Erased vol 3 by Kei Sanbe

Satoru and his friends continue “playing detective” by finding all the elementary students in their class who spend too much time alone. These kids could become targets for the serial killer on the loose. Satoru has succeeded in thwarting some of the killer’s plots, but he’s has now prevented the murders he knows about, rendering him effectively blind in predicting the killer’s next moves. Being such a visible deterrent to the killer has put Satoru in the path of the killer, but he doesn’t realize this until much too late. This volumes ends with a major time jump and only one and a half volumes left for Satoru to get everything straightened out in his life.

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There are a lot of really big moments in this volume as the story starts to come together to a conclusion. The killer is revealed, and it’s the biggest, most jarring moment since the main reveal of Satoru’s power in volume one. While the time jump and the reason for it seem completely plausible given how much of a thorn Satoru has become to the killer, I am a little upset by it and what it means for Satoru. But, unsettling is sort of the name of the game for Erased! There isn’t much space left for the storyline to conclude, so I’m guessing the next volume is going to be packed.

This whole series has a feeling very akin to The Lovely Bones or the movie Frequency, where supernatural elements are involved in helping to solve murders, particularly of children. There are some violent moments throughout the series. Child abuse is also a major topic. While the murders themselves mostly happen off page, there is some blood and “interesting” angles that allow for partial viewing of the bodies of murder victims.

Sara’s Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Surrealism, Mystery, Fantasy, School Age