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Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-
Episode 17

by Theron Martin,

How would you rate episode 17 of
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- ?
Community score: 4.6

Okay, so who actually expected Subaru to live all the way through this episode? Yeah, I didn't either.

But there he is, still alive at the end, dodging the doom that he now wants despite being desperate to stay alive only a few minutes earlier in the episode. And there he is, caught in the midst of a potential face-off between Betelgeuse and a very pissed off Puck, who can apparently manifest at night when the contract with his master is broken. Does Puck actually care to keep Subaru out of the line of fire at this point?

Pretty much the whole episode involves things going so far south that they have reached the Straits of Magellan. (Episode 15, by comparison, was Antarctica range.) First, we get a very convincing portrayal of exactly why the White Whale is so feared, since it an ability even more frightening than its physical power. For the second time in two episodes, we see that someone who encountered the White Whale was erased from existence, from everyone's memories to every trace that the person was ever alive. Not only does Rem (presumably) die trying to fend it off so Subaru can escape, but no one remembers her except for him, either – not even Ram. Back at the mansion, Subaru finally does what a lot of people have long wanted him to do: spill the beans to Emilia, even if he has to force the issue. Only this time, when the dark hands appear, his heart is only lovingly caressed instead of squeezed, and Emilia ends up dying instead.

Boy, does that raise a whole ton of questions. I've long been under the assumption that the Witch is responsible for what's happening to Subaru, but if that's the case, then why does Emilia get killed? Or, contrary to popular belief, does the Witch actually not care about Emilia? Was some other force at play there? Subaru's in no shape to ponder that, but we have a whole week to think about it. The further mystery is why Subaru's ability to see Betelgeuse's Unseen Hands so thoroughly disconcerts him; clearly he wasn't expecting that. As an added bonus, Beatrice makes a brief but meaningful appearance too.

For all the juicy content going on in the story that furthers Subaru's trauma though, the real star here is the artistry. Even more so than the bar fight scene in the first arc, the first part of this episode manages a superb balance between using a darkly-hued setting to create a sense of danger and unease (we never get a full look at the White Whale, but we get more than enough glimpses for it to be a convincing threat), while still keeping things visible and comprehensible to the viewer. Some of the shot framing here is terrific, especially one sequence from Subaru's perspective where he rolls after being knocked aside by the White Whale. The above screen shot is a good example too, a meaning-laden view of Subaru reflected in Emilia's eye. (Side note: I think that scene made it clear that Emilia still cares and wants to understand Subaru, suspicious that something else is going on with him.)

As much as I love what the series has been doing lately, it's about time for Subaru to catch a break. Some suggestion has been made that the original novelist may have been trying to make a point with this portrayal: that being a NEET transported to another world isn't necessarily a glorious experience. In fact, I think he's basically daring viewers to self-insert with Subaru here, perhaps as a statement about the state of light novels in the industry, or perhaps as an Evangelion-like effort to buck trends and push the genre into new frontiers. Whichever is the case, a little less suffering for Subaru is becoming increasingly desirable. Of course, whether he gets that or not may depend on whether he's learned the lessons that these past few episodes have been trying to teach him.

Rating: A-

Re:Zero shorts: Crunchyroll has just recently made the first 11 of these 2½ minute chibified bits available, each one keyed to the equivalent full episode number and featuring alternate takes on scenes from that episode. While the humor in them can be hit-or-miss, they are entertaining enough to recommend, and they provide nice breaks from the series' heavier content.

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.


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