ReLIFE

ReLife review

Imagine a food that does not make you an impression, any food that does not interest you and that does not seem like that worth eating, nevertheless trying it though out of pure curiosity. Imagine that food giving you the taste of something that is not necessarily great or special, but something that you never expected, something that is fine for what it is. That was how ReLife worked for me, and it was surprising, because it is one of these series that you must savor and then judge. What I got was nothing short of a really satisfying watch, especially in terms of ... enjoyment and connection with the common, flawed, human beings that it manages to present. I expected this season to be sub-par compared to the last one, and this series, that did not interest me to the least, managed to show me some kind of light, which might make me strive to changing my opinion.

ReLife revolves around your 27-year-old half-NEET man named Kaizaki Arata, who had quit his job in a company only after 3 months after entering, being fed up with his work environment and how cold-hearted and unaware of their surroundings his co-workers were. Following his resignation, he fell into a slump, not being able to fit into society as one of its active members, only working in part-time jobs, and receiving money from his parents to only slightly cover his life expenses. Having a difficult time, hiding the fact that he did not have a stable work environment from his friends, and receiving a phone call from his family saying that they will not send any money from then on, Arata was lucky enough to encounter a mysterious person named Yoake Ryou in the street in front of his house in a calm yet messed-up, for him, night, the latter declaring that he works for an experiment, ReLife, which gives the subjects a chance to re-live a part of their highschool lives leaving their mentality untouched and just looking like highschool students, change themselves, develop, and not regret the choices they make in the process. Arata, at first, does not know what to do, but after a while decides to undergo the experiment, taking the pill in order for him to look younger, like a highschool pupil does, and starts going to highschool in a daily manner, changing not only himself, but his close people as well.

A draw-back in the story department is that the plot development itself is based on a plot convenience, that being the pill and the experiment in general. I usually am not a fan of plot conveniences, as they are used as detritments to the value of the whole plot. What was successful, however, was the execution of the series. Despite featuring characters that you can see every day, they are handled in a slow-paced, caring way that can drag sometimes, that contains malodrama in heavy situations, but however serves as sheer connection between the audience and the characters. ReLife being a slow, arc-based show for most of its running, it takes advantage of its slow pacing as well as the rather big cast of characters and manages to develop it thoroughly. That might as well turn some people off, as focus on the main character is lowered consequently, but ReLife manages to somehow equal quality and quantity, develop even the most side of characters, something that I never expected from coming from such a series, and make them relatable.

On another hand, ReLife is a show that is based on drama, but also contains some amount of comedy, mostly coming from the interactions between the characters, it being sparse yet working out quite fine. There is also an amount of chibi faces included, which is by no means good, as it ruins the mood, but most of the times the transitions between drama and the comedy work out fine, if not well enough. As a matter of fact, the characters themselves helped quite much in the plot development, and both the drama and comedy being hits, as despite them being quite common and their reasoning quite cheesy (school setting, teens, you know), they are different from each other, and as a whole cast it works out quite well. Coming into terms with and realizing their goals and, most importantly, their own-self with well-handled execution, the conclusion is obvious. The ending was not conclusive in a literal manner, but was in a sentimental one, because I felt that all things that needed to be dealt with did. As a whole, although the story was being something that never made me go "wow", it worked out fine for what it was, and that is what is important.

Character-wise, as described earlier, ReLife works out well enough for me to consider it something that is way better than just average. What is likable in it are not the personalities of their characters, not nearly as much as how they execute them and develop them. Their interactions involving comedy being funny, but these including drama being a bit dragged and melodramatic, is not something that is of huge importance. What is important in ReLife is how each character is handled and fleshed-out individually, something that other series do not manage to do, putting the minor complaints into shame really. Explanations will be given below, as I am gonna view each character as a different individual and then draw conclusions on them as a whole, successful cast.

Kaizaki Arata is a very sociable, caring and understanding person, that is until his confidence is stepped on, after several happenings including his senior in work and his other co-workers, quitting his job and trying a different approach in life, including trying to find a new job through applications and, after failing on that, just working part-time in convenience stores. As an obvious consequence, he realizes that he has not grown up enough, that his social skills were rendered useless and that life is not going to treat him any kinder that he thought it would. After him being given the chance to relive one high school year through the experiments, he develops as a person, comes into terms with himself, does not get further involved into other people's situations, and winds up becoming a person that still has his doubts, but is way more mature than he already was. Kaizaki having such a personality is subject to self-insert, creating a character that is so relatable that you will find yourself caring about him all the way through. Except of that, he also is quite the funny dude, and the comparisons between adult life and highschool life he makes in his mind, such as the fact that the former are mostly ridden by logic and the latter by emotion is nothing short of realistic.

Hishiro Chizuru is that kind of girl, who never was particularly close with people, that being due to her transferring schools very frequently in her early years. In the process of growing up till the story takes place, she gradually lost her interest in other people, started not caring about her surroundings, that being partially because of her inability to be close to other people. She always showed doubts about her understanding of things and her hurting people, although she is a great student, and started wanting to change that and obtain social skills and friends, especially after meeting up with Arata. She slowly yet decisively starts showing interest on other people and becomes an all around better person, along with leaving her already good aspects unscathed. After several happenings, it is clear to the viewers and almost all the main characters, excluding one until a certain episode, that she is trying hard to improve.

Kariu Rena's personality is not to my liking, because she is that example of the stubborn girl who is jealous of people because she can not reach them despite trying hard. She sometimes reminds me of a cookie cutter character and is definitely one that is not plausible. She admittedly is a good character though, because she shows many kinds of development as well. She does not get rid of her inferiority complex, but somehow tones it down and starts understanding her close friends, them being Chizuru and Honoka, more. She is full of ill-fated desires, and a very jealous person, but after some events, including her fight with Honoka and her discussion with Chizuru, she starts being more relatable. That can also be supported with the fact that they spend quite some time on her character and that they did not want her to be left as just a character that had a complex.

Tamarai Honoka is the exact opposite of Rena, a person that screams unreachable when it comes to sports and one that is afraid of getting close to people because she does not want to be denied by them. Both Honoka and Chizuru serve as plot devices to Rena's development, but they themselves are developed, and that is another positive thing for the series. They used a big arc for just these 3 characters, which indicates that airing time was used effectively and decisively, making them fleshed out in a proportional manner. As mentioned earlier, their engagements might feel a bit cheesy and melodramatic, but that is not of much importance, as the journey and the conclusion, as a whole, are satisfying.

Yoake Ryou and Onoya An are people who work for the ReLife experiment project, and a whole episode is spent on their flashback, including their relationship with Subject 001, and their interest into Subject 002, that being Arata himself. Worries and implications about their work are depicted in a solid manner. There are other side characters as well, but getting into them is not worth it, because their involvement into the series do not mean many things. Overall, if you take these characters, which are nothing short of common and cliche, and combine them, you create a cast that is good enough for a coming-of-age anime series that ReLife is, that of course supported with respective execution.

