The story of Re:Zero takes place across the first 3 arcs in the story's timeline. Most (including myself) will agree that these first few arcs are some of the weaker ones of the series. This is not to say they are bad by any means, but for how event-less they are, to an average viewer it may be a bit difficult for them to comprehend what is going on all at once. We are introduced to characters such as Emilia (best girl) and Puck almost as soon as Subaru enters into the world. He is tasked with helping them retrieve a medallion Emilia had stolen from her. This is where the story beings to pick up speed and we fully grasp what we are dealing with here. Both Subaru enters into what looks like to be an abandoned shack in hopes of finding this medallion. He immediately killed upon entering... or is he?
This is the whole story of Re:Zero. Subaru has this mysterious power to return to a "save point." Using this power he can alter the course of history by trying different options with his speech, decisions, affiliation etc. This is something extremely unique Re:Zero holds above just about any other anime. As the story progresses we get this beautiful arc of Subaru doing anything he can to try and appease Emilia only to embarrass himself and her in the process. He then goes on this epic story of redemption, self reflection, responsibility, and romance. The story told throughout these 3 arcs is quite literally poetic in sometimes of how things unfold. Whether it is in episodes like The Outside Of Madness where Rem saves Subaru only for him to bring her back to the mansion to find everyone dead and him dying in the process. Or the beautiful monolgue delivered by Rem in From Zero. To say Re:Zero has an incredible story would be an understatement. It has everything from epic battles to discussion of politics and land dragons. It will have you on the edge of your seat for each episode.
Natsuki Subaru: He might be the greatest written protagonist since Light Yagami. I am 100% serious. Throughout we see the transformation of a naive little boy chasing around his crush to someone reformed and determine to be a leader for those who deemed him a fool. The direction taken and elements used to show his progression into a man are amazing. From his talk with Emilia after he raided the council meeting, to him leading the troops in Battle Against the White Whale. Subaru is a complexly written character presented in a perfect manner to the audiences.
Emilia: The quite half elf is one of the first people too meet Subaru upon his transportation to the land of Lugunica. Although she looks older her level of maturity is still a little bit under developed. This can be seen through some of the dialogue she and other characters share throughout the season. The series quite frankly revolves more around her than any other character. Without Emilia Subaru would have never met anyone else. It was through her kindness that he was able to recover from his wounds and help her find the medallion. From there, everything else is history. I absolutely love the way Emilia is portrayed in the anime and am very excited to see her grow in the coming season.
Rem: The biggest 180 in all of anime award goes to none of than Rem. Everyone hated her after she seemed so sweet and innocent only to end up killing Subaru. The single-horned half demon takes the spotlight throughout a majority of the season winning the hearts of hundreds thousands. She is a very complex character having gone through lots of turmoil in her early childhood, she and her older sister Ram are both some of the best written characters in the series. Their chemistry and quirks are always a nice subtle chuckle to relief some of the tension built up during the prior minutes of the episode. Rem is someone we unfortunately wont being seeing any more of for a VERY long time.
Ram: As stated previously, Ram with her twin sister are one of the main highlights of the series. She has a much more cold, unforgiving type of personality which can be absolutely hilarious in certain cases. Although not as loved as Rem, she definitely has her moments where she outshines everyone else on screen.
Puck: Everyone shit their pants when they saw Puck at the end of At the End of Disgrace. Seeing such a cute and cuddly cat transform into a gigantic beast set to demolish Subaru after he killed Emilia was terrifying. He's one of the more mysterious characters that we don't learn too much about throughout the series but is still one of the most adorned ones. Every 14 year old's anime Instagram meme page probably has him as their profile picture.
Beatrice: She's an alright character I suppose. Sorry, I had to do it at least once. Again, this is another character we truly know VERY LITTLE about unless you are a faithful light novel reader such as myself. She is shown as the Puck loving, loli librarian protector of Roswaal's mansion. She always has a little quip to through into each conversation which gives her such a sassy attitude.
Roswaal: Yet another character we really don't know much about (notice a pattern?). Roswaal is one of if not the greatest magic users of the entire country of Luginica. He houses Subaru in exchange for his butlery services but his intentions are really not that sincere. Behind that pale white face is a man with a plan to take over the world.
