ReLIFE

Dismissed as a hopeless loser by those around him, 27-year-old Arata Kaizaki bounces around from one job to another after quitting his first company. His unremarkable existence takes a sharp turn when he meets Ryou Yoake, a member of the ReLife Research Institute, who offers Arata the opportunity to change his life for the better with the help of a mysterious pill. Taking it without a second thought, Arata awakens the next day to find that his appearance has reverted to that of a 17-year-old.

Arata soon learns that he is now the subject of a unique experiment and must attend high school as a transfer student for one year. Though he initially believes it will be a cinch due to his superior life experience, Arata is proven horribly wrong on his first day: he flunks all his tests, is completely out of shape, and can't keep up with the new school policies that have cropped up in the last 10 years. Furthermore, Ryou has been assigned to observe him, bringing Arata endless annoyance. ReLIFE follows Arata's struggle to adjust to his hectic new lifestyle and avoid repeating his past mistakes, all while slowly discovering more about his fellow classmates.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hishiro, Chizuru Main

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Kaizaki, Arata Main

Ono, Kensho Japanese

Onoya, An Main

Ueda, Reina Japanese

Kariu, Rena Main

Tomatsu, Haruka Japanese

Ooga, Kazuomi Main

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Yoake, Ryou Main

Kimura, Ryouhei Japanese

Inukai, Akira Supporting

Sugiyama, Noriaki Japanese

Tamarai, Honoka Supporting

Akaneya, Himika Japanese

Amatsu, Kokoro Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Inukai, Sumire Supporting

Shiraishi, Ryouko Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Adachi, Kazuki Producer

Kawanabe, Daisuke Producer

Watanabe, Akihito Producer

Reviews

Jul 1, 2016

theunknownenemy

Recommended

This review written by me has a reason, because I am myself a 27 year old somewhat failed person. The main character is easy for me to relate to what made this show really something for me to look forward to when I first read about it online.

All episodes are well connected with each other and made me wanting to just watch it in one go as soon as I had the chance watching it. This proves the concept of the story and how well I could follow it. There were no gaps or plot holes for me to recognize. The art was fitting and ... the comedy elements were well placed breather moments making the whole show not too dense and after a bit of drama acceptable.

The big question is why or when should you watch it? Have you ever had moments in life when you thought: "Damn, what if I didn't do this or what if I would had done that." Ever felt regret about something in the past? This show will unwind those questions in a really good way for you to relate to.

To wrap this good and well written story and the animation fits perfectly. Best part is wanting more of the story to watch/read.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jul 3, 2016

Cynthesizer

Mixed Feelings

ReLife review

Imagine a food that does not make you an impression, any food that does not interest you and that does not seem like that worth eating, nevertheless trying it though out of pure curiosity. Imagine that food giving you the taste of something that is not necessarily great or special, but something that you never expected, something that is fine for what it is. That was how ReLife worked for me, and it was surprising, because it is one of these series that you must savor and then judge. What I got was nothing short of a really satisfying watch, especially in terms of ... enjoyment and connection with the common, flawed, human beings that it manages to present. I expected this season to be sub-par compared to the last one, and this series, that did not interest me to the least, managed to show me some kind of light, which might make me strive to changing my opinion.

ReLife revolves around your 27-year-old half-NEET man named Kaizaki Arata, who had quit his job in a company only after 3 months after entering, being fed up with his work environment and how cold-hearted and unaware of their surroundings his co-workers were. Following his resignation, he fell into a slump, not being able to fit into society as one of its active members, only working in part-time jobs, and receiving money from his parents to only slightly cover his life expenses. Having a difficult time, hiding the fact that he did not have a stable work environment from his friends, and receiving a phone call from his family saying that they will not send any money from then on, Arata was lucky enough to encounter a mysterious person named Yoake Ryou in the street in front of his house in a calm yet messed-up, for him, night, the latter declaring that he works for an experiment, ReLife, which gives the subjects a chance to re-live a part of their highschool lives leaving their mentality untouched and just looking like highschool students, change themselves, develop, and not regret the choices they make in the process. Arata, at first, does not know what to do, but after a while decides to undergo the experiment, taking the pill in order for him to look younger, like a highschool pupil does, and starts going to highschool in a daily manner, changing not only himself, but his close people as well.

