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Jul 18, 2016
// This ReView only contains spoilers if you haven’t ReLived the experiences shown in the anime yourself//
ReLife is an awesome mix of light-hearted comedy and existential drama, which ponders about serious adult problems by presenting us with a typical anime high-school setting. Surprisingly, it works.
Story:
We are given a premise of an adult guy participating in an experiment called ‘ReLife’, which allows you to alter your appearance to look younger and spend a year in high school. Again. Under a watchful eye of the supervisor. The story after this is pretty simple and all of the revelations are obvious to the attentive viewer. ReLife draws its
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inspiration from many sources. It shares alienation of a single person from the community with ‘Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru’, finding your way emotionally and rationally with ‘Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo’, protagonist interaction with an unfamiliar setting with ‘Boku dake ga Inai Machi ’, morally right versus socially acceptable dilemma with ‘NHK ni Youkoso’. So, what are the unique aspects of the show? Is it just another copy of popular titles made to impress the audience? It can be said that ReLife is really good when it follows its original path, and gets worse when it strays off to the point of becoming easily compared. Luckily, that doesn’t happen too often.
Unlike all of the former titles, ReLife is not about how our actions influence the world, but how our emotions influence our actions. It touches the aspects of friendship, love, social distance, acceptance in community, competitiveness and value of a person in his own eyes. It wonders where we draw the line between helping someone and intruding in their lives. Just like the former titles, however, ReLife is more mature than it lets you to believe at first sight. This is where the other aspect kicks in to balance this out.
Comedy in ReLife is largely built on comparing the present and the past, contrasting differences (kids these days) with similarities (I guess X is still like this). It’s a neat choice of giving the show a solid viewpoint and is also really good for giving minor details to the protagonist, considering that while he is not that much older than the rest of the cast, a lot has indeed changed in the last decade. It also deals with other minor things we pick up when growing up, such as formal language and vocabulary or just general ability to socialise in a group.
Characters:
Character section is where the title could drop its prefix and just be called ‘Life’, because this is what drives the show. It is not about main character moving towards his goal, but more about him realizing his own self through other people, who are much more in-the-moment. ReLife is about, well, life, and life is about having problems, because this is what we, as humans, spot best. Protagonist has problems, his fellow students have problems, even his supervisor faces several challenges. Some want recognition. Some want friends. Some want to correct their mistakes. Some just want to have fun. The assortment of obstacles, big and small, is so varied you could almost certainly relate to some of them.
All characters are pretty unique and likeable, but instead of describing their personalities, I’d like to point out how carefully authors tone down general tropes to convey their message. Shy people are not hilariously shy, assertive and eccentric characters are hardly tsunderes, etc. Sometimes we see comic situations, but they are never portrayed for the sake of comic relief. They shape the characters; they create interactions between them and fill the blanks in your and main character’s understanding of their problems. Main character himself is not antisocial or too extreme in his behaviour – just a regular person with another chance in life. And because he doesn’t really fit into this bunch of students, we can observe the situation from his point of view – as an outsider, detached from the rest of the cast.
It doesn’t become relevant until about halfway into the show, when curator says, ‘Do you like ReLife? Does it let you to take a thorough look at yourself?’ Not sure if this was intended, but this phrase is as applicable to the protagonist as it is to the viewer. ReLife challenges us as much as it is challenging the protagonist. Every single time we think about past situation and how we could’ve done something differently, we are missing out on the present. This happens because we can usually only look at every situation once we are out of it, when we are not bothered by immediate feelings and goals. ReLife focuses on this aspect heavily by telling the viewer, ‘Hey, if think you could relive some moments of your life and change them to better your present, why not focus on your present instead?’
Animation:
Animation in ReLife is really, really good, especially on the characters design side. It is simple but very fitting for the story, much like in the source material. A fair amount of detail is given to the background, and characters out of focus are also somewhat detailed (unlike A-1 Pictures straw men).
Sound:
I feel like ReLife deserves some extra credits at this department because the voice acting is on a superior level. Most of strong points of the anime are based upon interacting with feelings (or lack of them); hence it becomes extremely important to voice it properly. Another strong point is a special ending song for each episode, which definitely adds to the experience. OP is much more memorable than all of them, however.
Verdict:
ReLife deals with feelings of regret we have about our past, but more importantly, it tries to inspire us to face the present. There will always be regrets, because no life is perfect as is. But are we reducing the value our past problems hold? Do the negative aspects only break us and bring negative emotions, or do they shape us, build our character and prepare us for the life ahead?
Despite tackling complex issues, ReLife’s messages are pretty simple. You can’t run away from your life forever. Sometimes, you have to fail to succeed. And even if we have the second chance, there is no guarantee that we will use it and not miss out on it again.
It is not about waiting for the right moment in your life to start acting. It’s about starting doing something right now, not because it will be easy, or painless, or even that the result will pay off, but because in the end the journey will be worth it.
