Name: Re:ZERO makes a stunning return, coming into its own and proving it's a hero, not a zero.
Item: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2
Rating: 85
Author: Pockeyramune919

Waifra

Re:ZERO makes a stunning return, coming into its own and proving it's a hero, not a zero.

This review contains spoilers for Re:ZERO Season 2 Part 1

Welcome to my review! Why am I reviewing a Summer anime at the beginning of the Winter season? Because I'm an extremely slow writer, that's why! Any other questions? No? Great! Moving right along!

As stated in the last review, in terms of popularity, Re:ZERO is nothing to scoff at. When it premiered back in 2016, it took the anime community by storm and quickly established itself as among the most popular isekai alongside Konusuba and Sword Art Online. I found its popularity was paradoxically belied yet affirmed by its comparatively low showing on the rating charts: it was a somewhat middling anime, with its impressive highs being counteracted by groan-inducing lows; it was certainly an anime that made an impression, but not one that rose much higher than the competition. Still, while it wasn't the cum laude of anime, it had a sizable following, so it was immediately followed up, right?

Wrong, actually.

White Fox took its sweet time making the second season and it wouldn't air until 2020, four years after the first season. The wait didn't seem to dampen fans' enthusiasm, however, as it consistently topped the weekly anime charts.

But you probably already know that. You, inexplicably, want to know my thoughts. At the end of my previous review, I stated that I was was ready for more "glorious suffering." But that was then, this is now. A good hook could have still left me floundering. After all, if I'm being blunt, that's what the first season did. Even halfway through this (half) season, I was having my doubts. I was ready to write this series off for good and walk-away. "Good enough" isn't quite worth my time when I have so little of it nowadays.

Come the conclusion of the second season's first cour, however, I'm pleased to say that I've since changed my tune. It feels like Re:ZERO has finally come into its own, beginning to feel like the gut-wrenching psychological isekai that it always wanted to be, largely unburdened by the annoying, cliche elements that plagued the first season. Re:Zero has climbed out of its C-range prison with a vengeance and at the rate it's going, it could grow to become one of my favorites.

The second season of Re:ZERO picks up shortly where the first left off. In a dragon-drawn carriage, Subaru and Emillia are en route to the capital after successfully quelling the Witch's Cult attack on the manor and nearby village. Subaru mentions Rem to Emilia and to both his and (most of) the audience's horror, she doesn't recognize the name. We are treated to a flashback showing Rem and Crusch being ambushed by two new Witch's Cult archbishops — the archbishops of Greed and Gluttony. As it just so happens, the Archbishop of Gluttony is able to erase the memories of a person. Rem barely makes it out alive, thus she's remembered by no one but Subaru. Crusch, who's hurt but not as badly, becomes amnesiac. Worse for Subaru, he cannot use his return by death ability to save Rem, as he's reached a "check point." After heading to the manor to drop off the comatose Rem for safekeeping, at Beatrice's suggestion, the two head to the forest sanctuary. However, the two soon find more than they bargained for, as they're embroiled in a trial that'll make Subaru question his allegiances and test the limits of Subaru's Return by Death.

And I know what you're thinking, but no, I don't love this season just because Rem is out of commission.

It certainly doesn't hurt, though.

And I'm not saying that just to be mean, I legitimately do think that Rem's absence allows for a more dire and gripping tone. If you recall, I essentially lambast Rem's role in the second half of the first season as Subaru's "Get Out of Jail Free'' security blanket, with her picking him up as he's at his lowest and seeming to enable his feelings of grandeur through her inexplicable and unearned love for him. And to be clear, I'm aware that female characters only functioning as catalysts for male characters is Problematic™. That said, if Rem's only role is to inform the mood of Subaru, I'd at least like her to lead to interesting changes instead of stagnating him. Without Rem serving as Subaru's cheerleader, the mood of season 2 part 1 is consistently dour. Before, the presence of Rem's smiling face seemed to temper Subaru, telling him that no matter how dark things got, there would always be a ray of hope. Her comatose state casts some doubt on this sentiment.

