Sakurada Reset

Kei Asai lives in the oceanside city of Sakurada—a town where the inhabitants are born with strange abilities. On the school rooftop one day, he meets Misora Haruki, an apathetic girl with the power to reset anything around her up to three days prior. While no one knows when she has reset, not even Haruki, Kei can retain everything before the reset thanks to his own ability: photographic memory. After they successfully help someone by combining their powers, they join the Service Club to aid others in their town.

However, their club becomes involved with and begins completing missions for the mysterious Administration Bureau—an organization that focuses on managing the abilities in Sakurada and manipulating the town's events for their own ends. They may find out that there are more things at work in Sakurada than the machinations of the uncanny organization.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Souma, Sumire Main

Yuuki, Aoi Japanese

Asai, Kei Main

Ishikawa, Kaito Japanese

Haruki, Misora Main

Hanazawa, Kana Japanese

Nonoo, Seika Supporting

Misawa, Sachika Japanese

Urachi, Masamune Supporting

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Ukawa, Sasane Supporting

Koshimizu, Ami Japanese

Chiruchiru Supporting

Kawanishi, Kengo Japanese

Michiru Supporting

Uchida, Maaya Japanese

Murase, Youka Supporting

Makino, Yui Japanese

Sakuin-san Supporting

Uetake, Kana Japanese

Aoi, Hiroyuki Producer

Kajita, Kouji Producer

Ogisu, Hirotsugu Producer

Kawatsura, Shinya Director

Reviews

Aug 30, 2024

JuneJun

Recommended

Sakurada Reset is a hidden gem. Well, at least for me it is. I just happened to find it while browsing the mystery genre. I wasn't expecting much, but I ended up binging the whole thing in a day. It starts off a bit slow but picks up after the first couple of episodes. What makes Sakurada Reset stand out for me is its creative use of superpowers, engaging character growth, and the gradual unraveling of the town’s mysteries. Although its overall presentation isn't anything special, the intriguing plot and character development make it worth watching. If you are looking for a well-written mystery with ... a few twists and turns, Sakurada Reset is definitely worth a look.

It really feels like people have forgotten about this show since I rarely see anyone recommend or discuss it. I find it so underrated that I decided to log into this account, which I haven’t touched for years, just to write this review and hopefully convince someone to give it a shot. I will not be mentioning any spoilers at all, so feel free to read this if you haven't seen the show.

Just a disclaimer: I've never written a review before, and this is my first, so sorry in advance if it comes off as incoherent.




Overview of what one should expect when watching:

To give a gist of what the show is about, the story centers mostly around two students with abilities who are part of a club that aims to use their powers to solve cases and help people with their daily lives (for example: finding someone's missing cat). Eventually, the cases evolve from these simple ones, and the stakes are raised. Haruki can reset time back to a save point, but she won't remember anything since her memories are also reset. Kei has a supernatural memory and can remember anything. Even if time is reset along with everyone's memories, his memories won't disappear. They also get help from people with other powers every now and then for different cases/story arcs.

That premise might sound boring to some, so I will say that something significant happens at the end of the second episode. It introduces an unsolved death mystery, which stays unsolved until later on in the series. I found the payoff for this to be the best one this show had to offer. I initially watched this anime because I was in a 'mystery show' mood (like Kubikiri Cycle, Perfect Insider, etc.). I expected something similar to Hyouka, and while it did capture some of that vibe, it also reminded me of Charlotte in its story structure. Each arc usually revolves around the club tackling a new problem, with a focus on exploring the character(s) involved in that specific case.




What I liked about the show:

Like I said earlier, the main aspects I like about the show are the interesting use of abilities, character growth, and the slow reveal of the mystery behind the town.

By "interesting use of abilities," I mean that it's kind of similar to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. In JoJo, Stand abilities are unpredictable. During battles, it’s hard to see how characters will win, but when they do and the clever strategy behind their victory is revealed, it makes for a satisfying outcome. I got a similar sensation when watching this show. Also, yes, there are some "fights" between ability users in this show. But it's more about outsmarting your opponent through abilities rather than physically fighting them. Kei winning over his opponent in episode 4 is one of my favorite examples of this. I thought Kei doing a funny finger gun pose at the start of that episode was just for fun, and it was cool to find out that there actually turned out to be a reason as to why he did that. Those who've watched will know what I'm talking about. Anyways, early on, some might find the use of abilities to be kind of basic. But as the show moves forward, they progressively get more creative in how they use their powers together with other characters. Like I said earlier, as the show goes on, the club meets new people with different powers to help them out. And so the abilities the viewer is exposed to grow over time. And later on in the show, all of these characters and their abilities come together to perform amazing feats I could not have thought of myself.

