Looking For Some Good Anime? Here Are Three Reviews for “Slice of Life”, Anime; “Relife”, “Golden Time”& “Classroom Of The Elite”

The whole world has been turned on to the greatness of Anime and if you are a fan, or just want to be turned on to some awesome Anime, here are three series in the “slice of life” genre you will maybe like. So are you ready to be introduced to the series? Here are my Anime reviews……

A Review of “ReLife” (リライフ)

I just recently became a fan of Anime and I previously thought they were just cartoons, but Anime is not cartoons, it is so much more. Formerly thought as a thing for men, I am finding out that a lot of women love Anime, shout out to Megan Thee Stallion for bringing that to our attention. Anime is extremely diverse which means there will be something for everyone because there a literally many genres to pick from.

I enjoy the genre “Slice of Life” which is, “a genre that is more akin to melodrama than drama, bordering on absurd due to the large numbers of dramatic and comedic events in very short spans.” (Wikipedia)

This genre fits my quirky personality because it is good for a chuckle or two due to its harmless bouts of light hearted calamities. I was turned onto by a friend who I found was always giggling like a school girl about something on the screen of his tablet. When I asked what he explained about some of his favorite series in anime and that led him to introducing me to this particular genre.

So today I will be reviewing a popular Anime television series called, “ReLife”. In July 2016 it was spotlighted on the streaming platform, “Crunchyroll.com”. Anticipation grew and people were glad to be able to watch all the episodes as once as opposed to having to wait each week for an episode to come out. So without further ado here is my review of “ReLife”….

The ReLife Plotline (SPOILER ALERT)

Kaizaki is a twenty seven year old underachiever that is failing at life. He only works part-time and is a disappointment to himself and his parents who are cutting him off financially .He has been unable to secure full time employment and his quite depressed in general.

One day he gets off the train and is walking home, and he is approached by Ryo Yaoke and offered a job but the catch is first he needs to be a tester for a company called “ReLife”. “ReLife” is an experiment that will provide him with an opportunity to fix the problems in his life.

What does it mean be a tester? He will have to take a pill that makes him appear 10 years younger and he will go back to high school as a student and interact with others who think he is a teenager like them, but he isn’t. Kaizaki accepts the job but is told; at the end of his testing experience all of the teens he comes into contact with will forget him. He will remember his experiences though and it will make him better prepared for the job and the life he chooses to have when the experiment is over.

He is also told if he tells anyone about the experiment they will wipe his memory clean and he will wake up as a twenty seven year old with no recollection or memory of how he got to be that age. He accepts the job and at first he is excited that he will be forgotten by the teens, but as he gets to know them and interacts with them more, his feelings change.

THE MAIN CHARACTERS:

Arata Kaizaki

The protagonist of the story is Kaizaki who we see suffered a trauma when he started working at a company that was exploitive of its employees and where one of his female coworkers was being harassed by male coworkers and ended up killing herself. This caused him to quit the job after only being there for three months, and now he struggles in job interviews when he has to explain why he only worked there for such a short length of time. This leads him to only working part-time and being scrutinized about it.

We see him struggle to adapt to a life a teenager and how he interacts with others including his “handler” who ends up being the guy who first approached him on behalf of ReLife, Ryō Yoake You gets to see many hilarious exchanges with the two as Kaizaki adjusts to his new life as a teen. You also see Ryō Yoake comes to truly care as he guides and roots for Kaizaki.

A love story starts to form as Kaizaki falls in love with Chizuru Hishiro……..

Chizuru Hishiro

Chizuru is seen as being a socially awkward teen who gives a deadpan delivery in all her interactions. She is portrayed as a borderline genius and this further separates her from the others. She has trouble relating to other students and her dealings with them are often uncomfortable and confusing. This leads to many funny moments as she tries to relate and fit in. She is the love interest of Arata Kaizaki and he is often sad when he remembers she will not remember him when he leaves the experiment. It later comes out that she is also an adult who took the pill to become a teen.

Ryō Yoake

We first see him approach Kaizaki but he is actually in the experiment with him as a handler, who as I previously stated, his job is to guide and mentor him. Ryō Yoake has this smile on in his face in almost all of their interactions and his happy demeanor irritates Kaizaki, but will tickle you. There are many funny scenes where he annoys Kaizaki as Ryō Yoake also appears to be a teen but is the age of Kaizaki. His job is to monitor the progress and report how Kaizaki is progressing. He often does things that help Kaizaki gain clarity and later in the series some of these attempts at clarity are very touching.

