Review of ReLIFE

I remember watching this when it first came out in 2016. I was very much younger back then and did not fully appreciate the message of the show. Feeling a sense of nostalgia, I decided to rewatch this show, and to my shock, I do not understand how I could have ever written off this show as being a plain-old slice of life anime. The message or overall theme of the show I feel is society and its expectations of individuals. By this, I mean the dominating almost suffocating hold of expectations society expects of each and every one of us. These expectations have suchan adverse effect on our lives that we are forced to conform, regardless of our individualities and personal desires. Our main protagonist is a clear-cut example of this, trauma from his past, unable to cope with the demands expected of him from society at large, he is then pushed into a corner mentally and physically.

However, what this show does to turn our protagonist's situation around is provide him with a convenient life rope to bail him out of his predicament; convenient, not that it's a bad thing, but it's essential to the plot itself. Although, not explicitly stated, slowly, but surely, our protagonist relearns to find himself again, his individuality, his goals, his desires and his own personal reason to continue moving forward. In essence, this show deals with themes of personal growth, healing and change (the self and others).

I first watched this show when I was much younger, and now, of course, I am much older. These past four years of my life have changed who I am as a person; who I was back then is not who I am now. This might seem presumptuous, but this anime really made me realise the importance of one's own past, learning from it and being able to let go of aspects that hold you back.

In short, I feel that the older you are, the more you'll be able to resonate with this anime. Because as we grow older we tend to self-reflect more and pile up our regrets, this anime deals with many of those issues we experience in our lives and does a pretty good job of it.

It isn't the be-all-end-all type of anime, but it definitely does have its deep, introspective moments, which I wholeheartedly appreciate.