The production values of ReLife remind me of my expectations pre starting watching it. Nothing special and something that does not interest me. The character designs were generic and reminded me of quite many slice of life series that I had watched, including Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, the animation was inconsistent sometimes yet worked out, and the backgrounds were quite good. I really have not much to say about the art and animation sections, just that the chibi faces were as annoying as ever. The soundtrack was repetitive, only consisting of few piano songs, and most of the times did not fit the concept of the story. The opening theme was quite good on the other hand, and had lyrics that reminded me of what the characters were going through. The ending songs were many, not as much memorable as someone would think they would be, but a nice change to the "one ending per one cour" archetype. Overall, I think that both the animation and the sound departments could have been better, and that they would grab another point of two had they been a bit more memorable.

Enjoyment: 7.5/10

The best part about ReLife would undeniably be the enjoyment part. I enjoyed the struggles, the development of each and every character, the interactions, the relationships, the starting and ending episodes, and despite some episodes being weaker than others, I considerably enjoyed the middle episodes as well. It being a surprising watch, ReLife managed to drag me into the story, and make me involved in the difference between the adult and the adolescence world.

Overall: 5.5/10

ReLife really was a big surprise for me, and I am gonna remember it for quite a long while. It was cliche, it was generic, but it was fine for what it was. It never tried to be more, and it never tried to be less than what it is. And that is what matters. It is a series that does not take itself overly seriously or overly lightly, and managed to create a plausible enough conclusion. It is a coming-of-age tale for people that just want to relax, enjoy, relate with, and have fun with. Ignoring the shortcomings would be something that would make the series even more likable, and for such an experience like ReLife, it would be worth it.

ReLIFE is a Summer 2016 anime that Crunchyroll gave the Netflix treatment the moment the first episode aired on broadcast TV due to it being released on some foreign app prior to it TV broadcast. It's also not very good. But I suppose if you're going to make available the entirety of an anime from the very start of this miserable season, it should be the one that's incredibly safe and inoffensive, shouldn't it? Because whilst ReLIFE succeeds at nothing, it manages to inoffensively incorporate everything that fans find pleasant about this medium. Are the people who like this show the same ones who say ... that Sound Euphonium is unambitious and entirely devoid of meaning? That would be fucking hypocritical of them if you ask me.

The series is centered on a twenty-seven year old man named Arata Kaizaki who is working part-time to make ends meet after an incident with his first company caused him to quit after only three months. One night after drinking some sorrows away, he is offered the chance to take part in an experiment by a mysterious man who will guarantee him a job if he goes through with it, so Arata accepts and soon finds himself in high school again with a body that's ten years younger and an inability to pass even the simplest of high school exams because somehow it's supposed to be funny that a grad student can't solve math problems. He soon befriends a bunch of classmates from the mysteriously quiet Chizuru Hishiro to the academically-gifted but incredibly unfit Kazuomi Oga, and the show is basically these characters going through various awkward issues whilst Arata is also there. Yeah, don't expect the dude and his issues to take center stage all that much in this series. I think Vaan from Final Fantasy XII had more plot importance than him.

Although ReLIFE starts intriguing with the possibilities of what it'd be like to live high school again, if you took that premise away, it's nothing but a boilerplate high school anime with lame jokes and toothless drama. Arata is barely involved with a lot of his classmates' issues, and when he is, it's usually to give a generic speech that the show tries to tie into his real age, but fails because anyone around the age of sixteen would know the advice he dishes out. And I'm not kidding when I say the jokes are lame. It's nothing but crappy reaction faces that try to make light of situations that shouldn't be taken lightly to begin with, especially when dealing with issues as heavy as suicide. There's even a moment early on in the series when drama occurs because Chizuru looks like the Devil whenever she tries to smile. I don't know who the fuck thought good drama can occur when the catalyst is something that can't be taken seriously, but he is more wrong than a Rwanda massacre denier.

Whenever the show does focus on the actual ReLIFE experiment, it can be a little intriguing. But most of what we know about it is told through the eyes of supervisors like Ryo, and he mostly angsts about the first person he put through the experiment and how he failed with him. Thing is, it's kind of hard to sympathize with Ryo when they don't make clear how he failed besides saying the person never changed throughout their high school life, and it's especially hard when you don't tell me anything about Ryo's personal life, so I'm not sure why I'm supposed to care about his failure. It also doesn't help that when they finally reveal who the first subject actually is, they never do anything with it other than make you go "I guess that makes sense". Plus, it doesn't seem like the first subject's failure to pass the experiment is all that bad, although that might be because of all the crappy jokes they make at the person's ineptitude.

But that and the suicide issue I mentioned earlier are honestly the best drama the show can offer. Because oh my god, the issues the characters have to face in this show are unimaginatively lame. Anyone who's read my reviews of Shirobako and Kiznaiver will know that I don't like drama where the characters learn things that anyone over the age of sixteen would already know. The last two years of teenage life I'll give a pass because some people are late bloomers, but despite the fact that these characters are in their final year of high school, they're learning things that I'd expect a seven-year old to struggle with. I mean jealousy at someone's superior sports and academics despite the fact that you're good at both as well? An inability to make friends because you act like a robot? Is that really the best drama you could come up with for these characters to face? High school crushes that are mutual on both ends? In a world where those Persona games exist, that doesn't fucking fly!

Why am I watching characters go through struggles if they don't learn anything profound by the end? You don't have to be original. You just have to make them go through conflicts that hit hard and don't hold back when it comes to the important stuff. And you have to make sure that the stuff is actually important, because those are the kind of experiences that people over the age of sixteen deserve to go through. People discovering empathy or learning that the job market is rough is like discovering that "blue" is a color or an apple is a fruit. Would you really want to watch someone go through a lot of trouble because he didn't know that "blue" belongs in the same category as "red"? Even Barney isn't that insulting to its audiences' intelligence.

Overall, whilst ReLife isn't without its charms, its lack of teeth mars it too much for it be more than a mediocre show, and when it does gain teeth, it finds a way to break them with a baseball bat made out of unfunny. The characters are all tolerable for the most part, but they're never developed beyond being a simple stereotype. The "adult turning into a kid" premise is incredibly underused and lacks tension since it's revealed that Arata can turn into an adult again just by swallowing another pill. And the animation is incredibly plain, although given that TMS is handling four shows this season, perhaps asking for more is a bit much. It even has the gall to just end with a "life goes on" ending, and given how over 100 chapters were covered in something that's currently in the 130s, chapter-wise, I don't expect to see a sequel anytime soon. Also, these chapters must be shorter than Atom Ant if this adaptation really covered that much, because I refuse to believe any manga can be this padded. And I've read Kimi no Iru Machi, man.

