in this
      second chance, he’s also changing himself and how he grows up. So those
      recluse type behaviours and memories are going to be replaced with the
      actions he’s taking now. He’s going to become a completely different person.

      It wouldn’t make sense for him to go through all of this effort to save his
      mother and Kayo and the other children and not affect his personality at all.

      Just my 2¢. God, I can’t wait for the next friggin’ episode. This is going
      to be one of those rare Animes that you’ll have to marathon re-watch with a
      case of beer and a barrel of pop-corn!

      (I hope the writers don’t foul it up!)

      mac65
    2. I don’t think his memories are changing, he’s getting hit hard by deja vu. Different framing, but the event with Hinazuki at the Science Center happened the same as it did back when he was 11 (even though they went as a couple, even though his friends were there too, she kept saying the same lines he was remembering; spooky). So he’s worried that no matter what he changes that things are still going to repeat.

      That’s never been a problem in a revert or revival or whatever he calls it before, but I have to say it’s not looking great for Kayo right now.

      Guile
  8. Damn, I dislike your reviews Cherrie. This anime is a masterpiece and you dissect maybe 0.1% of the story. Look at this opening
    “For the most part, this week’s episode was more about triumph than error. It was an endearing look at 11-year-olds in a “relationship” – cute and sweet.”

    Ugh… If I wanted to look at something cute and sweet, there’s a million anime of cute girls doing cute things. This episode is about saving a girl from abduction and possibly sexual abuse, as well as saving her from her own abusive mother. And you spent three paragraphs of patronising bullshit on how cute everything is? And how the MC is somehow perverted? Do you like this series, love it, tolerate it or what? What are your feelings!?. Do we need a run-down on what happened and what part of that was cute or what do you think the readers want?

    Saying that Satoru didn’t do anything to change Kayo’s fate is another thing. I disagree, and I think it’s fine to disagree, but in this case I feel like you’re missing that Satoru’s made a big impact on Kayo’s life. She made her first real friend in him, he stood up to her mom, he saw and noticed the abuse and is trying to stop it. It seems as if you can’t put yourself in Kayo’s shoes and see how big that is for an ostracised 11. y.o. Losing a skating competition is also a really minor event. It’s about telling us what kind of person Satoru is, and seeing how his self deprecating behaviour disappoints Kayo. I don’t see how he could have saved her life by winning. I really don’t. That example is from the previous episode also, and not a good one.

    Anyway, this episode made me want to watch the previous episode again, and I made a huge discovery regards to the victims. I don’t want to spoil anyone who doesn’t want to be spoiled, but it’s very much out there for us anime-only people to see.

    Tadpole
    1. Also what’s with the ” ” on relationship? Their relationship is way more real then anything I ever had when I was 11, and my relationships back then felt very real to me.

      Tadpole
      1. This is just my take on it, but I got the sense that putting the word in quotation marks wasn’t to make it seem like it isn’t real, but more because it isn’t a ‘relationship’ in the sense of the word that usually get applied to people who are older and dating etc. Even though Satoru and Kayo are seen as dating by those around them, the fact that they’re children means that what dating entails is a lot different to what it would mean for a couple ten years older than them, or even five years older than them (example), and that’s fairly apparent (case in point, what Satoru’s mum said to Kayo’s mum when she swooped in during that one scene).
        So I’m thinking the quotation marks were meant to highlight this. That doesn’t make it unreal though. Neither does calling cute. Because it is cute, and sweet, to see the way Satoru is impacting on Kayo’s life for the better by making sure she is not alone and how, in a manner of speaking, they’re both getting to enjoy their childhoods again in different ways.
        I will admit that I have a big bias here, because I genuinely love this series. But maybe this could be a different way of looking at things?

        Aki-Chan
    2. Dude….relax….wats with the angst? The review is good. I understand that you want to express ur opinion but that was not constructive in the slightest. I feel that that was disrespectful n dat u should have came about it in a different way

      sonicsenryaku
    3. Wo… first of all, I just spent the past 3 episode reviews talking about how I LIKE this series. Do I need to repeat it every post? I think it’s implied that I liked the series when I talked about liking Kayo and Satoru’s relationship and how it’s portrayed. If you feel like there are many OTHER things to like about the series, that’s great but it’s going to be long running list if I wrote about the same things every post.

      All readers are different. Some people might want summaries (which is how RC started), some people might want more impressions, some people want somewhere to talk about the show… If you disagree or think I missed a few things, go ahead and state that, because I don’t claim to know everything. I like reading how other people interpreted the episode. I’m not mad when other people state their thoughts so I don’t know why it angers you so much that my impression of the series is different from yours. In fact, it should be celebrated that so many people can enjoy this series in so many dimensions.

