Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-
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ThatGuyWhoLikesThings
Posts: 1010 |
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This whole episode was hard to sit through, but Subaru's self-accusatory rant was one of the most painful parts of it. I have a feeling this is what Subaru truly thinks of himself, and all his bravado is something he uses to convince everyone he's more capable than he actually is, himself included. |
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whiskeyii
 Posts: 2250 |
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Yeah, that was my takeaway as well. That Subaru's internal conflict just kind of spilled out; like when your words just kind of leap out of your throat--and you may or may not want to take them back immediately. It also sort of sounded to me like he was possibly regurgitating stuff people have said to him before (back in Japan), but that's purely speculation at this point. |
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#838774
Posts: 158 |
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I get the PTSD and the psychological distress, but it's still really irritating to keep watching him repeat the same mistakes over and over. No one is going to care what you're talking about if you rant like a spastic lunatic. It was so hard to watch the scene play out with Emilia that it was almost a relief what happened next.
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Calsolum
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uhh i think maybe the white whale got me. who was the first? do you mean the master swordsman? I get that people are tired of seeing subaru "put through the meat grinder" so to speak but I definitely prefer seeing alot of "something new" than alot of "something old" Quite often in stories protagonists go through a rather quick and effective growth phase before they can stand up and face their trial head first making the correct choices that lead them to their 'happy end'. This is NOT one of those stories and Subaru is wrecked, shat on, constantly misunderstood and in turn continues to act in an erratic matter which continues looping. Its not a pretty story and I definitely found myself constantly irritated with Subaru, but when I think about it his reactions are mostly 'normal' it would be abnormal for him to 'quickly' bounce back. I've read that PTSD victims sometimes takes years to recover and even some don't really recover but just only able to manage their fears, usually supplemented with alot of pills. It really varies from person to person and Subaru is just can't recover that quickly. While theres is probably meds and magic that might work better than ours Subaru is still in panic mode so he's doesnt have access to this, also he's the only one who knows he's suffering from PTSD so everyone just thinks he's crazy. The scene with him ranting at Emilia was just perfectly captured with the camera angles just like his previous murderous rant. At first I was thinking "Subaru you little shit" then i saw his tear stained face face and I was like "...oh... Subaru you poor bastard" oh and about the Beatrice thing I have a theory about her cryptic words, at least in relation to her mentioning Roswall. I think Beatrice (and Roswall might) knows about the looping or at least has some partial knowledge of the parallel worlds Subaru has been in. When Subaru dies the Beatrice of that world must live on as they have no reset option but they are aware that in another world 'another' Subaru gets the dead Subaru's knowledge and uses that to build a happier ending... but that Beatrice must live on in that world where the dead are dead so the knowledge that another world gets a happy end doesn't console her in the least. Roswall is the opposite in which he doesn't care if this version of him is unable to find a 'happy' end as long as some version does, hence he's an 'ends justifies the means person'. oh and i forgot to add this to my original list but Beetlejuice has to bite his fingers(5 this time) to create more unseen hands? |
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Galap
Moderator
 Posts: 2354 |
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^
Yeah, you can see on Emilia's face the exact moment when her reaction changes from "This guy is being a complete cock" to "oh. I'm dealing with someone who's completely out of his mind here." |
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michizure
Posts: 177 |
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Had another thought re: the white whale. Currently, it represents an obstacle to be overcome -- on his next iteration, Subaru has to get back to the village and manor in time to stop the Ordeal, without Rem getting eaten by the whale. From a narrative perspective, though, that function could have been provided by something much less complicated, like a forest fire or a flooding river. So why the whale?