Good idea, bad development, tatty animation and mediocre OST.

The initial idea was good, a man being a young again, but he's aspect do not change but the people see he more young. Superman 2.0? I cannot do spoilers, so I cannot talk about the development.

About the animation, I was waiting a animation like Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Orange, Isshukan Friends... This animation is bad for an anime like this, and when the seiyuu stops talk, the character still moving the mouth a few seconds. Small details like this are important.

The only good thing about the song are the endings. After see ... ReLIFE, I hate the piano.

Being able to redo a life full of mistakes would be a dream for anybody. A lot of people have regrets about their early life down the line and spend many nights wishing they could take something back or undo some mistake; however, they must come to terms with such things, as in life there is no such thing as a redo. But what if there was?

ReLife is the story of an unemployed man who is offered a chance to return to being a high school student for an experiment on fixing people's lives by allowing them another chance at things. They pay his ... living expenses for a year while in school and even promise a job offer when it is all done. Kaizaki Arata, the main character, drunkenly accepts the offer and takes a pill that reverts his appearance to that of a teenager and he starts as a third year (In Japan high school only lasts three years instead of four). Everything is up to him at this point.

Beginning:

So this show starts out fairly well with interesting ideas and some comical and entertaining points that show the main troubles of a grown 27 year-old man returning to his teenage years. I found myself chuckling at some points and was genuinely interested to see where his struggles would lead him.

Although, some of my interest was lost after he quickly made friends with those sitting around him. His struggles became a bit less relatable at that point, because he quickly and smoothly adapts to his surroundings and starts fitting in rather perfectly. This bothered me a bit, considering he is joining this class in their third year. By this year, friend groups are already established and everybody has people they talk to and hang out with. ReLife shows very little of this and instead Kaizaki starts a new friend group almost immediately even after being openly embarrassed in front of the class and getting terrible grades in his tests. The connections he made with the other characters were fairly forced in my mind as it seemed that the author wanted to quickly get into other people's problems instead of taking his/her time to write out a more tangible relationship with these characters and let the character connections occur naturally.

As a result, Kaizaki's first day was terrible for him and full of struggles, but the second day on everything goes great for him and he makes a tight knit group of friends and all my sympathy and reliability with this character go out the window. But I still held some interest so I kept watching.

Main contents:

So from this point on, a major problem arises with this show that causes it to go from good to alright to average to mediocre. Kaizaki has one big problem that he struggles with; a trauma that caused him to fall into his pathetic unemployed self that lead to the main events of ReLife. The mental trauma that he suffers from this specific event shows through here and there, but other than that Kaizaki seems to have almost zero problems or struggles he has to face (or at least struggles he himself has to face). The majority of this show consists of the problems of other people while Kaizaki just kind of watches and then thinks, "I should do something to fix this" and then everything ends with tears and hugs and everyone's friends with each other. All of the personal struggles build other characters and leave Kaizaki in the dust as he becomes an outlying variable in the lives of other people who get more screen time than he does. The center of the story ends up being everyone else while Kaizaki just observes.

The story kind of reconciles with this by allowing Kaizaki to observe the problems of others and he bounces his own experience off of theirs and uses that to solve these problems. But, unfortunately the only part of his backstory that is actually important is that one event that caused him trauma and everything else is irrelevant. *I mean, its not like he has 27 years of experience he could reflect upon and use to apply to the problems he faces now and give meaning to the idea of ReLife*; that was sarcasm. Kaizaki seems flat as a character because he doesn't come through as a 27 year-old man with plenty of experience to share with these younger characters who are struggling through their youth. The event that defines his trauma is supposed to give the impression that the real world is cruel and sometimes you have to sit down and take it instead of standing up for yourself. It was supposed to show that not all problems can be solved. As fitting as that is for a show such as this, it doesn't come through with the amount of impact or authority that it should without properly displaying Kaizaki's full 27 years of experience. We don't need to know every day of his life to understand his story and his character or the message that is trying to be conveyed through his experience, but multiple events that show that he did have a childhood and he did go to school and he did experience the things that the high school characters now are going through. There simply isn't enough for me to feel something for Kaizaki or find the events in this show relatable.

Conclusion:

The anime ended with everything going well and everybody's problems are practically fixed and a thing of the past (save for Kaizaki and one other character). The ending didn't surprise me, was predictable, and was almost frictionless as there was almost zero conflict, save for a plot twist at the very end that sparked enough interest in me to watch a second season, but this didn't warrant forgiveness for the lack of conflict. All the conflicts until that point were interesting and had good ideas and even made me interested and maybe I felt something for these characters (except Kaizaki). But each conflict ended in an episode or two and had a very anti-climactic and boring ending and felt repetitive and basically almost all of it revolved around one side character who got more development than the main character or the main heroine.

In conclusion, it seems to me that this show doesn't know where to focus its efforts and rushed the beginning with minimal back story and very few ideas on what to do with these characters. The show had promise and despite the lazy ending there was a plot twist at the very end which was interesting enough to make me watch a second season. However, I don't see a second season for this show coming anytime soon.

I give ReLife a 5/10 for having interesting ideas but going about them in the wrong way and forcing itself into the main conflict without background or natural development. If you want to check out this anime and decide for yourself if it's what you like than I won't deter you, because I think it is worth a watch at least once, but it isn't nearly worth a rewatch.

Story: Mostly a crap fest; good premise, absolutely no follow-through; neither in supporting the premise with some believability, nor with actually doing anything interesting with it.

This started out promising -- I can well imagine a down on his luck NEET taking the chance to go back to high school if that means he might end up with a decent job, and I could also see how one might use that premise to have him learn something to change his life's direction, so the job won't end up being the be-all and end-all of the experience.

But alas, that does not happen. Instead the show ... quickly devolves into a typical, and not very inspired high school anime, with stock characters, and standard melodrama. I think I fell victim to a bait-and-switch tactic.

Kaizaki actually has a reason for his NEETdom, and where this anime might not fail for a Japanese viewer, this is where it fails the most for me. Japan still has an unbelievable crappy attitude towards bullying; while it now seems to recognize that it doesn't necessarily build character, and in this show the guilty parties are portrayed as solidly (and boringly) nasty, it still does not acknowledge it as something unrelentingly negative, and something for which neither the bullied nor anyone who speaks up for them bears any responsibility whatsoever. Cultural relativism? Get out of my face. I hate bullying, and the Japanese propensity for it and its lousy excuses piss me off.

Art: Nothing to write home about, mostly undistinguished characters. The animation is actively bad in some parts. The fireworks are pretty though, but when are they ever not.

