This was one of the more sensational series in the season, but aint nobody got time for that! Amberly suggested it long before it ended (episode 3 I guess?), and there are some twists and turns in tumblr, so you know the gist. Had to watch it! However my heart is not accustomed to thriller and mystery, so I had a really hard time keeping my cool while watching.
Satoru is what you'd expect: a bored adult. He dreams of being a mangaka, but it didn't work out too well so he works at a pizza delivery store. As of any main character, he has this strange ability to travel back into time at random moments to prevent a tragedy. Sometimes it saves a life, sometimes he gets hurt. Either way Satoru ends up in a hospital and his mother, Sachiko came down all the way from Hokkaido to see him. However, past unresolved events haunt them both. Sachiko is murdered and Satoru is framed for the crime. He escapes and went back in time, 18 years ago, in 1988.
He recalls a childhood memory he is desperate to forget: a serial kidnapping and murder of three children, one in which Satoru thinks he is partially responsible. Determined to prevent the kidnapping, he sets out to befriend Kayo, which is also his classmate. He soon finds out Kayo is a victim of domestic abuse by her mother and her mother's boyfriend. Kayo survives through her original death day, but goes missing the day after, proving to Satoru that what he did is not enough.
Satoru wakes in present time, just around the corner of his house. He is still on the run. Coincidentally, his manager offers him to stay in his house, but Satoru soon realizes that he is tricked, and escapes, only to bump into Airi, his co-worker. Airi believes Satoru is innocent, because she thinks everyone wishes to have someone believe in them. While Airi proceeds with her daily routine, Satoru sneaks out to investigate further into the case. He finds out that what he did just stalled the inevitable; the kidnappings still continue with the same three victims and the same innocent person is framed for the crime. Airi finds her manager snooping around her house and tells him not to call the cops. Also, this:
So Satoru says he can't stay in Airi's house anymore, and she agrees. Airi heads back home to pack extra clothes for him when she receives a message from Sachiko's phone, which is missing. Sensing something was amiss, Airi realizes just in time that someone set fire to her house, and she collapses from the suffocating smoke. Satoru rushes in to save her and Airi, gaining consciousness, slips her phone into Satoru's pocket before going out again. Manager comes in to help out and tells Satoru to leave through the back door.
Satoru, using Airi's phone, contacts Sachiko's former co-worker, hoping to find clues on the case. Sawada had his suspicions on the case 18 years ago, and after receiving Sachiko's call a few days prior he was convinced there is more to the uncover. Sawada gives some insight on the case before leaving Satoru free to look through the files on his computer while he visits Airi in the hospital. Reading through the report Satoru goes into deep thought. Sawada sneaks into Airi's hospital ward unnoticed, only to find Airi's mother in place of her. Airi snuck out to meet Satoru, but is unaware she was being tailed. After being arrested Satoru reassures that he believes Airi, and goes back through time to the day before Kayo's original death day.
Realizing that keeping an eye on Kayo is not enough to prevent the kidnapping, he devises another plan, but not before Kenya tells him he is suspicious of the current Satoru. Kenya has noticed Kayo's awful family circumstances, but has no courage to help out. He wants to make a difference, and wants in whatever Satoru is planning. Satoru devises a plan that could not only save Kayo from being kidnapped, but also get her out of the abusive family. He asks Kayo if he could abduct her, and she said yes. Satoru and Kenya find a temporary place for Kayo to live in for a few days. After Kayo's original death day, they wait one more day (with the company of Hiromi, who was also one of the victims) before Kayo reveals that a man came into the place the night before. He left a bag. The contents of the bag were disturbing and Satoru knows its not safe to let Kayo stay there any longer. Kenya asks for Plan B, and Plan B is none other than going back to Sachiko.