I think the whale also represents an opportunity to resolve the biggest lingering issue in the background, which is the prejudice against half-elves in general and Emilia in particular. Up to this point, nothing Subaru could do was going to make the ordinary people of this world accept Emilia happily -- he could only make things worse. If, however, he can get the whale to eat the Witch of Envy, everyone will forget she ever existed and history will rewrite itself without her. That's a huge improvement in potential outcomes, albeit one that makes his ultimate objective ("defeat the Witch") even more difficult and specific. Not that I think it's very likely with the way things have been going, but it is nice (for me, at least) to contemplate a Good End that doesn't come completely out of the blue. |
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rinkwolf10
Posts: 750 |
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It's a mabeast, like the ulgrams (dogs from arc 2) which are created by the witch. So, very unlikely turn of events seeing as the witch created the whale and knows everything there is to know about the white whale to begin with. Also, to the person talking about the save point changing if Subaru survives till morning, just want to point out that in arc 2 he made it a whole day past the previous loops and then jumped off the cliff and reset to the same time as the previous loops. so a no go to your theory there about the save point changing if he survives past a certain day. |
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sunflower
 Posts: 1080 |
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This episode took it so far that I started laughing at it. There's a point for me when the suffering approaches the absurd and it becomes comedy. You know, kind of like the Black Knight and his flesh wound. Needless to say, for me that's not a good sign for a series.
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dash56
 Posts: 151 |
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This series is my most anticipated every week but I think I'm gonna just throw in the towel. These cliffhangers are just as brutal as the content. Had the same problem with ERASED. Best thing for me to do is sit this one out and marathon right before the finale.
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Gistradagis
Posts: 96 |
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Tends to happen when a show does not compromise. Re:Zero has more than once showed with actions that it's not going to throw in the towel and drop the realist character progression simply because people want happiness, flowers, pink and sunshine. I personally love hating the present Subaru, as this series is showing how this kind of characters REALLY should work and act in this kind of stories and scenarios. No more Mr. Prince in a white horse, waltzing through all problems and conflicts with ease. This is the adult's league. |
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Pierrot.
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The staff is hyping up episode 18
http://i.imgur.com/H0Fl6My.jpg |
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Hameyadea
 Posts: 3679 |
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So are they forgoing commercial breaks? Interesting... Not that it matters to me that much, since all the episodes feel too damn short 
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stilldemented
 Posts: 232 |
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Ultimately, I think my biggest question coming out of this episode is this: What will Subaru finally learn from this tragedy?
The emotionally-driven decisions he made led to the deaths of the girl who cares about him the most and the girl he cares about the most. Every action up to this point has been a slippery slope leading to this inevitable outcome. Tragedy at its finest. Which puts me in a particularly weird position of not being being all that emotionally devastated by this episode. That or i'm numb and can't tell the difference. 
Personally, I see the tide turning soon. We've dealt with four of the five stages of grief. Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Now we're in the Depression. Soon will come the Acceptance. So I see the suffering abating within the next two episodes. Pretty cool how a show can take us to the pits of despair with only five or so episodes and there are viewers that are desperate to tap out. It's cool that a show can have that sort of impact on its watchers. 
There's a lot of psychological talk to be had from this episode, but it isn't much different from what it has been until now. Subaru is all kinds of messed up. He just doesn't have it in him to die again. It's sad stuff. 
The only hiccup I might see to this arc is that I'm a little unsure as to what sort of life lesson could be profound enough to measure up to the trials Subaru has endured. So that is my biggest question moving forward. All the same, Re: Zero is one heck of a ride. 
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Gistradagis
Posts: 96 |
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Maybe the lesson is that there's no lesson. Or the lesson will just not be that big enough. In the end, the series has been going for super realism. Then, why would Subaru suddenly see the light and learn of some incredible truth that absolves his current character and makes him walk again in the light? This is just like how Rem has basically changed Ram for Subaru. He doesn't need to suddenly get over his PTSD and personality issues. He simply needs to get a hold on his life, and go back to how he used to be. The cruel thing, then, will be that we'll all still know what kind of person Subaru is, and all the shit he's gone through. He never was a hero, so there's no perfect state to go back to. He needs to learn a couple of lessons and moved forward. |
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stilldemented
Posts: 232 |
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That would be pretty metal and would give a lot of meaning to the next episode title 'From Zero'.  .
I'd be fine with it. I don't know if I'm seeking any sort of absolution. I've never had any real grievances worth mentioning for Subaru as a character, though I recognize that many others do. I figure if he can find it within himself to return to the way things were, then he will be making a lot more headway. A lot of what he is admonished for boils down to situational circumstances and his inability to properly cope and/or handle said circumstances. Plus things come back full circle. That's usually considered solid writing, right? So yeah, I tend to be adaptable in mindset. I feel characters shouldn't be smothered for not meeting an imagined criteria. I don't condemn them for anything really. I'm pretty weird like that.
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