A draw-back in the story department is that the plot development itself is based on a plot convenience, that being the pill and the experiment in general. I usually am not a fan of plot conveniences, as they are used as detritments to the value of the whole plot. What was successful, however, was the execution of the series. Despite featuring characters that you can see every day, they are handled in a slow-paced, caring way that can drag sometimes, that contains malodrama in heavy situations, but however serves as sheer connection between the audience and the characters. ReLife being a slow, arc-based show for most of its running, it takes advantage of its slow pacing as well as the rather big cast of characters and manages to develop it thoroughly. That might as well turn some people off, as focus on the main character is lowered consequently, but ReLife manages to somehow equal quality and quantity, develop even the most side of characters, something that I never expected from coming from such a series, and make them relatable.

On another hand, ReLife is a show that is based on drama, but also contains some amount of comedy, mostly coming from the interactions between the characters, it being sparse yet working out quite fine. There is also an amount of chibi faces included, which is by no means good, as it ruins the mood, but most of the times the transitions between drama and the comedy work out fine, if not well enough. As a matter of fact, the characters themselves helped quite much in the plot development, and both the drama and comedy being hits, as despite them being quite common and their reasoning quite cheesy (school setting, teens, you know), they are different from each other, and as a whole cast it works out quite well. Coming into terms with and realizing their goals and, most importantly, their own-self with well-handled execution, the conclusion is obvious. The ending was not conclusive in a literal manner, but was in a sentimental one, because I felt that all things that needed to be dealt with did. As a whole, although the story was being something that never made me go "wow", it worked out fine for what it was, and that is what is important.

Character-wise, as described earlier, ReLife works out well enough for me to consider it something that is way better than just average. What is likable in it are not the personalities of their characters, not nearly as much as how they execute them and develop them. Their interactions involving comedy being funny, but these including drama being a bit dragged and melodramatic, is not something that is of huge importance. What is important in ReLife is how each character is handled and fleshed-out individually, something that other series do not manage to do, putting the minor complaints into shame really. Explanations will be given below, as I am gonna view each character as a different individual and then draw conclusions on them as a whole, successful cast.

Kaizaki Arata is a very sociable, caring and understanding person, that is until his confidence is stepped on, after several happenings including his senior in work and his other co-workers, quitting his job and trying a different approach in life, including trying to find a new job through applications and, after failing on that, just working part-time in convenience stores. As an obvious consequence, he realizes that he has not grown up enough, that his social skills were rendered useless and that life is not going to treat him any kinder that he thought it would. After him being given the chance to relive one high school year through the experiments, he develops as a person, comes into terms with himself, does not get further involved into other people's situations, and winds up becoming a person that still has his doubts, but is way more mature than he already was. Kaizaki having such a personality is subject to self-insert, creating a character that is so relatable that you will find yourself caring about him all the way through. Except of that, he also is quite the funny dude, and the comparisons between adult life and highschool life he makes in his mind, such as the fact that the former are mostly ridden by logic and the latter by emotion is nothing short of realistic.

Hishiro Chizuru is that kind of girl, who never was particularly close with people, that being due to her transferring schools very frequently in her early years. In the process of growing up till the story takes place, she gradually lost her interest in other people, started not caring about her surroundings, that being partially because of her inability to be close to other people. She always showed doubts about her understanding of things and her hurting people, although she is a great student, and started wanting to change that and obtain social skills and friends, especially after meeting up with Arata. She slowly yet decisively starts showing interest on other people and becomes an all around better person, along with leaving her already good aspects unscathed. After several happenings, it is clear to the viewers and almost all the main characters, excluding one until a certain episode, that she is trying hard to improve.

