As I discussed during my last foray into the genre, I don’t have much experience with isekai. Despite my lack of exposure, I harbored negative feelings towards the genre, hearing through the anime community that isekai were largely substanceless and generic. Not helping matters was that, for four years, my least favorite anime was an isekai. But I felt that it wasn’t fair of me to dismiss an entire genre. At the very least, I didn’t feel |comfortable| writing it off due to others’ views and decided to form an opinion of my own. I watched the initially promising_The Rising of the Shield Hero_, which quickly joined the pantheon of my least favorite anime. With two awful isekai under my belt, it would have been easy to feel justified in writing the genre off, but I was going to give it another shot. As unorthodox examples as they may be, Inuyasha and The Devil is a Part Timer are two isekai that I loved, so I had proof that it was possible to gleam enjoyment out of this genre.
Word-of-mouth was what turned me away from isekai, so I thought, conversely, it could be what turned me towards it. With a fancy director’s cut being released and a second season on the horizon, I turned to Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Re:ZERO is among the most popular anime in recent years (and the most popular isekai next to Sword Art Online and Konosuba). If you actively immerse yourself in the anime community, then you’ve almost undoubtedly at least heard of Re:ZERO, the same as you’ve probably heard of Sword Art Online. I’d go so far as to say it’s among the established canon of 2010 anime. While Re:ZERO may lack the status and mainstream reach of something like Your Name, you wouldn’t be remiss for assuming that it does. What Re:ZERO lacks in prestige and crossover appeal, it more than makes up for its fanbase. I wouldn’t call Re:ZERO fans fanatic, but they’re certainly loud. Years prior to so much as watching a frame of Re:ZERO, I knew that Rem was apparently “best girl.” You don’t have to know anything about Re:ZERO to know it’s there. Despite this, I had no idea what the consensus on the show was. I knew that people saw it and liked it enough to feel so impassioned about Rem, but I had no idea what the formal discourse was. This was uncharted territory for me.
Thirteen (or twenty-six plus an OVA if you’re watching the standard broadcast) episodes later, I now have an opinion on Re:ZERO. Seeing it for myself, I can certainly see how it’s the fifteenth most popular anime on the site yet seemingly appears nowhere on the top rated anime. It’s an anime that’s a crowd pleaser, doing enough to manage to win the surface favor of many, but not doing enough to launch itself into the upper echelons of the anime community. I think Re:ZERO seems to have a better reception than it really does because it’s fans are just that good of hypemen. It has too many stumbles and fumbles for me to let it anywhere near my favorite list, but at the end of the day, I don’t think Re:ZERO is half bad. And for someone who wasn’t sold on isekai, “not half bad” is good enough.
(For the purposes of this review, I watched the director’s cut. While the director’s cut didn’t end up having too many changes, I think the change brought in watching it warrants its own edition/page, but I won’t use my review to argue that point. Simply put, I’m of the belief that my feelings toward the show are fundamentally shaped by the version I watched, so keep that in mind.
Part of these feelings are no doubt due to pacing. The director’s cut episodes are often two normal episodes shown together, which can help ensure that there isn’t an episode without anything happening. It can also provide a sense of conclusion as threads are rarely left dangling. This really comes as a double-edged sword though, as the length is a bit unwieldy. I’ve been pretty busy the past few weeks so I’d often watch the episodes one half at a time, i.e. essentially watching them the same way I’d watch the episodes if I were watching the normal broadcast.)
Re:ZERO opens with our main character, Natsuki Subaru shopping at a convenience store. He seems to hear voices before suddenly finding himself in another world. He’s a bit blasé about the whole ordeal, having the air of someone who’s heard of this type of thing before. He soon runs into a half-elf going by the name Satella. He helps her look for her stolen insignia. They eventually find themselves at a shifty loot house. They find the thief killed and are subsequently killed themselves. It’s a shocking introduction. Then Subaru finds himself at the beginning of the previous day. We discover that he has the ability “Return by Death” which allows him to respawn at a pre-determined savepoint.
“The Return by Death” mechanic is what made the show for me, taking it from just another isekai to a compelling show with a unique premise. And the “Return by Death” doesn’t feel like a gimmick tacked on to an otherwise standard isekai; it isn’t an isekai where the main character is burdened with an ineffectual (until it’s not) shield, it’s not an isekai where the main character is a ldopey slime (until they're not), it’s not an isekai where the main character is overpowered, it’s not an isekai that features the protagonist’s mother tagging along. This is a show where the main character revives after dying and the setting happens to be an isekai. Do you see the difference? The show is about Subaru's power first and the isekai aspect second. I make this distinction because there were parts where I honest-to-God forgot I was watching an isekai because the setting/narrative framing ceased to be the most notable aspect of the show. I’m glad that the “Return by Death” continued to be an integral part of the show and its consequences ramped up as the show progressed. This mechanic makes Subaru interesting and entertaining in terms of solving problems. Instead of bullying his way through obstacles, he seemingly always must die and use the knowledge he gained before demise to find a solution.