      1. Thanks for the reply, Cherry and I didn’t mean to come across as angry. I’m not. I just thought it was a bad piece.

        I don’t mind disagreeing either, your impression certainly was different than mine. But look at this sentence “It was an endearing look at 11-year-olds in a “relationship” – cute and sweet” How does it not come across as condescending? It’s an extremely upfront and honest thing going on, especially compared to anime set in high schools (!). With all abuse that is going on, summing it up as cute and sweet is superficial at best, and to top it off, you decide to disqualify the relationship itself for some reason (age?) by putting it in quotes.

        Some people lose their touch with their inner 11-year old fast, I get it. They’re young, less than half your age and couldn’t possibly have as deep and complex emotions and concept of pain and love as us grown-ups do. /s

        Tadpole
    4. I find it refreshing honestly. All I see about this show is how it’s the most amazing masterpiece ever conceived most places. Here IMO there’s a different sort of more down to Earth look on this show I can’t help but appreciate in an era where people have a tendency to be overdramatic about this sort of stuff and she just looks at it like she would any other show and what she wants to look at and seems content to worry about the final look back when the right time comes. No gimmicks or “personality” just a straightforward non-biased look.

      RackRockwell
      1. I also just want to add I really hate some of the “peer pressure” that can surround some shows these days. Not everybody is always obligated to bust a nut and parrot the same praises or denouncements on what sometimes can feel like the community designated shows.

        RackRockwell
      2. Going against the grain is great, I would love it if they ripped an episode or series to shreds if it’s bad (but that’s not allowed at RC according to Stilts, they prefer to write good things so that those that are fans don’t get upset).

        This review is just extremely superficial, listing all things kawaii. I guess it’s new, but it’s certainly not refreshing.

        Tadpole
  9. GODDAMIT that cliffhanger was so unfair 🙁
    And their moments together made me literally go AWWWWWWW so that ending was just heart rending 🙁

    Ok now for the serious talk.

    Let’s just assume for a moment that Kayo really died, no matter how awful that would be for Satoru and us. I don’t think that’s the end of it, for 2 reasons:
    1. The most obvious. This is only the 4th episode, so something’s gotta give.
    2.

    On the other hand, if hypothetically Satoru fails and goes back to the present, I want more light to be shed on Airi.

    Please note that I am not a manga reader so this is all just speculation. I can’t contain my anxiety until the next episode comes.

    1. Also I’ve re-watched the 1st episode and in both revivals, Satoru incurred the wrath of fate onto himself. He said he always had to endure a certain type of penalty whenever he did a revival. First it was ending up in the hospital, then the death of his mom. I suspect, by the end, if he is to save Kayo and his mom (and even more lives), he’ll have to do something that will put his life at risk, maybe even killing him. So Steins;Gate-ish.

  10. So… Erased gave a ‘filler’ episode this week which is akin to School Live’s episode 9. Well, in its defense, the SOL component was done so well I can’t help but feel this “Awwwww” feeling in my heart. I am not a fan of decoding mysteries but I thought the direction and the soundtrack was also excellent because.. heck, who wouldn’t be in the edge of their seats whenever Satoru is about to remember things happening 18 years ago. Then it ended with another cliffhanger. Darn it.

    My theory: Her mother beat her so she cannot go to class that day. I mean disturbed by the looks she is giving right now. Arg.

    And Oh, Satoru’s Mom is the best girl already this season with no dispute. Wow.

  11. You know… I’m getting much darker vibes than i originally felt after this episode. Trust is super hard to just give characters nowadays. While i absolutely loved seeing more of “Sayo” i knew it was too good to be true. Especially after Satoru realizes he’s just been repeating past events. Even if Kayo was very happy it doesn’t change the fact the Satoru is naively thinking that her kidnapper/killer is in or near that house. His declaration means nothing to someone who lives farther away and that’s where I think he messes up. Kayo may have been busier this time around so the kidnapper’s window of opportunity was simply delayed, not halted. I’m really curious to see if the first thing Satoru does in the next episode is run to Kayo’s house to check if she’s there.

    I also just noticed i’m being super negative here. What if she overslept because she was finishing his gift? Maybe she opted to go to school late to finish his gift in the morning? Oh how i wish this would happen…

    I have a theory! It’s pretty lengthy and i was basically thinking out loud while typing so apologies if it doesn’t quite make sense. For those interested, it’s below.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Synic
  12. The most overated anime of season for sure just take your time and read the comments the anime isn’t finished yet and it’s a mastepiece.