Sachiko contacts their homeroom teacher Yashiro and lets Kayo stay the night. The next day, Kayo goes back home just as the child services people come to investigate. Kayo is under custody of her grandmother. Kayo's case now solved, Satoru is keen to save the other victim, Aya, who is from the school next door. Approaching her was hard, but they manage to get her to be friends with them thanks to Kazu. With Hiromi under their constant watch, all three victims of the case are not alone anymore, but Satoru doesn't think a murderer would let that slide; surely he would find a substitute.
One day Hiromi informs Satoru that their fellow classmate Misato is being shunned by the whole class. Satoru, worried that she might be the substitute victim, follows her to the ice hockey competition in hopes of talking to her. He bumps into Yashiro while waiting for Misato to come out of the bathroom when the homeroom teacher informs him that she has left, and Satoru sees a truck leaving. Thinking Misato is abducted, he leaves the game with Yashiro to pursue the truck.
While casually chatting about things, Satoru gets unpleasant vibes from Yashiro, and it was revealed that he was the culprit behind the kidnappings. Yashiro ponders about the fact that somehow Satoru can know his next move, as if he knew the future. Satoru tries to get away, but the seat belt won't budge. Yashiro announces that its the end for him and Satoru; he won't conduct any kidnappings anymore, but Satoru has to die. He places a basketball on the accelerator and the car drives into the oblivion which is the cold pond... but really, Satoru, you're a kid and the seat belt can extend, just squirm your way out of there!!
Satoru wakes up 15 years later, 3 years before his last jump back in time. He can't seem to remember much, and Sachiko refrains from telling too much about the incident. Kenya and Hiromi came to visit, and while in rehab he is visited by Kayo, now married to Hiromi with a child! Shocking, I know. Satoru bonds with Kumi, a child patient during his stay in the hospital. He is approached by Yashiro, who now goes by the name Nishizono. He introduces himself and they talk. On the day of Kumi's operation Yashiro brings Satoru to the roof and things escalate. The two play a game of mind manipulation and Satoru wins by saying that he foiled all of Yashiro's initial plans, and the reason why he can be here alive and well is all because the crazy man cannot bear to kill him, when he has plenty of chances to do so. Immediately after saying that he wheelchairs his way to the opening in the fence which is open and falls... when Yashiro grabs the wheelchair and Satoru is left hanging on the ledge of the roof. Because Satoru fills the void in Yashiro's heart (which is pretty twisted and crazy, not like he isn't crazy anyway, just sayin') and after realizing he has lost the game of mind manipulation (more like mind-f**k), he releases his grip and Satoru falls into oblivion. Yashiro proceeds to commit suicide, but when he looks down he sees Satoru still alive he just kinna crazy-man-breaks down...
Satoru gets to be the mangaka he always wanted, and while sheltering from the snow, he meets Airi...
My thoughts: This aint some real butterfly effect shit?? Cause there's a butterfly?? But why are there so many things about butterfly effects these days anyway??? The time travel is so simple though??? I've seen more complicated time travel shit than this *coughfinalfantasyxiii2cough* they say changing the past changes the future, but apparently you could change the past by changing future too? And I'm not even talking about what Satoru said as the 'true timeline'. There is no true timeline. Either your mom gets killed and you get arrested, or you fall into coma and wake up 15 years later. There's more though, not just these two. Maybe, say, if you just squirmed yourself out of the seat belt... things would have been a little different. Satoru may just be a Scarlet Witch, all he did was alter time and space to let himself be in the timeline in which the outcome was the most desirable. SCARLET WITCH SATORU CONFIRMED
The story is pretty amazing, to be honest. Makes my heart squirm in all the right places. Whether be it in suspense, in feels (tho to a lesser extent) or in frustration (of the seat belt! It's all about the seat belt!), it's still a good way to past the time. But somehow I'm a little uneasy after watching the series, much like how I feel when I finished Sweet Pool.. you know, the really complicated feelings. It may take a week to get the vibes out of my system. Good thing I have another fun series to watch after this.
Also I'll just put this here:
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