Sound: Worst background music I've heard in a long time. OP and EDs (the latter different for every episode) rather good; I got the impression they were trying to evoke a "back in time" feeling with them -- Porno Graffitti, Puffy, TM Revolution, L'Arc-en-Ciel -- if only the background music had been up to to the same standard. Decent voice acting; my favourite being Yoake Ryou voiced by Kimura Ryouhei; Hatano Wataru is totally wasted on a throw-away character, and Namikawa Daisuke not fairing much better.

Character: Kaizaki is supposed to be the hero of his story, but there isn't enough there there. We find out why he quit his job, and that stands him in good stead, but beyond that? Nada. The most intriguing characters remain mysterious -- we never find out why Chizuru is in the position she is in, exactly what Yoake did wrong with Subject 001, how come Onoya works for ReLIFE. The high school characters are stock and not very interesting.

Enjoyment: It's mostly inoffensive, light-hearted escapism, but I enjoyed it less than I might otherwise have if it had lived up to its premise. It touches on some darkness, but quickly withdraws, as if it had touched a hot stove and learned its lesson. It would have been vastly better if it had embraced that darkness.

Overall: Thoroughly mediocre.

OK, I'm gonna try make this as short and simple as can be without spoiling anything.

Story (6) - Middle-aged man can't find job, man gets offered job, job involves going back to school again after taking a pill that makes him 'look' young, and I guess you could say the story evolves from there. The story was decent enough and if your really into romance and watching relationships evolve then I think you'll really enjoy this.

Art (4) - Yea... this is kinda the downside of the series. The art wasn't unbearable, but when you compare it to other series of its age it feels a ... bit outdated and slack.

Sound (6) - Voice acting was decent, no real complaints tbh.

Character (6) - Alright, what really determines for me if I'm going to watch a 'typical' romance series is if I like the main character and most importantly if I like his/her love interest. This series ticked those two boxes and I could really feel myself rooting for these 2 character throughout the whole series. Other than them, I felt that the other 'side' characters were... ok I guess. Nothing really wrong with them but I felt they could really bore you when the series tried delve into them more than they should have.

Enjoyment (7) - I found this series a real treat to watch. I basically watched all of on the first two days of its release (because it released all of its episodes on one day for some reason). I think you'll really like this if your into typical slice of life/comedy/romance genres and I think you'll especially enjoy it if your a more mature viewer. This is because the MC is an adult himself and the certain struggles he faces may be more identifiable on an adults level.

Overall (6) - Overall this was a decent anime series, it was nothing too bad and I don't think it'll become one of your favourites either. This was just a typical school/romance anime that I think fans of the genre will enjoy.

Pros:
+Music was very well thought out at some points
+Genuinely funny for most of the show
+Well made last episode (Visually/ Set-up wise)
+Some characters were very likable

Cons:
-Drama that comes out of nowhere
-For being tagged a romance, the romance aspect was nowhere to be found until the final 2 episodes
-Some characters are extremely forgettable
... -Story not well paced
-For being under the Seinen tag, the writing was not tailored very well to a maturing audience.
-Setting is bland with a minimal twist on story.

At most points in the show, the music helped add to the little meaningful drama there was, making the scenes that would have been forgettable have a little more impact.

For a good 85% of the show I was laughing quite a bit. This show is genuinely funny which is hard to come by in the current years when talking about romance/drama animes.

ReLIFE's last episode was very well colored and the music was on point during the climax scenes making for a well rounded last episode.

Character wise, there are only a few that stood out from the pack for me making for a very slim cast of memorable characters. Character development also felt very slow, which would be good if the anime was 24 episodes, but it's only 13 episodes long. With that said, the character development fails to build up fast enough to keep up with the generally short show, so it feels rushed by the end.

There are tidbits of drama sprinkled in that are written in a way that makes them forgettable, so when the actual drama that was hinted at shows up, you get blindsided almost, making for a story that leaves something to be desired. When an anime is tagged as a romance, you would expect there to be more to do with that tag and not completely forget about it until the last 2-3 episodes. Sure there was the typical "she likes him but he doesn't know" trope at the VERY beginning, but then the romance just drops off until the end of the show, which makes that aspect not very impactful. Very generic setting. (Highschool).

The writing of ReLIFE is supposed to be suited towards maturing audiences, but constantly reminds you that "this guy is 27 not 17" over and over again. If this is a Seinen, then I'm sure the watchers wont forget it that quick.

The art style/animation are average.

Overall just an average show. With the few likable characters it had to offer and the comedy that made me laugh for a very good portion of the show, it has very apparent pacing, character, and writing problems that make it a show to watch only when you have nothing else.

For those who read manga after watching its anime, I'd recommend watching this. However, from an anime-only viewer's perspective (myself included), this MAY not be the case. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching the anime.

Story: 6

The story itself was okay. The pairing of the couples and the story in general were cliché and predictable. Nothing melodramatic; in fact, the problems were realistic and relatable, making it interesting enough to watch.

It would have been more promising if the main plot was emphasized though. Sure, our main character did reLIVE his teenage life; however, I felt that the anime covered more sub-plots for ... the supporting characters rather than finishing off our main characters' unemployment issue - what was the aftermath from reLife to both Chizuru and Arata? Unknown. Good cliffhanger to promote the manga but, if there's no sequel, the ending would just be incomplete. (And I, for one, hate half assed endings.)

Art: 7

The art was good. (Nothing to add really, I'm just personally more into a different type of animation.)

Sound: 3

Have you ever watched a horror movie muted? Not so scary anymore, huh? Sound plays a major role, believe it or not.

I love classical music/instrumentals. As someone who plays piano and 'feels the music', I have to say that the background music was baddd.... So bad it would actually kill the mood because it did not match the scene. It just gave off an awkward vibe when it wasn't even necessary. Moreover, in some parts of the anime, no background noise was performed when the setting clearly needed it.

It may not mean much to some, but the sound greatly affected my overall rating for this show.
(The OP, ED and voice actors were fine.)

Character: 7

Nothing too special but entertaining nonetheless. Character development for the supporting actors were fine, well done for Chizuru, but lacking for Arata. He learned one or two things throughout his journey, but nothing too significant to actually have an impact on him. I feel like he has not really changed from the beginning of the series. To be honest, he actually did more of the helping than getting help from.

Enjoyment: 7

As mentioned earlier, I did enjoy the anime. The comedy was light to a certain extent and although the story is fair and had slow pacing, if you were to binge watch the series like I did, I think it's a worth a try.

Overall: 6.5

As it is, the overall rating should be 6.
If a season 2 gets published, I would give this anime an overall of 7.
Since there's no info regarding a sequel release yet, my overall average is 6.5.