Characters (cont.): I know there's a lot of characters I didn't talk about but I wanted to make sure I got the main ones out of the way. There are so many minor characters it's hard to keep track of them all. Others that I didn't mention but do want to shout out include: Reinhard, Petelgeuse, Felix, Windhelm, and Crusch. Each of these characters did something very significant within the show that helped move the story along. If you want to take one thing away from this section just know this: the characters in Re:Zero are extremely well written, some with lots of mystery behind them that we never get answers to (until season 2). Each voice actor did an incredible job portraying these characters and it felt very fulfilling to watch.
Some of the shots seen throughout the anime are really beautiful. Some of the landscape shots are drawn really well and look stunning. Although it is nothing to write home about, the animation does it's job to move the show along. Some part such as the battle of the white whale do a better job as providing more of the creativity in the action scenes. As stated, the animation isn't bad, but something that I believe would deserve a perfect score would be a show that went above and beyond the expectations and innovated in that certain category. There are moments where I will say the animation goes above and beyond such as with the facial closeups. The detail and emotions rival that of JoJo. Other than that however, there really isn't too much more to write about here. Re:Zero isn't really known for it's art style. Again, this isn't a blow against the show, it is just seen as average compared to other anime in the genre.
EDITED (was 7/10)
I will say at first I was pretty indifferent to the sounds of the show, but honestly, after rewatching or I guess in this case, relistening, I have a much greater appreciation for both the music and sound design within Re:Zero. I'll start of by talking about the music:
The Music is catchy. The 2 OPs given are brilliant. The first one 'Redo' begins with crunchy guitar chords only to be met by a fast and thumping synthesizer. The 2nd OP, 'Paradisus-Paradoxum' starts with a tribal chorus of voices that break out into a fast paced pop tune. I love both deeply and they work perfectly within the anime. 'STYX HELIX', the first ED again is another great song. It has a soft piano melody finally erupting into a synthy pop melody. The Final ED 'Stay Alive' is my favorite of the four main songs. The passion behind it along with how it is implemented into the story is grandiose. I am very fond of the music within Re:Zero, I think the composition is wonderful.
As for the sound design, I again had to reflect on it. And after my rewatch I can say with confidence that it does an amazing job with it's sound design. It is extremely innovative in terms of the sound it associates with certain characters or objects. You can listen to a sound and picture something in your head. The most forward example I can give is when Subaru returns by death or is ever close to mentioning his "return by death" ability. You hear the chilling noise of women chanting an eerie song that makes your hair stand up.
Overall. After rethinking about my points, I am very pleased with the Sound Design and Music of Re:Zero. I wish I had appreciated it earlier for how much it helped the series.
Music (cont.): I will say however, the sound design the show is absolutely phenomenal. The use of the eerie singing to represent the redo ability is brilliant and I am a huge fan of that direction. Although this may seem like a small detail to some, to me I noticed the extra attention the studio put toward this effect and I greatly appreciate it.
It goes without saying that I absolutely loved this show. Although some stand against this is just another run of the mill isekai with nothing unique or interesting, I believe everything about it is unique and interesting. It switches up the isekai in more ways that one and does an excellent job in its execution. I enjoyed this show more than I can express into words. Since finishing it, I have gone ahead and read through the updated English version of the web novel, so yes I do know what is going to happen in season 2, but it doesn't hinder my excitement any less. In fact I think I'm even more excited for season 2 now knowing what will happen because I can wait to see how they portray the scenes.
Re:Zero isn't a perfect anime. No one will claim that, and if they do, they are wrong. This is coming from one of the biggest fans of the show. But to me at least, it's imperfections do not take away from my enjoyment. I can talk about how much I love it while also point out things I wish were changed or I hope are improved upon. Re:Zero gave me everything I wanted in an anime and that's why it is my favorite anime series of all time. Also Emilia > Rem.
Favorite Episodes
Ep 1. The End of the Beginning and the Beginning of the End
Ep 6. The Sound of Chains
Ep 8. I Cried, Cried My Lungs Out, and Stopped Crying
Ep 11. Rem
Ep 15. The Outside of Madness
Ep 18. From Zero
Ep 19. Battle Against the White Whale
Ep 21. A Wager That Defies Despair
Ep 23. Nefarious Sloth
Ep 25. That's All This Story Is About
Official Scores
Story: (9/10)
Characters: (9/10)
Art: (8/10)
Music: (9/10)
Personal Enjoyment: (10/10)
@MiNiSoTaN
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