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Boku dake ga Inai Machi
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Boku dake ga Inai Machi

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: The Town Where Only I am Missing, BokuMachi

Japanese: 僕だけがいない街

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 9

Chapters: 49

Status: Finished

Published: Jun 4, 2012 to Nov 4, 2016

Genres: Mystery, Supernatural

Themes: Psychological, Time Travel

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Young Ace

Authors: Sanbe, Kei (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.36¹ (scored by 40,859 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #250²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #171

Members: 89,630

Favorites: 3,353

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 30 / 31

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Dec 1, 2016

Tetragon

Recommended

This manga is one of those rare gems that you sometimes stumble across. To be honest, I did not expect much, especially because the title isn't particularly catchy nor is the artwork especially powerful or elaborate. But within the first five pages, this manga had me hooked: I had this uncanny feeling that I was reading something that was bigger than life. Boku Dake ga Inai Matchi reads like a Greek tragedy; by going back to save lives, to save himself, the protagonist destroys his own future.

Although the panels are very clean, almost to the point of being bare, the mangaka managed to keep the ...

Jun 28, 2017

Leegf

Recommended

I've longed to read the manga since the moment I had finished watching the anime. I had the feeling something wasn't right about the way anime ended. Fortunately, I was right.

The story begins quite smoothly and slowly giving the time to get to know the characters, their way of thinking and living.
There are some things which are just given to a reader without any further explanations. You just have to assume them. I wouldn't say I liked it but that's not the most important part here so let it be.
The story tells us about a "detective game", involving time traveling. The most ...

Sep 24, 2017

axasos

Recommended

Beautiful story. Extremely creative. Left me in tears. Read it a few more times. Very clean art, not too gory, good for readers that like to read something that challenges their minds/mystery. Overall one of my favorite mangas/animes of all time. Satisfying ending. I really recommend it.

No big titties or booties. No sexual tension, not much romance, really something different and outstanding. This deserves more attention!!! I definitely wish the story could further continue. Characters have a lot of personality, a lot of depth, and there are definitely some plot twists/big reveals in there, which I enjoy. Now stop reading my review and go read ...

Nov 8, 2017

Gandeloft

Recommended

This manga has had it all for me, up until nearing the end of the story.
It was perfect. I was excited and wanted to know more, wanted there to be more of what I'd grown to thus far like.
It was even good after the "major change" in the story, but that was only for a short while.
In the last few chapters my connection with the story dropped.
I was attached, but then that what I was attached to disappeared.
I just think that this manga, this story has had something perfect up until a point, but then had unsuccesfuly taken a turn, aiming for an effect ...

Jan 10, 2016

NigmaShady

Recommended

Preliminary (34/49 chp)

Let me say this that I had no other expectations from this because I saw the trailers of the anime before reading this.
This manga is simply legen... DARY! First of all, the art was amazing and played in tune with the mood of the story. When the story went to the past, the art looked very nostalgic. Next, the story, is great as the build-up is fills you with suspense and the characters were mostly great. What I liked in this story was that the women actually played a very important role in this story and weren't exactly damsel in distresses. The suspense was amazing ...

Dec 18, 2015

korrdn

Recommended

Preliminary (33/49 chp)

Before I begin my review, I want to say that my reviews are not the best. If you want a in-depth review on the series, I probably will not to be able to deliver, but you can stay around if you want.

Boku dake ga Inai Machi is a really interesting series. It's concept is pretty interesting and it's like nothing I've ever seen before. I came across this manga series after looking at the anime for the next season. Boku dake ga Inai Machi was in there, so I looked at the synopsis of it, and decided to read the manga. Was not disappointed.

The story ...