The “Return by Death” mechanic gives the show tension that it wouldn’t have otherwise. It becomes less a question of will Subaru die, but when, how, why and how much of a toll will it take on him this time. The anime becomes a psychological thriller during these moments and I’m all for it. These moments also are quite gory and shocking. It’s something I didn’t expect from the show going in and I feel it’s part of what makes the show quite unique. I love trying to figure out exactly how Subaru died (at least three deaths feature a mystery element) and how he’ll manage to escape his fate. Even when it’s not directly related to the death, many episodes feature cliffhangers, which add to the tense atmosphere.
Another thing that adds to this atmosphere is the music, specifically Call of the Witch, a chilling track that seems to play whenever something horrible has occurred or will occur.
The entire OST is a treat, being different from your standard anime fare. The two openings, Redo and Paradisus-Paradoxum are pretty great.
The character designs don’t particularly jump out at me, but they’re good nonetheless, with pretty much every character being cool or pleasing in their own way, from the suave Julis to the Ziggy Stardust-esque Roswaal,
to the unsettling Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti (DESU!). Particularly, I like characters occasionally commenting that Subaru has scary eyes. In the context of anime, they certainly are unusual and remind me of Ryūji’s.
And of course, there’s the setting itself. I’m not sure I’d call it phenomenal, but it was certainly engaging, which goes a long way and is more than I can say for wherever the hell Shield Hero takes place. I could care less about the various countries there, but here, I want to know exactly how royal succession works and why. I want to know what exactly the Jealous Witch’s deal is and what she wants with Subaru. I want to know about the rest of the archbishops. All these questions make me inclined to stick with the show in the hopes that they’re answered.
Now, what makes me want to leave the show?
The characters are...fine, at best. The stand out example is Subaru, who goes through the most development, depending on who you ask. Even if you don’t think he really undergoes a meaningful change, the show certainly tries to frame it as such, with his supposed development forming the backbone of the final arc. As will be discussed later, a big part of Subaru’s character is serving as a vehicle for deconstructing wish-fulfilment isekai. The thing is, even arguably the best-written (that isn’t to say most pleasantly written) character has a few cracks and gaps in his characterization. We don’t know anything about Subaru regarding his life on Earth. According to his Anilist page, he was a highschool student. Sure, I know he was high school aged but I had no idea he was a student. Hell, being a NEET could have possibly played the pathetic characterization the showrunners sometimes tap into. The show says he’s a loser who didn’t do anything in his life and shows him at the convenience store as evidence. I’d wager anyone would look like a loser if the only thing we saw of them was shopping at 7/11. We get a pretty surface-level view of who Subaru was.
And it’s all downhill from there. Emilia is arguably the second-most defined character, but that’s really only through how other people react to her; they’re distrusting of half-elves and as a result, we infer her closed-off nature. We barely know who people like Felt are. Oddly enough, Wilhelm van Astrea, someone who should be a bit player on paper, steals the show in terms of how much characterization and backstory he gets. Then there’s Rem. Her characterization has so many things I personally don’t enjoy that I’m saving her for towards the end of the review. In general, while the characters are certainly defined, there’s not enough for me to feel strongly about them (except for Rem, but patience, dear reader, patience). I was excited to meet Felix and put him on my favorite characters list only to discover that I really only liked him on an aesthetic level. I really only like Ram on the principle that she’s not Rem.
I understand that a lot of this could be chalked up to this being only the beginning of the saga, but the characters really should be compelling early on if a writer wants to hook readers.
Overall, I think my biggest problem with the show comes down to a term I’ve used several times at this point: identity crisis. I’ve said it about several shows, but I really do think Re:ZERO has an identity crisis wherein it doesn’t know what it wants to be. In terms of its genre of isekai, it toes the line between deconstruction and construction.
It seems that, even in 2014 when the light novel made its debut, to be seen as a worthwhile isekai, a show must go through an entire song and dance to legitimize itself. It relates to my point about isekai with “gimmicks.” “Hey, I’m an isekai but I’m different because I have a slime main character!” “Hey, I’m an isekai but I’m different because I have a main character that everyone hates-but-not-really!” In addition, these anime invariably spend time prodding and jeering at isekai as a whole. “Whoa, you sound like an NPC when you say that,” a main character will say, practically turning to the audience and giving a far-too-obvious wink. Re:ZERO is no stranger to this. Both in an out-of-universe, this is an isekai that acknowledges it’s an isekai. In addition to cheap jokes that I described, this comes in the form of a stark look at Subaru, who at times feels a sense of entitlement due to believing he’s been plopped into a wish-fulfillment isekai.
This comes to a head towards the middle of the third and final arc. Subaru acts like an ass in the capital, embarrassing his beloved Emilia and getting himself hurt because he believes he’s the protagonist of an isekai and he can do no wrong. He feels he’s “owed” respect and love. For his attitude, Emilia leaves him. Later, hearing she may be in danger, Subaru disobeys Emilia’s orders and rushes to “save” her, believing he’s “owed” the ability to be the dashing knight in silver armor. This is despite the fact that, up to this point, Subaru has proven to be as strong as a soaking piece of paper. He’s largely gotten through obstacles through dumb luck and prior knowledge. He should know full and well that he can’t get through this unscathed because the only way he’s been able to progress is by being scathed. Yet he’s blind to this due to being drunk on an isekai fantasy.