Kariu Rena's personality is not to my liking, because she is that example of the stubborn girl who is jealous of people because she can not reach them despite trying hard. She sometimes reminds me of a cookie cutter character and is definitely one that is not plausible. She admittedly is a good character though, because she shows many kinds of development as well. She does not get rid of her inferiority complex, but somehow tones it down and starts understanding her close friends, them being Chizuru and Honoka, more. She is full of ill-fated desires, and a very jealous person, but after some events, including her fight with Honoka and her discussion with Chizuru, she starts being more relatable. That can also be supported with the fact that they spend quite some time on her character and that they did not want her to be left as just a character that had a complex.

Tamarai Honoka is the exact opposite of Rena, a person that screams unreachable when it comes to sports and one that is afraid of getting close to people because she does not want to be denied by them. Both Honoka and Chizuru serve as plot devices to Rena's development, but they themselves are developed, and that is another positive thing for the series. They used a big arc for just these 3 characters, which indicates that airing time was used effectively and decisively, making them fleshed out in a proportional manner. As mentioned earlier, their engagements might feel a bit cheesy and melodramatic, but that is not of much importance, as the journey and the conclusion, as a whole, are satisfying.

Yoake Ryou and Onoya An are people who work for the ReLife experiment project, and a whole episode is spent on their flashback, including their relationship with Subject 001, and their interest into Subject 002, that being Arata himself. Worries and implications about their work are depicted in a solid manner. There are other side characters as well, but getting into them is not worth it, because their involvement into the series do not mean many things. Overall, if you take these characters, which are nothing short of common and cliche, and combine them, you create a cast that is good enough for a coming-of-age anime series that ReLife is, that of course supported with respective execution.

The production values of ReLife remind me of my expectations pre starting watching it. Nothing special and something that does not interest me. The character designs were generic and reminded me of quite many slice of life series that I had watched, including Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, the animation was inconsistent sometimes yet worked out, and the backgrounds were quite good. I really have not much to say about the art and animation sections, just that the chibi faces were as annoying as ever. The soundtrack was repetitive, only consisting of few piano songs, and most of the times did not fit the concept of the story. The opening theme was quite good on the other hand, and had lyrics that reminded me of what the characters were going through. The ending songs were many, not as much memorable as someone would think they would be, but a nice change to the "one ending per one cour" archetype. Overall, I think that both the animation and the sound departments could have been better, and that they would grab another point of two had they been a bit more memorable.

Enjoyment: 7.5/10

The best part about ReLife would undeniably be the enjoyment part. I enjoyed the struggles, the development of each and every character, the interactions, the relationships, the starting and ending episodes, and despite some episodes being weaker than others, I considerably enjoyed the middle episodes as well. It being a surprising watch, ReLife managed to drag me into the story, and make me involved in the difference between the adult and the adolescence world.

Overall: 5.5/10

ReLife really was a big surprise for me, and I am gonna remember it for quite a long while. It was cliche, it was generic, but it was fine for what it was. It never tried to be more, and it never tried to be less than what it is. And that is what matters. It is a series that does not take itself overly seriously or overly lightly, and managed to create a plausible enough conclusion. It is a coming-of-age tale for people that just want to relax, enjoy, relate with, and have fun with. Ignoring the shortcomings would be something that would make the series even more likable, and for such an experience like ReLife, it would be worth it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jul 2, 2016

Fall

Not Recommended

The prospect of being able to live part of your life over again and do things differently isn’t a new setup in any media, let alone anime. One of the more memorable attempts at tackling this premise was a 1986 novel called “Replay”, but it was hardly the first. 18 Again! (1988) and particularly 17 Again (2009) and Seventeen Again (2000) are another similar bunch of films tackling the same scenario. ReLIFE is late to the party, and it makes very little attempt at subverting this familiar premise. But that’s okay; originality isn’t everything. Having an unoriginal narrative that’s well-executed is far more valuable than ... having an original and shoddily-executed narrative. All things considered, ReLIFE seemed to be primed for the former category, but ultimately, it wasn’t to be. There simply isn’t one quality I can recall that this show excels in. Not in pacing, not in characterisation, not in drama, not in art, not in animation, not in sound, not in comedy and not in tone. And for the record, having a poorly-executed and unoriginal narrative is the least valuable of the bunch.


