Contrary to several people in this thread, I actually think this series wrapped up a lot worse than the anime. I don't want to dedicate a lot of time to that though, since their may be people who haven't seen the anime adaptation yet but I will touch upon it briefly since it's most likely influences may enjoyment reading the manga. I wasn't a huge fan of how the final confrontation between Satoru & Yashiro went down in the anime but I have this detached appreciation for it due to how symbolic it was and how well it tied into the Spider's Thread Tale. The confrontation we got here wasn't much deeper than what the surface shown. Focusing more on concluding the thriller aspect than anything more poignant & thus made it a whole lot less interesting to read. & before I move on to just talking about the manga, the way the anime chose to adapt the manga as a whole, was the right call. Those who've seen it should know what I'm referring to.
The chapter itself was great though. I really like this epilogue but my favorite aspect of it is the meaning behind the series title, "The Town Where Only I Am Missing." It's a really touching sentiment & perfect in the way it flips Kayo's earlier story while making perfect use of the series groundhog day-esque time travel element. About time travel, I don't think it was necessary to explain it, I think Justinchi's earlier post describes it's purpose well enough. It wasn't just a plot device as much as it was a part of the series message.
The story of Boku dake ga Inai Machi started off really well. It managed to be instantly relate-able to me & just the concept of going back to your childhood to correct some wrong is something I'm sure strikes a chord with many (though hopefully, it has nothing to do with a murderer). The series is at its best when it's focused on the emotional connection between others, whether it's Sachiko being the best mom in the medium, Kayo's desperate situation or even just the belief & trust in his friend Kenya. Because of that, I find most of the content prior to the coma arc to be the most compelling of the series. That doesn't mean the thriller aspects with Yashiro are poorly done. As a mystery, it's pretty banal (I mean, the candy scene is slap you in the face silly taken at face value) but I do think Kei properly conveyed the intensity in the scene where Satoru finds out Yashiro's the killer.
& to be honest, it's not like the coma arc is terrible or anything, I think it extends itself a bit too long & the conclusion to the Yashiro plot is lacking in much complexity or meaning for how long it takes but it's not awful or anything. Yashiro himself is slightly interesting & I liked that we got a big look into his backstory. The characters as a whole here are pretty good though few would make it into my favorites category. Most of them stop at just being likable but there isn't much reason for them to more than that I suppose.
Before I wrap this up, the art itself was pretty charming. Hardly the best looking manga I've read (& I've read very little) but it can be rather expressive at points & had a great sense of framing scenes. The way it focused on snow & footprints at the end here for example was fantastic.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with Boku dake ga Inai Machi. It was a quick read that held some pretty entertaining moments & resonated with me strongly in several scenes. Coming over from the anime, I definitely feel it's the inferior version but there was a joy in experiencing the source version, especially with all the differences between the two. The Town Where Only I Am Missing gets a 7/10. |