For this entitlement and unearned sense of grandeur, he of course dies and succumbs to despair, essentially shutting down…
...before being picked up by Rem.
Allow me to finally explain who this Rem is. As I said, Rem is the breakout character of this show, with many a viewer being enamored by the azure-haired maid. When she’s introduced, she’s nigh-indistinguishable from her twin-sister, Ram, but somehow even less emotive. Her only desire is to serve her master, Lord Roswaal as well as cover for her sister, who isn’t as domestically-minded as Rem. But after Subaru saves her life, she finds that her life has meaning. She undergoes character development. She emotes more and is much more friendly than the sarcastic and cold Ram. She has evolved. She no longer will live solely to serve Roswaal and her sister.
Now she will live solely to serve Subaru.
I can’t express how disappointed I was to learn that everyone loves Rem simply because they want to be served by a mindless, goal-less maid that they’d pass off as a wife. I can’t express how disappointed I was to learn that this bland character developed into an even more bland character. I can’t express how disappointed I was to learn that Rem would muddy this show’s distinction as a deconstructionist isekai and help to cement it as exactly what it found itself criticizing.
So, as I said, Rem picks Subaru back up. Subaru says he’s not a hero. To Rem, he’s the hero that saves her. Subaru's ego is stroked by the fact that a woman wants him because he saved her, feeding into the sense that he's "owed" things for doing the right thing. His sense of grandeur is renewed by the fact that he gets to play the hero despite the show seeming to punish him for this prior. Plus he goes on to continue to talk about how he'll disregard his beloved Emelia's wishes and the show treats this as a good thing because...reasons.
It’s the Oresuki brand of having your cake and eating it too. Re:ZERO wants to talk the talk of being a deconstruction, of having a character that suffers due to his sense of entitlement. However, it refuses to walk the walk and affirms this sense of entitlement at the next possible opportunity. At the end of the day Subaru does find himself the protagonist of an isekai, he gets to save the girl, he gets another girl fawning over him for simply breathing, he gets to bump elbows with higher-ups, and he gets to command respect way higher than his station.
When it’s not dealing with ramifications of the “Return by Death,” at worst, Re:ZERO seems a bit confused, as detailed above. At best, it seems by the numbers. I know I said that, compared to some other isekai, Re:ZERO seems fresh. It is...at times, largely during its heavier moments. At other times, it feels like your archetypal isekai/anime. We have Subaru making somewhat metatextual jokes. We have a femboy who happens to be a cat~~girl~~boy. We have maids. We have a loli who’s really [enter obscenely high number here]-years old. We have a family of fox-like shota and lolis who are [enter number higher than you’d expect here]-years old. We have a bratty woman who gets off to humiliating others. We have a psychotic woman who gets off to hurting others Because of course you need to have these things. It’s an anime, after all! At times it felt like the creator was just checking off an anime trope checklist.
You’d think with all of this, I’d hate the show, but no. While I admit that it can be a hard show to love at times, it’s similarly a hard show to out-and-out hate. It contains enough of what I love scattered throughout that I can’t write off the show wholesale. It’s hard to pinpoint a “lowpoint,” but it would probably be the OVA episode, since it’s such a fluffy episode and it’s where I was introduced to the lesser incarnation of Rem.
Overall, while Re:ZERO isn’t phenomenal, it’s a pretty good show and I don’t regret watching it. It contains an interesting premise that gripped me throughout. While the show seems a bit confused about what it wants to be, at the end of the day, these shaky elements weren’t enough to turn me away. And hey, who knows, perhaps these are just growing pains and Re:ZERO will truly come into its own next season.
My friend asked me whether I was going to watch season two because I was legitimately excited to watch it or because I could get a review out of it. My feelings are a bit complicated. Writing reviews is such an integral part of my anime-watching experience at this point that it's really hard to take it out of the equation. I could be watching it to scrutinize it and broadcast my findings, but so what? For me, that’s a good enough reason as any to watch something at this point. That said, I don’t think I’m continuing it just to write a review. There are legitimately things I liked. The anime might not be phenomenal, but it’s good enough that I’d be willing to see more. As much as the faults can grind my gears, its merits can enrapture me. With all this said, if I watched this show earlier, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t be compelled to continue. The original ending wraps things up relatively nicely. If you loved the show, you could patiently await the next season. If your feelings were ambivalent or worse, you could move on from the show and not feel like you were missing out on much. Here is where the best addition of the director’s cut comes into play. It contains both what I hate and love about this show.
It’s after the credits of the final episode. Subaru, Emilia, and Petra are in a wagon. Petra gets jealous of Emilia and Emilia in turn gets jealous of Petra. Subaru states that Emilia shouldn’t be jealous of Petra, a child in the, we’re-going-to-acknowledge-this-dumb-joke-while-still-making-the-dumb-joke-as-if-that-makes-the-joke-suddenly-good. But then Subaru explains that Rem has revealed her feelings to him. Emilia, confused, asks Subaru one simple question that has chilling ramifications.
And my lips curl into a smile, ready for more glorious suffering.
7.7/10
C+
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