Reviews

Depressingly close to a 9. This show's premise and execution on its core concept are excellent. The premise alone was enough to start the show at a 7 for me, and the way they handle things like how an adult (even one with a master's or doctorate) would deal with high school feels realistic. They also avoid - for the most part - the typical high school boy/girl awkwardness, because the main character just doesn't see himself on their level. It's refreshing to see the main character have the kind of poise and maturity that someone in their late twenties would have gained through years of social experience. This show could've fallen to a 6 or even 5 if he started blushing and freaking out like a high school kid would when talking to a girl, but thankfully they actually write him like his true age for the most part.

Still, it's held back by the fact that they don't bother with a real ending, and all the potential issues that would come with it. The train rushing down on the main character is the eventual return to real society, and the effect that will have on him and the characters he establishes relationships with throughout the show. I think my other main gripe is how focused the protagonist is on the people around him. He's less a man with a limited lease on youth trying to recapture lost emotions and motivation than he is a disguised mentor to all the kids around him. I think in that sense both the show and the titular experiment fail. It's also the type of problem that almost certainly would have been fixed with more episodes.

There's a few reasons they could have ended the show the way they did. A second season is possible. It could also be that they realized just how much time would have to be devoted to a true resolution. But either way, it drags the show's score down at least a full point for me. Still absolutely worth watching.