Total recall

Total recall is a mechanism in the Vanishing Point universe whereby those who have had their memories altered or erased - for example, the various test subjects - are able to recover their original memories. The concept is introduced in the fourth episode of the anime, "Shooting Stars", but is hinted at as early as Episode 2, "Infiltration". Total recall becomes an important plot point in the second half of the anime, and Cobra and Rei's attempts to regain their memories form important sub-plots.

Mechanism
Total recall relies on the fact that the lost memories are not actually erased, but merely made inaccessible, as though locked away. Upon encountering something that is strongly linked to a certain memory - typically a person or object - that object acts as a "trigger", unlocking the associated memory. A weak trigger will only bring forth the exact memory associated with it; for example, finding a book that one had previously read may simply trigger the memory of having read that book. However, a strong enough trigger, something tied to a significant part of that person's past, will cause all their missing memories to return at once: this is "total recall".

Total recall paralysis
When a person undergoes total recall, the shock of all their memories returning at once is too much for their brain to process, causing it to temporarily shut down while it handles the influx of information. This results in a phenomenon known as "total recall paralysis", whereby a person undergoing total recall becomes unresponsive and may collapse. This paralysis lasts for between one and three minutes, depending on the person's mental fitness and the amount of memories that have been restored. Total recall paralysis does not have any lasting effects on the body, and once it has passed, the affected person will be perfectly fine.

Total recall paralysis is not named in the series itself, and is not depicted until [spoiler redacted]. Mizuki Sato refers to the phenomenon in "Shooting Stars", but instead believes that she had simply passed out from shock.

Depiction in the series
Prior to the start of Vanishing Point, Amethyst, Emerald and Alexandra have all undergone total recall. Emerald and Alexandra have duly returned to their original lives, whereas Amethyst lives in a self-imposed exile due to the nature of her powers.

In "Infiltration", upon seeing a box of teabags in Kamui's cupboard, Cobra suddenly recalls that she drinks tea. This minor recollection causes the protagonists to realize that it might be possible for Kiyoko and Cobra to recover their lost memories, something that is confirmed in "Shooting Stars" when Mizuki Sato (Emerald) tells the group how she recovered her own.