Redo of Healer and the big picture: How a troubled nation produced the worst characters

Arguably one of the most controversial series to grace anime in recent years, Redo of Healer (2021), also known as Kaiyari or Kaifuku Jutsushi no Yarinaoshi, may seem to have squandered decent animation and plot progression for an obscene take on revenge. Not that revenge rape was a new theme to begin with, but Redo of Healer doing it much like how an off-brand anime would turned off a lot of audiences, citing how some off-brand anime may even have a better narrative to begin with. Thus, the appalling ratings that barely pass in modern anime. Yet upon critical examination, many reviewers might have missed why the much hated characters of the series turned out to be as they were. This would be an unconventional review for an unconventional series, if it may be said so. Warning: spoilers ahead!

Jioral Kingdom: Troubled country, toxic society

The protagonist, if he qualified as one, was a healer called Keyaru. Raised from the backwater of a village as the Healing Hero in a collective effort to defeat the Demon Lord, he soon found himself entangled in abusive and corrupt practices done by fellow heroes around him. Despite his importance as a healer, he was seen as the lowest among the heroes, thus finding himself on the receiving end of all the heinous acts they do. After a climactic battle with the Demon Lord (who turned out to be a lady), Keyaru found himself reborn in the same world, but in an earlier time. Finding that the very heroes and leaders he served with did not change despite living in a different timeline, Keyaru’s resolve was made up. From there, he assumed a new name, Keyarga, and embarked on a journey of revenge. And for that matter, he worked on his sexual conquests as well, all while trying to make sense of the Demon Lord granting him powers beyond compare, the Philosopher’s Stone. With every episode riddled with lewd and titillating scenes, however, what was left largely unnoticed was how these people became so perverted in the first place, to the point that the Demon Lord (who was still a candidate when Keyaru returned back in time) looked slightly more decent than most of the major characters. One need not to look further than examining the system itself. This was the big picture worth more than a thousand words, a realization which struck Keyaru early on.

The Jioral Kingdom was a governance wreck, with border towns left at the mercy of the demons they struggle against, the melding of cultures there surprisingly creating an atmosphere of peace between humans and demons, villages outside the capital receiving little to no assistance from the king, and the countryside nowhere near developed to even work as productive segments of the kingdom. Other isekai kingdoms and states could do better than Jioral, so to speak. As if this was not enough, the culture was even more irrational. This was the setting wherein Keyaru grew up. A society that seemed to have no concept of forgiveness and mercy. A world that corrupted even those who try to restore any sense of morality in the realm. They were good with harassing demi-humans, who were people who had bestial features, and then wondered why demi-humans were terrorizing them with their own brand of guerilla warfare. They were good with slavery, drugs, and other questionable practices which place their fellow humans under inhumane conditions. They were good with their children growing up either as subservient, apathetic subjects or as entitled, impertinent rulers, depending on the context one was brought up in, which led to the next point.

Mind Healing or Brainwashing? How change revealed the real characters

To be fair, of the five women who Keyaru had so far integrated to his party, he only used his “mind heal”, or put more bluntly brainwashing, on the two Jioral princesses, Flare Arlgrande and Norn Clatalissa. Yet even the healer was surprised to see how a different environment made them seem like wholly changed people. Flare and Norn, as princesses, grew up in a setting of crazed power and self-righteous leadership. Them becoming kind-hearted ladies demonstrated how, if given the chance to redo their lives, they would not turn out as bad as Keyaru knew them to be. Then, there were the ladies who Keyaru did not have to brainwash with his powers. Setsuna, who regarded herself as one of the weaker Ice Wolf members, was forced by a competitive society to prove herself in battle. This resulted to her capture and fall into slavery. Had she been raised in a more caring community, she might have not fallen as easily to Keyaru’s predatory scheme. A similar situation might be observed with the Demon Lord candidate Eve Reese. The Black Wing Clan of the demon community, which she represented, was largely harassed and almost wiped out by the current Demon Lord, who hailed from a different clan. In his pursuit to compensate for his inferiority complex, the current Demon Lord unwisely exacerbated the already harsh conditions of the demons' competitive society.

