'The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: Reawakened' Review: Your favourite high school psychic returns, as good as ever
Spoiler alert for ‘The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: Reawakened’
Your favourite pink-haired anime high school psychic is back, with Netflix’s ‘The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: Reawakened,’ and life is crazy as ever for the deadpan high schooler just trying to make his way through life.
The return to the series marks the show’s 4th season, technically, though rebranded under Netflix Originals, ‘Reawakened’ has a separate listing from the original series. Each “episode” is divided into smaller, 5-minute mini-episodes, seeing the series protagonist, Saiki K (Shintarō Asanuma) reluctantly drawn into bizarre escapades by his even more bizarre classmates, some of whom have their own abilities.
‘Reawakened’ sees the original voice cast reprising their roles, with two new characters added to the already extensive cast. The new teacher, Takumi Iguchi (Kousuke Toriumi), is rather one-note, with his gag of having resting pervert face having only about two mini-episodes worth of steam in it. The other new character however - yet another transfer to P.K. Academy’s time-looped new semesters - is the exact kind of hilarious weird new character that makes ‘The Disastrous Life of Saiki K’ stand out.
Hii Suzumiya (Nao Tōyama) is supernaturally unlucky. So unlucky, in fact, that Saiki wonders if she’s got ESP herself. It’s the kind of unluckiness that has her run over by a hearse on her first day of school, or to have three students simultaneously spill three different kinds of drinks on her after tripping. It’s a gag that never stops being funny.
For fans of the original series, devoted to continuity, it’s probably best to start with the sixth “episode,” a five-part story that explains just how Saiki K gets his powers back after the events of the Season 3 special. Long story short: his psychic abilities altered his body in ways that see his body recover his abilities if ever they were lost. It’s almost a shame that they’re returned to him, as a more vulnerable Saiki begins to live out a relatively peaceful life, accept the help of the friends around him, and really see how much they care.
Saiki has always been aloof, above the normal people surrounding him, and it’s interesting to see a glimpse into the kind of life a normal Saiki could have led. It’s not meant to be, however, and having had a brief vacation from his powers, Saiki is returned to his regular powered status quo.
The rest of the series follows that status quo, with episodes ranging from slice-of-life problems viewed through Saiki’s unique psychic lens, to episodes that really dive into the nitty-gritty of how his unique and wondrous powers work. There’s even a hilarious episode that sees him suddenly gaining an array of random, useless powers that may just be a series highlight.
With the shortness of each mini-episode, the endings of stories can feel abrupt, with one episode legitimately ending with a voiceover saying that the issue was all explained and resolved offscreen, later. Once you’re used to that abruptness, however, the show is filled with the kind of fast-paced gags, dry humour and meta-commentary that characterizes the show.
For fans of the old series, it’s a good welcome back to a beloved character that ‘Reawakened’ hopefully revitalizes. For new fans, curious about the series, strap yourselves in - it’s a weird, mile-a-minute ride.
‘The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: Remastered’ is now streaming on Netflix.