×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
EP. REVIEW: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- [2020-07-13]


Goto page   Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
A Mystery



Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Posts: 1886
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 2:43 pm Reply with quote
Yay, Re Zero reviews are back!
No word about Beatrice mentioning Geuses death like she had a good bond with him? Something's fishy. The Sins are not as black and white evil as they seem, probably.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime
jdnation



Joined: 15 May 2007
Posts: 1994
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 3:13 pm Reply with quote
"Beware of Garfield."



I'm happy the series is back. I rewatched the director's cut version too and that was a heck of a cliffhanger at the end. Subaru really can't catch a break... But at least this situation looks forward-solvable.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ThatGuyWhoLikesThings



Joined: 04 Jul 2013
Posts: 1000
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 3:30 pm Reply with quote
Man, I forgot just how snappy and dynamic Subaru's interactions with just about everyone are. It feels refreshing to have an isekai protagonist with dialogue that doesn't feel stale or wooden. I don't know if this is more due to Subaru's colorful personality or just Re:Zero's strong writing in general, or perhaps both.

This is also why I think I preferred the second episode over the first, even if it was primarily just setting up the characters and plot points that'll be important this season. The first episode was heavy and delivered a lot of strong, emotional moments, but just these characters talking with each other feels so believeable, it'a impossible not to be drawn in. The scene with Betty was also just absolutely dripping with intrigue. And I'm very glad Subaru and Emilia are having more genuine dialogues with each other, these two are really great.

I also know what to expect for this cour, so I'll be gleefully anticipating my favorite moments.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
AJ (LordNikon)



Joined: 14 Apr 2009
Posts: 502
Location: Kyoto
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 3:39 pm Reply with quote
Considering how much content there is in Sanctuary Arc, I would be astonished if even with two cours, we see Suburu face off with arch bishops. Echidona and Garfiel both eat lot of this season.

spoiler[If series follows half web novel content, Rem likely will be out until season three or possibly four.]
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
harminia



Joined: 24 Aug 2015
Posts: 1987
Location: australia
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 4:09 pm Reply with quote
I'm glad Re:Zero is back! While I don't know everything that happens in this arc (I'm reading the licensed translations, so while I'm ahead now I'll probably fall behind soon enough...) there's so much stuff I'm looking forward to, especially Echidna. spoiler[And Elsa's return!]
I was interested in the small change they made regarding Subaru's first death after Rem's memories were taken. It was interesting they sort of hinted at the book's version of the death while taking a completely different route. Though I guess it's spoiler[not that big a change to impact a later scene]

The thing I'm most looking forward to is spoiler[Echidna's massive rant to Subaru when she tries to make a contract with him. If Maaya Sakamoto can pull it off in one take, InouBato style, that would be amazing.]

The OP was also pretty cool, I'll need to watch it again so I can p much go frame by frame.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Yuvelir



Joined: 06 Jan 2015
Posts: 1529
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 4:10 pm Reply with quote
At first we had "Stella, the witch of Envy" which was a cool title for a maou-like being.But then came "Beetlejuice, the Archbishop of Sloth" and that recontextualized the title.
Now we got the Archbishop AND the Witch of Greed, plus a mention of a "witch factor"(spoiler[I wonder if it's small, black, spherical, ornate and apparently made of iron]) which just gets things moving.
Maybe we have seen more archbishops and we didn't notice, I wonder if we've seen any other male who is somehow close to a witch, has a special power and an affinity for dark magic...

Quote:
I was one of those people who teared up at her heartfelt conversation with Subaru in season 1's episode 18. In the end, though, I feel particularly sorry for all the merch makers, because if Rem is absent from this season, which girl are they supposed to make a million figures out of?

That might seem like petty hyperbole. However it's anything but petty, look at this shit

Nowhere close to Saber or Merchandising Goddess Miku, but holy crap did that waifu baiting work.

AJ (LordNikon) wrote:
Echidona and Garfiel both eat lot of this season.

Garfiel does seem like he would eat a lot alright.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
OrdepNM



Joined: 14 Nov 2018
Posts: 242
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 4:28 pm Reply with quote
AJ (LordNikon) wrote:
Considering how much content there is in Sanctuary Arc, I would be astonished if even with two cours, we see Suburu face off with arch bishops. Echidona and Garfiel both eat lot of this season.


Anyone who wishes or hopes for them to plow through arcs 4 and 5 this season is quite frankly, delusional. That would be a train wreck to match theikes of Index III or Tokyo Ghoul:Re. Thankfully, all indication is that we're getting arc 4 only this season, Volume 10 is apparently being setup for 4 episodes and I can see them sticking with that pace going forward. The fact is, the transition from unedited web novel to light novel already skimmed so much, they can't really cut much more without gutting the story.

Anyhow, episode 2 is as it's title says, a new location and a complete change of gears. The Roswal household cast took a bit of a backseat during the previous arc as Subaru dealt with the various factions in the race for the throne, but now they and those related to them are back in force. One thing I have to commend the writing on is how many scenes they pushed through without ever sacrificing a whole scene. It's all there, even if somewhat truncated due to the inevitable time constraints.

Sadly I have to agree with Kim that Frederica did not leave much of an impression, which is a shame, as I feel that's mostly over the aforementioned truncated scenes. It was fun how in her initial scene she feigned not being hurt by Subaru's rude comments about her teeth, only to get her revenge by interjecting quips about his villainous face and eyes, how she quickly deduced Emilia is easy to fluster by poking at her relation with Subaru (luckily some of this did make it in) or how if she's going to make someone the butt of a joke, it's going to be Otto. Poor Otto. Hopefully the production does her justice in later scenes.

