This is a way more common trope than you might think.
Have you ever wondered what you would have done if you could go back in time? Maybe you’d have lived your life differently?
Regardless of the answer, this fantastical premise always attracted many authors — and it’s understandable why it’s seen every now and then in anime. Here are some series that deal with these scenarios, albeit in different ways.
ReLIFE
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
ReLIFE is probably the most popular example of the trope. The anime focuses on Arata Kaizaki, a 27-year-old hopeless loser. By chance, he gets an opportunity to take a pill which reverts his age back to 17.
Now forced to attend school once again, Arata can fix his life — but it’s not that easy. First of all, remembering what you studied back in school is hard, and this time, he has to deal with the complications of romance as well.
Remake Our Life!
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
If there is a way to describe Remake Our Life! (Bokutachi no Remake), it’s probably “ReLIFE, but with more romance.” Seriously, that’s it. However, this one features actual time travel. The protagonist is, once again, a failure.
Though the anime doesn’t take place in school: the protagonist time-travels back to his college days and chooses a different one. This time, he’s set on achieving his dreams.
Erased
Where to watch: Crunchyroll (US), Netflix
Unlike the previous two anime, the purpose of the protagonist going back in time in Erased (Boku dake ga Inai Machi) isn’t to make his life better. He uses his mysterious power of going back to save his classmate, who was killed by a serial killer 18 years ago.
Now a child again, he has to not act suspiciously and not to tip off the killer, who was never caught.
The Tatami Galaxy
Where to watch: Hulu (US), Disney+
The nameless protagonist of The Tatami Galaxy (Youjohan Shinwa Taikei) wants to lead a “rose-colored college life”... but that’s harder than it sounds like. He’s not very sociable, and his only friend, Ozu, doesn’t help either.
The first episode culminates with him accidentally falling off a bridge after squandering his chance at an interesting life in college… only to find himself at the start. And then it happens some more, with him going for different things every time.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Where to watch: Crunchyroll (US), Netflix
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo) is a more mundane take on this. One day, the protagonist, a young girl named Makoto Konno, discovers that she can time-travel.
Naturally, she uses this power to make her life easier. The problem is that time is not a toy, and friendships can’t always be fixed with simple time travel: humans are much more complex.