Re:Zero was one of the most popular anime in 2016--being the second most popular only next to Boku no Hero Academia. When the term ‘isekai’ is brought up, Re:Zero is the first anime that comes to mind to many. It is also known for one of the most infamous intra-anime ‘waifu wars’ known to mankind. Grown men have fought over the honor of Emilia and Rem for over four years now, with no end in sight. At the center of Re:Zero though is the struggle of one young man, Subaru, to fight for what he thinks is right.

In Re:Zero, Subaru Natsuki is summoned (‘isekaied’) to the Kingdom of Lugncia, with nothing more than his tracksuit, a bag of chips, and his flip phone. It is unknown why or how he was summoned to this world--all Subaru knows is that he has the power to ‘Return by Death’. Anytime he is killed, he is returned to a checkpoint in time, seemingly arbitrarily set. Other than that, he has no other spectacular powers and isn’t overpowered in any way.

He makes up his reason for being in this new world when he meets Emilia (or ‘Satella’ when he first meets her). Something about her charm and her goodwill makes him, as the kids say, become a ‘simp’ for her. Most everything he does in this series is for her sake in one way or another. His affection for her borders on unhealthy, but for all intents and purposes, he really is the only one that can ‘save’ her. Her appearance resembling the most feared and hated figure in this universe, along with her being an elf, a marginalized group in this universe, only furthers his savior complex for her. She has never asked for any of his help, but accepts it anyway as long as it doesn’t interfere with her plans.

While we’re here, I have to talk about Subaru’s personality. While he probably thinks he has a ‘big personality’, in reality, it’s more like a fly that won’t get out of your face. His over-familiarity pisses me off especially. I can’t dislike him though. Maybe his whole act is him knowing that he’s in a fantasy setting. I can’t see him acting like that back in the real world. Either way, he’s more than likely to rub you the wrong way at least once.

Onwards to the story--for an anime fantasy setting, Re:Zero’s story is pretty decent. The anime is divided into three arcs, each one being longer than the other. Due to Subaru’s ‘Return by Death’ ability, each arc is longer than you would expect. I haven’t done the math, but around half, if not more, of the anime is nullified due to it being in a universe where Subaru ended up dying. This gets pedantic at a point since the arcs are so long (especially the third one which lasts the second half of the anime). I believe this is because Subaru goes back in time several times every arc. It’s like if Marty McFly died several times trying to fix his parents’ future and was sent back to the moment he arrived in 1955 every time he did. While it is exhausting to have to see Subaru have to redo things multiple times, Re:Zero does create a mood of dread and uneasiness around him being potentially killed and having to do it all over again. The pedantism isn’t there for no reason, although a 25-minute-long dialogue scene is pretty excessive.

The scale of Re:Zero is so grand that with a full two-cour season, you still feel like the story has barely begun. Some of this is due to the whole ‘Return by Death’ thing repeating story-lines, but most of it is due to how everything seems to happen at once. While it would seem that the selection of a new ruler of the kingdom would take up most of the plot, it is overshadowed by a terrorist cult plotting to kidnap one of the main characters. Some characters still feel relatively unknown, even after a full season of seeing them. The scale of this series too big for what it is, but I’ll have to watch the second season to confirm that.

The worst thing about Re:Zero isn’t even at the fault of the anime. Sure, Subaru’s outbursts of madness are unhinged and infuriating, but that’s nothing in relation to the aforementioned ‘waifu war’ I talked about in the beginning. You really can’t go anywhere Re:Zero related without seeing an Emilia versus Rem spat. I don’t even think that most of the people that get involved in those arguments constantly like the series. It’s just another way for them to yell at people. The main difference between the two of them is that Rem is more loyal while Emilia strives Subaru to be better. That is my own impression anyway. You’ll have to watch the anime to come up with your own conclusion.

Re:Zero is an anime that is really good at giving you dread. While Subaru is a dumbass, I can’t help but care about him. His motives, while naive and decided haphazardly, are commendable in my book. Of course, with any story with time manipulation, there are going to be plot-holes and other stuff that comes with bending time. I can’t really be bothered with that, since that’s like complaining that staring at the sun made your vision worse. For an isekai, Re:Zero is pretty good. The show has broad appeal, while not main-stream. While not fully fleshed out yet, the characters are charming. The story is long and drawn-out, but it isn’t a total slog to get through. The point is that you should give Re:Zero a try if you haven’t already, especially with the Director's Cut of the first season fully out now.