PREMISE


ReLIFE's premise is likely familiar to anyone who has read their fair share of web novels; it's the "starting life again in another world from zero" premise that has been steadily wedging its way into recent anime adaptations. That said, ReLIFE feels far more reminiscent of Welcome to the NHK!, wherein the series delves into and ultimately seeks to 'solve' hikikomori issues and thought processes with stunning authenticity. However, this similarity only really extends as far as ReLIFE's initial premise. For better or for worse, ReLIFE only ever touches on NEET lifestyles once or twice throughout its 13-episode run, opting instead for an irritating amount of tiresome adolescent melodrama. Now, melodrama in itself isn't an inherently bad thing; if utilised competently, it can explore a particular theme in far greater depth and provoke far greater emotional impact than if it were to attempt to emulate the nuances and confines of reality. Melodrama is an incredibly helpful tool for dealing with hefty themes even if it ultimately cheapens a character's conflict when viewed from a critical outlook. It is unfortunate, then, that ReLIFE's themes are the weakest and most ill-defined element of the show.


BAD DRAMA


ReLIFE began quite promisingly by setting up several intriguing plot and character threads to later be drawn on and building chemistry between characters with genuinely funny ー if largely hollow and repetitive ー humour. It gradually introduced several interesting and entertaining characters, though they never really stray far enough from their established stereotypes. ReLIFE set up its initial premise exceptionally well, held up mostly on the merit of its characters. However, the ultimate tragedy strikes when the show puts on too much weight for the characters to carry. ReLIFE starts to buckle when it first gives its audience a taste of drama though somehow manages to stay afloat just on the merit of its characters, but it falls flat on its face when it ends up shoving too much bad drama into the show.

Bad drama is drama that viewers can't relate to, care about and/or drags on for far too long. ReLIFE's particular brand of drama sidelines the leads in favour of having everything revolve around not-quite-main-characters that are given too much screen time. It doesn't help that ReLIFE drags out this melodramatic subplot for an entire quarter of its run time, slowly chipping away at my patience and quickly pushing the focus characters from 'sympathetic' territory into 'irritating-and-just-get-on-with-it' territory. As time wore on, I grew to actively dislike, if not outright hate, most of the characters in ReLIFE as more and more melodrama was piled on in a weak attempt at keeping me on the edge of my seat. Admittedly, I was on the edge of my seat ー I came very close to walking straight out of the room and never looking back several times throughout these four agonisingly slow-paced episodes.

ReLIFE spends too much time on what amounts to meaningless drama that has no lasting or significant impact on the characters involved after it is resolved. The problems in question are the kind I was confronted with at the age of 14. In spite of the questionable weight of these issues, I was expecting to find Kariu's drama interesting and relatable, but I instead found it drawn out and shallow. ReLIFE wastes four episodes on angsty melodrama that has absolutely nothing to do with the protagonists, and it doesn't even have the decency to tackle it in any real depth. Worse than being shallow, it quickly becomes boring/grating and lacks any weight because it's incredibly obvious how Kariu's problems are going to be neatly tied up in the end. The problems she faces throughout the series are quite typical of high school drama shows; I've seen it done plenty of times before, and I've seen it done a whole lot better. Do you want good high school melodrama? Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou excels at it. Do you want shallow and inoffensive high school melodrama? Take ReLIFE or Yume Kara, Samenai. And in ReLIFE's case, the supporting characters it shoved into this subplot (see sportsgirl #87408) don't have nearly enough depth or personality for me to latch onto, or they are boring renditions of existing archetypes I've seen a million times over. ReLIFE has boring drama and boring characters, and that doesn't make for a good combo.

