Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-
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Pierrot.
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C+? Geez that's really harsh. You do know this was just a setup episode?
Could you elaborate this part? You gave Netoge's episode 11 a B despite it's mediocre production values. I don't see how this episode was any different than the previous ones. Also what cringe worthy dialogues are you referring to? |
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HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
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It is not like he said anything wrong but I thought it was better than he was giving it credit for.
I think this episode also marked significant progress in our couple's relationship. Subaru got his date and they had the good taste to sort of skate over it as quickly as possible. Also quite novel is Emilia forcing Subaru to hold her hand (you wanted to on our date didn't you?) because she knows once out of view he will run out and do something stupid. Which he does, with 1000% reliability. He can't just sit there to wait for her to emerge from a meeting he has to run into the nearest shady alley for one more encounter for "the only three thugs" in the capital. I am a little disappointed that he would abuse her trust like that, though. Granted the story needed it but she made it very clear that it was important to her for him to stay put. And he then took the opportunity to make it even more clear that he didn't care what her wishes were. Conscripting Rem into it no less. I hope Emilia doesn't let him off the hook easily for it. |
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msvitch
Posts: 68 |
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C+??
so you're saying all that world building and the political aspects of the episode which will build up for the Big surprise in the future is worth a C+?????????? i feel kinda meh on this review. so you hate slow episodes huh.... i see you... |
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Tuor_of_Gondolin
 Posts: 3524 Location: Bellevue, WA |
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So, the ruler of the kingdom is a dragon-priest(ess)? I mean, previously there was a king, and the king was a guy, right? I'm pretty sure they called him a "he".
Basically, I'm not entirely sure how this whole governmental structure/selection thing works. It's odd that there are 5 young women, one of which is supposed to be selected to be the "dragon-priestess". But what does that mean? And why are they all young women? What has the dragon demanded of this nation? I suspect that it has a lot to do why our mellow-seeming mage seems spoiler[determined to kill the dragon]. Heck, I might just come to agree with his sentiment, because there seems to be some Stuff going on here, that is being pomped up, but is likely actually pretty dark. As for Subaru... he's really put his foot in it. I'm not sure how quickly Emilia is going to be able to forgive him for what he just did. There are times when he can say the right thing and get away with a lot, but I don't think this one is going to be let go of very easily. |
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Muffum
 Posts: 100 |
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I have to agree with Theron re:this episode; Subaru was back to being as obnoxious as humanly possible after spending most of last arc being more bearable (and even likable at points), and most of the set-up and world-building was really clunky. I guess at least it introduced a money-grubbing girl in fluffy winter clothes voiced by Kana Ueda, who's already my new favorite character.
I find it amusing people are conflating Theron disliking this episode in particular with him disliking slow episodes in general, since he's given a lot of other slower episodes in the show glowing reviews. |
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stilldemented
 Posts: 232 |
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I agree that this wasn't a great episode. I found it somewhat sloppy. And counter to what everyone else believes, it isn't because this episode was slow. It's because it was hasty.
The slow pacing with this show has always been counteracted by strong yet subtle moments of intrigue and character introspection. Apparently, faster pacing means glossing over ongoing developments and character introductions to begin the much more important game of thrones. The show hit the fast forward button. I was hit over the head with six or seven new characters without any of them really getting their defining moment. My first impression of all these characters is that they are superfluous to the material that the show really wants to animate. Which is disappointing. Each of these new characters seem like they are interesting in their own right, but the direction undermines their importance. I feel like we should already know these characters better than we actually do. Especially Priscilla and to some extent Felix. Their actions felt the least sensible for what little time they spent interacting with Subaru this episode. And it wasn't just the new characters. Rem was also off her usual mark. I get liking Subaru now, but the scripting of those scenes did not gel well. They were very by-the-book interactions, which is something that this show has usually avoided. It didn't mesh for me, since I've learned to expect more from this show. This episode needed to slow down and build all these new relationships. Something the show has always taken time to assure until now. Instead, it jumped us from place to place and threw too much on the plate to properly digest. Setting the stage is so very crucial in keeping me invested in the situation. All that griping out of the way, the show still has all its promise. It was just this one episode that was poorly executed. However, because of that, this new arc has started off with adverse effects. Luckily, this show is designed to self-correct through use of Subaru's ability. So I can see this episode not being as bad in retrospect at series conclusion. But on an episode by episode basis of criteria? This is our poorest episode thus far. In my opinion. 