I won't get into detail about the character arcs, but I will say that watching the main duo's progression was enjoyable. Seeing their bond deepen and observing their individual growth was particularly satisfying. I thought every character had ample screen time. Though, there are a few minor characters I wish we got to know more about or had more time to get attached to. But for the overall story and given the limited number of episodes, I think they did a good job. I've just browsed some of the reviews here and noticed that there are some mentions of the cast coming off as robotic or seemingly having no emotions. I personally disagree with these takes. It's not that they are robotic, but their expressions aren't really as exaggerated as characters from shows like Demon Slayer or as energetic as something like the Monogatari series. They are just a lot more grounded compared to other shows, and I don't think that's a bad thing.

The story has a couple of plot twists and turns that I did not see coming. Early parts of the show are mostly used to get to know the characters and understand how the world works. Throughout the story, the show drops hints about the truth behind the town and the unsolved death from the second episode. These details help build up to the reveal of these mysteries, which feels natural and doesn’t seem like it was just pulled out of nowhere.




What I dislike about the show:

I think a reason this show might've gone under the radar for most people is the animation. It's not bad, but it also doesn't do anything remarkable. There wasn’t really a moment where I was in awe of the animation, which is surprising considering this show is said to be made by the same studio that did JoJo (and they would eventually work on Fire Force). The show doesn’t have much style either, which did not help hide how basic its animation was. In its defense, the show doesn't need crazy animation since the abilities showcased aren't difficult to animate. But if the show was done by a studio like KyoAni, I feel it would've gotten higher reception. Interesting visuals might've helped retain some viewers in watching this show, but sadly, we did not get that.

The dialogue as well isn't as captivating or charming as something you would see in shows like the Monogatari series or Bunny Girl Senpai. Similar to the animation, I don't think the dialogue is particularly bad, but it doesn't stand out or do anything interesting like the shows I've just mentioned. And this show is mostly just talking, so I could see how it would turn some people off. Still, this did not hinder my enjoyment of the show, and I still got attached to the characters anyway. But it definitely could've been done better, which is why I consider this a con.

Another downside is that it seems a lot of people didn’t enjoy the first couple of episodes and some might find them to be a slog. However, after these initial episodes, the show does pick up. I personally liked even the first couple of episodes, but I understand some people might not feel the same.




Conclusion:

Sakurada Reset might not have the best visuals, and the dialogue isn't as entertaining as the examples I stated earlier. But with how well-written the characters are along with the great overarching plot, I think these are what make the show worth watching. This show isn't a masterpiece, but it still offers a unique premise and an enjoyable watch. I have no regrets investing my time into finishing it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Aug 27, 2019

ggultra2764

Mixed Feelings

Sakurada Reset is set in the titular town that has people filled with special abilities and are isolated from the outside world. Among its residents are Kei Asai, who has a perfect memory that can't be tampered with, and Haruki Misora, who can reset time up to 72 hours back whenever she sets up a save point to set the time back to. Both of them are members of the Service Club, a club where the two are assigned to handle unique dilemmas coming from ability users. Unknown to them however, the Service Club is part of a larger chain of events transpiring within the ... town.

Sakurada Reset has gotten some rather divided reception among fans due to how it chooses to execute its storytelling. It goes the route of the Monogatari franchise in that good chunks of the series feature characters being in long-winded conversations where they talk about their abilities and perceptions of their everyday lives. What made this approach popular among Monogatari fans was that this was accompanied by the colorful and eccentric personalities of its cast. This is not the case with Sakurada Reset throughout much of its run, as characters barely emote as they talk nor express anything resembling a human personality. This unfortunately makes the characters come off seeming like robots or "talking heads" (depending on how you view them), and makes it quite a struggle to get through roughly the first two-thirds of the anime series. This is especially bad with Haruki's character, as she sounds almost robotic talking, not able to think independently, and seemingly only exists for Kei to use her reset ability whenever he's in a pinch.

The handling of the character abilities is also a bit of a mixed bag. In concept, all the characters have specific restrictions and conditions they have for utilizing their abilities. To its credit, this keeps the characters from getting too overpowered within Sakurada Reset and they have to think carefully over the best means to utilize their abilities for varying situations. For instance, Kei's "perfect memory" lets him recall events from prior resets that Haruki made, since she forgets of events that occurred following the previous "save point" she set prior to a reset. However, the show's rather subpar animation does hinder how spectacular some of the more fantastical abilities of the series are rendered such as Sasano's ability to enter the world of a photo for a limited time and Ukawa's ability to manipulate the properties of objects.