This brings us to my first major praise of the season: the tone is consistently enjoyable for me. As I outlined, earlier, the stakes are set up in the first episodes extremely well, making the season much more gripping than its predecessor. I found that the first season was plagued with some pretty bad tonal issues. Season 2 Part 1 thankfully alleviates this by adopting the first season's more serious elements while leaving the lighthearted elements behind. I suppose if you're someone who preferred the lighthearted elements or was happy with the blend of the two, you might find Season 2 Part 1 too bleary. But if you're anything like me, you'll appreciate the change of pace. While there are a few moments of levity, I don't find them groan-inducing unlike their use in season one. A pretty big mark of the shift in tone is how Subaru is much more willing to actually induce Return by Death. Things are grim this time around and you'll either shirk from this development or lap it up like me.

One thing I found pretty lacking in the first season was characterization — specifically Subaru's. I really wished that we got a sense of what Subaru's life on Earth was like. Writer Tappei Nagatsuki answered my prayers, as we get a pretty damn good look at Subaru's life before the start of the series. It was a snippet, so while it wasn't the most in-depth, it's enough to really know who Subaru was and how that informs who he is. After watching the fourth episode, in a list post, I wrote "Give it up for the best damn episode in the entire series." Even with all the swerves that come after it, I stand by that statement. In just one episode, I was able to honest-to-God care about Subaru as a person, not just because he was someone going through unfathomable pain, but because I finally saw him as a human with a genuine story. This episode was very heartfelt as we get to see Subaru and his parents' love for one another. This love between child and parents — as well as the fear of inadequacy that this love brings — is a feeling that I've found is seldom explored in anime. It's a very genuine feeling, one that I never would have expected from the show a season ago. Re:ZERO works best when it decides to be genuine instead of tropey. Now, when I look at Subaru, I don't just see "realistically-portrayed-generic-asshole-isekai-protagonist," I see "insecure-lonely-young-man-when-given-a-chance-at-a-new-life."

I wish I could heap as much praise on other characters, but they're unfortunately not as fleshed out as Subaru. We get a number of new characters, including Garfiel~~d~~, Frederica, and the breakout character, Echidna, but they're not as explored as I like. Re: ZERO does what it does best: introduce visually striking characters that aren't terribly deep, but extremely recognizable due to their notable personalities. For what it's worth, I grew a bit more attached to them than many characters introduced in season one, mainly because we stay very put in Season 2 Part 1, so we're exposed to them more than the revolving door supporting cast of season one. While we don't explore their characterization as much as we do for Subaru, I enjoyed the shifts in Roswaal and Beatrice's characters. Beatrice's vulnerability and Roswaal's brutality and wiliness were things that I very much enjoyed, as they were quite entertaining and showed that they weren't as shallow as I initially thought. I'll ultimately defer strong judgement on this front until the second half of the season, because as shown with Subaru (and to a lesser extent, Roswaal and Beatrice), Tappei Nagatsuki is capable of writing compelling characters.

All this said, as I stated before, come the middle of the cour, I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about the season. Save first and fourth one, there weren't really any stand-out episodes. It wasn't really "middling" like season one (as in its highs and lows counteract to make an anime experience that's ultimately somewhat unremarkable), it was just kind of boring. I tuned in because I'm someone who always aims to finish what I start, not because I was particularly invested in what I was watching. I thought, "it's okay, I suppose." Unlike the first season, there wasn't anything hooking me from one episode to the next. It seemed to me that there was a dearth of engaging events during the first half. Oh, sure, things certainly happen, such as meeting Echidna, but after these events, I didn't find much to look forward to in the next episode. Part of this could be due to Subaru's signature ability, the main draw of the show, and what huffs life into it, being extremely underutilized. Both me and my friend began watching Season 2 Part 1 and they dipped out around this time. Honestly, I can't blame them. Like I said, if I wasn't as insane, it's very possible that I would have given up here as well. This first half's relative lack of energy is the season's biggest flaw. It might even be worse than the first season in some regards, because, more than frustration, more than annoyance, the worst sin that a creative work can commit is that of apathy. If the first cour continued chugging along with this relative lack of momentum until the finish line, I would have dropped the series.

