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I’m sure at some point in our lives, we all had those moments when we just wanted to start everything all over again.

We all know that it’s impossible, since time travel isn’t a thing (yet).

But what if you were offered a pill which makes you look 10 years younger? What if you had the chance to return to high school for a year?

ReLIFE is a web manga which has been published from 2013 till 2018. A 13-Episode anime adaptation has aired in Summer 2016, and four extra OVA episodes titled “ReLIFE: Kanketsu-hen” came out in Spring 2018.

It has also received a live-action adaptation that has aired in Spring 2017.

Story

Arata Kaizaki was a 27-year old NEET when he met Ryou Yoake, a member of the ReLIFE Research Institute.

Yoake offered him to participate in the ReLIFE experiment, giving him a pill that reverts the person’s appearance by 10 years.

The experiment involves returning to high school for a year, with the Research Institute taking care of all the expenses for the year.

Unsatisfied with his current life, Kaizaki accepts the offer. He initially believes he will spend the year without standing out much, but reality turned out a bit different.

The story follows Arata Kaizaki as he tries to rediscover his happiness, influencing his classmates’ lives along the way.

Characters

ReLIFE has a highly likeable cast of characters. My favorite was the smart but socially inept Hishiro Chizuru. I could strongly relate to her wish to change and open up more.

Seeing her progress episode by episode was hugely satisfying.

Yoake and Onoya, the members of the ReLIFE support stuff were fun additions to the cast.

Rena was sometimes annoying, but I feel like that was the point of her character. Still, I feel that the Rena and Honoka arc was perhaps the weakest part of the anime.

Sound

The OST worked well on all occasions so I don’t really have any complaints. Each episode had a different ending song.

I really like how each of the ending songs dates back to the time of MD’s, a type of mini disc from 2000, which was the time when Kaizaki went to high school for the first time.

The opening song was beautiful and very fitting, both musically and in terms of the lyrics.

Animation

Overall, the animation was fine, although nothing too special. I do have to say the fireworks scene was exceptionally beautiful.

The chibi parts were cute and they did their role well, especially for Hishiro. Also loved the animation of her smile, both the “improper” and the genuine one.

Conclusion

Overall, ReLIFE was worth watching. The story has a very interesting concept, but it did have a few unexplained details.

For an example, what exactly does the ReLIFE Research Institute do in order to delete everybody’s memories of the test subject?

Those who’ve read the manga say the additional four episodes were rushed, but they didn’t actually feel that way for me. But there do seem to be a lot of skipped chapters.

It makes me want to check out the manga because it was an enjoyable series with a lot of stuff I didn’t have the chance to see.

But if you haven’t seen the anime yet, I do highly recommend it. My rating is a “very good” 8/10.

Have you seen ReLIFE? Leave your thoughts on it in the comments! Feel free to let me know if you agree or disagree with my ranking!