Winter 2021 brings a good line up of swords and magic anime. However, nothing will probably beat Redo of Healer—AKA Kariyari—in terms of twistedness. It's still very early in the season but we’ve already seen enough to send chills down our spines. We feel obligated to warn you, our dear readers, that if you are of weak heart, do yourselves a favor and drop this series.
For those unfamiliar with the series, the story follows Keyaru. He’s a blessed hero to have been granted healing magic. Healing magic, however, comes with a great price. Even though his magic can even restore missing limbs, Keyaru relives his patient’s memories. That means he gets to experience all of their pain and suffering. He has to bear such torture every time he heals, and he logically breaks down mentally. With him no longer wanting to do any healing, the princess drugs and violates him to use him like a tool. This is a story about Keyaru’s revenge.
Spoilers Ahead
Unorthodox Healing Magic
Using healing magic to fight isn’t unheard of in anime, but the way Kariyari uses it is beyond what we’ve seen. In fact, it’s actually quite overpowered in this series. Keyaru’s healing magic, in the usual sense, is already overpowered on its own. It can even regenerate missing limbs, so the only probable limit is bringing the dead back to life.
That will somehow still be acceptable, but its power doesn’t end there. With what Keyaru has shown us so far, his healing ability also allows him to copy skills from those he has healed, as well as corroding anything he touches from the inside out. With his copying ability alone, he has already amassed a varied skill set, which he used for his revenge. We wonder what else Keyaru has in store for us.
Sweet Sweet Revenge
From the series’ pilot episode, we get the feeling that Flare will be Keyaru’s final opponent. She’s his primary target after all. When the second episode aired, however, we’re unwelcomingly shocked. Keyaru, using the skills he has accumulated after months of torture and violation, has already started his revenge. As he originally planned, his first target is Flare. He even ends up altering her memories and changing their appearances, but his revenge is far from over. It seems that he’s just starting, and we need to brace ourselves for more unnerving scenes.
Censorship Is of Little Help
You’re probably thinking, “Okay, Keyaru has already started his revenge, so what? There are a lot of revenge series out there.” That’s true, but the revenge in Kariyar is (albeit deserved) undeniably brutal. First off, Keyaru attacks Flare, then tells her to play a little game. He will break her fingers one by one and if she doesn’t make a sound after everything is broken, she will be freed. Keyaru isn’t a goodhearted man, though. After he breaks most of her fingers, he will heal her and repeat. Not only that, he even repeatedly rapes her afterward. Although the series has tried to censor the sensitive parts and even pans out during the scenes, the context and sound effects are more than enough to scare us.
Final Thoughts
Redo of Healer is undeniably a unique series that we are uncertain whether to call a grace or a curse. The plot is stupendously dark, but for some reason, we can’t take our eyes off it. Perhaps our sadistic souls are loving every second of Keyaru’s revenge, or maybe our curious minds are just interested to see how such a dark series will turn out. Nonetheless, we’re certain that Kariyari is a big contender for the most controversial series this season.
Author: Christian Markle
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