But White Fox, like a mad conductor, funneled coal and black magic into the locomotive, causing the show to barrel full speed off the rails like a goddamn doom train. During the second half, Subaru begins to die, like, a lot. I remember feeling really tense and wondering how things would turn out. It's extremely impressive that a world that's reset upon death can still feel like it has honest-to-God stakes. This is largely thanks to the concept of "checkpoints" and Subaru's mental state. "Restarting" isn't exactly a panacea if you restart to a point where things are still awful and there's no way to fix it. Even if the checkpoint is a good one, there's still the question of being mentally stable enough or smart enough to fix things? With how much crap is thrown at Subaru this season, these two stipulations foster a delectable feeling of suspense.

Coming from season one, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this season resists the urge to reaffirm Subaru's (and thus the audience's) sense of entitlement. I know I said that, with Rem gone, this entitlement would be tempered, but it's feasible that Subaru could have gotten this pick-me-up from somewhere else. He largely doesn't, though. Here, there's no one giving him a second wind to make him think, "yes, I am the knight in shining armor." I think Subaru's status as a savior really works here in a way that it didn't before. Around episode four, it hit me that Subaru is really only a hero in characters’ minds simply because, due to how his ability works, he can essentially only show them his most successful self. It works here because the anime does a really good job of driving home the fact that the path Subaru walks is a difficult one; not simply hellish due to dying again and again, but difficult because he doesn't really have the brains (though he certainly, commendably, tries) to figure things out perfectly. Even if he's a "hero," the first part of the second season does a pretty good job of showing why this isn't necessarily an enjoyable thing, even if it's an unquestionably good thing. It paints a hero as one who seems to eternally suffer and fail in darkness in pursuit of a shred of light. In other words, the toll of being a hero is extremely palpable, here (it certainly helps that Subaru briefly stumbles into a timeline that shows what happens after his death). Furthermore, Subaru fails Emilia and never really gets to make up for it, making this half of the season feel a lot more impactful than the majority of season one. Without his cheerleader, you'd think that Subaru would succumb to depression. Surprisingly, he doesn't (or, at the very least, not to the extent of before). He picks himself up due to the strength of his own resolution. This is a fantastic marker that Subaru has become a stronger, more independent person.

Overall, I think season 2 part one "walks the walk" of a realistic, brutal isekai better than the first season, as it seems to commit more to a dark mood, stepping back to actually allow it to simmer instead of getting antsy in fear that viewers will dislike it. I said before that Re:ZERO had an identity crisis. Now, it feels like it finally knows what it wants to be.

Based on this season as a whole, I'd like to say that Re:ZERO will continue to be a tense, gruesome anime with rounded characters. Subaru will always eventually come out on top at the end, but always a little more broken than when he began…

...but perhaps I'm getting my hopes up. In the final episode, Oto gives Subaru a slap to the face[get a hold of yourself, man] and tells him that he needn't do everything alone, giving me the feeling that the second half of the season will milk The Power of Friendship for all it's worth. Earlier on, Subaru refuses Echidna's aid
(thoughIhonestlydontknowwhatwouldbesobadaboutit) that would help him get out of his terrible situation. This is presumably because, as dictated by 99% of media, True Heroes™, even broken ones that are pushed against a spiked wall, under no circumstances shall make deals with characters that are even slightly suspicious. Perhaps Season 2 Part 1 was nothing more than the downpour before the overly saccharine rainbow.

But I'll proceed with cautious optimism.

Re:ZERO is by no means perfect now. Characterization is still largely lacking, the first half can be a slog, there are still some groan-inducing, tropey parts (Echidna's "bodily fluid" tea, anyone!?), and there are some awkwardly directed moments like Echidna's monologue^ which is somehow simultaneously barebones, yet overdone. Yet, often times there's a charm to the imperfections, this time around. Oto declaring himself as Subaru's (first) friend might have been a bit too saccharine for me, yet in a way, it keeps in with the dour tone — all this time and Oto is Subaru's first true friend here. The way witches are introduced is simultaneously dumb — they're visually striking and distinct but it seems like they can be reduced to just one trait, plus they’re inexplicably all showing up like it's a role call — yet cool — "Wow, they look so cool and they're all going to show up!?” Re:ZERO still isn't quite an "A" for me — perhaps it still hasn't earned that grade in my mind, or perhaps I'm just being stingier with my ratings — either way, it's definitely improved and I'm excited to see what glorious suffering is in store for us the rest of the season.

