Episode 2

I find it odd (and interesting) that Kaizaki so boldly approached Chizuru for the first time. It was the lunch scene; Kaizaki leaves his table of friends to go talk to Chizuru who seems to be at a loss with the cafeteria staff. She can’t get food because she didn’t bring money and she hasn’t yet obtain her special pin which constitutes as a “food pass”. Kaizaki doesn’t know this yet as he walks up to her to check. I guess he expressed a little interest in her from the previous episode, but it didn’t seem like enough to greet her out of the blue like that. Is this supposed to say something about Kaizaki’s character? Somewhere along the line he learned that approaching people, especially girls, was no big deal? And that it’s easy to be straightforward and honest with people right off the bat? I’m not understanding where his attitude comes from, considering he’s a NEET I wouldn’t expect this extroverted behavior. That being said, I like where it ended up. They had very delightful conversation and revealed more of what Chizuru is like, sparking what seems to a very promising friendship down the road. I just thought his motivations in this part were a little fuzzy and/or untold, which was strange considering the show has done a pretty good job so far of expressing what’s on Kaizaki’s mind via inner-monologues and such.

Kaizaki and Chizuru have very nice chemistry. Chizuru has very little understanding of what it means to have friends, something Kaizaki can relate to as a NEET. Like her, Kaizaki feels like an outsider, but for somewhat of a different reason. Because he’s an adult he suddenly feels like he’s out of touch when thrown back into high school. This aspect of him is shown through some rather ham-fisted attempts at expressing disbelief in how schools have changed. One example that comes to mind is when he jumps out of his seat when seeing An take out her phone. Back in his day, any phone seen out of your pocket would be confiscated. It feels like a little too much, considering Kaizaki is only 27. We get it, he’s old…but I don’t feel like 27 is old enough to be that out of touch.

Back to his relationship with Chizuru, it’s swell that they have so much in common, and that their differences seem to balance each other out. Because Kaizaki is so old, he needs things clearly explained to him. Luckily, conciseness is right up Chizuru’s alley, as it being the only way she knows how to interact. They’re both pretty straightforward and honest people. For Kaizaki, that’s because he really only has one thing to hide, and it’s something that would never really come up in everyday conversation. Chizuru’s just cute like that. It’s adorable when she tries to smile. She’s also very intelligent, which makes up for Kaizaki’s less than average scores.

My favorite part of the episode had to be the part where they exchange texts. Leading up to that, Chizuru first had to ask for Kaizaki’s “phone” (number). He mistook this for her trying to literally take his phone, further driving home the fact that HE’S OLD! She elaborates, he tells her he appreciates the clear explanations, and this sort of defines the way the converse from here on out. So now that they’ve exchanged phone numbers, Kaizaki gets a text from her later that night. Through a delightful exchange of texts, Kaizaki mentions that the “sorry cat” sticker she just sent looks a bit like her, to which she replies “meow”. I couldn’t help but smile when I watched that.

I’m also really glad he decided to quit smoking, seemingly because of her.

Episode 3

A lot less se ems to happen in this episode, but not so much so that I would render it empty or “filler”. We got the birth of a great gag! Near the start of the episode, Chizuru approaches the group (Kaizaki, An, Oga, Kariu) as they’re chatting at their desks. Before all this however, it’s sort of a joke that everyone calls Oga “Oga”, even though he insists they call him Kazu-kun. Kariu also has a secret crush on Oga that everyone’s already noticed except for him. So, Chizuru walks up to him and asks Oga to come along (because they’re both class reps). He asks her to call him Kazu-kun, and so she does, leaving Kariu a little shocked. Then Chizuru remembers the advice Kaizaki gave to her (to smile more), and so she inadvertently adds insult to injury by giving Kariu an evil smirk before walking out. Not her fault, she doesn’t know how to force a smile, but nonetheless she’s made Kariu feel like she’s out to get her…which is kinda funny.

From here, most of the show takes place in gym class. Kaizaki is informed that while he looks young, his body is still old. This leads to more jokes about Kaizaki’s age and how he’s too old to throw a ball or run a sprint. It’s ironic how the jokes about him being old are actually getting old…but I don’t think that was intended.

Anyway, there’s two new characters introduced in this episode: Honoka and Inukai. While Honoka’s introduction was done swiftly, Inukai seems to stick around far too long. I’m not sure what his deal is, but he hates Kaizaki for some reason and maybe likes Honoka? And Honoka is just this really athletic girl that’s a friend and rival of Kariu.

After the gym day, we get a look at the log Ryou has been keeping regarding Kaizaki’s ReLIFE-afication. It’s here that we get to learn a little about the experiment itself, and the test subject that came before Kaizaki. Subject No. 001 didn’t bear a lot of results, but Subject No. 002 (Kaizaki) is doing just fine. I’m interested in learning more about what either made Kaizaki unique, or perhaps the first subject.

And that’s what I thought about that. What do you think about ReLIFE so far? I know it’s already completely available for streaming, but I want to pace myself. Plus, I need something to review every week. Any favorite characters? Mine is An-chan, she’s the first anime character with lips that I’ve actually liked (sorry Your Lie In April). Thanks for reading!