On an offnote, I've thought this for a while, but it really seems that my thoughts on shows tend to align with Theron's more often than not. Keep up the solid work. You'll always have a fan in me. 
Last edited by stilldemented on Mon Jun 20, 2016 1:16 pm; edited 9 times in total |
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whiskeyii
 Posts: 2245 |
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Huh, so I'm not the only one who thought this episode was kind of all over the place. o.O
For me, if I compare this to an earlier setup episode, like the one where Subaru first asks Emilia out on a date, scratched up hands and all, the flow of this episode just felt really rocky to me. We seemed to jump locales a lot, no mention is made of whether Subaru got healed or not, which is arguably the highest priority after the royal selection event, Subaru himself seems to do some social backsliding (I found his "just admit you needed help" quip to Priscilla to be especially galling, given that just about everyone in this world aside from him is well-equipped to handle danger, and it seemed weird for him to bring that up now after everything he's been through), he seems to trample all over Emilia's request to give her a reason to trust him, even if he has good intentions (which kind of strikes me as a sort of heavy-handed way of getting Subaru to the location of the next plot point), and everyone seems to be doing their damnedest to coyly hint at major events rather than being straightforward just so we can end on a cliffhanger we all pretty much knew was coming. It felt like the show was both full of padding and yet also trying to hurry things along; very, very jarring for me. Though I will admit that I found the hitchhiking gag to be pretty funny, if only because of how inexplicable it was, and I think Emilia's constant "it's repayment" shtick is intended as less of a moral quandary and more of an endearing trait. |
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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When they said "priestess," my immediate thought was that she would probably have to be celibate in order to be devoted to the dragon. No wonder Felix's old wagon driver (who is apparently a sword demon himself) told Subaru he had a tough road ahead! Poor Subaru! It's not that she won't be able to be with him because she'll be a queen and he a commoner, it's that she won't be allowed to be with anyone due to her position. That sucks.
I *hate* Felix's character design. When he first appeared, warning bells went off that he might be a stereotypical "anime trap," but I gave the show the benefit of the doubt that he might be a girl (although Subaru already has too many girls in his harem if you ask me). Then they revealed the name "Felix," and, ok, sometimes anime uses stereotypically male Western names for female characters. Then they confirmed it, and I'm just hoping they give him enough characterization to overcome his already offensive, fetishy, and cliche appearance. Anime "traps" are by no means LGBTQA+ positive representations, they are nearly always an offensive butt of bad jokes. They haven't gone there yet, and there's a possibility that Felix will be nuanced enough to overcome that characterization, but the show's treatment of Roswaal as an offensive gay stereotype in "humorous" moments (when he and Subaru are in the bath together, for example), does not give me much hope. At least Roswaal is mostly treated with respect and is more than just the sum of his parts in most scenes. Funniest moment of the episode: "are you the only thugs in this town?!" |
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cloud8100
Posts: 550 |
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Well, I'd still consider it the best of this season even after episode 12. None of the other anime have gone even 4 eps and still stayed enjoyable throughout each one. Introductions of some interesting characters this ep though. And those alley guys lol.
