Review of ReLIFE

ReLife is a comedy-drama focused on a NEET young man named Arata Kanzaki who participates in a one-year experimental project where he is regressed into the form of a teenager via taking a mysterious medication and re-experiences life as a high school student, as a means for him to repair whatever personal defects prevent him from being a productive member of society. While under the project, Arata puts up with the behavior of his supervisor Ryo Yoake, tends to some of the personal problems affecting his classmates, and reflects on the personal problems of his past that led him into becoming a NEET. ReLife strikes upa solid balance of light comedy and drama in exploring everyday life as a high school student and the personal problems that affect Arata and several of the high school students he comes to befriend during his participation in the ReLife project. The students that Arata encounters go through the typical pressures that teenagers face growing up such as struggling to make friends, jealousy between rivals, and first love. The series is also not afraid to tackle some darker territory when Arata's backstory is focused on that elaborates on how he became a NEET and it offers a rather painfully believable look at life within a former employer he worked with that he is still recovering from. While the comedy for the series can be a hit or miss relying on the typical goofing off from teenagers and bemused expressions made by characters in response to specific situations, the strong focus on the developments of the characters and their personal problems more than make up for the shortcoming. It also offers up a surprising twist on exploring who the first volunteer for the ReLife experiment is within the high school, yet makes sense when considering the particular character's personal problems. The series ends inconclusively with Arata still in the middle of participation in the ReLife experiment, but the series is supposed to be getting a sequel OVA series starting early next year that is supposed to be tying up loose ends with the show's storyline.

In regards to presentation, ReLife is less than extraordinary. The show's visuals have solid character designs sporting a decent amount of detail, though animation shortcuts are a frequent occurrence throughout its run and especially become apparent during its later episodes. Its soundtrack relies heavily on piano pieces to convey its light and heavy dramatic scenes. The effectiveness of this is hit-or-miss as I found it effective during the show's more mundane moments yet not so much during its more heavier dramatic moments, especially in the case of Arata's backstory).

While having some hiccups with its presentation, ReLife is still one of the better 2016 anime titles I got to see thanks to its effective mix of comedy and drama in exploring the typical developments of growth faced by teenagers and Arata having the opportunity to relive them through his current experiences in the ReLife program. It's a definite recommendation if you enjoy anime that are a bit more mundane with their storytelling, in light of this show's setup leading to it for our male lead.