Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 4 ‒ Episode 5

When it comes down to it, this episode of Re:Zero is very much two stories in one. The first is the continuation of this arc. We learn the nature of the library—namely, that it has books containing the memories of everyone to ever lived. Thus, it is certainly possible to find the answer to any question that has ever been answered. However, there are two tricks to overcome: 1) the books are in no particular order, and 2) you have to personally know a person to read their book and experience their memories.

We also learn that Shaula is operating under a magical contract—and that if anyone breaks the rules established in said contract, she will be forced to kill them (whether she wants to or not). At the moment, these rules basically amount to our heroes not being able to leave, not breaking the individual floor test rules, not harming the library, and not destroying the tower itself. Of course, while these seem straightforward and not all that problematic at the moment, these rules are a Sword of Damocles if there ever was one—and that's before we even get into speculating about the hidden rule that “Anastasia” seems certain exists.

Thus, with more information but no easy answers, our heroes move on to confront the second of the tower's trials—hoping it will unlock something more. Though given the trial's sword and the rough-looking fighter that appears when it is drawn, it looks like this one is going to be a physical challenge rather than a mental one.

Yet, while the main plot is obviously important, it's the other story in the episode that steals the show. While it's all but irrelevant to Subaru's quest in the tower, Typhon's memories serve to flesh out a character only seen in passing during the Witches' Tea Party. Typhon is what happens when childhood innocence and morality meet terrifying power.

Basically, upon realizing that good and evil were subjective concepts, Typhon decided that feeling guilt meant you were guilty of being evil—and as her father was an executioner, there was only one punishment for those who were guilty: death. Thus, her Authority of Pride made anyone who felt any sense of guilt about anything crumble to pieces in front of her.

Of course, the real tragedy is that her powers and mindset basically punished only those it shouldn't have. Anyone who felt regret for actions taken (or not taken) would die in her presence. However, taken to the logical extreme, any psychopath or sociopath completely lacking in guilt or empathy would be unaffected by her Authority regardless of their crimes. And what's worse, Typhon herself falls into this category as she doesn't see what she is doing as wrong in any way, despite being a mass murderer.

All in all, this episode shows one of my favorite things about how Re:Zero's story is told. Even as the main story continues, we naturally learn lore that, while not immediately important, no doubt will be at some time in the future. It's a lesson in clever pacing—though one that can only be properly utilized in a story as lengthy as this one.

Rating:

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

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.