Feb 29, 2016

Megid

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (26/49 chp)

Boku dake ga Inai Machi, one of the most popular anime and manga at the moment, is a story about a young man, aged 29, who hasn't found much success writing manga and instead works part-time at Oasi Pizza Delivery (he, of course, delivers pizza). Nothing special so far, EXCEPT, he sometimes experiences something bizzare. When someone's life is in danger or when something wrong is on the verge of happening while he is around, he turns back in time a few seconds/minutes earlier, so that he can spot the abnormality and eliminate the danger. The phenomenon is called "rerun", although in the anime i ... heard it's called "revival" (I haven't watched the anime), and it's involuntary.
So far it looks promising, and it really gets you curious. The first chapters of the manga deliver. Satoru is very analytical as we are introduced into the action. He seems somehow bored of reality and the so-called "reruns" have already become common for him. However, after his mother is murdered by an unknown person that is linked to the past, Satoru experiences another "rerun", only this time he is sent back 18 years, when he was only almost 11 years old. He's still his 29 year old self, trapped inside a child's body, and he must solve a bizzare case of child kidnappings that caused the death of 3 children in his school and lead to his mother's death 18 years later.
The art of the manga looks really good and the story sounds really, really promising. The idea is intriguing and while the first chapters really get you into the story it only goes downhill from there, at least for me. I'll talk about several aspects that I disliked.
First of all, the most annoying one, is that Satoru seems like a normal 10/11 year old kid after he's brought back in time. From the analytical guy that we were introduced to, we suddenly get a 10 year child that seems lost in all this mystery (the whole story is indeed mysterious, but after a while I honestly stoped caring about who's the kidnapper and what really happened). Instead of doing some actual detective work, he befriends Hinazuki Kayo, the first child that was kidnapped, in an attempt to keep her from being alone (the reason why she was kidnapped so easily in the first place). He then suddenly starts getting excited at the thought of meeting her and having a birthday party together, and stuff like this. Like, what is going on here? If I started reading from those chapters I'd have assumed he's a normal kid. Especially compared to Kobayashi Kenya, his class mate and friend.
Now, to the next thing, Kenya. He's simply too smart to be believable at just 11 years. And "smart" isn't exactly the right word. He simply knows what people are thinking and "little" 29 year old Satoru isn't able to hide his thoughts. Very intelligent, yeah, I can believe that, but a great reader of human reactions and hidden thoughts when he's only 11? Not so much. After all it's just a little flaw, but if you compare the 11 year old Kenya with the "11" year old Satoru, Kenya seems miles ahead in all categories you can think of. After all it's not such a big flaw, but the fact that Satoru simply becomes a kid amplifies it for me.
As much as I like his mother, she figures out what's happening with Satoru just by looking at him (honestly everyone is more aware of everything in this manga than Satoru, who actually comes from the future and supposedly knows what is going on). And while it's funny in the beginning, it gets repetitive and there's really no explaination to it. Mother intuition too strong? Maybe. Definitely not a huge flaw, just pointing that out.
Finally, the few hints that exist regarding the criminal's identity are all pointed at one character. Sweet, innocent, little Satoru obviously notices nothing and when he actually discovers that the said person has a ton of candies in his car he just laughs about it. Of course, we know nothing about the criminal's identity and the fact that hints towards a certain person exists doesn't mean they actually are (in most detective stories it's usually the opposite, or maybe it's all just mind games and the person actually is the criminal, who knows?). But at least show a little doubt Satoru? I personally would've been creeped out if I found a ton of candies in the car of someone with a child kidnapper running wild.
Further details of the story I do not know, because I only read 26 chapters and I unfortunately dropped out. It was disappointing, at least for me.
Overall the idea is interesting, but the execution fails. From a promising detective story it turns into a "pseudo", or I don't know how to call it, child romance. It's not a horrible manga, and maybe it gets interesting later? who knows, but since I couldn't get past chapter 26 it's definitely not among the best in my opinion. It's a 6 from me. With all the hype around it it's at least worth trying and after all this review it's just my personal opinion.

Jul 27, 2016

atKatlin

Recommended

Preliminary (44/49 chp)

If you plan to watch the anime. You should read the manga first. I really prefer the manga over the anime. I think the anime compressed the story to the point that hey, what happen there, leaving you to read the manga. Moving on, the story is impressive, it makes you wonder who the culprit is. It is not predictable. The author also gives light to the story of villain while he did not highlight the romance side. Each character has this own sort of mystery. I did enjoy reading this one if you are a fan of mind-blowing manga you should read this one.

