Story

Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu starts out with Subaru sent to another world against his own will. But he doesn't seem to care much and sets out his new life in this mysterious world. We can already tell Subaru is someone that is probably a shut-in, and don't care about responsibilities and so forth. More likely, he spends all day in his room playing games or watching videos. This anime will play with your emotions on levels you can't even begin to imagine. But compared to other Isekai or anime in general. Our main lead doesn't get everything from power, knowledge, intelligence served in front of him on a silver platter. He has to work for it. The load is realistic in the sense it takes a sane amount of time. In other words, he can't achieve anything heavy like learning a language right then and there. I really appreciate that about Re: Zero.

Subaru will go through the pain and struggle to meet his goals, times the 100, and that's still not enough to convey the torture he will go through. At any rate, Subaru had no idea what he got himself into. His mind embarks on a thrilling and intense journey with despair lurking amidst him and circling around, waiting for the right opportunity strike to make him suffer harshly. Putting it in simpler terms, the world is out to get him both literally and figuratively. Nothing goes as he wants to easily. This journey through hell and back is something that will break Subaru and form him into a better person through multiple meetings with despair itself. However, his story in another world seems to start out happy, since soon after being transported, he befriends a beautiful silver-haired elf girl, Emilia.

For some unknown reasons, she is being hunted by a psychotic assassin who manages to kill them both. Subaru falls in despair, only to open his eyes and standing there like it never happened. He can reverse time to a specific checkpoint and make it seem like his death never occurred. The catch is that only he remembers what happened. And if he were to tell this to anybody, he would suffer severe consequences in the form of immeasurable pain. At this point, you might wonder, but what is this anime about? What is the end goal? Firstly, this is a psychologically character-driven anime that focuses on Subaru and breaks down his character to groom him into a better, more mature person. However, it's not as easy as it sounds. Without going too much into details, let us say he goes through some shit many times and comes back more broken and vulnerable every time.

Until eventually, he falls apart and starts to take it out on others. Then arrives at a point where he could be gone forever. If nothing is done to save his suffering soul from the most bottomless pits of the abyss. Before everything else, Subaru is a hyper, energetic, quite the lively guy. He doesn't seem to care what others think of him and is not afraid to be cringe-inducing or plain weird. But that's part of his charm and what makes him so likable and interesting if you ask me. You will see him at his strongest, and at his weakest. His character is what makes this anime so amazing and unique. Subaru also has great chemistry with almost anyone. Whoever the person might be. The interactions likely will be fun, lively, and won't bore you, just entertain you all the more.

My reason for praising this anime so highly is because of Subaru and his development through the series. You can clear as day see how much he has developed close to the end of the season, compared to the starting point. I could easily appreciate his character, even more at this point, after everything he went through, and the level of progress we got for him. It makes him one of my favorites characters. So as you might've predicted already, specifically, the first season doesn't have a set goal. The characters drive this anime, but as you are going through the journey of suffering. You will see sub-plots that could be considered a part of the main plot, but only if you use this season as the core. Because Re: Zero, as noted by the creator - Tappei Nagatsuki, will be around 12 arcs. The anime covered the first, second, and the third arc. He also stated there will be at least 60 volumes worth of canon content by the end, so this speaks volumes for how big each arc could be and how much is still left unexplored.

Sound

This anime adaptation of Re: Zero excels at many things, undoubtedly, the sound is one of the components. Absolute despair, grief, and even with the comedic moments. White Fox does a beautiful job of meshing and applying the right tune to their respective category. As a result and example, the conversations feel more impactful during certain dialogues and overflows the right mood. So when the soundtrack kicks in. If you already are not experiencing some sort of emotion, this will definitely help you and give you the last push if you ever need it. Even if you don't, it makes everything feel way better and heightens the experience you would go through during those moments. Beyond that, it has some seriously kickass soundtrack, which can be addicting to listen to. Both openings feel spot-on when it comes to the overall feel and atmosphere of the story. Nothing but praises is all I have when it comes to sound department. I just love the OST of Re:Zero.