ReLIFE is an anime that had a chance to be a solid 8, but fell short due to the common mistake in the market where a romcom will either fail to take itself seriously enough to deliver a real ending or put the status quo of the slice of life above everything else, providing with a generic, overused "and my days continued like that" ending, resulting in something vague, general, and unsatisfying.

The story centers around a 27 year-old "shut-in" who is offered a job by going through an experiment that makes him look like he's 17 years old, and puts him back in the last ... year of high school for rehabilitation. After that year is over, everyone he dealt with will forget about him. In theory this sounds like an interesting setting but it doesn't really do anything with itself. The character spends all of his time failing exams, socializing, and refusing to pursue the romance he knows he wants. It sometimes pretends adults are involved, but it's such a slight shift in focus that it may as well just be another generic slice of life high school anime.

Trying to keep this spoiler free, the anime had two realistic endings it could've chased, the sad ending where the main character falls in love and is forgotten about, or the happy ending where a "miracle" happens, and he gets to stay with his sweetheart. Instead it chose to do what every other mediocre slice of life/comedy/harem/romance has done before, many times. Unless you like self-inserting or NEED to relate to your characters (which I consider a futile endeavor in anything that is supposed to be a fictional work, where you're supposed to accept an universe and its characters as a story told to you, not as a story starring yourself) don't waste your time on this.

To be honest, I wish this anime had more recognition. At first, I was not very interested but I started watching and it turns out Relife is actually cool!

The principal theme it's creative but not so interesting, that can be saved with the characters that are fantastic and handsome/beautiful. I enjoyed the moments in every episode, I think that's the most importante thing in an anime: the entertainment, it's the key for everything. Personally, some moments of shock, sadnesse, confusion and also happinesse made me to watch until the end! And that's great.

Honestly, I was expecting a more "wow" ending, but it didn't disappoint ... me that much.

''ReLife is fairly mediocre''.....the best way to describe this anime.
First of all I just had no good expectations from it but was still surprised that I expected it to be really bad but It still manged to be mediocre.
Well lets look at good aspects first:
Concept of ReLife is really interesting and since its not a finished story it can be so much more.This also makes The MC and interaction between characters really interesting and the anime was quite enjoyable for me.
Well that's it folks now talk about some bad aspects.
Art is just meh but the soundtrack,music and stuff are just the WORST.OK OK many people(me ... included) not really care about the music and sound but this was noticeably bad...just bad.And animation doesn't add anything good into it,it was just so bland.And again story is just not finished which is quite a problem for many people.
+Cool concept
+relatable characters
-Below average animation
-bad music
-unfinished story with a cliffhanger at the end

Finally I will just say if animation and music don't bother and you really like slice of life genre than you should consider watching it though it will leave you wanting more.
5.75 out of 10(6 is average for me)

A series with a lot of potential that sadly uses very little of it.
The idea is interesting, somebody who is struggling in life gets the chance to relive a certain period of it. There are a lot of interesting scenarios within this story line, sadly none of them are explored at all. The main story holds no relevance to the series and could be extracted from it without anything feeling off.
The idea of the show is to resocialize somebody who has shut himself of from society by letting him relive his youth. Oddly the main character doesn't really need to be socialized. His ... personality is warm and accepting from episode one. All the man needs is a job and some trauma-therapy. There is no real character development going on here as there is little progress for the main character to be made.
That aside the story still might be interesting if you'd properly explore how an 27 year old man might feel skipping backwards in time, how a grownup interacts with the values and problems of teenagers, sadly this potential is left untouched. The main character does not come across as an adult who went through very depressing periods in his life. Instead he feels like a teenager himself, getting embarrassed over banal things, overly focused on group-interactions, accepting the authority of teachers over him (having him drop smoking, as they think of him as a teenager).... There is no conflict caused by his mental age in this new situation and there are very few moments where he seems somewhat mature. These moments are the better parts of the series, very sad to see that this was not integrated in the story.
All in all this series has some loveable characters going through minor problems of growing up, everything else is an unused extra which leaves much to be desired. Sad to see an interesting idea falling flat on it's face. Watchable but nothing more.

It is my mistake to have a great expectation in this anime.

The concept is actually not original.. Many times, there are already many concept like this: "come back to school and make a change".

But, there are FAIL parts in this anime. That's why I rated it as BAD:
The story is in fact just a high school drama with a simple conflict and simple romance.. It is for casual watching. (Compare for example: "my boss my hero" dorama, this anime is lack of things).. Every high school boys can do what Kaizaki Arata (the main character) does. So, when you said: "You can make change by ... come back to high school". Well, everybody (not just Kaizaki) can do that, even better.. What the MC does are action that every normal high school boys can think of..

I expect more complicated conflict that only grown-ups can solve it OR perhaps the MC has something different that nobody has it.. (Come on... he is grown up!) and this anime failed it.. I even wonder why the creator put the theme "back to school" when all the MC does is just ordinary high school student. Nothing special.

First review so really bad. (Ok done with revisions.)

Relife is about a "NEET" (he has a part-time job) who was given the choice to take a drug that'll make him 10 (?) years younger and study as a high school student, again, and use it as a means to be reintroduced into society. The concept of getting back to one's feet is something that I really appreciate but the means the anime used, which was turning younger does not really make me that happy (and somewhat disappointed) since it is akin to that of him getting reincarnated. In other words, another device for the NEETS ... in Japan for escapism. So, that’s basically the premise of the anime. As for the main theme/s, we’ll talk about that later.

CHARACTERS (5/10):

Characters of the show, as always, are like any typical modern anime, people who has problems, which is really not a bad thing, since that means that there is a potential for them to develop as better ones. The problem with most modern anime characters is that they have backstories that are seriously very dramatic that you’d find it very unrealistic. That is not the case here in this anime. It being unreal is toned down considerably that it can be considered as realistic. It is quite interesting to see the other cast of the show being fleshed out and some being also given slight developments. Although that is the case, it still means nothing since they are completely forgotten after their stories end, NOT. I am quite surprised that this is not the case in this anime. Most of those with resolved problems are still actually given important roles for the next arc or so, which is really good. But, of course, there is a problem again, which is the fact that there is a lesser time given to the main character. Rather than being the main character, it is more like he is now the main support character, which is VERY BAD in my book (the red(?) haired girl seems to be the mc, lol). Although this is the case, I guess it is still okay since the problems and solutions made by the author to the real side characters are more than satisfactory, NOT! Although they are relatable to most viewers (which are adolescents), I still think that the solutions given are VERY basic, aside from the solution shown for the girl bestfriends, which I consider as basic to ok. As the show has 13 episodes only, when some characters say things that one would normally say to close friends or whatnot, I find it quite hard to believe. With so many problems involved, there actually aren’t enough time to actually show the closeness of the characters with each other (or at least within their groups). And yeah, most characters are one or two dimensional.