As far as the story goes, much of the first two-thirds of Sagrada Reset is focused on exploring the town and introducing a number of ability users, a number of whom have personal problems related to their abilities that Kei and Haruki have to resolve. On the one hand, the series does do a solid job with dabbling into each character's problems, with Kei having to do much of the guesswork in figuring out how to resolve each crisis. In addition, hints are usually dropped about the larger situation that Kei and others gradually find themselves getting into. However due to the mentioned issue with characters barely seeming human throughout much of the series, it does kill quite a bit of investment for the audience to give a hoot about what goes on throughout much of the series.

Miraculously, the final third of Sakurada Reset offers a considerably improved experience over its early two-thirds if you are able to press on that far. The larger conflict that comes at hand at this point in the series offers a clash of philosophies over the abilities given to people within Sakurada and puts Kei's abilities to the biggest test in resolving the crisis. The storytelling is genuinely more engaging with some major characters forced into making hard decisions to aid one another and having some genuinely engaging dramatic developments in which the characters actually emote more often. This easily makes the final third of Sakurada Reset the best point within the series to watch through and a good reward after struggling through the stagnant first two-thirds of its run.

Overall, I suppose I found Sakurada Reset a bit of a mixed bag. While it has a unique premise with solid exploration of its world and characters, elements of its design and direction such as its subpar animation, heavy focus on character conversations, and almost-robotic character interactions hinder how receptive many viewers would be to viewing the series. The final third of the series is a considerable improvement with how the characters express themselves due to the raised stakes of the conflict they find themselves in. But this alone is not enough for me to believe it improves the quality of Sakurada Reset as a whole, and is certainly an area where I can see the show's divided reception comes into play.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Dec 26, 2023

Pulluxx

Not Recommended

An anime does not need to hijack your computer and send hoax emails about your untimely death to your loved ones, nor discolor the screen you're watching it on to be considered completely, utterly worthless. The key is in the word itself; worthless - meaning an absence of worth. Are there animations within the medium, albeit mostly of the mouths of characters plastered onto static backgrounds? Yes, there is. Is the voice acting competent in that it maintains a consistent tone of voice for its characters, and there's no flub takes being snuck into the final product? Also, yes. Is there a narrative that builds ... toward some sort of conclusion? I cannot say no. Neither of these things can be justifications that I in good faith can recommend another person to endeavor this joyless experience.

Kei Asai is the main character, and you love him because he has blue hair, sits in the back of the classroom next to the window, goes to the rooftop for lunch, and believes in justice real hard. He wants to wipe the tears of every crying child. He wants to lead lost puppies back to their homes and set out milk bowls for all the starving cats. Happiness is not just a word, it's a permanent reality you can achieve if you accept Kei Asai into your heart and allow him to do what he feels is best for you. To quote one of his sycophants, "Those who wish to save the world know what's right for the world to be saved" - the ends justify the means, and if you'll leave both of those up to Kei, he'll lead you to the Promised Land. Parallels to Jesus Christ are unavoidable, with the glaring omission that Kei does not end up nailed to a cross in the final act to give some sort of catharsis to the viewer.

It's not just that he's self-righteous, infallible, unflappable, egoless and always right. It's that there's nothing else. Women fall in love with him, not because of his charms, but because he's Kei Asai. Former antagonists rally up behind him because he's Kei Asai. His motives or reasoning never needs to be questioned; people follow him because he's Kei Asai. There's no character development, no flaws, mistakes that trigger self-reflection, earthly desires that compete with his superego. He's flatter than flatbread on the back of a flatbed truck.

It's not just a case of "bad main character, bad anime". Anime can have reprehensible protagonists while being grossly entertaining (albeit controversial, School Days would be an example of this for me, your mileage may vary). But there are no other characters in the show, they are mere extensions of Kei Asai's will. They might be initially opposed to him, but soon enough they'll see the error of their ways and subject themselves to becoming another screwdriver or hammer in his tool belt. Apart from the main "bad guy", their motivations rank from "I want Kei Asai to succeed" to "I love Kei Asai and its troublesome that other people do the same". Cult leaders and totalitarian dictators wish they had subjects as subservient as the supporting cast in this anime.

Maybe the plot is great? No, as prior described, characters lack motivations, never does Kei Asai's righteous decisions backfire, the stakes are not properly established and whenever our hero is in a pickle the anime can wring some use case out of the abilities to have him come up smelling of roses every time. The arc format doesn't help matters as it's just another fair maiden in a tower needing to be saved and the main plot is underdeveloped because of it. Dialogue is unnatural, trite, no one has a unique tone of voice, and they try too hard to appear smart by ham-fistedly shoehorning in philosophical concepts in-between the exposition too many times.

I don't fault anyone for finding enjoyment in this anime, you might see qualities I am blind to and I'm happy you liked it. For me, this was an utterly joyless ordeal, but I at least watched it with people I love, so once the ugly head was reared, we could make fun of how bad it is, but even then, there are way better anime for that purpose. Don't watch this.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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