{"id":614,"date":"2018-10-15T22:00:49","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T13:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/?p=614"},"modified":"2018-10-12T12:07:22","modified_gmt":"2018-10-12T03:07:22","slug":"relife-the-final-arc-delves-into-the-ethical-ramifications-of-memory-wipes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/15\/relife-the-final-arc-delves-into-the-ethical-ramifications-of-memory-wipes\/","title":{"rendered":"ReLIFE: The Final Arc<\/i> Delves into the Ethical Ramifications of Memory Wipes"},"content":{"rendered":"

As part of my Patreon rewards, once a season I let my patrons vote on a series for me to watch and write about. This time, our winner was\u00a0ReLife: Final Arc<\/i>, the conclusion to the story started in last year’s ReLIFE<\/em> anime.<\/p>\n

ReLIFE<\/span><\/i> is the story of Arata, a 27-year-old man who, after experiencing a traumatic experience at his first job, quit–and in the time since has found himself all but blacklisted. Unable to find work, he has lived a life of despair, all but giving up on both humanity and himself in the process. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u300cReLIFE\u300d\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u516c\u5f0f<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

However, it is at his lowest moment that he is granted the chance to participate in the ReLIFE project: After taking a special de-aging pill, he is placed in a normal high school as a transfer student for one year with the idea that, through his connections with the normal students around him, he will recover his faith in humanity and his personal self-worth. At the end of his one year of rehabilitation, he will be offered a well-paying job at one of several different major companies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, there is a catch to the ReLIFE program. Not only is Arata forbidden from revealing his true nature as a 27-year-old man to those around him, but all memories of him will be erased from his classmates\u2019 minds at the end of the school year. It is these conditions that form the focal point of <\/span>ReLIFE<\/span><\/i>\u2019s OVA, <\/span>ReLIFE: Final Arc<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u300cReLIFE\u300d\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u516c\u5f0f<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

The TV anime of ReLIFE<\/em> ends with the major revelation that Chizuru, Arata\u2019s friend and potential love interest is likewise a ReLIFE program subject. However, unlike Arata, this is not her first time through the program–it\u2019s her second. On her own, she was unable to make the changes needed to pull her out of her shell but with Arata by her side, she looks to be on the road to true rehabilitation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, while we, the viewer, learn all this, Arata is still completely in the dark when it comes to the truth. All he knows is that he has fallen in love with Chizuru. From his point of view, this is more than a little problematic. Despite his appearance, he is a 27-year-old man, after all–and she is only 17.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there is also the larger ethical issue–one that affects both Chizuru and everyone else he interacts with. In the end, every memory related to him will be erased from their minds once his year in the ReLIFE program ends. That means that, in the most depressing interpretation, every moment he spends with Chizuru and his friends is a moment that they could have better spent on literally anything else because whatever they do together will be forgotten. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u300cReLIFE\u300d\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u516c\u5f0f<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

Realizing this, Arata tries to pull away from the class a bit. He attempts to stay out of photos and avoid having a key role in fun activities–lest the fun be forever stolen from his friends\u2019 memories. However, Ryo, his handler, assures him that even without the specific memories, the feelings–the emotional foundation–remains. This means that there is still meaning to the friendships that he has formed; if people have changed for the better because of his actions, the person will remain changed even after he is erased. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, even knowing this doesn\u2019t spare Arata from the emotional pain inherent in the situation. And due to the rules of the ReLIFE program, Arata has to pretend that his high schooler persona will continue to exist beyond the year of the program. Thus, like his friends, he has to plan for college–and lead them all to believe that they will be spending many more years together there despite the truth: Once graduation comes, it\u2019ll be like their friend never existed at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u300cReLIFE\u300d\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u516c\u5f0f<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

But Arata is not the only protagonist of <\/span>ReLIFE: Final Arc<\/span><\/i>. With Chizuru\u2019s secret now revealed to the audience, we are granted a much more personal look at her thoughts and feelings. While Arata is clueless that Chizuru is a ReLIFE subject, Chizuru is almost certain that Arata is. Of course, when she asks Ryo to confirm or deny, he can do neither. He can only reminder that if Arata was and he told her, Arata\u2019s experiment would be over–and he would be erased from her mind. <\/span><\/p>\n

But even then, Chizuru has trouble letting the idea go. An, her replacement handler, suggests that it may be because Chizuru wants Arata to be a ReLIFE subject–after all, if he were one then that\u2019d mean he was an adult just like her and romance would be acceptable. And it is this that Chizuru starts to obsess over.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chizuru has never been in love before–and thus has no idea if she even is in love in the first place. And worse yet, she knows of no way to figure it out. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u300cReLIFE\u300d\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u516c\u5f0f<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

If she were still the same person she had been at the start of the TV anime–i.e., a socially isolated loner– then it would have likely ended there. However, with more than half a year of existing alongside Arata, she has one thing she hasn\u2019t had before: friends. To them, it is obvious that she and Arata belong together. And while they aren\u2019t able to give her easy answers, she is able to follow their examples and ask Arata out on a Christmas date. In a real way, this act marks her rehabilitation as a success.<\/span><\/p>\n

But while Arata is facing his ethical dilemmas about the impending memory wipe, it is even more emotionally stressful for Chizuru with the mounting surety that Arata is in the ReLIFE program like her. After all, she is smart enough to realize the twist: if everyone\u2019s memories of you are erased at the end of the program, that means she\u2019ll be erased from his memory–and he from hers. In the end, neither will be able to remember the person that affected them the most–the person they have fallen in love with. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u300cReLIFE\u300d\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u516c\u5f0f<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

At the series\u2019s climax, she tries to cheat the system–to leave herself a note to tell her she was in love with Arata. Unfortunately, An discovers the note. And even though it breaks her heart, An is forced to erase it.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, if any series needed a happy ending, it is <\/span>ReLIFE<\/span><\/i>. And luckily, it gets it. With his ReLIFE experience over, Arata is ready to return to the working world. However, with all the jobs offered to him, he finds that, more than anything, he wants to help people just as he was helped. Thus, he joins the ReLIFE company instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

As it turns out, Chizuru does the same. However, this is not a coincidence nor is it a Deus ex Machina. Rather, it is a reaffirming of what Ryo told Arata: Even if the memories are gone, the changes made to your soul remain. <\/span><\/p>\n