If you’re keeping up with our Summer anime lineup for 2016, you may have noticed this title almost at the bottom of the list, but is ReLIFE worth your time, especially if you’ve excercised your Netflix binge muscles? ReLIFE is a scifi story about unemployed 27 year old Arata Kaizaki. He’s becomes a test subject to relive his high school days in order to
earn himself stable work. It’s a title that resonates to millenials who may find themselves in similar situations. The story itself is simple enough and with a current trend of titles like “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time“, Erased and newcomer “Orange“. For the most part, ReLIFE does exactly what you’d expect from a high school title with some good twists thown in. The best points of the show starts to shine as you get to know Yoake Ryo, his support during this process along with his co-worker An Onoya as they help guide Arata achieve his goal but that’s where the series gets lost as it starts to focus on the lives of the high schoolers that Arata studys with. The ending tries to return to Arata as it shows what lead Arata to walk the line of being a NEET but just as quickly leaves to attempt a hook for season two. With a final twist at the end, you’re left to wonder if there will be more episodes. So, should you watch this show?
I would. It was a great ride and I hope it does come out with a season two. The story does pull you in and the charactes are well balanced and show a wide of emotions and seem to struggle with themselves at times especially during the end. You’ll also enjoy the ending per episode as they feature different songs from various artists and also give hints about the characters and conclusions they came to during the episode. ReLIFE is available online via Crunchyroll. The full series can be watched with a premium subscription.
