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 as it went to a repetitive cycle, monster has this problem as well.

This manga has robust character development and keeps you at the edge of seat, while it doesn't only rely on the thriller aspect as gives surprisingly heartwarming moments as well, giving the series a not TOO nihilistic feel.

The Boku dake ga inai machi is very similar to hito hitori futari, they both use heartwarming moments in nihilistics obstacles.

Overall Boku dake ga inai machi is a must read manga series