"The town without me. That is my treasure."

This review contains only mild spoilers for the first episode, just like the summary.

Introduction
"Boku Dake ga Inai Machi" tells the story of an struggling manga author who feels estranged from everyone else since a devastating incident happened in his childhood which has made him callous and bitter. However Satoru has a strange ability which he has no control of - whenever something happens harmful happens around him, he is sent five minutes into the past as if he was meant to prevent it. This ability which he calls "Revival", however efficient in preventing said incidents, can have harmful side-effects to himself as he gets entangled in matters he would otherwise be only an observer of. This time-traveling quirk has yet to prove the lengths at which it can transport him back in time, and as he becomes involved with a string of grisly abduction murders, he is taken to revisit his past and to try to prevent them.

Story & Enjoyment: 10/10
The story pacing is slow for a thriller but in my opinion, does not rob you of your enjoyment, as it creates both enough suspense and times of reflection for you to connect the dots and make sense of the multiple time lines happening.
The story itself is a crafty web of intrigue and action as Satoru devotes his newly acquired opportunities to re-do his past mistakes, and is occasionally thwarted by the inevitability of certain key events. If you have seen Steins;Gate or other time-traveling pieces, then you must be well acquainted with the thrill and frustration that comes with this kind of endeavor, and if so, I cannot recommend this anime more to you!
Finally I cannot appraise enough how beautifully intricate the plot is laid before our eyes in these twelve episodes and in particular the ending, which (without revealing any spoilers) wraps everything up in such a wholesome experience for the viewer, connecting all the final dots left to connect, and leaving enough space for the viewer to imagine what may come to pass from thereon.

Sound and Music: 10/10
The soundtrack is not there to shine by itself, but to envelop and complement the plot in its tones and variations, ranging from sharp and mysterious keys that accompany the suspense-filled scenes to beautiful sad pieces that go with the most sad and heart-warming scenes that the anime world has to offer.

Art And Animation: 10/10
The art is superb, everything from backgrounds to character designs and lighting is top-notch art work. The directing and editing also features some really incredible and smooth cinema transitions like match-takes, crafty but almost unnoticeable L-Cuts and J-Cuts in intense conversations building to climatic effect, the pan-outs, zooms and everything else that makes up a varied and uplifting editing work.

Characters and Voice Acting: 10/10
The characters are unique and by no means follow character conventions. All the characters seem rather simple, but at the same time show levels of depth, feelings, transformation and growth. This an anime where you may find yourself feeling empathy for plenty of characters, both the good and the bad, enjoying every tiny bit of information about them, as with each little bit they reveal another facet you had not yet considered they might have. What surprised the most, though, was the voice acting. The voice acting is probably one the best you'll ever see in an anime, both the child and adult voice actors are outstanding. The delivery of key reflections and revelations with their natural, well-toned and empathic voices, resonates in you. So I do recommend you try the Japanese audio, if not for this then for the loveliness of the Hokkaido accent!

Conclusion
To me this anime was life-changing, a refreshing reminder of what makes me like anime in the first place. As mentioned, the story plus the ending were such a beautiful and wholesome experience it brought tears to my eyes. I hope if you're reading and have already watched the show forgive me for being unable to find any fault in this anime to deduct points from, and if you haven't then what are you waiting for?

Thank you for reading!