LogFAQs > #969743106

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CHARACTER: Asai Kei (Sagrada Reset)
https://myanimelist.net/character/146224/Kei_Asai
Voiced by: Ishikawa Kaito
TOP 100 RANK: 66th

SPOILERS FOR SAGRADA RESET

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHuwDYfE1qw

Kei has a perfect memory in every way. It can even survive Harukis resets, which was why Sumire introduced them to each other. They had a rocky start due to Harukis emotionlessness, but Kei quickly proved how her reset could help other people. Over the years, they grew very close. Sadly, it never turned romantic due to an early stumble. Haruki, who isnt exactly a pro at understanding feelings, mistook her initial affection for love. Kei decided to put this to the test by kissing her, and then resetting when she admitted it didnt make her happy. Wasting their reset for that had tragic consequences when they couldnt go back and stop Sumire from dying. The guilt of that mistake has haunted Kei for years and kept him from pursuing Haruki.

When certain powers came together to potentially revive Sumire, Kei leapt at the chance. The new Sumire, though now a few years younger than him, quickly re-established her place in his life. She often flirted with Kei, which bothered a jealous Haruki. I really liked how Kei always made his feelings clear, however. There was a scene where Sumire pointed out that his affection for Haruki could be a confused mix of different feelings. Kei pointed out that, if he could feel all of that for one person, that probably means he was in love with them.

The final arc really brought the relationship between Kei and Haruki together. Everything has gone wrong, and all hope seems lost. Sakurada has had all its supernatural powers sealed, which also erased peoples memories of them. Only Kei still recalls everything, but hes lost Harukis reset ability and he cant do anything on his own. He goes through a bit of soul searching. He looks at Sumire living a normal life and wonders if this is the way things are supposed to be. However, Kei decides he must return things to the way they were, and he also figures out how.

Using one of his trademark combinations of unique powers, Kei takes Haruki into a photograph of a frozen moment in time. Since powers still existed in that time, Harukis memories begin returning, resulting in a jumbled mess that leaves her thoroughly confused. Kei doesnt have enough time to win her over with logic, so he appeals to emotion. He admits that he was never honest about his feelings for her. That he was too much of a coward to ever let anyone see his weaknesses, or to see him cry. But now he wants to go back, to get that big second chance, and to make that happen he begins crying in front of her. The video I linked shows those feelings reaching Haruki, and its a wonderful moment between them.

Once theyve reset to a few days ago, Kei is of course able to make it all work out. I love how the final confrontation with the big bad is them having a conversation in a car, its so different from how most shows would do it. That isnt the most epic part of the finale, however. Kei is ready to show Haruki everything, and that means coming clean about his mistake all those years ago. Thanks to their friend who can temporarily transfer powers, he gives Haruki his perfect memory and has her remember that day, and the kiss. Its such a sweet moment when she admits that her past self had lied. The old Haruki, who as I said wasnt an expert on feelings, had said it didnt make her happy. The current Haruki, having gone through some truly wonderful character development, admits that it had made her happy. Aww. I love everything about Kei and Haruki together, and I hope they continue being a team even after the story ends.

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CHARACTER: Souma Sumire (Sagrada Reset)
https://myanimelist.net/character/146245/Sumire_Souma
Voiced by: Yuuki Aoi
TOP 100 RANK: 11th

SPOILERS FOR SAGRADA RESET

(I couldnt find a video for her, which is too bad because she has one really amazing scene that Id have loved to include)

Sumire is an enigma early on. She does weird things like introduce Kei and Haruki without being clear about her reasons. Soon after, she dies in a way that seems impossible. It mightve even been suicide, though Kei has trouble accepting that. In any case, the death of Sumire haunts him for years, and he leaps at the first opportunity he gets to bring her back. Thanks to a photograph taken by someone who can freeze time with his pictures, plus a creative mix of other powers, Sumire is pulled from the past and brought back from the dead.

The more I learned about her, the more compelling Sumire became. Her power is revealed. She can see the future of anyone she talks to, and its guaranteed to happen unless she herself takes action to change it. The old Sumire used this power to set up an incredibly long gambit. It was a plan that would unfold over years and take some impossible twists. The plan even required her to die, solely to circumvent a power that would compel her to tell the truth. She set things up so her revived other self could lie on a technicality, because they werent the ones who had set this all up. It was a flawless plan, and, in the end, it saved Sakurada. But it cost Sumire everything.

I loved the emotional arc Sumire went through after her revival. The new Sumire, though still supporting the plan of her past other self, came to loathe the role she had to play. Sumire loved Kei, after all, and one of the first steps of the plan was introducing him to Haruki, the girl who would inevitably steal him away. The new Sumire was plagued not just by thoughts about who she really was, but also by constant reminders that the guy she loved would never be hers, and it was all her past selfs fault. Sumires clone situation brought up a lot of great philosophical and moral questions, and the anime deeply explored every single one.

Even though it was her who set everything in motion, and even though it all went exactly as she planned, no one lost more than Sumire. I loved the fake date she set up with Kei, one where she could try one final time to win him over even though she knew it wouldnt work. Even though she knew it would end with her in tears. She still acted it all out, and it was heartbreaking. I love Kei and Haruki as a couple, but Sumire was the character I wound up having the deepest connection to. She really emphasized the dark side of being able to see the future.