Redo of Healer Anime Review

Once in a while, a show comes along that aims to push the boundaries. What those boundaries are depends on the beholder. I’ve given controversial shows like this a chance before (e.g., Interspecies Reviewers), but my typical pattern is to try them and then drop them. When Redo of Healer came around, I figured it would be another one of those shows. However, Redo of Healer did something just a little bit different—but was it enough to keep me watching from beginning to end?

Let’s jam!

The Story

Keyaru is a boy who awakens his powers as a hero. It turns out his ability is healing—but with a grave tradeoff. Whenever he heals someone, he becomes connected to them and experiences all the pain and suffering that led up to their injury. That pain nearly shattered his mind and, indirectly, his body as well.

Enter Princess Flare. When Keyaru refused to use his powers, she began to despise him. So much so that she had him drugged and turned into a slave—her personal whipping boy and sexual plaything. The drugs forced him to obey her commands and heal others against his will. He endured this torment until their party faced the Demon Lord.

Upon discovering the true nature of his healing power, he made a choice—he let his entire party lie wounded so he could take on the Demon Lord alone. With a single touch, he destroyed her and claimed the Demon Lord’s Philosopher’s Stone. Using its power, he rewound time, gradually unlocking his memories and setting out on a path of revenge against those who had exploited him for their own twisted desires.

The first target Keyaru set his sights on was Princess Flare. Many wondered why this show was so controversial, as the first episode was relatively tame. But when the second episode aired, and Keyaru pulled a hot poker from the fireplace—giving Flare the choice between “his rod or this one”—it became clear that rape was his chosen form of revenge.

And it didn’t stop there. After satisfying himself, he used Heal to wipe Flare’s memories, renaming her Freya. He even adopted a new identity for himself: Keyarga.

With one target down, Keyarga set off on his journey of vengeance against everyone who had wronged him. Along the way, he buys a slave named Setsuna, and after gaining her trust, she becomes his second sex slave. He repeats the process with Kureha, manipulating her by having Freya pose as Princess Flare. The same fate awaits Eve—the girl destined to become the Demon Lord he would eventually kill for the Philosopher’s Stone.

At its core, the story is simply Keyaru/Keyarga’s quest for revenge. Throw in a ton of sex scenes, a few action sequences, and a splash of plot, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a semi-decent show.

The Characters

Keyaru

I’m not sure I can say much more than what I’ve already mentioned, as Keyaru’s entire backstory doubles as the plot of the show. That said, it is refreshing to see a tragic hero—or perhaps an anti-hero or even a villain—as the main character. You feel for him, you sympathize with him, but at the same time, you’re also disgusted by his actions.

He reminds me a lot of Naofumi from The Rising of the Shield Hero—except Keyaru is actually guilty of rape. He is seedy, conniving, and downright manipulative, but he doesn’t care. If it serves his ultimate goal of revenge, he’ll do just about anything.

Flare/Freya

As for Princess Flare… she is a rotten bitch who treats everyone beneath her with utter disdain. She seemed happy when she first met Keyaru in his home village after he awakened his hero powers, but the moment she discovered he was a healer, her attitude shifted. Her disdain for him only grew when the king took an interest in him. When Keyaru refused to use his powers, that was the breaking point for Flare.

Drugging, beating, and raping Keyaru on a daily basis became nothing more than a game to her. She was an absolutely despicable woman who got everything she deserved—and then some.

After having her mind wiped, she transformed into a bubbly girl who would do anything Keyaru commanded. Her personality changed drastically, and she became… dare I say… cute. Still, despite how different she was, there was always that lingering awareness of the atrocities she had committed. Mind-controlled and ignorant—a fitting punishment, indeed.

Setsuna

Setsuna was a slave that Keyaru purchased. She had an out-of-control temper until Keyaru promised her the chance to take revenge on the soldiers who raided her village. The kingdom saw beastfolk like her as nothing more than slaves, routinely raiding their homes, kidnapping them, and selling them off. After leading an attack, Setsuna tore through an army, leaving the entire camp soaked in blood. With Keyaru fulfilling his promise, Setsuna swore her loyalty to him and vowed to stay by his side no matter what.

Without her anger issues, Setsuna is actually pretty playful and cute. She does have a somewhat monotone voice, but there are enough subtle inflections to set her apart from other characters with a similar archetype. In fact, I enjoyed her the most out of everyone in the show—so I’m crowning her best girl!

Kureha

Kureha is a knight of the Jiorhal Kingdom, tasked with pursuing Keyaru after the massacre he orchestrated alongside Setsuna. When she finally encounters him, he has Freya reprise her role as Princess Flare to convince Kureha that the princess is still alive, despite rumors of her death. As Flare, she persuades Kureha that the very kingdom she serves is corrupt. Realizing the truth and the error of her ways, Kureha swears loyalty to Keyaru and becomes sex slave #3… though she isn’t around much, as Keyaru primarily sends her off to gather information.

Eve

If it weren’t for Setsuna, Eve would have been my pick for best girl. She’s designed to fulfill the loli archetype, though she doesn’t immediately join in on Keyaru’s escapades—at least not at first. Eve is more reserved, often acting embarrassed by what Keyaru does with the other girls… or so it seems. In reality, she secretly watches from behind a semi-closed door, pleasuring herself as she observes the others in the act. She tries to maintain an air of innocence, but it’s clear she wants to be part of the action.

Her frustration over it is beyond cute. And considering that this seemingly timid girl is destined to become the demon lord, it only makes things more interesting. Keyaru promises to help Eve ascend to the position of demon lord in exchange for the philosopher’s stone. Accepting his offer, she seals the deal and becomes the newest member of his harem.

Art, Animation, and Sound

Overall Thoughts

The show was pretty basic for me. On one hand, the setup and premise of the story were actually pretty strong. It really made you feel a connection to Keyaru and built up a solid desire to see him get his revenge.

After that, however, it falls apart.

The show quickly devolves into assembling the harem and carrying out revenge, with random sex scenes inserted between everything. In fact, the sex scenes were so arbitrary that it felt like the studio was just adding them in because it had been a while since the last one. There was no real buildup; it was just like, “Okay, looks like we’re having sex now.”

One thing that bothered me was the existence of a censored version of the show. Massive black bars and blurry areas hid the characters, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. When you watch the uncensored version, the only things you see are boobs and ass. Non-ecchi anime shows ass all the time without censorship, so aside from the boobs, there was really nothing worth covering up!

You never saw genitalia, penetration, or anything like that. In fact, when there was a blowjob scene, you didn’t see Keyaru’s penis… you just saw Setsuna sucking on literal air. So… what was the point of the censorship?

I will say this show isn’t going to win any awards, but it was a bit better than what I expected. Then again, when you’re not expecting much, it’s hard not to be somewhat impressed when it manages to hold your attention.

That said, I still think this is a show people can skip and sleep well at night, knowing they didn’t miss anything special.

I don’t care what anyone says… this is the greatest still in all of anime