    We need just forget that convenient time travel and that romance between a man and a little girl! *sarcams*

    Lucky Bastard
  13. After watching the opening sequence a few times it would make sense if he was trapped in a timeline(I’m leaning towards by choice), which is why LIL!Satoru is shown highly distressed and/or frustrated. He keeps trying to save people and he keeps failing, over and over again (because that little body can’t see the big picture). Also, the random water coming out of no where in the school building and satoru falling off the roof could be possible signs of the supernatural consequences that could happen to him based off the changes he made. I definitely agree that he has to pay more attention to the other victims as well, and trust no one but his mom. I had a theory that all those shown with red eyes are possible suspects however, I don’t recall Gaku having them yet.. Which makes me even moooore suspicious. I wonder if satoru has gotten naive since the revival and is gradually changing to his former self or if he was naive all along. HONESTLY I WANT HER TO JUST HAVE A COLD OR SOMETHING LIKE I NEED TO FINISH YOUR PRESENT FIRST BRO I PROMISED..

    Ichigeaux
  14. I finally started watching this show and watched all 4 eps yesterday then I came here to read what y’all have to say. And wow, I can’t say I’m surprised but I have a really different impression of everything!

    On “Yuuki”, we’ve been all but directly told that he’s innocent. When Satoru’s mom died, her thoughts included thinking about how her son was right about Yuuki’s innocence. The perp is someone else. In fact, I suspect the reason for this revival is to save innocent Yuuki from death row (not save his mom or Kayo, which would just be nice side effects). Recall, revivals only occur to prevent a bad thing from occurring AFTER the point where the revival started, not something which already happened (both of those deaths already had occurred). I had initially thought this revival was to prevent Satoru from being accused of murder, but rewatching the eps I now believe it to be to save Yuuki.

    And Kenya….I challenge anyone who thinks Kenya is suspicious and possibly conspiring with bad guys to rewatch his scenes with the idea that Kenya was the one who first noticed Kayo’s bruises and reported them to their teacher. Notice that Kenya has nearly the same exact view of Kayo from his desk that Satoru has and remember how observant this kid is. Satoru has frequently said how he doesn’t want to get involved with others but he always does. Kenya is someone who really doesn’t get involved; plus to he observe others better by acting more detached. He’s been observing Kayo for a while and hasn’t been noticed doing so, unlike Satoru who was noticed the very first day. In fact, Kenya’s been quietly helpful with Satoru getting closer to Kayo (telling him to read her essay, pushing away the other kids who could mess it up, ect.) He’d have no reason to help Satoru and would probably discourage him if Kenya were deserving of being suspected.

    Kenya may be meeting with the teacher (which is a perfectly normal thing to do, btw) to help the teacher match Kayo’s fresh bruises to her attendance/tardy record. Such a log compiled over several months could be used as evidence of a pattern of frequent beatings in the absence of CPS involvement. This could be why the teacher could tell Satoru that she’ll be removed from her mom soon even though CPS hasn’t been able to do anything.

    If there’s any relation between Kayo and Kenya, she doesn’t know it. They aren’t half-siblings, his dad isn’t dating her mom, ect…. If that kind of connection was there, Kayo would never have been able to let down her guard at the party. Instead she doesn’t seem to notice Kenya anymore than she particularly notices Satoru’s other friends. No connection.

    I know that the show has been pointed in suggesting the teacher could be the culprit. When such a clear likely suspect pops up in the first 4 eps or chapters, that’s often a red herring. I can view his words and actions from both views, his being innocent or guilty. He hasn’t done anything which could only be explained by him being a bad guy. Until the show tells me he’s guilty, I consider him a red herring. I think it’s possible that we haven’t even met the killer yet, as there are a lot of questions about who Satoru’s mom called the day she died and how she knew the kidnapper but couldn’t remember his name. I think if the perp were her kid’s former teacher, she’d have recalled it quicker so the perp is probably someone she knew but didn’t have much contact with.

    An assumption made both inside the show and by viewers is that Kayo’s death is the same as the deaths of the other kids. Since we know she’s being beaten at home, it’s possible her death was “accidental” and it was a mistake to assume hers was committed by a kidnapper. Perhaps a longshot idea is that if Kayo accidentally died, the other children were killed to protect her mom by framing an innocent guy. I think this is unlikely because it doesn’t explain the current kidnappings like the one Satoru’s mom stopped. But I definitely think it’s possible that Kayo’s death wasn’t related to the other kids.

    danny
  15. Okey so the teacher is the most suspicious for sure. + if i recall all the ” girls ” except the friend in Satorus group who looks like a girl in the newspaper are in this class. He is adored by litlle girls, he sure has their trust. And there are some sceens that show some psyho grin on his face. So i think its definitly him, at episode 3 i just got a bad feeling with his face attitude but now after watching ep 4, he can totally be the killer if you ask me.

    https://randomc.net/image/Boku%20Dake%20ga%20Inai%20Machi/Boku%20Dake%20ga%20Inai%20Machi%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2001.jpg

    Branislav
  16. at this rate the MC receiving NTR’ed will happen in episode 8
    The Slut Kayo marries the pussy of Hiromi and has a son with him, Sota spend 15 years in a coma after of sacrifices himself to save the slut ungrateful.

    KAYO-NTR'ed

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