Mar 18, 2016

FurankuSan

Recommended

Preliminary (44/49 chp)

Episode 11 of Boku Dake ga Inai Machi felt a little bit off. It seems like they skip some parts from the manga and I was right. I started reading the manga yesterday and I managed to finish it. The manga is better than the anime. The anime just makes it feel cinematic, but its pacing is really bad. After witnessing Episode 11, I decided to read the manga.

Look, I'm really okay if a studio skip some parts of the manga, but they have to do it right. A-1 Pictures almost did it right with Boku Dake ga Inai Machi until the killer's revelation. They ... skipped so many parts for the build up. Not just that, but they even skipped the killer's very dark backstory. Watching the anime feels like the studio just cooked a meat, but it is still raw. The manga however, is overcooked.

Our main character, Satoru Fujinuma, has a supernatural ability which he calls it "Revival" - this ability sends him back in time before an accident/incident. He was then wrongfully accused of being a murderer to someone close to him and because of that, his Revival reacts and sends him back to 1988, 18 years in the past. He later realizes that the incident that occurred has connections with the abduction and the killing of one of his classmates. This is where the mystery begins and to find out on who the killer is.

As I read throughout the manga, every chapter ends with a climax. Same goes to the anime. What I like about this manga is how it takes time to build up before something "really big" occurs. I find it very thrilling and it isn't really a bad thing. It makes you want to read more unless you read the manga when it wasn't over yet because when I read the manga, it was already over. I also love its uses of symbolism such as the butterfly and the spider's web.

Despite how thrilling it gets, I mentioned that the manga is overcooked. Meaning, it gets stupid later on. Ever since the killer was revealed, I felt that the manga was really draggy thus lead to stupid cliches. I felt like it overstayed. You'll know what I mean if I spoil it for you guys, but I don't want to spoil it.

Despite how the story gets overcooked, at least the characters were enjoyable and engaging. The author really tries his best not to leave out every characters on the story and tries his best to at least give everyone a proper development. Honestly, none of the characters felt stupid. The story just made them look stupid, but they're not. I really love almost everyone from Satoru because of how I witness his journey, the killer because of his dark/mysterious vibes and his crazy backstory - I see no reason to hate these characters. You can hate the killer for being frustrating, but isn't he the villain?

Overall, Boku Dake ga Inai Machi gives us a one heck of a ride. You ride on this roller coaster that goes up and down until the rails are just straight. Despite telling you on how stupid the story gets, I'd still recommend you to read this manga. Even though it gets bad, it still gets plus points because of it's characters that drives you throughout from start to end. I don't really read a lot of manga, so I cannot claim that this manga is still much more decent than others, but just give this a shot. This is still one of the manga that I think you shouldn't miss.

Jul 12, 2016

red-eyed-slayer

Recommended

Preliminary (44/49 chp)

When I see popular thriller series I tend to think they are overrated such as Monster, Pluto(only first half was excellent). They tend to last too long which muddles up the series pacing.

But Boku dake ga inai machi was an example of where each chapter was relevant, had a good amount of content and it understood pacing, as the author made each chapter helpful for the overall story. Rarely do I see a series made each chapter enjoyable there was not one sluggish or bad chapter.

Akumetsu, although was very good thriller it had boring and filler like chapter in the middle part of the story ...

Mar 4, 2016

underatterman

Recommended

Preliminary (44/49 chp)

A very human manga...
Well when I say human, it is exactly how it sounds. The characters and setting is quite realistic.
But that would be a bad start to review, wouldn't it? Let's start this review shall we?
Story:
It revolves around a 27 year old man named Satoru. A struggling mangaka, unable to get in touch with his own emotions and past. Because of this he is quite reclusive, and quiet. He has had a frequency of getting sent back a few minutes in time whenever something "bad" is going to happen, he is consent with this and continues his life. Until a brutal murder ...

Jul 25, 2021

Qxutie

Recommended

I’d seen a spoiler on who the big bad villain was so I went into this thinking I’d ruined my experience from the start. Boy. Was. I. Wrong. The times I wasn’t fan girling at Satoru’s mom, I was busy being at awe from the story. Now imagine how much greater this story would be if one didn’t know the ending.

When you first look at the story (yes I judged it by its cover in the first few episodes), it doesn’t seem that intriguing (other than the revival plot point). The art was simplistic and from the first chapter, the main character seems like a ...

