Review of ReLIFE

9 months. That is how long it took me to actually get back into anime. I couldn't tell you why, but it took me forever to actually find an anime that would peak my interest to an extent in which I would appreciate the genre like I did before. Come mid-January, I saw one of my favorite YouTube anime reviewers (BlackCriticGuy) do a review on this very series here. I wondered to myself whether it could be that show that pushed to get back into the wonderful world of anime. I'll tell you what. It was. I had an absolute blast watching this show, and seeing allof the characters in the series interact with each other on such an emotional and captivating level. I had so much fun with this series, that watching scenes from the series again and again is practically a hobby of mine. I'm heavily planning on reading the manga and whatnot, as well as delving even more into the story. It's March, and I still can't get over this series. I love it.

Huge props to TMS Entertainment, who did the phenomenal animation to this series. The character designs, while a bit basic and simple, were very interesting in their own way. I personally enjoyed seeing a mix between the chibi style of animation (which was occasionally used for comedic effect) and the regular animation, which would add more light-hearted moments to the story.

The story of the series was absolutely lovely. Though the plot is heavily character-centric, the story itself does have a very unique tone to it that I cannot deny was incredible. The arcs, which generally delved into each of the characters in the main friends group, were each fascinating and captivating. I personally enjoyed learning about Kaizaki's past the most out of each of the characters, for his past was quite dark and heart-wrenching. Those scenes really touched me, as well as hurt me too. They were quite emotional for the characters and the viewers alike. I also enjoyed the arc concerning Rena Kariu and her role on the volleyball team. However, that arc was a bit long, which did annoy me a bit.

Considering I'm talking so much about the characters, I guess I'll just start talking about them entirely. They were by far the best part of the series. I genuinely loved almost every character in the series (emphasis on almost), but I did have a few favorites. My personal favorite character in the entire series was easily Kaizaki Arata. I understand he's a generic main character who cares about each and every one of his friends and foes alike- I get that. But learning about him and what this poor man had to deal with before the ReLife experiment took over his life was absolutely awful to see. I really empathized with his character the most throughout anyone in the entire series. I also was a big fan of his love interest in the series, Hishiro Chizuru. I learned that a lot of people don't like her character, and though I do respect other people's opinions, I personally had so much fun learning about her as a person and how she ended up how she did. It was also really funny and cute to see her open up to people more. (Plus, the scenes in which she attempted to smile at people were really funny.) Finally, I would like to speak about Ryo Yoake, the man that gave Kaizaki the opportunity to work at ReLife in the first place. He was quite interesting, learning about why he chose Kaizaki to be his second experimental subject, and his relationship with another character (I would say, but that could possibly give away spoilers, just know that I find them to be cute together.)

Though I had a blast with this series as a whole, a few problems did bother me throughout the series, which included a few characters, as well as a specific arc that I mentioned earlier.

Do you remember earlier when I stated that I liked ALMOST every character in the series? Well, I personally didn't like the friends of Honoka, Rena's teammate. I don't even remember their names, which should simplify just how forgettable they were in the series. I don't hate them, it's just that we know absolutely nothing about them.

I also did not appreciate how long Rena's volleyball arc was. I didn't hate it, but it was an issue that did need addressing.

Regardless, I had a blast with this series, and if you have not seen this series yet, do yourself a favor. Check it out. I got back into something that I had avoided for 9 months because of this series, so if you are a hardcore fan that has not checked this series out yet, watch it. You will not regret it.

I'm so glad that this was the first series that I had watched in forever. The little amount of nitpicks that I found with the series were so minuscule and superfluous that they barely do anything to ruin it. In fact, they weren't even that bad looking back on it now. They were quite okay, it's just that they could've been done much better. So yeah. I loved it. I really wish to see another anime like this in the coming months, so if you have, please reply to me and let me know what it is. I need to know.

Considering that's all I have to say, I'm just going to end it here.

Later!