Re-Main

Re-Main (stylized in all caps) is an original Japanese anime television series animated by MAPPA directed by Kiyoshi Matsuda, and written by Masafumi Nishida. The series aired from July to October 2021 on TV Asahi's NUMAnimation block.

Plot
During Winter of his third middle school year, water polo star Minato Kiyomizu got caught in an accident and has been in coma ever since. Exactly 203 days later, Minato regained his consciousness, but lost three years of his memories. Due to a certain reason, he decided to go back to water polo, but has no memories of his skill, let alone the sports' rules. Thus, Minato's efforts to catch up on what he has lost begins.

Yamanami High School

 * Minato Kiyomizu (清水 みなと)
 * Minato was a water polo prodigy during his middle school days. During ninth grade, he made a bet with a fellow water polo athlete, Chinu Kawakubo, that if he could become Japan's top water polo athlete, she would go out with him. If Minato lost, he would pay eleven thousand yen (actually ten thousand, but with tax). Due to an accident, he ends up forgetting his memories of the past three years, including that of the bet and his water polo experience. After a chance encounter with Chinu, she offers him another chance: Minato has to go back to water polo and become Japan's top athlete or pay her double their original bet. He lives with his mother, father and little sister, Asumi who he's very close with. They run a small denim shop which doubles as their house.
 * Minato was a water polo prodigy during his middle school days. During ninth grade, he made a bet with a fellow water polo athlete, Chinu Kawakubo, that if he could become Japan's top water polo athlete, she would go out with him. If Minato lost, he would pay eleven thousand yen (actually ten thousand, but with tax). Due to an accident, he ends up forgetting his memories of the past three years, including that of the bet and his water polo experience. After a chance encounter with Chinu, she offers him another chance: Minato has to go back to water polo and become Japan's top athlete or pay her double their original bet. He lives with his mother, father and little sister, Asumi who he's very close with. They run a small denim shop which doubles as their house.


 * Eitarō Oka (岡 栄太郎)
 * Minato's junior in middle school who claims to know well about Minato. He's chasing Minato to his current high school just to see him in water polo again and is knowledgeable about the sport. It is revealed that past Minato barely knows him well; Eitarō lied and decided to quit the water polo club upon discovering that Minato isn't a water polo genius. After Minato convinced Eitarō that Minato is just a hard worker not a genius, Eitarō decided to continue water polo and supports Minato.
 * Minato's junior in middle school who claims to know well about Minato. He's chasing Minato to his current high school just to see him in water polo again and is knowledgeable about the sport. It is revealed that past Minato barely knows him well; Eitarō lied and decided to quit the water polo club upon discovering that Minato isn't a water polo genius. After Minato convinced Eitarō that Minato is just a hard worker not a genius, Eitarō decided to continue water polo and supports Minato.


 * Jō Jōjima (城島 譲)
 * A third year student and the captain of Yamanami High's water polo club. He was the sole member until Minato and others joined.
 * A third year student and the captain of Yamanami High's water polo club. He was the sole member until Minato and others joined.


 * Chinu Kawakubo (川窪 ちぬ)


 * Shūgo Amihama (網浜 秀吾)
 * Shūgo is a fast swimmer who started to swim to beat his older brother, who revealed to be Riku Momosaki. After Riku switched into water polo, Shūgo decided to stop anything related to swimming before Jō and others recruited him.
 * Shūgo is a fast swimmer who started to swim to beat his older brother, who revealed to be Riku Momosaki. After Riku switched into water polo, Shūgo decided to stop anything related to swimming before Jō and others recruited him.


 * Takekazu Ejiri (江尻 武一)


 * Yutaka Babayaro Inomata (猪俣 ババヤロ 豊)
 * A mixed-race member who makes sweets. He joined the team after hearing Minato's speech about his memory loss and expectations people have about him, and feeling moved as a result.
 * A mixed-race member who makes sweets. He joined the team after hearing Minato's speech about his memory loss and expectations people have about him, and feeling moved as a result.


 * Yoshiharu Ushimado (牛窓 善晴)
 * A member who speaks in really small voice. He initially joined the club as a result of peer pressure from his boisterous classmates, but gradually warmed up to everyone, and gained self-confidence through his experiences in the team.
 * A member who speaks in really small voice. He initially joined the club as a result of peer pressure from his boisterous classmates, but gradually warmed up to everyone, and gained self-confidence through his experiences in the team.

Shogakukan High School

 * Keita Kakihana (垣花 慶太)


 * Riku Momosaki (百崎 陸)


 * Kōki Toguchi (渡久地 光輝)


 * Akimitsu Bizen (備前 昭充)

Rikka Academy

 * Takeshi Toyama (富山 健)


 * Akihisa Fukui (福井 晃久)


 * Norimichi Ishikawa (石川 則道)

Production and release
The series was announced on March 4, 2021. It was directed by Kiyoshi Matsuda, written by Masafumi Nishida, who also served as the chief director and sound director, with Kaori Futō providing the original character designs, Shiho Tanaka adapting the designs for animation, and music composed by Kana Utatane. It aired from July 4 to October 3, 2021 on TV Asahi's NUMAnimation block. Enhypen performed the series' opening theme song "Forget Me Not", while Shugo Nakamura performed the series' ending theme song "Kowareta Sekai no Byōshin wa". Funimation licensed the series. Medialink has licensed the series in Southeast Asia and South Asia, and is streaming it on their Ani-One YouTube channel, iQIYI, and Bilibili.

On September 24, 2021, Funimation announced that the series would receive an English dub, which premiered the following day. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.

Reception
Anime News Network had four editors review the first episode of the anime: Richard Eisenbeis commended the episode for covering Minato's rehabilitation and giving focus to his family after the accident, but criticized the use of memory loss that removed the years of "emotional, physical, and intellectual growth" he gained from elementary school and going through high school without the "emotional maturity and social skills" needed; James Beckett gave high praise to Masafumi Nishida and MAPPA for telling a "compelling and thoughtfully-written character drama" that doesn't use Minato's situation as a "source of cheap melodrama" and commended Yūto Uemura's performance for capturing Minato's "childish yet melancholy dichotomy" throughout the episode; Nicholas Dupree felt the episode suffered from tonal whiplash when telling its two different stories, praising the "surprisingly grounded personal drama" involving Minato and his family recovering post-accident but criticized the "loud, wacky sports story" that throws him into comedic shenanigans while retaining "mental and emotional stress" from said accident, saying the show failed to balance its two halves without showing its central sport. The fourth reviewer, Rebecca Silverman, felt the show has potential with its "different approach" to the "average sports anime", criticizing the classmates prodding Minato to get back into water polo but prasied the family for supporting his decision to leave the sport, saying, "That could give this show the structure it needs to work, so if you're missing the boys in speedo-equivalents from Fairy Ranmaru (or you know more about water polo than me), this is worth checking out."