8.5/10
B

^If you want to get a sense of the grandness of Echidna's monologue without the goofy directing, I suggest reading the excerpt of it from the light novel here:

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

Echidna: This extraordinary ability you possess, the Authority of Return by Death: Its utility is something you don’t yet truly comprehend. By refusing to allow endings that are contrary to your desires, you repeatedly retry, and repeatedly reach for the future―― that is the near-perfect ideal of an inquirer. But of course. In the first place, once an event has reached its outcome, it would mean that no other outcome could take its place. While in the process of reaching an outcome, it is possible to hypothesize on various possibilities of what that outcome may be. Such an approach under such conditions can serve to verify such various hypotheses. But when there is an actual result you want to reach, the outcome of each experiment and the hypothesis it verifies must forever remain singular. All the while, to truly reproduce the exact same conditions is impossible. No matter how meticulous the preparation, deviation from the conditions of that particular point in time is inevitable. And so too, is the question: “What would the results have been if I had done things differently?”―― forever out of the reach of an inquirer such as myself, instead being what you’d call a dream beyond a dream. Possessing the “Memories of the World”, there are indeed ways in which I could come to “Know” the answers. But while they exist, I have no desire to use or rely on such methods. My “Desire to Know” is not simply a “Desire to Have Knowledge”. Even for me, that distinction is quite a contradictory and loathsome thing. But I’m getting carried away, let’s return to the topic at hand…… for one such as myself, with no choice but to accept the singularity of the outcomes, having but one means of observation, your existence and your Authority is a godsend. Using “The Same Conditions” to conduct “A Different Test”, and see “A Different Outcome” from “What Originally Should Have Been”―― who would not desire such ultimate Authority? Seeing it laid before one’s eyes, who could go without first trying absolutely everything? Of course, I have no intention of taking it by force. In the end, you will be making full use of Return by Death for your purposes. I will ensure that you reach your desired future to the absolute best of my ability. And, in the process, if possible, I would like to sate my curiosity to the fullest possible extent. Surely, you won’t fault me for such a measly request? You will get your answers. I will sate my curiosity. Our interests are entirely aligned. Since I don’t know the answers myself, I certainly won’t misguide you on purpose towards the most wretched endings possible. When first encountering a problem, I’ll be just as ignorant as you are to what the optimal solution may be. So together, we will ponder, agonize and find the answers as comrades. I can say this without the slightest embarrassment. I am immensely fond of you, that is, for your capacity to increase my means of inquiry, and I swear I will never do anything to impede you. Of course, when initially without answers, I cannot guarantee a smooth resolution to every problem even with my help. While I can aid you with the strength of my knowledge, I can never directly interfere with reality. Should the obstacle before you require physical, material strength, I cannot help you. Time after time, perhaps in the hundreds and thousands, your mind and body may be shattered and torn. But if and when it is, I will faithfully tend to your heart. I must admit that not wanting to lose something as useful as you has a part to do with it. But, my fondness for you, and my intention to lend you my strength is genuine. I hope you won’t think badly of me. Though I’ve said this over and over, I am confident that I will prove valuable to achieving your purposes. Indeed, just as I will be, in a sense, using you to satisfy the Greed of my curiosity, you can also use me to “Attain Your Perfect Future”. It is precisely my wish to become that convenient girl you can always call on. If it means spurring you onward, then I will gladly offer you my very existence. Although, paltry as it is, seeing how I’m already dead, whether you will have me is another question. Alas, I suppose that would be unfair to those girls within your thoughts. The subjects of your longing―― the silver-haired Half-Elf, and the blue-haired Demon: the girls that your heart has sworn to save and protect. I won’t go into what I think about the intense emotions you feel towards them, but I will simply say this: The barricade standing before you is far greater than you could possibly imagine. Just the obstacles you are aware of now already have you struggling at your wit’s end. While your resolve to overcome them alone is admirable, it would be far too desperate a fight. There is not the slightest falsehood in my desire to lend you my help. And you have every reason to make use of my willingness. You must use everything you have, use everything you can, and only then can you save the ones you hold dear. Isn’t that the oath you have sworn, and the conviction you took onto the painful path you have chosen? That is why I challenge you, repeat with you, and feel for you. The path you have sacrificed your lives to forge, as ironic as it is, has now been validated in the form of the Second Trial. Perhaps, the Trial might offer the