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.