Episode 3 "Birthmark"
There are a couple of elements in this week's episode of "ERASED" that many TV series (live action included) don't handle well. Specifically, "ERASED" manages to maintain appropriate flourishes of happiness and sentimentality in the face of what is actually a quite tragic story.
For the most part, "ERASED" is incredibly anchored by the strength and intrigue of its main character, Satoru. You desperately want him to be able to accomplish his goal of saving Hinazuki. Most importantly however, you also want Satoru to be able to conquer his personality flaw of always allowing things to merely take course.
In short, "ERASED" has capitalized on a character journey that involves someone who is considerably inactive and is pushing them toward active. It's a journey that almost everyone who has regretted not doing something they felt they should have can relate to.
This episode really begins to expand on that journey for Satoru, especially when he is able to finally defend Hinazuki in front of the rest of his class. It's a great moment to experience - completely earned after finding her broken and almost bleeding to death near her house - because the moment gives you hope.
As for the animation, there's a reason that consistently, season to season, A-1 Pictures has released at least one series that gained a following overtime. Investment in the best source material is part of it, but in the same way that I expect Toei animated series to look disappointing, I always expect a series from A-1 Pictures to be gorgeous.
Ultimately, this week's episode of "ERASED" offers a beautifully crafted set of scenes that each advance both the plot of the story and Satoru's character arc. Once again I am extremely impressed at how sophisticated every story element is in all three of the episodes that have been released.