Emilia annoys me more and more each time I see her to be honest. She seems so dodgy. I can partially understand Subaru's actions in trying to go with Emilia as he seemed pretty (understandably) paranoid something would go down and even though he hates dying, he has the general idea that if something does go down and Emilia dies he would probably die too and he could essentially protect her like that. It was pretty awkward watching the two of them though. I feel this episode is being more critically judged by quite a few because, after a run of so many fairly tense and moving episodes, its taking more of an information/arc introduction approach before the deaths begin. People are acting as though its suddenly stopped being good after 1 ep they aren't keen on. ¬_¬ Last edited by cloud8100 on Mon Jun 20, 2016 4:46 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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whiskeyii
Posts: 2245 |
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Huh, I actually felt a little relieved at how that bath scene played out; I was expecting much more "gay panic" flails, and Subaru just kind of went "meh, sorry, not interested". Though if you're talking about his ostentatious clown get-up, yeah, if that's a call back to "fabulous" gay male stereotypes, I can get why that bothers you. On the other hand, we know so, so little about Lord Roswaal that I'm leaning towards giving him the benefit of the doubt. Even if I'm also side-eyeing Felix really hard right now. >.> |
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stilldemented
Posts: 232 |
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Some random thoughts on Subaru as of episode 12:
Subaru has very pure intentions, but they have a tendency to come back to bite him in the worst possible way. To those who don't really know him, his actions are considered suspect and his predicament leaves him incapable to explain himself. And that's the best case scenario. Normally he dies horrifically on repeat or is left gravely injured with healers working relentlessly to keep him from death's door. Ever since he came to this world, his life has held relentless death and despair. Although he suffers and exhausts himself, he needs to prevent any worst possible outcome because he views all life as precious. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something bad were to happen and he was powerless to stop it. This is what stirs him to storm the palace. Is it his place to intrude or influence? Absolutely not. It has nothing to do with him. But he needs to be there just in case. He's used to things going south and there's too much at stake. That feeling spurs his actions and keeps him from adhering to Emilia's orders. That being said, it will probably come back and bite him. That's been something of a recurring theme in the show. So I don't think crashing this royal gathering is going to earn him any respect points when Emilia insisted he take a chill pill. Both Subaru and Emilia have something resembling a white knight complex for one another and it would be interesting to see those ideals clash against one another when it is that very same quality that attracts them to one another in the first place. I think that's why Subaru doesn't bother me. He's selfless for selfish reasons, but it's those contrasts in his character that keeps him compelling. He's a well-designed character even if his actions don't always suit his audience. Last edited by stilldemented on Mon Jun 20, 2016 2:27 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Iron Maw
Posts: 489 |
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Other than lower production quality I really didn't have a problem with this episode myself. Not enough for a C+ since this was necessary typical setup and downtime episode. I also don't agree with some of the others on how the new characters were handled since I felt everyone who needed a introduction got one and those need a reintroduction got it.
In fairness if you look at from his perspective it's understandable. http://i.imgur.com/Vi4JDEj.png http://i.imgur.com/Qz55Eqt.png http://i.imgur.com/3skaASb.png http://i.imgur.com/M7ez4j4.png Pics shamelessly stolen from another forum. 
First it is monarchy, however as Ram explained back in episode 6 the Dragon is essentially a revered guardian that has protect country during turmoil and guided it to prosperity. Since I feel like the anime didn't quite cover everything here despite mentioning some of it. http://i.imgur.com/kICkf0L.jpg http://i.imgur.com/yPeKLkN.jpg http://i.imgur.com/1HAXApl.jpg http://i.imgur.com/iwsG2QT.jpg That said some of this might come up next episode so I will note a slight spoiler warning. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18186 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Yes, I think this is a good way to put it. As others have pointed out, I definitely don't have a problem with slower episodes, as the more thoughtful and thorough approach works well for this series. That wasn't what I saw here. I also agree with other comments that Subaru reverted some on the obnoxiousness of his behavior. Edit: Yeah, Ironmaw, I'm pretty sure next episode is going to start with some/all of that, since Felt is shown lined up with the other girls and she was just coming in at the end of episode 12. |
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Tuor_of_Gondolin
Posts: 3524 Location: Bellevue, WA |
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I read the links Ironmaw provided, and while they do clarify some things (some of which I already grasped), others remain unclear. I don't want to get into possible spoiler territory, but:
A (dragon) shrine maiden isn't a king, and re-establishing the pact doesn't necessarily mean that the person who re-establishes it becomes the next king. It could mean that they pave the way for the next king to ascend to the throne. And who writes these "prophesies", anyway? The Dragon? I'm guessing that the girls who have been found suitable were determined by the reaction of that one stone to their touch, but does each girl have a single, specific backer? Well, I'm sure at least some of this will be explained next episode, or soon afterwards, so I should just be patient. As it is, though, I am pretty suspicious of this whole process.
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HiddenDagr
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I feel like the score is a bit harsh. Its the very start of the arc so a lot of the complaints about the new characters i feel is being done a bit early. Seems like its usually once Subaru starts trying to fix things that what appears to be a typical anime character becomes someone much deeper. Overall the lowest i would give it is somewhere between a B+ and A-. Its in the intro process for the arc and despite that the episode still did a great job of showing why i love Subaru as a character and the number of introduced characters managed to not feel like they were trying to hard to get everyone in the episode. Really looking forward to see what crap Subaru goes through next.
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