ReLIFE is at odds with itself ー while its premise is designed for exploring its characters in a dramatic and meaningful way, most of its characters are seemingly designed primarily for light-hearted comedy and light character drama. It certainly doesn't help that all of the drama it does tackle is predictable and boring, and when the show empties itself completely of comedy, it becomes a slog. ReLIFE suddenly decides that it wants to revolve around teen melodrama that bears little resemblance to its original themes for a quarter of its length. Not only does ReLIFE almost entirely lose its focus half-way through, but the narrative also becomes dry, boring and predictable. After a certain amount of tiresome melodrama, it becomes impossible to see these characters in a sympathetic light anymore. The more this subplot was dragged out, the more irritating the characters became. In the end, it amounts to nothing more than bad filler in a show that had no room for filler. Aside from the sparse developments for the protagonist and one other character, everything else is ultimately rendered moot after the subplot reaches its conclusion -- Kariu doesn't change as a result of this conflict; not really. It feels as if only the surface problems were painted over and bandaged together while the deeper problems continue to seethe underneath. Kariu gets shallow treatment throughout the volleyball arc, but this isn't automatically a bad thing. If these deeper issues were brought up later on in the series, it might serve as appropriate setup. Unfortunately, ReLIFE ends before any of that can happen, so it remains pointless at the moment.


FOCUSING ON THE WRONG CHARACTERS


What most bothers me about ReLIFE is all of the wasted potential ー not only in that it doesn't explore any NEET-related problems or the fact that it wasted four episodes piling more melodrama on top of even more melodrama for characters that were never developed enough for me to care about in the first place, but also how ReLIFE doesn't follow any of its more interesting threads. Yoake is an interesting and, as it turns out, flawed character that isn't perfect at his job. ReLIFE spends an episode focusing on him and his past (another one of its subplots), but in spite of this focus, Yoake still remains largely mysterious to both Kaizaki and viewers; we don't really know what makes him tick. I wouldn't have minded if Yoake got four episodes to himself and his character was actually explored in a decent amount of depth; he has the potential to become an interesting AND multi-faceted character. Unfortunately, not only does ReLIFE spend this time on a much more irritating and less interesting character, it also reduces Yoake to gags most of the time, which means we rarely ever get to see the real him.

And it isn't only Yoake, either ー An, another character who should be prominent in ReLIFE doesn't get nearly as much screen time as she deserves. In fact, she gets even less time than Yoake. Much like Yoake, she is mysterious and a lot of her qualities feel vague and ill-defined; her personality, her interests, her perspective and also how she feels about the romantic tension she oftentimes finds herself entrapped in. Fortunately, An has a lot more surface personality than Yoake and has a bigger role than gags most of the time, but because she has even less focus than Yoake, it all balances out in the end. We never get a sense of what makes either Yoake or An tick, and most of the focus that could have been directed at clearing up this vagueness is instead used for perpetuating its tiresome melodrama for far too long.

It's also worth mentioning that another good character, Chizuru, gets enough screen time for us to actually understand and care about her, but I often found myself thinking: "can we get back to something more interesting ー you know, like Chizuru?" She gets a decent amount of focus, which is something ReLIFE actually does quite well, but I feel that if the series focused more on her and less on generic insecure sportsgirl #59830 and Kariu's melodrama, it would have been a whole lot less irritating and even entertaining if done well. She disappears for episodes at a time, aside from getting maybe a line or two that don't help to progress the plot in the slightest. Chizuru was a big part of what made the comedy and light-hearted feel of ReLIFE work so well, but she essentially vanished in episodes 7-9; ReLIFE dumbly sidelined one of its best qualities to bring into focus one of its worst subplots.

Oh, and I almost forgot about Kaizaki ー you know, the protagonist? Hey, cut me some slack here, the show seems to forget about him a lot of the time, too! The show rarely decides to focus on the protagonist and his problems, but when it does, it's actually interesting. Kaizaki has so much screen time, yet we see so little of his character. Almost every time he engages with other characters ー and particularly the high school ones ー it's usually quite shallow because Kaizaki needs to stand as a symbol and self-insert for the older audience. None of the more interesting parts of his personality are shown; it's mostly just a way for Kaizaki to crack a joke or reference that the older audience can appreciate. If he showcases too much of his personality, that gets in the way of his status as an easy-to-slip-into pair of trousers. This means that he ends up stuck in a rather odd position as the protagonist ー he's boring, bland and ultimately just feels like an observer. Oh, but he's also an amalgamation of all the 'I'm getting near that age' tropes. Yeahhh, ReLIFE isn't great with handling its characters, but the worst of it is when the show starts dealing with Kaizaki's backstory.

