ReLIFE follows 27 year old Arata Kaizaki, a jobless young man who supposedly hits rock bottom after pretending to be successful with friends and family. From quitting his job just three months after graduating, to his parents threatening to cut his funding - he gains a second chance at life when Ryo Yoake appears. Yoake offers him an generous opportunity complete with a year's funding and a job after he completes the social experiment. It's aim? To rejuvenate him by 10 years and send him back to high school as a student. The series follows his adventures through the first term.
Whilst ReLIFE is neither original or new in it's respected genre, it does still offer a sense of enjoyment I haven't managed to find in any anime high school "romance" plot. The difficult thing is accepting the premise and idea behind the Relife experiment. In Western society, a company that can invent a drug that has both the ability and authority to put grown adults back into high school is a stretch, and potentially on a thin line between being completely okay and highly unacceptable. However if you manage to get past this, you'll find that ReLIFE focuses around core relationships and dealing with problems such as loneliness, trauma, depression, social anxiety and how sometimes over-achieving terrifies an individual due to another's jealousy. Every episode follows Arata's relationship with the friends he creates throughout his first term and seeing how far he'll go in order to create a meaningful impact in life and inspire self-confidence.
The bonds and connections Arata makes with these characters are enjoyable to watch. Although the setup does have a hint of tragedy, It's made highly clear that not only will Arata go to high school, but after the year is over, no one he interacted with will remember him. It's a looming feeling of loneliness and causes him to hold back on certain ideas or options. Regardless, he powers on and manages to create friendships that he'll most likely never forget.
A short series, with just about enough impact to make you feel somewhat satisfied at the end of a hard day. It doesn't require an in-depth amount of knowledge, or seasons upon seasons of pointless filler episodes in order for you to finally hit the ending. It is simply a very well made anime, with a simple plot, enjoyable characters, heart-warming moments and a sense of fulfilment for anyone out of their high school years who wish to experience nostalgia for the more simple times.
Whilst ReLIFE is neither original or new in it's respected genre, it does still offer a sense of enjoyment I haven't managed to find in any anime high school "romance" plot. The difficult thing is accepting the premise and idea behind the Relife experiment. In Western society, a company that can invent a drug that has both the ability and authority to put grown adults back into high school is a stretch, and potentially on a thin line between being completely okay and highly unacceptable. However if you manage to get past this, you'll find that ReLIFE focuses around core relationships and dealing with problems such as loneliness, trauma, depression, social anxiety and how sometimes over-achieving terrifies an individual due to another's jealousy. Every episode follows Arata's relationship with the friends he creates throughout his first term and seeing how far he'll go in order to create a meaningful impact in life and inspire self-confidence.
The bonds and connections Arata makes with these characters are enjoyable to watch. Although the setup does have a hint of tragedy, It's made highly clear that not only will Arata go to high school, but after the year is over, no one he interacted with will remember him. It's a looming feeling of loneliness and causes him to hold back on certain ideas or options. Regardless, he powers on and manages to create friendships that he'll most likely never forget.
A short series, with just about enough impact to make you feel somewhat satisfied at the end of a hard day. It doesn't require an in-depth amount of knowledge, or seasons upon seasons of pointless filler episodes in order for you to finally hit the ending. It is simply a very well made anime, with a simple plot, enjoyable characters, heart-warming moments and a sense of fulfilment for anyone out of their high school years who wish to experience nostalgia for the more simple times.