Dec 30, 2019

FUNKePills

Recommended

A compelling thriller series with a fairly mature approach to the "revisiting your childhood" idea. Treads a lot of heavy topics, and engages you impressively well. Superb pacing, knows when to change focus between story plots (and intertwines them all well). Several moments during reading I felt a genuine "OH SHIT", specifically due to clever authorship (using manga layout tricks I couldn't really describe without spoiling things).

Highly preferable to the Anime (or at the very least, a high preferable ending). I recommend you read before you watch, or at the very least read volume 4 (the manga finale) after finishing the anime, to see ...

Feb 9, 2021

Resting_Bonfire

Mixed Feelings

Boku dake ga Inai Machi

The Town Where Only I Am Missing

Didn't read the manga until after the anime adaptation. Among other things, I wanted to know whether this whole topic of time travel is explained in more detail in the manga.

If anyone is interested, no, it is not explained. In other words, the manga is just like the anime, with one major exception.
From the point in episode 10 when the breakup came, the anime took a different direction. The manga had a different and longer finale from then on. Among other things, I liked this one more because you had seen a lot more ...

Nov 17, 2019

Chewfoo

Recommended

I was happily surprised by this manga. It isn't my typical genre so i wasn't expecting to like it very much but i was wrong. This manga starts off kinda slow, not much happens right away when compared to most shounen who aim at hooking the readers within the first few pages. Once the story did get rolling i couldn't put it down. This manga did a great job at keeping me guessing as to what's going to happen next and i usually can do a decent job at guessing what's going to happen. The mangaka does a great job at portraying the different characters ...

Sep 23, 2021

abdul_funny

Recommended

This is, by far, the best manga I have ever read.

The best story I have ever read. Nothing more needs to be said but I am forced to make my review longer. This is the most unique manga I have ever read. The characters are very well done, and the writing is some of the best I've read ever, probably THE best actually. You must read this. If you like reading manga, you should read this. If you like using your emotions to convey your enjoyment of something, you should read this. Please let me submit this review. I just want to submit this ...

Sep 11, 2022

hidarslan

Recommended

Note off the top: the title's literal translation is "The Town Where Only I am Missing," which is important to keep in mind.

Erased's ending is famously bad, but going into this, I thought that applied only to the anime. While I was wrong, it's not as bad as people say; when your series goes from an easy 10 to a 6, it feels worse than it is. Erased is absolutely still worth the read.

The strength of Erased's early volumes lies with the contrast between the wholesome making friends at school aspect and the intense "let's stop a serial child murderer" aspect, and that the fact ...

Mar 16, 2023

Jim--anime

Recommended

Masterful writing and artwork truly a thing of beauty I'd been a fan of the anime for 7 years now I remember waiting after school for it to air but I never read the manga until now, it's great the manga goes more into detail on Kenya who is my favourite character in this whole thing this is a good starting point to get into Seinen series. All of the characters are well developed and I recommend reading volume nine which goes into detail on Kenyas life and childhood absolute gem of a manga can't give it anything but praise Kayo, Kenya and Satoru are ...

Jan 18, 2016

Orobou

Recommended

Preliminary (34/49 chp)

Boku dake ga Inai Machi is a Mystery/Psychological manga kind of rough.

The story revolves around Satoru, a guy who get sometimes carried back in time when something bad is going to happen. With this, he gets to prevent accidents, save people and above all clear an unsolved criminal case that he lived through during his childhood.

If you are looking for a masterpiece you will be disappointed; when you read a Mystery story you expect most events to be connected as a big picture to get a grandiose conclusion, instead BokuMachi has a tons of unnecessary elements and events building up left and right ...

Jan 21, 2016

Cuji

Recommended

Preliminary (35/49 chp)

Before I start I'd like to say this is my first manga so if you're looking for a really critical review that compares it to other manga then this won't really help.

Story: Starting with the story from the get go got me completely hooked I mean I've never really looked into reading manga but literally the first chapter and I couldn't stop myself. Aside from that though I feel like the story (in comparison to anime's I've watched) is fairly original though it bears some similarity to stein's gates MC, though only in terms of his ability the MC in this has a really ...