ReLIFE tackles the rather serious topics of maturity, growing up, and ethics while maintaining a rather cheery veneer. Unlike other series in a similar vein though, ReLIFE has the quality of accessibility; a fun, poppy aesthetic coupled with a good sense of humour allows for the more mature discussions more palatable, while a full cast of rounded (if slightly caricatured) characters keep the manga fresh. Its execution is well-done, and the plot as a nice sense of balance as it heads towards a satisfying and rewarding ending without redundant fluff.

TL;DR - Very good. Handles mature topics in a way that makes it appealing to a very wide audience. Likable and fleshed-out characters.

If ReLIFE Laboratories ever considered going into the beauty industry?

They'd make millions.

Ahem. This was a pretty fantastic webtoon. I enjoyed re-reading it after and seeing just how long the mangaka has been setting up for certain reveals - it's nice to know that a lot of the twists were plotted out ahead of time.

When I first started reading ReLIFE, the premise was so sketchy that I almost didn't continue. A medicine that can turn you young? Having the neet protagonist return to high school to relive (and subsequently fix) his life? I'm not the only one who thought this was either going to go the dark horror route or the harem route, am I?

But, nah, ReLIFE is legitimately good after you get past that initial, "Are you really using this type of setup?" It's a feel-good, slice-of-life, coming-of-age story about youth! And friendship! In other words: expect lots of heartwarm. And character development!

I have mixed feelings about the romance though (the romance for the main character), though the mangaka takes pains not to romanticize it (at least, not too much) or ignore the squick factor, which is nice. My only concern is that I'm worried about how it'll turn out, but the resolutions of the other conflicts were nicely done, so I'm not too worried.

Overall, if you're interested in a sweet, heartwarming coming-of-age story, ReLIFE slots nicely into that genre. If you're not interested, ReLIFE isn't so good that it'll change your mind either. What you see is kind of what you get.

edit: OK, so the mangaka has fixed the squick factor of the romance in probably what is the only way to fix it with zero squick factor left. Overall, I believe it's a good move in that sense, but as a narrative device, it ends up a bit unwieldy, even as the readers realize that the mangaka has been setting up this particular resolution for a while. I'm definitely still enjoying how further developments are unveiling from this revelation, though. And I'm continually impressed with the fact that the conflicts occur so organically, coming naturally from the person's personality, past actions, and interactions with other characters.

Definitely a worthwhile read if you want something with realistic interpersonal drama.

... Last updated on July 4th, 2016, 3:38am

Ok I just finished this over a couple of nights of reading and god damn it is beautiful.

First of all, let me get this out of the way, the art is fantastic! FANTASTIC! I thought it was like a really well drawn webtoon, turns out it's a Japanese manga in the webtoon format. 10/10 for art, though maybe I should subtract a point for the overuse of sparkles and petal backgrounds/patterns (I forget the technical word for them). But there were SO many panels where I just have to try and make it fit on my screen so I can just sit and admire the art. So many, as in on average multiple per chapter and there's over 200 chapters.

Moving on. So, you've read the blurb/Description, you know what it's about.
The first half of the series is filled with mostly positivity with some gloomy/serious moments as the main guy, Kaizaki, betters himself and heals himself primarily through healing those around him. He very easily slides into the role that the program wants from him, which makes the occasional backslides and depression/ptsd hit all the harder.

The second half of the series shit gets more real as even most of the happy moments are layered, hidden under a film of bittersweet tragedy, for lack of a better word. And it is so so well done. The author shifts the frame of the story in exactly the way I would want, it feels like the best execution of the best ideas I would come up with for a story with this premise.

It is for this reason that, even though I had a pretty good idea of the 'twist' of the story, I still didn't mind being able to deduce it because it was done so so well and was simply a great idea anyway. Though unfortunately a little bit of the clues are lost through some translation error, there is still enough for you to pick up/theorise on it

Turns out there's an anime and a live-action film. Idk how a single film could properly capture all the slow build-up that pays off in the second half, but hey maybe I'll check it out some time. IF ANYONE FINDS THE SHORT STORY TRANSLATED PLEASE MESSAGE ME A LINK!