illusion that it existed to make you understand the nature of the path you have walked, and as such, was necessary. Yet the truth is it wasn’t necessary, and those scenes in fact only served to wear down your heart. However, between a state of ignorance and a state of knowing, no matter how appalling the truth may be, I will always value the latter. You have, and will continue to use your life as the price for Returning by Death and for inching ever closer to the future. As you do so, you will constantly keep in the back of your mind the possibility that the sacrifices you have made and those worlds themselves “Might Still Exist” in some form or another. Until one day, you will cease to feel anything about paying with your life, your human emotions will have faded away, the deaths of the people precious to you will no longer strike upon your heart, and so drowning your days in unmovable, emotionless apathy, even if you eventually reach that perfect future, there would be nothing left of you to hold it―― therefore, in order to avoid drifting into a future in which only that tediousness remains, this is necessary. Indeed, there is not a single useless thing in this world, every path is necessary, everything is an indispensable piece of the puzzle: It was for you to understand this that the Trial existed. If you need to make sense of the reasons why you have now stopped in your tracks, then you can think of it this way. And I will affirm your thoughts. If my words can give you the strength to move forward, then I will endeavor to give them. Be it consolation, incitement, whispers of love, or evocations of contempt, if it can become your strength then I will not hesitate to use it. You might hate it, but you will certainly need me on your path ahead. If you are to proceed along this road of unavoidable pain and solitude, then you will need someone to walk alongside you who will never veer their sight from the path. If you leave this role to me and to no one else, then I am willing to walk this road alongside you without question. I will repeat it, I will restate it, I will convey it as many times as necessary until it reaches you. ――You need me. And I need you. I need you immensely. My curiosity can no longer be quenched by anything except you. You are the only one in existence who can satisfy me. My insatiable Greed would be fulfilled by you alone. Your existence is already indispensable to me in this closed-off world. If you wish to be someone else’s hope and use your power to slice open their world, could you not take pity on my miserable self so that I may partake in the fallen scraps as well? If you will bequeath me this kindness, then without a moment’s hesitation, I will offer up my body, my knowledge and my soul. And so I beg of you. Please trust me. That I haven’t told you my true feelings until now was never because I wanted to deceive you. I was merely waiting for the right moment to do so. At this stage, the instant I appealed to you with even a fragment of my true intentions, you surely would have left me. That would have been an unbearable loss to me. And of course, for you as well, as it would certainly be a loss in the sense that you’d be distancing yourself from the future you seek. Although, with the power of Return by Death, you will inevitably reach your desired future. Nevertheless, it will certainly be preferable to reach that future while paying as little in compensation as possible. With me, with me you can lighten that price. I do not want you to make the mistake of thinking that this means as long as you reach the desired future, the greater good can overrule the lesser and the details can be held in contempt. Indeed, falling into temptation and failing to advise you of the optimal path just so I can see the end of a thread―― is not something which I am so confident in my control over my desires that I can guarantee will never happen. This I will admit. But, I will never mislead you. If on the off-chance I do betray your trust in this way, I will under no circumstances try to hide it from you. I will certainly disclose it. And then, do everything in my power to repair that damaged trust. No matter what happens, I will deliver you to the perfect future you desire. Absolutely, absolutely. And now, if you agree that this is necessary, then won’t you choose me? All I want from you, all I ask of you is as I have mentioned in the contract. After that, it is simply a matter of how much suffering you are willing to endure for your desired, coveted wish. I have told you my resolve. Now I would like to hear yours. Prove it to me, seal this contract with me, enlist my assistance, and muster the will to reach your destined future. Do so, and you may for the first time boast that you have conquered the Second Trial. From there, proceed to the Third Trial, and overcoming that, liberate the Sanctuary. Then, considering the disaster that will befall the Sanctuary, those you love, and those you hold dear, that shall be greatest Trial of all. Show me that you have the strength and resolve to surmount it. Once you do, plunder me, use my knowledge, and take hold of the future ahead. What I desire from you, what I request from you, and what I offer you in return is as I have stated. All is as I have sincerely, honestly, willingly confessed it. So now, I want you to tell me―― what is your decision? That, in itself, would satisfy a portion of my curiosity]

――A lovely smile rose onto Echidna’s face.

Credit to @Read for getting the text for me