Pseudo time travel? Check. Person who can remember stuff even through time travel? Check. Wanting to use powers to help others? Check! So, in a nutshell, this is Sagrada (or Sakurada, depending on who you talk to) Reset. I was recommended this anime by our very own Alea Kilday who will be joining me on this first reaction!
Let’s Go!
First Episode Impressions
Josh’s Thoughts
I will be completely honest here. I went into this series completely blind. I look Alea’s word for it because she was looking forward to this series so much. Needless to say, I’m pretty interested in it. The first episode did a wonderful job establishing the world. Essentially, there is a town called Sakurada where people inside the town have bizarre powers that challenge the laws of physics. If one leaves the town, then they will have no memory of their powers, thus, they won’t be able to activate them. The curious part is that they didn’t explain what would happen if you left Sakurada and then came back. Would your powers and memory be restored?
We are introduced to Kei Asai. He meets Misora Haruki up on the roof, expecting to see Sumire Souma, who summoned him there. Instead, Misora and him talk for a bit until Misora sees a crying girl and mutters the word “Reset.” All of a sudden, Asai is back at his locker as he is repeating the same day over again, but with his power, he remembers everything since he was reset by Misora. It’s a cool concept and Misora herself says that the biggest drawback to that power is she, herself, is also reset without any memory of even resetting.
As the episode goes on, they decide to help the crying child. The child’s name is Mari Kurakawa and she’s sad because her mother doesn’t pay any attention to her. She says that she doesn’t like her because she’s a “fake.” I won’t spoil the end of the episode, but it really took me by surprise as to what they really meant about her being a fake. It really hooked me to see the second episode and if they can keep this up throughout the 24-episode run, then this will turn out to be an amazing series!
Another interesting thing to note is that it appears that this show will be divided into arcs. This episode was the first of a three-part series. I am not sure if each arc will be different or if it will be one big continuation broken up by seconds like My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU or The Sunday Without God was. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Alea’s Thoughts
I am a sucker for a good mystery show and the general synopsis sparked my curiosity instantly the moment I watched the promotional video and Google translated the information section since not much info was provided anywhere. On watching the first episode we are thrown straight into the story without an opening theme and right into the world of Sakurada Reset. I have no issue with this since that only provides more screen time to set up the plot for the next episode.
The characters are introduced, and while they are made interesting and unique because they have special powers, their personalities are not very developed. Imagine the emotionless logical characters you’ve seen in generic anime and give them a special power and it fits the stereotype. It is not my intention to bash on the main characters after only one episode, but it is all we have been provided with at this time. I have high hopes for this show and and look forward to seeing major character development as it progresses.
One thing that I enjoy being provided in the show is the current date when the show begins and it is updated when a reset occurs. This helps to not keep the audience guessing and getting confused with the order of events. A lot of times in time travel shows the viewer is kept guessing about the timeline because there is an added twist which makes things hard to follow. In this case, i’m looking forward to that added twist in a creative way and hope I will not be disappointed.
I’m curious is Asai will use his ability to remember the past of a reset to alter his actions to benefit himself in any way since everyone else is affected by the Reset but him. Misora has stated she is afraid she may not be able to trust him since she is unable to remember when she causes a reset. Her feelings are valid since Asai has the ability to act on his own if he chooses to alter his actions to certain events which could change the future. Although Misora has a set of rules for her reset, that doesn’t stop Asai from becoming the villain in her eyes and I hope it doesn’t turn out that way although it would be an interesting plot device.
OP & ED Impressions
Josh’s Thoughts
We weren’t given an opening theme for the show yet. It’s listed as “Reset” by Yui Makino, but instead we received a slow and somber insert song instead. I’m sure the opening will come in week two, but after hearing a snippit of it from a PV, I’m not really that impressed by it. It sounds pretty generic and doesn’t really do much to stand out. I hope the proper opening will prove me wrong there.
The ending theme; however, was in the show! The song was “Tonari Au” by THE ORAL CIGARETTES and this is a song that… well… may take some getting used to. I am not a fan of the vocalist at all, but the music itself is actually pretty good. The vocals do grow on you bit by bit so it’s probably worth a few listens to adjust to them.
Alea’s Thoughts
I have to agree with Josh here about the opening and closing themes. While the opening theme has not been fully provided, i’m hoping I can warm up to it in the coming episodes.
The ending theme sounds really familiar to another artist but I simply cannot place where I have heard it. I feel like if the tempo were faster it would be more enjoyable, although if the show has a sad end it would justify the choice of music.
Worth Watching?
Josh’s Recommendation
YES – The first episode left a big enough impression on me to where I want to see more. While the episode was a bit slow, I have a feeling this is the style of show that Sagrada Reset was meant to be. I’m sure we may be introduced to others with new powers (we already did in the first episode) and that will, in turn, lead to more “mysteries” getting solved and worked on. I don’t know if mysteries is the right word to use here, but the way the show presents itself, it seems like it’s going to be a series that has to deal with things on a situation by situation basis… almost like a mystery show. This almost feels like a supernatural version of GOSICK and that’s not a bad thing at all!
Alea’s Recommendation
ABSOLUTELY WATCH IT – Upon finishing episode one and being provided the basis for majority of the characters and an unexpected twist at the end (no spoilers) I am happy to say that Sakurada Reset has kept my interest and I can’t wait for the next episode. It is taking all my restraint to not pick up the manga to see what happens next! I don’t want to set my expectations too high of a ‘reset’ show since ERASED felt like such a masterpiece to watch, but I have high hopes for Sakurada Reset and have a reason to look forward to Wednesdays again!