Based off his introduction, one might make the mistake of thinking that Kaizaki is an interesting and flawed character, but this notion is mostly put to rest when Kaizaki's backstory is unveiled. Kaizaki is portrayed as a 'good' person ー the show even uses the term 'hero' to describe him ー with nary a flaw in his personality. It's society that is painted as evil, villainous, wrong, morally reprehensible and just all around dickish while ReLIFE makes every effort to portray Kaizaki as a decent person with no significant flaws. This is ReLIFE's crowning moment of wasted potential. Kaizaki's backstory turns out to be quite interesting, actually, but Kaizaki is still as boring as ever. This has to do with the fact that most of his dark backstory doesn't actually have a lot to do with Kaizaki himself; in it, he mostly plays the supporting role to someone else's main character. The problem with Kaizaki's backstory is that it isn't his backstory.

Oddly enough, Kaizaki has rather shallow characterisation despite being the protagonist; about his only real character flaw is, as briefly summarised by another character in the show, "a lack of confidence." He has difficulty coming to grips with his past, but there's not a lot else that viewers can find to latch onto Kaizaki as a character. Most of the time, he's simply used as a symbol for the 'approaching middle ages' demographic and plays the role of the counsellor in this high school drama. Unfortunately, Kaizaki turns out to be a phenomenally boring character that never strays far enough from his established archetype to grasp a firm sense of identity. But it almost seems as if he was never meant to develop like that; to Kaizaki, ReLIFE is 'feel good therapy.' By involving himself in and solving these kids problems (i.e. playing the counsellor role), he is expected to gain back some of the confidence that he has lost, because he is so afraid/self-conscious of how his actions will impact on his environment. Unfortunately, that still doesn't make Kaizaki an interesting ー let alone three-dimensional ー character; instead, it just makes him perfectly suited to overseeing most of the melodrama in this series. At best, it only serves as a justification as to why he sticks so close to his established archetype.

That said, there is some potential to take Kaizaki's character in an interesting direction and give him some depth in the future, but ReLIFE ends before any of this can happen. ReLIFE sets up a great many plot and character elements throughout its run but never draws on the more interesting ones, save for an exception or two with its final two episodes. However, there is some good news: while ReLIFE falls flat as a standalone season, if a sequel airs and actually goes about drawing on the massive amount of setup that ReLIFE has been building up with these 13 episodes, ReLIFE has the potential to become a far more engaging series along with gaining more depth. With enough caution, a second season of ReLIFE could even be enjoyable if it focused a lot more on endearing characters like Chizuru, rather than irritating characters like Kariu. However, this potential certainly doesn't change how poorly-paced, terribly executed and just flat out boring the majority of this season was; it only softens the blow.

But ReLIFE isn't all bad.


THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL


ReLIFE spends its final three episodes attempting to make up for its terrible drama by reverting back to the way it was initially, though it still makes a few feeble attempts at meaningful drama. And, surprisingly enough, ReLIFE does actually manage to redeem itself somewhat by its final episode, but it ends up failing on an entirely different level: by the end of its thirteen-episode run, ReLIFE hardly accomplishes anything. ReLIFE is a lot of setup without a lot of execution. Worst of all, ReLIFE doesn't even have a proper conclusion ー it merely cuts off, prompting viewers to pick up the manga if they want more. ReLIFE doesn't end up being much more than a bad advertisement for its parent manga series. When a show still doesn't have a firm sense of identity by the end of its run, why would viewers want to delve further into the series? ReLIFE fails not only as a TV series, but also as an extended advertisement.

However, it must be said that the show does have a solid final two episodes that gradually repaired my shattered image of the characters. ReLIFE does follow a predictable flow with its romantic subplot, but it wasn't done poorly. That said, there is one thing that this last arc does quite well: (mostly) believable, well-paced and light drama. ReLIFE is at its best when it's taking itself seriously, but not to a ridiculous extent. The comedic tone is still present here, and it blends well with the drama. Better yet, the characters weren't irritating and it never really felt like the show was dragging on in spite of its undeniably slow pace. I even felt like I could get behind these characters and care about them, their troubles and even their trivialities, had I been given more of this. This last arc is everything ReLIFE should have been throughout its entire run.

