Jul 31, 2021
Bokutachi no Remake is your typical fast food meal - it's predictable, unremarkable, and it's something you've likely had before, though that's not to say it's completely worthless. If you don't go in expecting any surprises in the story or nuanced characters, there is some fun to be had. That said, if you can afford to be picky, it's probably worth looking somewhere else for better quality story telling.
Now, as for in-depth discussion, I'm going to focus solely on the characters and their actions/motivations as that's where the series gains its hopelessly average badge. The art style and sound design are both
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standard fare, being serviceable enough to not be a distraction when viewing. As with the plot, there's really nothing worth discussing as it's your run of the mill isekai/reborn/redo storyline. While its nothing new, it's not something that will inherently make or break the anime. My frustration (or rather indifference) lies with the characters and their bland/trope filled adventures.
One of the main issues with the show thus far is that at no point does the MC Kyouya do or say anything to distinguish himself as a character beyond being 'nice' and 'trying really hard', which isn't a problem unique to this series alone (there's a massive pile of shows that suffer from boring MC syndrome) but it still needs to be pointed out as this is the character through which we experience the narrative. We are presented someone who has been given, by some act of divinity, a second chance at life, yet by the second episode he is nearly indistinguishable from any other ordinary college student. Our MC has zero reaction nor any thoughts regarding his miraculous new lease on life. No questions are raised as to how or why this has taken place. There is no shock, chaos, or disarray as he experiences this. Kyouya simply accepts the situation unquestionably and slides into his new role as a positive, bubbling college freshmen who attends every lecture and acts as a model friend/support for his new roommates. Were the story not explicitly shown, we as viewers would have no idea as to the nature of this character and the fact that his mind is actually that of a 28 year old man. There is nothing interesting here; this character is completely devoid of any trait that might make him stand out despite undergoing such a shockingly profound event.
Similar anime have at least had the foresight to have their MCs take risks, make bold moves on potential love interests, or possibly exploit their knowledge of the future for personal gain - it doesn't matter what but it has to be something, anything to make the character stand out and memorable. Bokutachi no Remake offers none of this in the actions of its MC. It actually leaves one wondering why the plot device was even used in the first place as by episode 2 the entire redo plot point is entirely irrelevant to what is happening on-screen. Take that central setup away and what you're left with is another average to below-average slice of life college anime.
It goes without saying that the other main ensemble cast of characters are similarly boring and one-dimensional. Each one can be summarized with at most two to three adjectives that describe their entire being and subsequently outlines their entire character arc. The three housemates that our MC meets early are only distinguishable in their respective area of talent and their archetype. Nanako is the upbeat singer, Aki the cutesy artist, and the other dude in the house is the lazy-genius writer. Again, nothing new nor surprising here. Even less surprising is that after a few episodes it's blatantly obvious that every on screen female character we've spent time with has a crush on the MC. There is not a single SOUL out there that would have glimpsed the preview featuring three cute girls and not figured this out beforehand, though that doesn't make it any less groan-worthy when it plays out as expected.
As initially said, there is some enjoyment to be had here. I myself am a sucker for most isekai and redo-type storylines even after admitting the plot actually plays very little part in the later story. This is, at its core, a wish fulfillment anime, and as I alluded to at the start, it's okay to indulge in a little fast food once in a while. But if you've got the slightest inclination to watch something better, do that instead.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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