Score: Story (8*40%) + Characters (9*30%) + Animation (9*15%) + Sound (8*15%) + Enjoyment (+1) = 9.45
Personal Achievement: Passion Cliff Is Too Steep
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 11, 2016
// I’m happy to serve you this fresh, fresh review. Contains traces of spoilers.//
Living in a modern Japan is harsh. Especially when you study at the best culinary school in existence where almost all the females melt from your food and most other students want you defeated in one of the countless food wars. That’s Shokugeki no Souma.
Story:
The plot starts extremely fast, making little room for introductions or plausible excuses. Main hero is thrown into a culinary school with a very low chance of graduation because of a strict curriculum. This anime seems like your typical high school setting with a considerable amount of time
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devoted to conceal this issue. ‘It’s not your typical shounen set up in an educational facility!’, screams the plot. And while the broad canvas remains the same – cliché characters and power level measuring and so forth, there is a good amount of details to help you forget about this, if that is your wish. The main strength of plot Shokugeki no Souma lies in not treating itself seriously. Only in this way can the inspirational quotes and tense (but predictable) food battles go hand-in-hand with figural tentacles and deep moaning.
The only plot issue, apart from its simplicity, lies in incredibly high stakes of each episode: don’t cook a good meal – get expelled, don’t pass a test – get expelled, don’t win a food war – get expelled and have your restaurant destroyed. It makes a show predictable, because the protagonist can’t lose – then we would be left with no show at all. Typical episode of Shokugeki no Souma uses the same repetitive model: protagonist is challenged by secondary character of the week, protagonist makes food, protagonist wins. As a result, the most you can get out of the episode is some awesome recipes and details of every single story. And every recipe is either taken from some national cuisine or is created as a mash of them, which means that it can be recreated exactly like that in real life. Maybe without the tentacles, though. The story is predictable, the outcome is determined most of the time, but the details are what makes the experience actually good, same story as with Gintama.
This does somewhat change in the second half of the series, where the serious part of the plot truly begins to shine. It doesn’t take control of the story, of course: we still see a light-hearted ecchi shounen, but the progression and the competition start to make more sense. With all that being said, there is definitely enough going in each episode to entertain you.
Characters:
The protagonist of the story, Souma, (almost) always wins in food wars because he cooks well and because he is incredibly careless. Had he been careful (or smart) enough to start thinking about his actions, he would have never won a single one of them. To quote one of the other characters, “he doesn’t know when to quit”. This works for the anime as a whole: make it even a little bit more serious, more intellectual, more thoughtful, and it becomes dull and boring. Shokugeki no Souma is stupid, knows it and rolls with it. And it works.
Something works for Souma though: he is incredibly savvy and creative when it comes to cooking. Quick-witted, he always finds a way to bend the rules and win, producing another one of his spectacular meals and ‘Happy to serve!’ catchphrase. Early on we find out he is like that because of a fierce competition with his father, and this fact plays a great deal in developing his character. Actually one of the reasons why Souma is that good and can compete with most of the other members comes from this obsession to outperform. It also makes for a great sub-plot and a main point that makes or breaks your enjoyment. If you can relate to the struggle Souma (or/and any secondary characters with him) experiences, this show can be really good for you, otherwise – not so much.
Other minor characters serve as a way of reminding us of the bigger picture outside of Souma’s perspective. They are also a source of some of the best-written and closest to real life dorm jokes I’ve ever heard. There is a shy girl, an energetic girl, some tsundere girls, tsundere guy, guy in the glasses, some members of the elite in the school and various staff members. Usual shounen stereotypes also apply here, and they all get some screen time and backstory, even if just a little bit. We do not always witness them performing, but they also grow, have their own reasons for studying and graduating. It is a solid sneak peak into lives of other people, and it really helps with the experience.
Animation:
Animation is… good. In fact, it is really good. The art style follows a trustworthy J.C.Staff scheme: broad range of colours, but not too bright, distinct character design, focus on most powerful moments of the show, while simultaneously cutting corners on other aspects. In terms of modern art it meets most standards and probably will not leave you disappointed, unless you are too picky about it.
Sound:
Voice actors do a pretty good job emphasising character traits. They fit the characters pretty good and actually become memorable as the time goes on. As this is an ecchi title, a lot of time is put into good sound, so no complains on this behalf. Background music is mostly spot-on and really enhances the experience. You also become addicted to the first OP of the series. I know I did.
Verdict:
No matter what the popular opinion claims, Shokugeki no Souma is not unique in any of the main concepts it represents. There is, however, still much to learn and enjoy from this series: the food recipes, the different techniques, the difficulty of a dormitory life or a life of a student in a top-grade educational facility, even the social class difference between people. It would have been quite generic if it wasn’t for the extensive amount of details on cooking and some time devoted to secondary characters. Shokugeki no Souma doesn’t make a breakthrough in the genre. Rather, it nails what it already has with a mix of comedy, drama and a little bit of alcohol to spice the meal.
