ReLIFE is an anime that focuses on drama, a slice of life, romance, and comedy. So it is kind all in one anime. It has a nice vibe, making it interesting to watch. The anime focuses on high school life, like romance, bullying, friendship, and examinations.
The anime has a simple plot about how everyone deserves a second chance. The program, a company of the same name, starts ReLIFE. They are in search of helping people struggling with their lives get a second chance at life and help them feel lively again through the program.
This series gives out a lot many real-life lessons through the series which makes it worthwhile to watch. This series is a manga adaptation done by TMS Entertainment, which has also done many other popular anime series. If you want a good ending to the series, watch the Hanketsu-Hen (4-episode ONA) after this 13-episode series.
The Characters
Hishiro Chizuru: A high school girl who is a scholar but a loner. She is very kind but shy and finds reading other people’s emotions hard, so she is bad at making friends. She is trying to change that finally in her third year of high school. She finally has some friends she cares about, but she is also sad that no one will remember her after this year.
Kaizaki Arata: He is the second subject for ReLIFE program launched by ReLIFE. He was chosen because of his traumatized past and also caused of his not being able to get jobs anywhere, as he left his previous job just after three months. His senior at the job was bullied, and then she suicides, which traumatized him, but he still took action and resigned. He can take action and make changes in his surroundings.
Kariu Rena is a high school girl who is also a tsundere. She has a crush on her friend Oga Kazuomi but cannot confess. She acts in a certain way, which makes others understand, except our dense Oga. She is also a volleyball player looked up to by her juniors and the class’s second topper. She is stubborn and does not listen to people easily, but she is a kind and sweet girl.
Onoya An: She is one of the handlers from the ReLIFE program who is in training under Yoake Ryou. She does not reveal her identity but tries to hit on Kaizaki to test him while he is a teenager. She is smart but, at the same time, a bit naughty and likes to tease people occasionally.
Oga Kazuomi: He is probably the cool-looking character of the story who acts cool and is smart but is horrible at sports. He is a very dense guy in terms of romance and has to be told and made to realize his love for Kariu Rena by others. He constantly tries to support Kaizaki and Onoya by helping them study and trying to grade up, but both of them are so stupid that even he can not help them.
Yoake Ryou: He is the third year’s primary handler for subjects 1 and 2. He is an employee of ReLIFE company for the program. He got too involved with his previous subject, so I was told to have a junior under him to observe and learn from him, just in case. He always tries to stay alone in school to follow his subjects to do his daily reports.
The Plot
The story starts by showing Kaizaki Arata, a 27-year-old person with no job and finding it hard to get any. He can not even talk to his friends, who have stable jobs. He goes with his friends to a party one night and, while returning, gets the bad news that his family will not be supporting him financially anymore. After this, Yoake Ryou gives him a chance at a job and a redo of life.
Since Kaizaki was half drunk and did not think of or bother to ask about the consequences, he graciously accepted the medicine and terms. He takes medicine at night when he reaches his home. The medicine takes a couple of hours to kick in but only affects the body’s outer appearance. Internally his organs, muscles, and bones are still the same as when he was a 27-year-old.
The next day Yoake Ryou visits him to sign the contract about the ReLIFE program and gives Kaizaki the necessary details and materials for the school, he will be joining. Being in the body of a 17-year-old and not attending high school is unacceptable.
Kaizaki joins the school from the first day and does not just try to run away in the body of a 17-year-old. HE joins the school and genuinely tries to blend in and become one of the high school students 27-year-old man. He tries to blend in but is too nervous to act as a transfer student in his third year.
He does not have a very good first day. He gets caught with cigarettes but forgets he is now 17 years old and cigarettes are not allowed in school. He was also surprised by a small test in every subject, which he failed. But no matter the consequences, he can become friends with the people he sits nearby, Oga, Onoya, and Kariu.
Kaizaki tries to blend in with the kids and get to know them; during this time, he has a chat with Hishiro Chizuru, the class topper who is also a loner. He becomes good friends with Hishiro and others too. Kaizaki takes action in solving friendship disputes between Tamarai and Kariu, who have been best friends since the beginning of high school.
Kaizaki makes Hishiro smile like a normal person, teaching her to make friends and not stay a loner anymore. Kaizaki also makes Oga realize his love for Kariu and confess it to her during a summer festival. While all this is going on, he forgets about time and tries to enjoy his life as a teenager, a chance given to him by the ReLIFE Laboratory.
Kaizaki could enjoy himself with all the kids and think of them just like his friends. Still, somewhere, he was always reminded that he would become an older person immediately after high school, but others would go to college and grow slowly. He was saddened by this fact but had to accept the fact as he needed the job promised at the end of the experiment.
ReLIFE Review
The series starts focusing on the problems of grown-ups and how they treat and deal with each other. Somewhere along the lines, we forget who our friends are and how they might feel. We can help them even a little, but we forget to ask or bother about it.
The series then shows the hardships of living as a teenager in high school. Scholars, athletes, lovers, best friends, and loners are all college, high school, or junior school categories. The series portrays how indifferent everyone is and can stay together and support each other.
It then focuses on how hard high school life is the constant fights between friends, the lovers’ quarrels, and the getting back together. The series shows how even if one person can take action is more than enough to cause a chain reaction. When Kaizaki tried to stop Kariu from stealing Hishiro’s bag and trying to harass her, it reminded Kaizaki of how grown-ups harass each other, and he did not want more of them growing up to be like that.
When Kaizaki and Hishiro forced Kariu to come to the match to support her despite the differences they (Tamrai and Kariu) had as they did not want to tell each other their true feelings. This little happening tells us how to be true to our feelings and not so stubborn all the time and learn to let our feelings out, not keep them in as it develops into something negative.
The series is one of the best rom-com available to be watched out there. No matter how often you watch it, you will get entertained. The life lessons in the series are on point and something to learn from. The animation standards are just how much is needed and is perfect. The voice actors have also beautifully done their part to bring out the most of their characters. If you want a conclusion, watch the Hanketsu-Hen, followed by the 13-episode series.
Our Rating: ⭐ 4.5/ 5
