Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-

Episode 24

We knew a reset was coming based on the ending to last episode, but the point where Subaru resets to was unexpected. In retrospect, it's quite reasonable, since it's the best position from whence Subaru could correct the circumstances that led to his death last episode. That only makes this save point more suspicious, however, as yet another intimation that the Witch is directly guiding Subaru herself or else the power laid upon him is sentient. Also, this is the first time that Subaru has bounced back from a point after he helps protect Emilia from a threat to a time before he finished the job. That would seem to suggest that the witch doesn't consider Subaru just a disposable tool; she needs him alive as much as she needs Emilia. Too bad for Betelgeuse!

Whatever the case, seeing how Subaru acts on what he learned from the last couple of episodes is still quite satisfying, along with the way the relationship between him and Julius has evolved, as they cleverly combine their respective strengths to combat Betelgeuse directly at the end of the episode. (If people haven't already started shipping these two, it's bound to happen sooner or later.) The battlefield Subaru chose was a nicely symbolic gesture; fighting for one of your greatest triumphs at the place of your deepest point of despair has a nice ring to it. Of course, the lingering question remains of what Subaru is going to do about Betelgeuse trying to possess him once the Sin Archbishop has been killed, but we'll have to wait until next episode to see what trick he has up his sleeve. Subaru is reasonably sharp when his emotions don't overwhelm him, so I have to think he's already planned for that.

For me though, the best part of this episode came earlier. I believe this is the first time in the series that we've spent so much time from Emilia's viewpoint, and it was long overdue. I did wonder at first if she was so naïve that she couldn't recognize Subaru in that flimsy disguise, but the later explanation about how the cloak was enspelled to disguise a person's identity both cleared this up and explained why the villagers weren't thrown by the appearance of Emilia in that same cloak way back at the beginning of episode 12. The moment where the kids accepted her was a nice touch too. While the series could have done a little better job of building that up, I still found it to be a faintly emotional touch.

Of course, the big revelation this episode came out of Subaru's exchange with Betelgeuse. Viewers have long speculated on Emilia's connection to the Jealous Witch, and now we know for sure that the Witch may descend into Emilia if she survives her Ordeals. Whether this is what Satella actually intends or just what Betelgeuse is plotting based on his own interpretations is unclear, but that bit about her being “reborn on the fate day” is also interesting. Sadly, we are unlikely to get a definitive answer with only one episode left in the series, unless the season ends with some jaw-dropping stunt like having the Witch descend into Emilia as a final cliffhanger. While I think that's unlikely, I can't rule it out, but we'll have to wait until next episode's finale to see. Hopefully, we'll at least get a more direct reconnection between Subaru and Emilia.

Rating: A-

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