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Have you ever wanted to turn back the clock and redo life differently? Relife takes this concept and applies it to Arata Kaizaki, the second subject for the illusive Relife organization to conduct their social experiments on. It doesn't foray into the science fiction elements, instead it teaches adult life lessons through the thunderstorm that we call our adolescence. These messages are often conveyed through humorous, melodramatic and heartwarming scenarios.

Arata is the glue that holds everything together. He begins as a honest but unmotivated part time convenience store clerk. From the outset we can see that he is unsatisfied, having to lied to his friends ... and family about his current successes. It's his growth as he comes to terms with past issues and relearns how to build healthy connections with those around him that makes him great. His inner narration constantly reminds us that he is a cynical adult, while his actions show his heart is in the right place.

There is little focus on the science aspects, you take a pill and it makes you look ten years younger without any serious repercussions, and then you are to be monitored at a school for one year with the opportunity to have a fulltime job after completion. It does occasionally have elements that show the possible dilemmas of the experiment, like the comedy driven situation were Arata was being tested to remain non intimate with the temptation of a schoolgirls crush or a saddening glimpse into the first subject which resulted in failure.

From the second episode the story progresses in a typical anime high school comedy, romance drama fashion. He quickly makes friends with the aloof and lonely Chizuru, the hot headed Rena and the overachieving but romantically dense Ooga to name a few. The characters are really what drive the plot and the way they interact with one another with their constant misunderstandings and glib is reminiscent to the feel of Gekkan Shojuo. In the final third a typical melodramatic volleyball dispute that dragged on for too long but the way from which Arata relates to it and grows from it was both memorable and emotional. It was also nice to see how far Chizuru had come.

The art is colorful and simple. Character designs were clean but felt a bit outdated, giving an initial impression of budget constrains. There were a few small details that were suiting, like how Chizuru's design had one twin tail behind her neck and one in front giving her an awkward but cute appearance, which matched her comically awkward forced smile.

Backgrounds never really stood out. The direction retained this low production feeling by having clunky Windows Movie Maker like transitioning effects. Animation fared better but also too having no noteworthy moments. The OST utilized plenty of piano which melded into the background nicely. There was also multiple ending themes that matched the tone of each episode which was a nice touch.

Is Relife is a playful tale of redemption? Is it a unique take on the typical romance comedy? Its both, as the ideas mirror of one an other. It might not be the prettiest, or most well directed and at times situations can feel down right cliche. However, there were moments that had me laughing, empathizing and cheering on the characters as they grew, failed and fumbled.

Maiyoga is like school camp trip, cluttered, fun and rife with misconceptions. It's this odd package that blurs the line between serious and nonsensical. At first the mystery will intrigue you but it soon becomes apparent that the main appeal stems from the sheer wackiness caused by the urban legend plaguing hysteria among our addled escapees.

Characters will often not make sense and for the most part consist of cardboard cutout characters. To describe them all would be pointless, seeing as the very first episode executes this in a jarring introduction segment of which 20+ characters explain why they are leaving ... there old lives behind. Execute is something that you will hear often, as Lovepon declares it every opportunity she gets. The sheer amount of characters over a twelve episode series did cause copious amounts of underdevelopment. Characters do grow, well at least a handful do but the plot decides that for them, rather it feeling like a natural progression. This did make the ending more interesting, which felt like what would realistically happen to our not so realistic and often divided cast.

Makeshift decisions make the outline of the story as factions dispute for the course of action. There could have been more back stabbing and turmoil but for the most part the way the story progressed was entertaining, the same way it is to be an outsider of a feud that continues to grow increasingly imaginative might be. It is hard to take anything too seriously given the reactions, imagery and atmosphere. At times it feels like there's these absurd things that are happening and the characters act nonchalant about it much like the humor in a David Lynch film. Then there are other times where the exact opposite happens enhancing the aforementioned effect.

Nothing in the art or sound departments where particularly memorable. Character designs were varied and well done with the exception of Mitsumune who had the stereotypical look of a protagonist with the brown hair and small framed combo. The monsters where entertainingly freaky and weird with the seemingly fit usage of CGI. The OST fails at making any source of credible suspense but otherwise fits the tone suitably. VA’s give solid performances, special credits go to Lovepon whose outbursts capture the perfect amounts of insanity.

If you're looking for a well written, thriller with survival horror elements look elsewhere. Maiyoga is a fun albeit brief supernatural mystery that focuses on building conflict rather then tension. It's straight forward message of being able to accept tribulations from your past is perhaps overly simple but one which is worth experiencing if you can accept the bus load of flaws that come with it.

Set in a world in the not too distant future, Planetes explores life in a space station. In particular the Space Debris Section, also mocked as the "Trash Section" by other divisions. Its twenty six episode run throws in themes of philosophy, sociology and politics. These were presented well, often with subtle foreshadowing. Character relationships played an integral role, feeling authentic and original. This is not simply pertaining to the romantic squabble but includes characters connections with self identity, space and the working place.

The most prominent two characters are Hoshino and Tanabae. Hoshino at first appears to be a man child, working a dead ... end job and leading a life of a dreamer. His personality shifts when he sets his mind to a goal, often wearing his bandana as a visual cue. There is strength in his stubbornness and as you are fed his backstory you begin to understand were his ideals stem from. The anime does a great job in showing his internal conflict as he faces both his demons and dreams.

Tanabae is a new recruit, we first get to see the world through her eyes. At the start of the series she had a tendency to act naive and idealistic. It's her flaws and how she grows from them that make her so enjoyable to watch. Her relationship with Hoshino likewise had plenty of development. Although, from the very beginning you could see the love rays shooting from her eyes. The side characters are treated well with interesting and occasionally moving back stories which rarely felt out of place.

There were moments in the plot that felt like certain events unfolded just to progress the story forward. An example would be when Yuri Mihairokov found the compass floating in space, of which he had been searching for several years. It didn’t break the immersion but I thought it should be worth mentioning. For the most part we were given slice of life type episodes with themes relating to the environment, politics or workplace. Concededly, we were sprinkled with an undercurrent of a greater story throughout. The final third brings it to the forefront shaping into something a bit more dramatic.

The character designs take a more serious approach, looking plain but unique enough to differentiate themselves from other anime. The views from space are stunning and brimmed with photorealism. The animators did a good job with pacing the fast and slow movements, from peacefully mending a broken satellite, to thrusting away from an impending collision. Likewise the OST fitted very well, picking up where the action notched up while being more ambivalent during the quieter moments.

Planetes shines its best with how the characters react and play off each other. It has an immersive story, only during rare occasions does it feel contrived. Much like the debris floating in space, it's beautiful, often tragic and something not to be missed.