Back in mid-to-late Noughties, Reborn! became a staple for otaku and cosplayers everywhere. It was rare to see an anime series that blended a mafia element in its narrative and back then, zero-to-hero main characters were all the rage. Simplicity was celebrated, slapstick comedy was basically demanded, and the more straightforward the character development was, the better for the audience to follow. For instance, one could notice a subtle-yet-significant difference between the Noughties-era Tsuna and the 2010s-era Deku. While the latter seemed to have one giant crisis only as his sole challenge, Deku has so many barriers to climb, he just can't catch a break. Ultimately, though, that is what makes the latter more interesting than the former. Interesting and memorable. Boku no Hero Academia had learned the history and sadly, Reborn! is only a history.
It is not impossible for Noughties-era anime to stay relevant up to next decade and so. BLEACH, Naruto, and D.Gray-man had proven so without any necessity to re-master themselves for the current youngsters. What makes it impossible for Reborn! to join such league is simply the inability to stay relevant. The simplicity has become shallow in the eyes, the slapstick comedy has stopped drawing laughter and instead only drawing irritation and Tsuna has become the rare hero who just stops being either relatable or admirable. This has yet to mention the depiction of the female characters that is simply off-putting (it could draw the rage from the PTA of the present, I argue). Dare I say that the damage that Kyoko, Haru, and Bianchi had done to female empowerment movements has become far worse than what Misa of Death Note did? Well... yes.
Regardless of such, it is still understandable that Reborn! does --and will always-- have a loyal fan base. This is still one of those anime series with which one whole generation grew up and made their childhood the way it was. Just don't count this series to generate new fan base. Sometimes, re-watching is not always a good idea. Sometimes, having a nostalgic memory is better.
#felixlovesanime
