If I were to describe Re:Zero season 1 in one word, it would be underwhelming. I found Subaru to be deeply unlikable and his treatment of others incredibly frustrating, and that's what makes season 2 so incredible.
Season 2 takes a far deeper dive into Subaru as a human and further explores what made the first season's 18th episode so good. Subaru has an incredible amount of growth throughout the season. The watcher gets to see more of Subaru's past life and what would cause him to act the way he did throughout the entire duration of the show. By the end of this season's 4th episode, which I would argue is one of the most beautiful episodes of any anime I've seen, Subaru becomes an incredibly sympathetic presence in the show. Upon re-examining season 1 under the microscope created by the second season, Subaru's actions paint a completely different image, one of selflessness rather than pure selfishness. Subaru's growth throughout the entire second season is a joy to witness and was easily one of the strongest parts of the second season, but it certainly was not everything that made it great.
Established relationships during the first season are also greatly expanded upon during this season. Characters that largely felt underdeveloped got their development during this season. Otto and Roswaal become significantly more interesting during the season. The show does an incredible job at making the audience feel strongly about these characters that they likely didn't really think much about beforehand. On top of that, characters like Ram and Beatrice who the audience had grown attached to get their own development and further intrigue surrounding them. Almost every character that appeared within both seasons becomes significantly more interesting during this season which is a truly impressive feat given how much they had to balance between the previously introduced cast and the newly introduced characters.
Season 2 not only expands the audience's understanding of Subaru and the surrounding cast of season 1, but introduces and develops several incredibly interesting characters throughout the short 13-episode long span of this season's first half. Echidna and Garfiel especially steal the show whenever they are on screen. Echidna is, I would argue, the single most interesting character in the entire show. Every question she answers brings another five, and it is always incredibly interesting to see what she does. In a similar vein, Garfiel initially appears to be a simple-minded and strong demi-human, but as Subaru progresses, Garfiel becomes a surprisingly deep character with his actions towards the like of Subaru, Emilia, Roswaal, and his sister.
While the show greatly improves on several aspects of the first season, it also retains some of its strongest elements.
The visuals are just as (if not at times even more) gorgeous as they were in season 1. There were several breathtaking shots during this half of the season's run.
The music and sound effects are also just as strong as they were in the first season, making it an incredible experience from an audio standpoint.
The voice acting is superb, especially with Yuusuke Kobayashi's performance as Subaru. His range is truly incredible to hear throughout both seasons. Having watched roughly half of the season in Japanese and half of it in English, both honestly do an incredible job with almost every single scene, including the incredibly dramatic and emotional ones.
Overall, Re:Zero's second season was a joy to watch and made me have an incredible amount of faith in the show. I am certainly looking forward to watching the second half of the season.
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