The ending is the same. I could argue I like the second ending more since it feels more on-point, and no one can't like Rie Takahashi angelic voice? That said, the first ending is definitely a strong one, and I don't dislike it despite my previous remarks. To top it off, we have some quite quality insert songs here and there, which will either make you pumped up or leave you in utter despair. Another strong point is, without a doubt, the voice acting. It feels so real, and the actors can really get into the character they are playing. You will be charmed by the effect the dialogue and the voice acting can have on you. It's so powerful and realistic at times. This anime also has one of my favorites directed episode of all time, the dialogue, to the tension, the overall mood is excellent. It would not be a lie to call some of these episodes a masterpiece from a direction and execution perspective, in my humble opinion.

Art

I absolutely adore the art style used for Re:Zero, at first glance, it gives this vibe of maybe feeling cute or moe-ish. However, White Fox does an excellent job of manipulating it to provides the effect with it should be at different times. Equally, the facial expressions are on-point as well and feel realistic. Attention to detail is seriously one of the best I have seen. During action events, the art and animation look fluid. You can tell White Fox is putting money, passion, time, and effort into producing a solid adaptation. Yes, the action sequences are fun to watch. I found myself at times, going back to see those same scenes over again. And I did not find any inconsistency in art or animation personally, which one needs to be on high alert of. The CGI is not top-notch, but it gets the work done and didn't mind it too much since it was gone before it becomes an issue.

Characters

As stated before, the cast is one of the best. It feels alive, and in some ways, it does help Subaru progress further as a person. To start with, Emilia, which is our main heroine, gives you this vibe of being tsundere-ish. Though you cannot help but find her amusing and start to like her, the design of her is also stunning once you get more characterization for her. I would say it fits her character persona very well. If you see her somewhere, you can easily deduce her psyche from her appearance. As previously stated, the side character is fantastic and one the best. They all have such good chemistry with Subaru, and it is hard not to be amused by their interactions.

Whether it be a certain maid making fun of him because Subaru is silly or with bandits on the side of the road and up to no good. You will also have the side characters where you will hate the individual, but later on, change your opinion toward a positive note and want more screen time for them. To go further, there are some quality side character that stands above the others and could, for instance, be the main role material. Of course, you have those scumbags that you want to just die since they did something horrible. What. I can say without going too much into spoilers, is you will seriously hate the individual so much it hurts. Still, this one is definitely a well-written villain, and personality is one of the strongest points about this person. Just be aware when you do meet the scum, your brain will tremble.

The Negative

It really is a great anime. I cannot stress that enough. Sadly, it is not for everyone, not everyone will feel the exact same feeling as me. Obviously, I can see someone who wants a solely plot-driven story with a set-fixed goal to drop this in the earlier episode and so on. There must be at least some of those out there who would, unfortunately. But Subaru could also be one of those biggest reasons. Depending on how you take his personality, in just a matter of moments, you can come to dislike him and don't want to watch any further. If not, his future actions might have you questioning his character and could be a reason for falling out Re: Zero. My advice going into this anime, as with any media, is to completely forget the concept "expectations" and watch this entirely blind. Let the experience you go through this be the judgmental core for you, not your blind insight, which could be the very reason that turns you away from this otherwise fantastic, unique, intense, and emotional anime.

Conclusion

Compared to the usual, not so interesting to bad Isekai anime. Re: Zero has a unique twist to it, which just really works. This is one of a kind with lots of potentials. One of which I absolutely want a second season to see where the story goes from this point on. I will not call this a defacto masterpiece. But there is no denying it has some masterfully directed episodes which could be showered with that kind of praise. Finally, if you like a realistic, character-driven story that uses all it has in its arsenal to heighten the experience with solid side characters. To really up the amusement further. I would highly recommend Re: Zero to both new and old watchers of anime. This is definitely standard for what an Isekai can be if you think outside of the box, and it's a great gateway to anime. And yes, just like HxH 2011, you should definitely give this anime a fair and much-deserved shot at one point.