Do I recommend this series?

Yes! It’s funny in an innocent kind of way. It’s different than most coming of age stories because it’s really about adults rediscovering themselves and fighting to be better people. The love story is sweet and refreshingly endearing. You will find yourself laughing at some moments and brought to tears at others. You can watch this with your whole family, there are not cursing or sex scenes. Scenes get dim but not dark and the entire calamity and chaos is what I would consider Rated PG. Don’t sleep on this series during this forced pandemic social distancing, pick a day and watch the whole series you will not be disappointed.

Are you an Anime fan? Have you ever seen “ReLife”?

A Review of “Golden Time” (ゴールデンタイム)

Anime is a wonderful way to pass time while we remain stuck in this deadly COVID-19 pandemic especially if you chose an entertaining series. In this post I will review a series that I feel while high on the emotion will definitely bring on the entertainment.

I am once again writing about Anime that is from the “Slice of Life” which is, “a genre that is more akin to melodrama than drama, bordering on absurd due to the large numbers of dramatic and comedic events in very short spans.” (Wikipedia)

This post is about the anime television series, “Golden Time” which is a part of the “Slice of Life” genre. Have you heard about it or seen it? It is 24 episodes long so if you do decide to check it out it will take you awhile to binge watch. It took me about three days to be able to watch all the episodes but I guarantee if you like this genre of Anime and have plenty of free time you can probably do it in less time than it took me.

The Golden Time Plotline (SPOILER ALERT)

This series will grab you from the first few opening scenes as the first episode will set the pace for the whole series. If you like the first episode then this series is for you, as you see the rollercoaster ride begin. Banri has started to go to college in Tokyo far away from his former life which he happens not to remember. He is suffering from amnesia due to an accident and you start to see him confused on how to continue in his present as he struggles to figure out what happened in the past as he hardly remembers anything about what happened to him before he gets hit and falls of a bridge in his former life.

He goes to a college far away from his hometown and while trying to find the location of the college he meets a similarly clueless guy named Mitsuo and they both try to find their college together. Things get interesting when a super wacky stalker type named Koko who is obsessed with Mitsuo and starts beating him with roses on the street. And the scene is hilarious.

Later Banri runs into a girl name Linda, who was his best friend before his accident but he doesn’t know it. And so Banri gains memories, loses memories, has a girlfriend, loses his girlfriend and gets in lots of adventures in between including getting kidnapped by a cult. I’m trying hard not to give a lot away…

THE MAIN CHARACTERS

Banri Tada

The series is about the aforementioned, Banri. He is attending college after an accident that has previously taken place a year and a half before. He is often visited by his spirit who remembers his past as the present Banri doesn’t. Because he was hospitalized for an extended amount of time, he is now starting school as a freshman as opposed to Linda who graduated at the same time but is a year ahead. Banri does not remember Linda at first but he was in love with her in high school and was on the bride waiting for her when he was in the accident that caused his memory loss.

Koko Kaga

Koko also is a new attendee at the college who followed Mitsuo to the college despite him not wanting nothing to do with her and her opening scene is a classic. She eventually becomes the problematic girlfriend of Banri.

Mitsuo Yanagisawa

Mitsuo becomes the good friend of Banri. Although he is extremely handsome and sought after he has problems with the girls he shows romantic interest in.

Nana Hayashida (aka) Linda

Like I mentioned before, Linda was suppose to meet Banri the night he was struck on the bridge, he was waiting to see if she would recognize his declaration of love. Linda was too late but was on her way to tell Banri she was just wanted to remain best friends. She is still central to Banri as he struggles to regain his memories and she at times helps him with the issues caused by this.

Do I recommend this series?

Yes and no. Firstly, I would recommend this series if you love plots heavy on melodrama and love drama. The romance is definitely a roller coaster with A and B. This series is heavy on awkwardness centered on romantic uncertainty and relationship strife. It is interesting but will be draining for someone who does not like Anime that has a lot of the plotline devoted to romance.

There are also a lot of touching scenes as A spends a lot of his time dealing with his past and coming to grips with his past life and his present life. He drifts in an out of both lives and is in as much anguish as he causes the people around him who care about him immensely. So the emotion will be brought out of you. I enjoyed the plotline and there was comic relief between the theatrical scenes and that keeps the series intriguing as you will go up and down with the main characters. I also enjoyed the into music as well.

Are you an Anime fan? Have you ever seen Golden Time?