STORY (3/10):

The anime (until 10th episode, actually) has 3 main themes that are not really related to each other and are only connected with one thing, which is society. This already means a VERY bad thing in my standard. Although this is the case, as parts, they are quite good enough to watch, albeit, again, the solutions to the problems are not things that one would really appreciate much. It was all good and well up till the 10th episode. 11th episode made every thing downhill. Why? Because it became romance all of a sudden. Although there had been foreshadowing on the previous episodes, the fact that there were no problems mixed with these romances made me have a bad feeling towards this anime, but not that much. Why? Because there is still the possibility of a case of a 27 year old guy presumably starting a relationship with a 17 year old one, which is still an interesting thing to see. The actions brought by two supporters making them have a relationship even though they know the real age of both parties irritated me though, until that part, which completely made me disappointed with the anime altogether since I know, the possibility that it’ll turn into a low-tier anime was just raised exponentially with that. And most climaxes are quite done melodramatically which is shit. Shit, I tell you. But who cares anyway, right? They are, after all, high school students (15-18 years old), right? NO F WAY! And gee, have I already said that theme explorations are basically thrown out of the window? Not yet? Yeah, it is thrown out of the window. You don’t present your themes in only 2-3 episodes. That’s basically what this show did. This is a series, damn it! This is not a movie. Writer, you are not Miyazaki so quit dreaming of writing something like Princess Mononoke. Ok, this’s quite excessive. Anyway, the story’s basically shit.

ART & ANIMATION and SOUND (7/10) & (6/10):

[Original: I have little knowledge about these but I think art & animation is slightly above average (6/10) and sound average (5/10) ]

I skimmed through the episodes to confirm my conjecture and it seems it was a wrong one. So here goes, but still amateurish: The art seems okay, ordinary, but it fits with school life so it is still great. The change of the art style to fit with what a character feels or something like that is also good. Character designs are okay. Animation is also fluid, nothing great but still good. Sound is nice, osts come whenever you need them and op and ed are alright, I guess. Voice actors and actresses fits with their characters, too.

ENJOYMENT (6/10):

This is the first modern anime in a long time that captured my interest and made me watch till the end without feeling bored. Good job with that.

VERDICT (5.4/10):

A nice time waster that has ok themes not fully explored. Characters are average, art and sound are above average. It has no conclusion so you might want to try reading the manga after.

(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

I’m happy with the life I have.

My family is wonderful, I’m in relatively good health, and my interests are rewarding to me on many different levels. Sure, some aspects could be better, but I don’t like to think negatively. Instead, I tend to think with my eyes on the future and what I can do right here, right now.

ReLIFE provides a shot at such happiness, but, for the here-and-now, it does not quite succeed.

STORY

ReLIFE begins with the depressed and downtrodden Kaizaki. With no job, no friends, and no prospects, his life is in shambles. Yet, ... one day, a strange man by the name of Ryou offers him a chance at a new life. Or rather a do-over (hence the title). Kaizaki accepts, sending him down a path he never knew he wanted – let alone needed.

Like many anime, ReLIFE is a mixture of comedy and drama. Arguably, the anime begins as a comedy and slowly transitions into a drama. But it’s fair to say that both sides exist simultaneously throughout its run.

Comparing the two, the comedy reigns supreme. Especially early on where Kaizaki’s newfound situation leads to many antics. Nonchalance about cigarettes, his physical weakness, and the awkwardness of being around high-school girls lends itself easily to hijinks.

Of course, it’s all amplified by the supporting cast. Oga’s denseness when it comes to love. Ryo and An teasing Kaizaki for the umpteenth time. Hishiro’s “infectious smile.” It’s a playful anime, one whose exaggerated character reactions make it more fun than heavy.

Again, comedy persists in the second half of the anime as well, but it’s not as prominent. Not just because Kaizaki has (for the most part) gotten used to his “new” life but also because the drama itself takes priority.

And that’s where the anime encounters a large problem.

To be fair, a lot of the drama is a non-issue. Take, for instance, Kariu’s jealousy and Ryou’s failure. The former has nice build-up through Hishiro’s friendly attempts and showcases ideas on letting others learn through failure. The latter was an entire episode dedicated to establishing Ryou’s character and providing some background information.

Where ReLIFE messes up is with the volleyball arc.

To start, it takes up too much time. Giving three whole episodes to an arc that has nothing (directly) to do with either Kaizaki or Hishiro is a bad move. Hishiro’s reduction in screen time actually started in episode six, so it came off even worse for her.

Furthermore, it shifts the focus. The anime is carried quite a bit by Kaizaki’s leveled attitude and Hishiro’s deadpan delivery. So, when they aren’t the focus, as is the case during this arc, everything feels less interesting.

Who they choose to focus on is also a problem. Kariu already had her scenes from earlier in the season, and her jealousy being the issue again is repetitive and even belittles the change she had before. As for Tamarai, she is largely unimportant until this arc, and, even afterwards, she rarely seems like anything more than a background character.

And the drama is simply lackluster. Kariu quitting the team, listening through the locker-room door twice, and needing to get dragged to the tournament does not have enough weight to feel meaningful.

The whole arc is only three episodes, but, since it cuts into the comedy and the momentum that the first half started, it hurts the narrative more than it would otherwise.

However, the anime does make smart, if not correct, writing choices elsewhere.

It explores Kaizaki’s past. The audience knows something is up from the first episode, so the show taking the time to divulge what happened – even going so far as to include its effects in the present – was smart.

It has a couple of plot twists. An being a Support was unexpected. And, while Hishiro being a ReLIFEr like Kaizaki was no surprise (due to hints from Hishiro about this being her “last year” and Ryo’s nothing-happened report on the first subject), it makes narrative sense. Having someone else going through the same situation, who is both similar (and not), leads to many parallels and outcomes ripe with drama and meaning. Plus, they made it clear. For a time, it was hard to say whether the anime would unveil this secret before the conclusion to the season.

Perhaps its best trait, though, is the theme that literally defines the show.

ReLIFE. Re, life. In essence, the anime is about a do-over. Not a Groundhog-Day situation where the affected gets multiple shots. And not a complete redo either. Kaizaki receives another chance at gaining a life he always wished he had through trying out his final year of high-school again.

In other words, he gets a second chance. That’s something a surprising amount of people don’t get to have when, as the show argues, they deserve it.

Take, for instance, Kariu. She steals Hishiro’s bag, but Kaizaki and even Hishiro don’t ostracize her for it. Instead, they talk with her and come to an understanding. They don’t let one moment of weakness tarnish the progress they have made between one another. Because, despite what she did, she deserves a second chance.

