Sagrada Reset: Complete Collection

Sagrada Reset is a media-jumping Japanese fantasy franchise, first in novels, then branching into comics, followed by anime, and even live-action. The characters tend to behave formally and speak (at length) in a flat, affected manner as Twilight Zone-type happenings unfold in the town of Sakurada. All of the inhabitants possess unique paranormal powers, from levitation to lie detection, and some godlike talents are able to change reality altogether. But there's a tenuous check system in place; if people leave Sakurada, they lose those abilities (and memories of same). Young Kei Asai troubleshoots for the mysterious, vaguely threatening "Bureau" overseeing the place. He befriends Misora, who is able to "reset" the clock back two days—with the qualifier that even Misora forgets that it happened, or why she did it. But Kei can remember the alternative realities, so together (while feeling a mutual attraction) they handle cases involving a schoolgirl who gets trapped in reflective surfaces, a would-be villainess who can implant false memories, and a mystery object called the MacGuffin. Simultaneously, an overarching Bureau conspiracy exploits "witches" who can see the future. Logic puzzles and time-paradox labyrinths (thanks to frequent resets) predominate, and when Kei tells a magical confederate that things are too complicated to explain, it feels like a vast understatement. Viewers who manage the entire saga are in for a brainy time, but it does seem to go on interminably. Compiling all 24 episodes from 2017 in a Blu-ray edition, in Japanese with English subtitles, rated TV-14, this is a strong optional purchase. (C. Cassady)