Score: Story (6*40%) + Characters (7*30%) + Animation (7*15%) + Sound (8*15%) + Enjoyment (+0) = 6.75
Personal Achievement: Full Immersion (got food poisoning while watching the series)
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 26, 2016
// People don’t die when they are spoiled. However, the spoilers are kept to a minimum here. //
Fate/Stay night is the first of several adaptations of a VN with the same name. It is also regarded by many as one of the worst because of non-canon mix of routes. In my opinion, however, its positive features greatly outweigh its flaws as it is an awesome standalone story.
Story:
We follow our protagonist, Emiya Shirou, as he fights in a battle royal with six other contenders for an omnipotent device that grants wishes to the victor. They each get their own servant, a spirit guardian with unique abilities
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and personality. It is a simple plot, with some twists along the road, but mostly with a linear structure. The show has several battles and a consistent romance story between them. There is little strategy involved in planning those battles, so the show is probably less appealing for those who prefer an intellectual approach to fighting, but they all follow the character’s motivations and personalities. It is very hard to refrain from comparing this adaptation to a 2014 F/SN: UBW title, where, despite an overwhelmingly better quality of animation, the plot got a huge downgrade with a lot of strange turns and twists for the sake of turns and twists. It almost seems like the story gets better the farther it moves from the source and the more it gets reimagined and explored.
The magic system in the series is mostly explained, and rules regarding the specifics of controlling your own spirit or some extra details to their strengths are shown and noted on the go – a golden mean between narration and not telling anything at all. That being said, anime does experience some problems in consistency of magic brought from VN. This mainly happens because each servant is overpowered in their own way. Overall the story has a medium pace, is decently explained and has a satisfying ending.
Characters:
The protagonist of the story, Emiya Shirou, is portrayed as heroic, selfless and mostly bland. He has his ideals of saving all the people, not letting anyone suffer or get hurt and so on. There is not much going for him and because the plot does not conflict with his ideals too often, his character does not grow throughout the story. This also means, however, that he does not become childish and annoying, which is a positive aspect in my book. Shirou’s most defining feature (aside from his triangle face) is his reliability. You can almost always tell when, during a difficult fight with small chances to win, he will barge in to save the day (and get absolutely crushed afterwards). Is it predictable? Yes, it is. Does it make the anime less enjoyable or coherent? No. There is a bottom line for Shirou, which makes him so much better that in any other adaptation: he is idealistic, not stupid.
The other focus of the story is Saber, Shirou’s servant. There is not much that could be said without at least somewhat spoiling the plot. In this particular anime, Saber serves as a voice of reason for Shirou, which is satisfying to watch, seeing as how their ideals are similar, while their life experiences are not. In the latter part of the anime, the influence factor is rotated, so she also experiences changes in character. Saber, as the name implies, wields a sword and handles the front line of the assault, which could have led to some really enjoyable moments if it wasn’t for the animation quality.
There are other characters, some of which are important for the story, but they are not shown much, and as such lack good characterisation. Most of them only get their traits revealed through interaction with protagonists, which somewhat limits our perception of them. As this particular anime tries to focus on Shirou’s and Saber’s relationship, it mostly neglects other characters in favour of it. This somewhat changes in the second half of the story, where all of the characters get decent screen time. Even considering that, the main heroes are detailed enough so you will probably not miss the others.
Animation:
This is where the show gets really low. Even considering the year of creation (2006) and the attempt to recreate a specific visual novel style of graphics, the result ranges from somewhat tolerable to extremely bad. Some episodes will leave you wondering if the anime was drawn by a drunk or in a hurry because sometimes characters barely resemble humans. If the particular person is not the focus of a scene, and is only present in the background, you will be lucky to see something closely resembling a face. This could be caused by budget restrictions or outsourcing some of the less important scenes. Probably the latter, since the fights in this anime are actually portrayed fine, compared to the overall style.
Sound:
There is not much to say about the sound other than that it is present. The voice actors do a decent jobs portraying the characters, the background music is okay (and slowly moves towards ‘great’ in the last few episodes), two OP’s are also fine, but forgettable. I’d like to distinguish a most frequently played ED (Anata ga Ita Mori), because the music perfectly fits the tone of the story, even if the visuals are mostly a still image.
Verdict:
There are many reasons to watch this show. It is a good gateway to the franchise for those people who mind plot more than the visuals, it has epic battles, decent character interactions, and a solid romance story. If you can handle some mediocre animation and faces of people who look like they have been cut out of a tree, you will most likely enjoy the positive aspects the show has to offer.
Score: Story (7*40%) + Characters (8*30%) + Animation (4*15%) + Sound (8*15%) + Enjoyment (+1) = 8
Personal Achievement: Not Sure If Anime Or VN (tried to click on a video several times to skip a line of dialogue)
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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