I also have to question why we haven't delved into the importance of pacts, vows and promises in the world of Re:Zero. Even back in the season 1 material, we're told that in this world, such contracts are not to be taken lightly and are not easily broken, specially for spirits, who base their entire socialization around them, and spirit users, who place religious importance on keeping any promise made. During the material covered in episode 2, we are basically hit over the head repeatedly with the importance of these contracts, much to Subaru's chagrin, but the adptation left every mention of them in the cutting floor. I wonder what the screenwriters aim to do with this piece of worldbuilding as I doubt anime-onlies are aware of it and it's a very important piece of information, without which events later in the season will feel forced or convoluted. I do hope they know what they're doing on this.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 4:30 pm Reply with quote
A Mystery wrote:
No word about Beatrice mentioning Geuses death like she had a good bond with him?

Yeah, in an episode that seemed overly-stuffed with minutes of saying good-bye to people and "take care of the mansion" to anyone within earshot, that certainly caught my attention! Shocked (poor Otto)

I have not read any of the source materials, nor whatever thing Kim was talking about in the review, so this is my own wild mass guessing, but we know from the Japanese writing on the Tree that Subaru isn't the first one summoned. His Return by Death is a power not entirely unlike Betelgeuse's ability to "Return by Fingers," and Beatrice apparently knowing him makes me now suspect that he was once like Subaru, except that he was driven utterly mad by the Witch of Sloth's torments where Subaru was only nearly so (afaik, he could've been the one to write on the Tree, which would've given him a loooong time to go mad. However, since he's named for a famous French vineyard, I'd expect he was from France). So I'm guessing that all the Archbishops were summoned by their respective Witches.

If so, so far we have:
Subaru/Envy (Satella) (or Pride, if Betelgeuse wasn't just guessing, i.e., knew who the Archbishop of Envy actually is)
Betelgeuse/Sloth
Lye/Gluttony
Regulus/Greed (Echidna)

Am I missing any we've been told at this point?

I would not be at all surprised to learn that Roswaal is an Archbishop (Lust?), even though he has not seemed to recognize Subaru as a fellow traveler as Betelgeuse did. Maybe he's just a good actor. Or maybe he's the Lord Betelgeuse mentioned... Naturally, I would also not be surprised to be wrong about everything, as that's my normal state of being. Very Happy

Btw, this is not a cue for those familiar with the source materials to jump in and tell me I'm right or wrong. Y'all can just ignore this whole post, please.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ThatGuyWhoLikesThings



Joined: 04 Jul 2013
Posts: 1000
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 4:53 pm Reply with quote
OrdepNM wrote:
During the material covered in episode 2, we are basically hit over the head repeatedly with the importance of these contracts, much to Subaru's chagrin.


I checked the corresponding material in the light novel to be certain, and what you've described is only touched on once, and pretty briefly at that. Certainly not repeatedly, nor are we beaten over the head with it. They'll have other chances later if this is so important.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
OrdepNM



Joined: 14 Nov 2018
Posts: 242
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 5:10 pm Reply with quote
harminia wrote:
(I'm reading the licensed translations, so while I'm ahead now I'll probably fall behind soon enough...)


The licensed translation is up to volume 12 right now, which should cover 95% to 100% of the first cour, depending on the exact stopping point. Before the second cour starts in January, volume 14 will be out, with the final volume of the season, 15, releasing in February, so it's entirely possible to stay ahead, depending on how fast you read.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23668
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 5:11 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
If you're reading this, you probably know what happened, but yeah, Rem got yeeted out of existence. Nobody even remembers her now except for Subaru, for reasons that are probably related to his Return By Death ability. This is an upsetting development, especially for Subaru, who was in the middle of telling Emilia that he's up for a threesome with her and Rem when she dropped that bombshell on him.


Cheeky! I larfed. Laughing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
killjoy_the



Joined: 30 May 2015
Posts: 2457
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 5:23 pm Reply with quote
I really liked the first episode but not the second. The only really interesting bit in there was how Beatrice reacted to Geuse's death and being handed his book, everything else I didn't like. I just have to come to terms with the fact that I don't like how people interact with Subaru pretty much 90% of the time, though I think the kid maid was egregiously bad even for this show.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
OrdepNM



Joined: 14 Nov 2018
Posts: 242
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 5:48 pm Reply with quote
ThatGuyWhoLikesThings wrote:
I checked the corresponding material in the light novel to be certain, and what you've described is only touched on once, and pretty briefly at that. Certainly not repeatedly, nor are we beaten over the head with it. They'll have other chances later if this is so important.


That would be twice, first with Frederica, then later with Emilia in the dragon carriage, I was mistaken in that the third time its mentioned is in a scene that should be covered next episode, not this one, which is around the point that it's obvious the author is telling us to keep that in mind. That said, the mention in the scene with Emilia is anything but brief, she goes through the whole system, from normal people to spirit users, over a full page of text. Point is, Puck already explained this to Subaru back in the season 1 content and they cut it and here it was cut again, so I hope they eventually get around to fix that for the viewers.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Dr.N0



Joined: 04 Oct 2012
Posts: 149
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 6:20 pm Reply with quote
I am an anime-only watcher, and I got that promises are almost sacred since season 1 and Subaru's Selection IndiscretionTM especially.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18137
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 6:34 pm Reply with quote
Yuvelir wrote:
Nowhere close to Saber or Merchandising Goddess Miku, but holy crap did that waifu baiting work.

When I was in Japan in June last year, I saw at least as many different Rem figures as I did of any character from any franchise, and not always just in the anime goods specialty stores, either.

On other points, yeah, Beatrice seeming to acknowledge that she knew Betelgeuse was the eye-opener for me as well. There is an awful lot here which has yet to be revealed.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page   Next
Page 1 of 47

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group