ReLIFE

What a surprise honestly, i didn't think much coming into this anime. ReLife is a refreshing twist in a saturated market of High School anime. It takes a more mature look on a rarely seen period in this slice of life genre, which is senior year.

ReLife touches on a good deal of mature subjects you wouldn't expect from a Slice of life anime, while still having its intended charm. The concept of the ReLife drug is interesting and i feel this is what gives this series its refreshing feel. None of the episodes felt like i was being forced too watch them. They all added to the their own characters background which in turn progressed the narrative. The comedy was a good addition too and i found myself genuinely laughing at the confusion that occurs during the first few episodes between Hishiro and Rena. But after that it seemed to tailor off.

Furthermore, its maturity is what surprised me. Senior life is rarely seen in High School anime and with this it plays a great deal with the idea that people shouldn't be afraid of acting "outside the box". Kaiziki's failure to "integrate into society", as his peers perceived, is a common struggle he didn't really realise Senior students would have too. As you'd expect, because of kaiziki's experience as an adult, he gives valuable life lessons and shares some of his regrets of his High School life. It perfectly shows how people going through this awkward period in time shouldn't worry as much and just do what they feel is right. Kaiziki really tries his best in suitable ways to give students advice without becoming too suspicious. Couple this with some realistic fights people actually have with friends, again rarely seen in high school anime, makes ReLife a quality look into Senior life. There were without a doubt moments which made me reflect on my own School life and some resonated with me.

Its story was better than average, but nothing out of the ordinary, but still entertaining. Its really hard to think of any real negatives to say about ReLife, i won't lie. Yes there are some twists you might expect, but their are definitely others that even i didn't account for. The comedy could have been better,the first few episodes did it great but like i said as the series progressed the jokes just felt a bit repetitive. But again, this isn't a comedy anime so its hard to really critique it on this. The ending made some resolutions regarding side characters but with the protagonist it was left wide open. I feel this is purposely done for a second season, which i would happily watch.

While it doesn't do anything revolutionary for its genre, the concept of the ReLife drug at least adds some refreshing elements to this saturated genre. On top of this the relationships the characters have are sincere and develop as the series progresses. This all adds up a very enjoyable series. It could have been much better i feel but it doesn't try to be, even still while its not perfect, its damn well good. I would recommend this anime to people who enjoy the genre, but for people who aren't to keen on slice of life anime's, it doesn't offer much for you. in addition, i recommend people to watch this series at their own pace. For me i binged the whole thing in a day so it wasn't hard at all to finish.

In conclusion, ReLife is a very good High school anime. Period.

~7.5/10