It’s a direction that can be seen in almost every event. Ryou fails as his first time as a Support, but he gets another go at it with Kaizaki. Kariu gives up on the tournament, but Tamarai and the others persuade her to come back again. Hishiro’s first attempt at a ReLIFE didn’t work out, but the powers that be (and more importantly she herself) want her to succeed.

Even the show’s running gag – Kaizaki in a perpetual state of taking make-up exams – demonstrates that, sometimes, people need that second chance. To try it a different way, to get it right the next time, and to ultimately improve themselves when all is said and done (again).

So, while the anime may not officially end its story, leaving it open for a continuation (should there be one), it begins mostly with a solid start due in part to this theme and its other, smarter writing choices.

ANIMATION

Unfortunately for ReLIFE, its art and animation worsens as the season progresses.

Near the start, they are both at least passable. The comedic reaction faces that have larger eyes and squatter heads achieve laughs with ease. And the characters take part in gym events, hang out after school, and eat food. Nothing mind-blowing but also nothing egregious.

At about the halfway mark, though, it all starts to go downhill. Characters are drawn off-model. The dramatic events understandably reduce the comedic reactions but don’t replace them with anything too nuanced or at least interesting. A lot more talking and sitting and general lack of movement.

All the while, the background art isn’t helping. The typical school and apartment settings make sense for the show, but they don’t attract the eye. The same can be said for the lighting and the cinematography. At most, the show will have a sunset, and the shots keep focus on the characters. But, for the most part, ReLIFE tries next to nothing fancy.

The character designs are perhaps the art’s only positive constant. The female students’ beige cardigans with black skirts and black socks, and the male students’ long-sleeve grey coats with black ties, give them a more adult look. Fitting considering the anime’s content. Plus, all the important characters appear realistic enough. I.e., no uncommon hair colors or quirky accessories.

On a more specific level, Hishiro’s design, with her soft green eyes and front-and-back twin tails, is simplistic yet refined, working well with her character’s personality. Kariu’s side ponytail and red hair go with her tomboy, fiery self. And Kaizaki’s design, while arguably plain, is handsome without making him overly dull.

The only complaint in the designs is Tamarai and her eyebrows. Three horizontal lines above each of her eyes looks more like she has an unnaturally creased forehead.

CHARACTERS

ReLIFE is technically Kaizaki’s story, so he gets most of the focus.

He was a man shown to be down on his luck. Pretending to hold a job, earning a stipend from his mother, and lacking any grand direction. While he was drunk, Ryou’s proposition came as an opportunity that would not come around again.

When he takes the drug and starts reliving his teenage years once more, he starts to reevaluate himself. He quits smoking, he finds new friends in Oga, An, and Kariu, and he gets out of his apartment more so than he ever has before.

The anime also takes time to investigate his past. Once during the middle of the season and once at around the three-quarters mark. While nice that ReLIFE divulged Kaizaki’s background, it almost ends up hurting his character.

The first time shows him as a convenience-store cashier; his way of earning cash. Ryou secretly leaves behind his wallet for Kaizaki to find. Which he does, returning it to his soon-to-be (but unbeknownst to him) Supporter.

Sadly, the anime doesn’t show much else besides this, making it hard to grasp Kaizaki’s character before he became a shut-in. Did he have a lot of friends? He graduated from college, so what kinds of interests did he have? Were there any personal conflicts growing up that prevented him from changing his lifestyle?

In other words, the anime’s inability to showcase more of his life, especially when this anime is about a new one, does not give him much of a foundation.

The second time his past is brought up brings yet another problem. ReLIFE kept Kaizaki’s trauma hidden for most of the season, alluding to it only on occasion (as early as episode one). Eventually, it all gets revealed: his mentor’s bravery, the unfair treatment she received, and the eventual suicide she committed from all the bullying.

His response? Quitting his company. A righteous, noble move. Something that should be commended (and, indeed, that’s what happens). But his subsequent redo then is based on something positive (relative to his actions and not his mentor’s passing). It’s not as though he was a mean alcoholic or that he failed at whatever he set out do. Rather, he’s always been sociable, and he clearly has the right mindset when dealing with others.

Compare his scenario to Hishiro. While the anime doesn’t say too much about her (which is perhaps an issue as well), her ReLIFE is more reasonable. Transferring schools constantly desensitized her relationships with others to the point that she deemed them worthless since they would be gone within the year. That’s something that can be fixed. But Kaizaki’s goodness that is carried over across all parts of himself? Not so much.

To put it differently, Kaizaki being a good guy forced him into solitude, but Kaizaki being a good guy saves him from solitude. A weird paradox because the anime gave him the best of both worlds (per se) on all character fronts.

To play devil’s advocate, the anime does try to make his speaking out against his mentor’s bullies as a negative. Since he butted in, that only encouraged the men to harp on her more. This idea ties into the show’s thoughts on letting others sometimes handle their own problems.

And, arguably, this direction leads to what he must overcome. Namely, striking a balance between staying quiet and reaching out to others when they need it most. He failed his mentor, but his actions in befriending Hishiro, persuading Kariu, and supporting Oga demonstrate that he does not wish to make the same mistake again. That he is making the most out of this second chance he has received.

Speaking of the rest of the cast, the anime does give them attention. Hishiro, slowly but surely, gains a social circle. Kariu and Oga finally form a romantic relationship. Tamarai likes volleyball again. Nothing groundbreaking, but ReLIFE obviously allows almost all its characters to grow in a meaningful manner.

However, what they represent is arguably more important, for each character has a certain representation when it comes to reclusion, to reaching out.

Kaizaki’s mentor highlights how dire it can get keeping everything to one’s self.

Ryou champions the let-others-help-themselves ideology.

Tamarai teaches what ignoring somebody can lead to.

Oga reveals that, sometimes, people can reach out in the “wrong” way.

Kariu shows that active avoidance of others is arguably worse than never trying at all.

Hishiro proves that some people absolutely need help from outside themselves.

Kaizaki demonstrates just how easy helping others can be and how wonderful such help is.

Altogether, their thematic relevance, how they each embody or relate to a reaching-out lifestyle, drives their purpose home. For, as they show, the most prosperous of lives are ones surrounded by those friends and those loved ones that a person holds most dear.

SOUND

The music of ReLIFE is a whole lot of noise without much pleasure.

For each episode, a new ending track plays. They are usually the same type: pop songs or light-rock ensembles. To be fair, it’s a nice sentiment. It takes a lot of effort to get this many different pieces, and the creators deserve at least some praise for trying to make the anime more special. Unfortunately, almost all the tracks are forgettable since their quantity is their downfall, for none of them ever stick let alone stand out from one another.

(Kaizaki’s balcony door cutting off the music when he closed it, though, was a nice touch.)