Criticisms:
Firstly, the pseudo-science behind it obviously makes no sense. I appreciate the effort of the rough idea of how the pill works, but in the end it doesn't actually make sense and isn't quite...logical in how the memory erasure actually happens. But this is simply something we have to hand-wave away as phlebotinum, cutting the author some slack because ultimately the story is about the characters related to the project and how they heal rather than the project itself. It's about the journey, not the car.
It does go a little much on the melodrama once or twice (we get a scene where a girl is hassled during a festival and needs to be saved, which was disappointing. I was hoping she'd extricate herself from it, cos it's a cliche, but hey at least she was reasonable throughout and it only went for one chapter). I can't think of the main melodrama thing that jumped out at me during reading, but I guess that's a good thing.
Also a couple of the plot points are kinda just high-school kid issues, but that makes sense considering the story itself. And this is occasionally lampshaded and generally done well and sensibly.
The main issue I probably had is the backstory of the main guy Kaizaki and what happened at his previous job. I felt unsatisfied, not with how it was conveyed, but by the lack of justice and the lessons he takes away from it. I feel like if such a serious thing is going to be brought into the series, the takeaway shouldn't be but it wasn't really gotten into in that way. It was mostly there as a trauma and something to move on from rather than something to learn from.

With the above criticisms I guess a 10/10 wouldn't be realistic. However I'm rating this based on enjoyment and how much I would recommend it. (critical rating I would probably give a 9 or 9.5)

P.S. be sure to read the epilogue.

... Last updated on March 16th, 2022, 9:04am

No other words could describe this series other than satisfying. It tells the story of a failure and that the only ending to everything is when someone really give up. The character development is so good, we can clearly see the difference between early chapters and ending. The pace of the story is neither slow nor fast, it is perfect. And the ending? The original ending is already so beautiful that I don't really expect another epilogue, but there is one. And I have to say, it's even more beautiful than the original ending. It settles every remaining loose ends and becomes the perfect cherry on top of the cake. Definitely one of the best I've read.

It's a really good Slice Of Life manga.
Ignore the small stuffs about pills part and indulge in the fun.

Report #StateOfMindOfSubjects ~

Subject #1: I doesn't understand what love is. I'm too bold. 0.0
Subject #2: Legal Highschool Girls...Legal Highschool Girl. I shouldn't not be getting involved with them. I'm a responsible old man.

Conclusion: They are confused and I'm enjoying it. ^^

... Last updated on April 9th, 2016, 1:38am

Yeah the main character meets a high school girls but its not like most harem mangas where the girls throw themselves at him and hes like blushing every time ://O
He kinda has eyes for one girl, and hes mature and funny too. DD
10/10

Loving it thus far. Really love it--MC is a fresh of breath air from the stock characters whenever it comes to going back in time. He gets along well and gathers a lot of friends, and he is a genuinely caring person who asks after others, and though he claims he wants a simple and quiet life, he goes out of his way to help them or to talk something out with them. He's a good friend, and I really want to see how the main plot (which is him getting turned into and pretending to be a high school student and maintaining the secrecy) interlocks more with the subplots of other characters developing around him.

As for anyone who's going by ejusdemgeneris's comment on the barring for human rights violations: Please calm down. It's a manga. Sure, its premise is that he took a drug that is essentially human experimentation and other aspects, but the human experimentation thing is just...really an occassional plot point that comes in. If you do have a problem with this because of those elements (which frankly are played in a comedic light and aren't actually anything bad or scary), you need to remember this is a comedy manga with a nonrealistic situation anyway where a guy gets turned into a high schooler. I'm frankly curious to learn more about the original Subject No. 001, actually.

... Last updated on May 15th, 2015, 6:22pm

The final volume was out February 2020, with a final chapter, although the series' ended in March 2018. I'd say that it was a great ending for anyone waiting since the last two years.

This is so worth the read, once, twice or many times more. The ending is a bit rushed but is in no way unsatisfying. The pacing is kinda slow and there are a few outstanding character traits between the main roster that get a bit worn/creates unnecessary drama, but we see great growth from these flaws. I really dare to call this a masterpiece for its genres and am glad for the open-end ending and hope for a sequel.

... Last updated on March 12th, 2018, 8:00pm