Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (Erased): Season 1/ Episode 5 "Getaway" – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Overview

We go back to the future in “Getaway” and see that not much has changed due to Satoru’s actions and, in fact, things are only going to get worse.

Trigger Warning(s): Blood

Characters & Story (with Commentary)

Topic 1: A Goodbye to Kayo (Satoru)

We find ourselves waiting in anticipation, thinking maybe Kayo is just late finishing Satoru’s gift, but what we end up with is false hope. For now, rather than the mystery man being causing Kayo’s end, it seems to be between her mother and father. Someone who we don’t explicitly see murder Kayo, but with her body seemingly lifeless on the floor, her stuff thrown out, and Satoru seeing her mother with this wicked smile, it seems all he did was buy Kayo a few more days. Days which he made happier than they were originally but, alas, he didn’t truly change her fate.

Leading you to wonder if he might be given another chance to fix her death, or is this her final, and sealed, fate?

Topic 2: Back to the Future/ Escape From The Past (Satoru)

With Satoru’s failure in the past, he finds himself back in the present, blood on his hands, and on the run. The story is, he had a fight with his mom and killed her. Which ultimately forces him to be homeless, for all those friends we saw him have as a child either are no longer close, far away or may not be in existence anymore. Either way, you slice it, though, the rewind power seemingly has done very little to help him save someone. Almost leading you to wonder if in the cases which came previously, maybe he didn’t save anyone. If anything, he just bought them more time on this Earth.

Topic 3: The Creepy Manager, Mr. Nishizono, and The Ever So Helpful Katagiri (Satoru and Katagiri)

As all seemed lost for Satoru, so came his manager at the pizza shop. Someone who seemed trustworthy, but then Satoru realizes the cops were called. But then comes Katagiri, aka Airi. A girl of only 17 years of age, and it seems between her age and her background, she so badly wants to believe Satoru didn’t kill his mom. For her father was in a similar position, accused of something she didn’t believe he did, and he suffered unfair consequences.

So, in order to help him, she hides him in her home, uses her bike to help him move around, and even threatens, and hits, their manager after learning he is either stalking Satoru or even her. Now, as for why there is this idea of him stalking her? Well, that is where Mr. Nishizono comes in. He is currently a faceless man, with an interesting pin, who seemingly is of some affluence. He knows the manager’s father and seemingly they have some sort of relationship. Whether or not it does with kidnapping and murder? Well, that is hard to say.

What is known though is that the only thing really holding the manager back from perhaps pursuing Katagiri is her age. However, as noted, this doesn’t keep him from looking, and perhaps admiring from afar, outside her house. Though with her seeming very dedicated to Satoru, and breaking her manager’s nose, perhaps his crush ended. Hence why, in my opinion, he set her house on fire and used Satoru’s mom’s phone to alert her that she got close to the wrong man.

Highlights

Is Anyone Safe?: As of now, anyone with a significant role in Satoru’s life ends up dead. His mom is dead, Kayo died, and now Katagiri’s life is threatened. Leading you to wonder who, or perhaps what organization even, is really interested in ruining his life? Heck, considering the lack of conversation about Satoru’s father, could he very well be part of this organization? Could they know about his rewind powers and have been testing them all along? There are so many questions.

The Faceless Villain and Creepy Manager: With us being 5 episodes in, and using most of those to establish Satoru’s childhood and his failed saving of Kayo, I’m itching to get some sort of information on who the series’ villain maybe. The first taste of a possibility came in this episode with the creepy manager and Mr. Nishizono. Both who are very much unsettling, and seemingly small figures in a more gigantic plan or organization. Of what exactly? Well, sadly only time will tell.

On The Fence

Another Round to Save Kayo: Being that Satoru didn’t end up stopping Kayo’s death, so comes the question if she maybe given a 2^nd chance. Though, in general, the question that is starting to grow within me is whether or not Satoru may ever get to accomplish any of these goals of saving someone he actually knows. I mean, he barely succeeds saving strangers without issue, so what are his realistic chances of saving someone he cares about?

Question(s) Left Unanswered

Will we see the rewind power again?