Then there was the Great Swordsman (or swordswoman, if this would be more politically correct) and the Blade Goddess, Kureha Clyret. If Redo of Healer revolved around a female lead, Kureha would likely qualify as one of the more interesting, not to mention redeemable, choices. The plot was doing Kureha some sort of disservice by making her disappear in espionage missions, being the only one in Keyaru’s party who still retained some confidence from the establishment. Despite her title, she was not really an official heroine, which implied that Kureha never earned sufficient favor from the nation’s leadership even though she was highly skilled. Merit and fitness was not the norm in this kingdom. It was also likely that Kureha was not of a noble family, making her background a bane to her dreams of ever going up in that world. Of all Keyaru’s combat scenes after his redo, which in themselves were worthy of attention, his fight with Kureha appeared to be the most intense. It felt even for a brief moment that the overpowered healer met his match. She was the quintessential career woman hindered by the glass ceiling of hierarchy and prejudice. Her immense debt to Keyaru was not something that the healer brought upon himself. It was the kingdom’s ineptness to even recognize real talent that led Kureha to think her only real role for the nation was being a military champion. When Keyaru restored her arm, the very soul of her swordsmanship, she was more than thankful because she then believed state propaganda that her life depended on her utility to the nation. She was made oblivious of the atrocities and neglect through the veil of human justice and fairness, whereas in reality, the kingdom did not seem to be pursuing peace at all. The Jioral leadership only wanted power for themselves. Meanwhile, Kureha worked diligently to rise in the ranks, only to realize she could be just as easily discarded by the people she wholeheartedly served. Public opinion, after all, changes every 15 minutes.

Saibancho, the verdict

While Redo of Healer may have done well enough without the obscene takes, highlighting for once how health and healing was a largely ignored yet highly important aspect in any campaign, the series still could not hope to recover lost ground in terms of plot progression. Defeat the Demon Lord. Okay, but why? Take revenge on the kingdom. Sure, but again, why? Some segments of the story did not connect to anywhere else. Did Keyaru, or anyone in his party, ever think how the collapse of a strong center such as Jioral would affect humanity’s survival in the midst of physically stronger demons and demi-humans? What of the border towns, which fragile peace they somehow disrupted with their activities? If Keyaru did any good for any village or town, it was definitely not for the benefit of those who lived there, but for his selfish purposes. Meanwhile, the preservation of any semblance of order for the humans of their world did not imply justification of their corruption and incompetence. The collapse of Jioral may well be on its way, with Keyaru only becoming another catalyst to hasten its fall. But the same goes for Keyaru’s seemingly aimless rampage. Once his revenge was complete, and the new Demon Lord placed in power, what then? What if the cycle of revenge gets back on Keyaru himself? These may seem insignificant details for now, but it could help rationalize the story’s premise.

Another lesson perhaps that Redo of Healer provided would be taking a look at people’s standards, and at oneself for that matter. While accused of objectifying women, the series was revealed to be doing fairly well among women. While seen as being too lascivious, there were still audiences who would take them nonetheless. Were the values and morals people try to appropriate to others they live with their respective walks as well? Ethics, what did this mean to the personal level? Would it be possible for public outrage to conceal with its fiery facade the private desires of the self? Revenge, once more, was not a new theme to take. Take for example contemporary anime such as Rising of the Shield Hero (2019) and Goblin Slayer (2018), among others, which themselves carried their own issues and controversies. If one would be so disgusted of vengeance, with the instance wherein the oppressed may become the oppressor, then consider this. To forgive and to forgive truly, no matter how grave the sin, would be an ultimate blow to end the endless cycle of anger, fear, guilt, and everything in between. Some may feign magnanimity and kindness, but all people do flow from the heart, and the vengeful spirit would manifest sooner or later. Have you ever reflected on the things that could never be done again, and on the things that could still be corrected?

(Photos from the series courtesy of TNK Co., Ltd.)