Almost every anime viewer can find at least one show or character that resembles an experience or a memory they've had. One such series comes off as a romance anime, but its plot carries something deeper -- and the audience can’t help but feel moved.

ReLIFE is one of the best slice-of-life anime out there; though it may not be as popular as Kimi ni Todoke or Angel Beats!, many fine qualities help it stand out. An anime adaptation from a Japanese webtoon, ReLIFE follows the story of a 27-year-old man named Arata Kaizaki.

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The Plot of ReLIFE

ReLife

Arata is struggling in life with no “real” friends or even a potential future. He is a NEET and lies to everyone about having a job despite trying and failing for many years. Arata quit his first job after only three months, which is one reason why he cannot land another. He currently works part-time at a convenience store, where he meets Ryo Yoake. It soon turns out that Arata can turn his life around by simply participating in the ReLife Project. He’ll be given a pill that will turn him into a 17-year-old boy (physically), and all he has to do is to attend high school and make decisions that might alter the course of his life.

ReLIFE may seem to have a straightforward plot on the surface, but the audience can’t miss the deep meaning behind having a “second chance.” While it’s impossible to turn back time in real life and make a different decision -- and Arata is that lucky someone who gets to “correct” his past mistakes -- it’s subtly established that he’s subconsciously repeating what he did in his actual high school years.

The anime is quite realistic in its depiction of the idea that getting a second chance doesn’t work the way everyone thinks. Someone who regrets a past decision may wish to go back in time and right all the wrongs, but in reality they will somehow take the same course in the end.

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ReLIFE Touches on More Serious Topics Than Many Slice-of-Life Anime

arata frowning in relife

That’s what is so interesting about ReLife -- Arata is actually one of two subjects in the project. Chizuru Hishiro -- the other participant -- is a socially awkward person who is unable to take full advantage of the Relife Project. Though she excels academically, Chizuru is a lost cause when it comes to understanding obvious emotions. She has a hard time being someone else or “reliving” her life because she is more or less the same person who is unemployed. ReLife isn’t about clichés or living life to the fullest; instead it touches on many serious topics, including workplace harassment.

The story offers such a realistic picture of how the smallest of decisions -- or the way one decides to conduct themselves with others -- can impact their entire life. A person may be an underachiever in high school like Arata or an overachiever like Chizuru, yet both can be in the same situation -- in this case, unemployed and potential failures in their adult life.

While ReLIFE can easily be branded as a typical romance anime, it’s much more about individual journeys than simply finding high school love. It’s a wonderful but short-lived series that definitely deserves more love.