On the other side, the anime has practically one track in its original soundtrack. It contains a couple of clunky piano notes that are meant to come off as lonely. Instead, it sounds like a sorry excuse for a semi-sad piece. Even disregarding this piece and focusing on the others, they either come off as too corny or too erratic, pushing the OST down the same weak path as the set of EDs.

At least the opening track comes out feeling somewhat worthwhile. The vocalist, piano, and drum beat work well together, but the track’s tone is more important. Its transition from somewhat slow and melancholic to faster and filled with energy reflects the journey that Kaizaki (and Hishiro) goes through. Plus, the ending few notes symbolizes how all journeys – even this ReLIFE – must come to an end.

Lastly, voice acting sees no notable performances.

ENJOYMENT

While the drama was neither emotional nor impactful to me, I liked this one.

The anime shined brightest whenever Hishiro was on-screen. Her unintentional smirk and sincerity at trying to be friends with the others had me smiling a lot. Also, her naivety. Doing an unnecessarily excited team cheer or being overly straightforward in a situation that perhaps required more tact added to her appeal as a fun yet serious character.

Kaizaki was entertaining, too. He wasn’t a complex person, but his general friendliness with everyone, such as the teasing that went on or his insistence that he leave his cashier job formally, made him a cool guy to root for.

I didn’t like how they failed to follow through on the romance between the these two, though. Too much almost-there and not enough commitment. I get that he has a moral and rational basis for why he doesn’t pursue Hishiro (at this time). But it’s so obvious, and the anime is considered of the romance genre. So not getting anything between them is a big bummer.

Thankfully, Oga and Kariu make up for this frustration by getting together. It was a cute scene on that bridge, the two focusing only on their held hands. They are awesome for each other. It’s just a shame that the show had to end before showing them as a full-fledged couple.

ReLIFE isn’t a subpar anime, but it’s not a shining one either. The story has ineffectual drama but a strong theme on second chances. The characters aren’t stellar but themes on reclusion exist. And the comedy and relationships are entertaining, but the visuals and the music fail to appeal. Right here, right now, this one is just all right.

SUMMARY

Story: Good, while a certain volleyball arc detracts the narrative, some smarter writing choices and plot points, as well as a strong comedic first half and a theme on second chances throughout, create a strong start

Animation: Bad, noticeably worsens over time, boring artistic direction, below average actual animation, and nice character designs

Characters: Good, while Kaizaki may not be the most interesting or well-written of characters, he has arguable strengths, and his and the others reclusive representations coincide well with the overall themes at play

Sound: Bad, okay OP, bad OST, bad EDs, and okay VA performances

Enjoyment: Fine, fun characters and some nice side romance yet unemotional drama and no main romance

Final Score: 5/10

I feel like this concept had some promise and that promise was squandered throughout the series. After the first few episodes the focus shifts from examining an adult in a high school classroom to just another generic high school slice of life. Most of the latter half of the episodes aren't even focused on our main character, several episodes star other high school kids dealing with some very worn out plot points.

It's very disappointing, honestly. There's so much that could have been done with the relife program, or just the idea of an adult pretending to be a teenager. Almost all of that materiel was ... left mostly untouched.

If you're a fan of the standard high school drama slice of life and you'd like to see one with a mild twist away from the norm, you'd probably really enjoy this show.

If you're looking for something unique, or were expecting this show to mostly be about the adult in the teenager's body, this show will leave you more disappointed than satisfied.

I'm writing this review to warn off people like me.
The show made me laugh pretty damn hard in the first 3 or 4 episodes. Belly laugh, tears and all; the main character particularly had amazing, hilarious reactions.
Sadly, soon the comedy pretty much disappears and it turns into annoying highschool drama. It's the kind of drama I usually can just ignore and fast-forward through, but the drop is so intense and sudden, from the good comedy to the stupid teenagers with their nonsense, that I have to rate the anime poorly due to what I'll have to call false advertisement.
Maybe I am simply too old to ... tolerate that crap, but in case you think you are too, either stay away from ReLIFE or watch only until somebody yells in a serious tone for some dumb reason, then you better stop and move on to something else.

I don't often watch high school anime but this one had an interesting premise so I gave it a shot.
I will be including the 4-part sequel OVA in this review NO spoilers though.

The good:
- It has a great set-up. First couple episodes had me invested.
- I liked the jazzy style soundtrack, stood out a bit which was nice.
- The entire ensemble of characters are the highlight of the show - all very likeable and were the main thing that kept me going to finish the series.

The bad:
- I'm not expecting a super dramatic story but really, nothing happens for 13(+4) ... episodes. Just lots of boring misunderstandings that would be fixed if the characters just COMMUNICATED what they THOUGHT. You already know what's going to happen and you're simply just waiting for them to tell each other what you as a viewer already know.
- The romance side, like many other high school anime, is not worth your time. It's clear from day one who's who and the rest of the show is very much just waiting for them to confesses (they hug by the last episode, incredible). Boring & annoying.
- Specific to the 4-part sequel - the budget must have dropped because the animation quality is SHOCKING. I don't usually care but honestly - EVERY single background character was just a silhouette. Completely took me out of it laughing about it.

Look, if you like high school animes, this is like the rest of them. It's fine. Starts very strong and goes downhill.

Relife is really cute. The main guy is well, a main guy. He’s down and out, but that’s because of problems in his first life where he tried to be a nice guy and it backfired on him. Still, he’s interesting enough, and watching his older life and his current one clash. Watching someone try to go back to high school. It’s nice to see acknowledgement that he’s older and thus will tackle certain situations differently.

The main problem with this story is that he mostly doesn’t come across half the time as the main character. In fact, the ... person with the most hang-ups is Rena. I really ended up not liking her. I kinda liked that she understood what her own problems were and that she was being an idiot, but watching her just fail because of her situations makes her a really annoying character to deal with.

Plus, there’s a few too many grownups in the story. That might sound weird, but if I go into more, I go into spoilers.

Now if this had the main character dealing with individual stories in some way that fleshed out the class more and didn’t make the series seem more like the “Rena problem of the day” thing, I think I would have liked it more. But overall it is a rather cute and harmless bit of fluff to watch. Though the whole “let’s deal with trauma by putting him in high school” seems really stupid.

Sincerely there is not much to say about "Re: Life" is the typical school romantic comedy anime ... let's say what is original is that its protagonist is actually an adult who could return to his teenage years and apply what he He learned throughout his life to help his schoolmates and at the same time change his own sad and defeatist personality.


As the episodes progress, we see how the relationship of the protagonist with his companions is improving more and more and he helps them recover from the typical difficulties of every teenager in school comedy anime, of course thanks to the experience he ... acquired throughout of their life.


An enjoyable anime but it's not the best you can find ... it's worth a look anyway!