A Review of Classroom of the Elite (エリートの教室)

I love “Classroom of the Elite”. This Anime series is one of the best I have seen so far. I really did enjoy it, so I was excited to binge watch it, so I would suggest you clear your whole day because watching the twelve episodes will be a breeze. Anime binge watching is an excellent way to pass the time as we are still at home more due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Classroom of the Elite” is not like the other Anime series I have previously reviewed. Although it is a part of the genre “Slice of Life” which is, “a genre that is more akin to melodrama than drama, bordering on absurd due to the large numbers of dramatic and comedic events in very short spans.” (Wikipedia) It is one of the darker series in the genre and highly entertaining.

The second season of this series is highly anticipated and if you watch the first season then you will understand why. So without further ado here is my review of Classroom of the Elite….

The Classroom of the Elite Plotline (SPOILER ALERT)

This series is fantastic as pulling you in and from the first episode you will be drawn inot a terrific story. This series is full of twists and turns and is captivating enough to hold my attention. Nobody is who they seem and there is several times where I was thrown for a loop.

The story is about the government established, Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School and its questionable practices. This school is shady, but not only the students the teachers and personnel aren’t on the up and up either. The students are on a type of point system and that within itself is a problem and class rankings have made everyone desperate to advance by outrageous means. You won’t believe the plethora plot turn of events.

There are four classes at the school ranked in order A being the top and descending to B, C and the main focus of the series is D-class which contains a motley crew that are pitted against the other classes as they battle for top ranking and points.

THE MAIN CHARACTERS

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji

Ayanokoji seems like a nonchalant guy who is just skating through life effortlessly but is way too complicated to really be as nonchalant as he appears. People seem to gravitate to him as he solves everyone’s problems with an uncertain ease. He is always thinking and making the moves behind the scenes never wanting to take any credit, always shifting the praise for his ideas onto to other people. He turns out to be a diabolical the diabolical mastermind that everyone suspects he is.

Suzune Horikita

Horikita is a standoffish sort of mean smart girl who has something to prove to her brother who is an upperclassman the President of the Student council at the school. She is focused on moving up to Class A so is highly motivated to help the entire Class D improve so they can increase their ranking. She is miserly with her points and cautious as well as friendless. She and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji become a form of ally and they often confide in each other despite her exhibiting hostile behavior towards him frequently. He often shifts credit to her for his successful schemes.

Kikyou Kushida

Kushida is a perfect example of what I mean when I say the characters in this series do not turn out to be who you think they are. When we as the viewer are first introduced to her she seems like a sweet girl eager to be friends with everybody and is endearing enough to be well on her way of achieving her goal. All of the boys want to be with her and will fall all over themselves for her attention. Her personality has won her over with all of the girls with the exception of Horikita.

Airi Sakura

Sakura is another girl in Class D is who has as secret she is keeping about herself. She loves to photograph herself and has a following on social media because of it. She has a stalker due to her posting pictures of herself wearing all sorts of suggestive bikinis. There is an uncomfortable scene when an online stalker attempts to force himself on her but she is saved by Ayanokoji. She becomes a close friend of Kiyotaka Ayanokoji if you could say he has any friends.

Ken Sudou

Sudou is a brute of a guy stuck in Class D but the least likely to make it without being kicked out due to his total lack of anger management and self control. He is frequently the target of Class C as he is constantly picked on and bullied by them. He is easily provoked and nobody’s victim and he ends up defending himself and getting in trouble for an incident. He is secretly in love with Horikita and there is a hilarious scene where he finds out her first name. He often struggles because of his lack of awareness about how his temper hinders his success at the school.

Do I recommend this series?

Yes! If you are a fan of the “Slice of Life” genre then you more than likely will agree. There are some scenes that are not for younger viewers but enough mischief to satisfy an older crowd. Warning there is a lot of focus on boobage and cleavage and sexually suggestiveness, but I mean nothing graphic but they do push the limits at points so some discretion may be needed and you can skip episode 7 and still follow the story but it’s nothing too raunchy. At no point is the series boring, there are some mysteries that pop up and shocking revelations but things get bananas when they end up trying to survive on secluded island as a competition between the four classes for points.

There is no definite release date for Season Two but it is assumed it will be released either later this year of early 2021. Have you been waiting for Season Two?

Are you an Anime fan? Have you ever seen Classroom of the Elite?

What are your thoughts?

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References:

https://www.crunchyroll.com/relife

https://animemotivation.com/best-slice-of-life-anime/

https://goldentime.fandom.com/wiki/Golden_Time_(Anime)