Unfortunately, ReLIFE's subplot left a fat and ugly scar that wasn't so easily healed, and it ultimately hampered my enjoyment of ReLIFE when it was at its best. It's also regrettable that ReLIFE never truly ends, either. Just when ReLIFE was starting to get into the groove, it was over. On the bright side, that final arc did at least provide some solid setup for a sequel, though that means that this season suffered greatly for it. Had ReLIFE been more focused on what it wanted to achieve throughout its run and stuck more closely to its original premise, it might have ended up as a decent series. Unfortunately, ReLIFE is diluted with too much adolescent melodrama and never quite ends up tackling any issues surrounding NEETs. ReLIFE wastes any potential its initial premise has and resigns itself to being a generic high school drama series with Kaizaki playing the 'lecturer' role, telling these kids how they should go about solving their problems. The final two episodes amount to Kaizaki feeling down in the dumps about the fact that he will one day have to part ways with these kids that he has grown so attached to. It's admittedly executed quite well, but it ends before accomplishing too much.


UNIMPRESSIVE PRODUCTION VALUES


To top it all off, ReLIFE doesn't even have decent animation. At a moderate distance, characters lose facial distances. Colour is bland to the point where it could even be called dry. The animation is lacking too; In an attempt to disguise this, there is an excessive usage of what amounts to still frames with characters yapping their faces off. Character designs are mostly generic and boring, but An is the sole character to have an interesting design. However, the animation does shine in a few choice moments ー episode 4, in particular, has some interesting, creative and even visually appealing animation that does well to visually evoke a certain character's negative emotions. On the whole, though, the artwork and animation are reminiscent of an uninspired low-budget 2011 anime.

ReLIFE doesn't fare any better in the sound department, either. Something particularly peculiar was the lack of background noise throughout the entire show; it was a rarity to hear crowds clamouring about, and background students make very little noise. This was something I kept noticing every now and again, and while I want to say it was immersion-breaking, the rampant melodrama already did a fine job breaking my immersion. On the non-diegetic side, ReLIFE doesn't sport much variety in its soundtrack. It's chock-full of piano and not much else. In addition to lacking much-needed variety, the tracks that are present are utilised at awkward times, further cheapening character drama. Hearing the same piece played over and over again whenever the show wants to portray drama is not only grating on the ears, but also degrades any emotional impact a scene could have had if it were silent or paired with a better track. ReLIFE's soundtrack is wholly unimpressive and, at its worst, detrimental to the tone this series is trying so hard to pull off.




CONCLUDING/TL;DR


ReLIFE ultimately ends up as a bad show with a few redeeming points, rather than a good show with a few flaws. It isn't bad to the point that it's unwatchable, but it even falls below the average high school drama because it throws in too many unnecessary elements that are never properly expanded on throughout its run. ReLIFE simply doesn't know what it wants to be, and before it can fumble around too much and possibly find some semblance of an identity, it cuts off without accomplishing anything truly meaningful.

ReLIFE is a shallow, semi-funny, melodramatic, endearing, irritating, slow-paced, sentimental, mildly engaging, largely predictable, sometimes boring and sparsely perceptive half-a-show that I don't entirely regret watching. At times, its narrative is a mess. However, at its best, it is funny and endearing in the way it approaches its subject matter. Unfortunately, these good moments are far and few between, and greatly overshadowed by the irritation likely to be incurred by ReLIFE's unhealthy fixation on bad melodrama. If the premise piqued your interest, I reluctantly recommend giving it a go, and if you are charmed by its first episode, I reluctantly recommend sticking with it for as long as you can. If you feel as if you are forcing yourself through an episode, take a break and come back to it with a clear mind. However, if nothing changes by the next episode, drop it like a hot potato; it's only going to get worse. And if the first episode doesn't impress you, I heartily recommend not bothering with the rest.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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