One of the most interesting things about anime is that even when a story has been told, there might be a different ending of the story. Take ReLIFE for example. This story had already been told almost two years ago, but a OVA, original video animation, just came out about a month ago. In these four episodes, fans finally got a proper conclusion to the story of Arata Kaizaki and his second chance.
Communication Skills: Zero
Arata is what many people would call a failure at adult life. Leaving a menial job because of a belief that he was destined for greater things, Arata is approached by Ryō Yoake who offers him the chance of a lifetime. Take a pill that will make him look like a seventeen year old and go back to school in order to reclaim his feelings of youth. This is not some pleasure trip, as the true motive is that by experiencing being a young adult, a subject will “fix” what has stunted their growth as an adult.
The idea of an older person becoming young again is not a new idea, but the reasons are what give ReLIFE it’s narrative punch. Something happened to Arata, something very dark, and this one event has dictated the course of his life. By becoming young, even only in appearance, it acts as a restart for the rest of his life. This is not about going back in time, but living almost a completely new life. We have all dreamed about becoming young again, but could we do it in the time period where we are adults? Ryo believes that the experience, not the time, is what can bring us piece.
Double Panic
The anime was well received at the time it aired. There was even a live action movie made. The last episode felt like the end, but at the same time, it did not. Too many loose ends and characters just sort of left in the wind. In March, Amazon aired for episodes that actually give the story a proper ending. I won’t tell you what happened, as the story of Arata deserves to be experienced in it’s entirety. These four episodes were a welcome surprise and gave closure to the students of Aoba High School.
ReLIFE asks the question not would we like to become a high school student again, but what happened that made us the adults we are? This is one of these anime that you will think about long after it’s over. While adult life is sometimes hard, I never once wanted to go back and have a normal high school experience. Arata needed to go back, because his adult life had stopped progressing. In his new “school year”, he discovers and reexamines his life.