The stakes are sort of... hidden?

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (light novel)

Nov 15, 9:31 PM

Offline

Apr 2021

1576

So it's an all out war right? Like how Trost was invaded by the titans at the beginning of AoT. And we see the panic in AoT, the chaos and the absolute madness. It's not exactly a fair comparision but I'm not drawing parallels. I'm aware this is a whole different show, so hear me out.

So in AoT the risk and chaos are made quite obvious and expressed in a way the viewer understands that it was, in fact, a pretty bad situation. Coming to Re:Zero season 3, it's been handling the emotional aspects OUTSTANDINGLY WELL. But the whole thing just... doesn't feel like a war?

The characters are acting pretty slow and composed, optimistic even, about their situation. They're even smiling most of the time and cracking jokes in the middle of all this? It's not like Betelgeuse caused Subaru to die and repeat over like 5 times right? That should put the trouble of the Archbishops in perspective. And here there's 4 of them, who have the entire city under control.

However there is Reinhard right? Well that is a factor, but the strategic upper-hand of the Archbishops along with the damage they've already unleashed on the city doesn't make these characters, even the least bit, express the risk of the situation? I'm not saying they need to be pissing their pants, I want them to show us that it's indeed a war and there are real stakes. In this case the people, the city and the amount of casualties have been just... Neglected?

Don't get me wrong I absolutely love this show, episode 5 of this season was very good, mostly because it actually didn't do this stuff, and exhibited the raw conditions of the war.

Maybe it's because I'm coming right off watching too many battle shonen? But the way I'm enjoying every episode of the visual treat that is Dandadan makes me think the problem is actually with the show itself.

CreepHazardNov 15, 9:38 PM

Nov 15, 10:41 PM

sloth848

Offline

Feb 2024

CreepHazard said:
So it's an all out war right? Like how Trost was invaded by the titans at the beginning of AoT. And we see the panic in AoT, the chaos and the absolute madness. It's not exactly a fair comparision but I'm not drawing parallels. I'm aware this is a whole different show, so hear me out.

So in AoT the risk and chaos are made quite obvious and expressed in a way the viewer understands that it was, in fact, a pretty bad situation. Coming to Re:Zero season 3, it's been handling the emotional aspects OUTSTANDINGLY WELL. But the whole thing just... doesn't feel like a war?

The characters are acting pretty slow and composed, optimistic even, about their situation. They're even smiling most of the time and cracking jokes in the middle of all this? It's not like Betelgeuse caused Subaru to die and repeat over like 5 times right? That should put the trouble of the Archbishops in perspective. And here there's 4 of them, who have the entire city under control.

However there is Reinhard right? Well that is a factor, but the strategic upper-hand of the Archbishops along with the damage they've already unleashed on the city doesn't make these characters, even the least bit, express the risk of the situation? I'm not saying they need to be pissing their pants, I want them to show us that it's indeed a war and there are real stakes. In this case the people, the city and the amount of casualties have been just... Neglected?

Don't get me wrong I absolutely love this show, episode 5 of this season was very good, mostly because it actually didn't do this stuff, and exhibited the raw conditions of the war.

Maybe it's because I'm coming right off watching too many battle shonen? But the way I'm enjoying every episode of the visual treat that is Dandadan makes me think the problem is actually with the show itself.

Honestly, this is a criticism i can understand but it never bothered me that much because like you said they have reinhard as their win con (actually their win con is subaru but they dont know that lol) and also the cast warriors/strategists trained to be composed in such situations so it was intentional. Emilias party is more stressed (otto/garfiel/subaru) because they arent as equipped to deal with the situation so thats your explanation. But honestly i agree i would prefer for the gravity of the situation to be throughly explored. Not sure what the title has to do with the text though the stakes are announced are they not? or am i misunderstanding

Nov 15, 10:41 PM

Laplace_kun

Offline

Nov 2019

2203

Well many of these guys have battled before and found themselves in tough situations. In Trost, many of the human side members were newbies. Also I'd put a spoiler alert if its another show events, even if its as popular as AoT. This is not quite an all out war, at least yet, but a very synchronized albeit independent archbishop infestation that didn't recieve enough counteraction.

The transformation of people and stray deaths here and there are more or less presented sufficiently, there is no need to indulge on things that doesn't progress the main narrative just for the sake of drama. Many people have shelters to retreat to, and unlike Titans, the archbishops doesn't even really care about the people. A source of complaint can be the fact that the situation of transformed people has been presented offscreen so far. However, this too, is highly intentional.

Most of the people are pretty much behaving realistically and only those who have past battle experience are calm. Some examples:

1. Garfiel is broken after Mimi's injury. But experienced Ricardo lifts him up.

2. Anastasia is stressed out, but Julius is performing the duties of a knight.

3. Priscilla lives up to her percieved arrogance. Liliana freaks out and is kinda daft to understand the full weight of the scenario, but she's with none other than Priscilla.

4. Aldebaran is literally one-handed (like a seasoned warrior) and seems to have knowledge about the archbishops. So he's calm too.

5. Emilia is not even fully aware of the entire situation. For now, she's doing the most rational thing - focus on the deep soup she's in.

6. Wilhelm is literally the most experienced battle unit. Reinhard can cope (to a certain extent) with the fact that he can't save everybody. We saw hints of this nature in S2.

7. Amnesiac Crusch is having the worst time. Breaks down even experienced Felis - so he's a suitable subversion.

When it's a situation of stress and you are running out of time, experienced people will know damage control needs immediate action instead of groaning over losses. That's basically what is happening here.

Anyway, what the heck has Dandandan got to do with anything of this???

"All truth is meaningless. In the end, 'meaning' comes from the mind of each individual human. Even when there is a single truth, it can mean different things to different individuals. The truth has no meaning in itself!" - Erika Furudo

Nov 16, 12:53 AM

Daddi4900

Offline

May 2021

It definitely depends on the character, but in general the cast of Re:Zero share an immeasurable sense of duty. A lot of characters (Anastasia, Julius, Reinhard, Wilhelm, Kiritaka, etc) feel that as the people working to save the city, they can't afford to show their fear or pain. The way they see it, stressing doesn't get the job done better - it probably gets it done worse. And they can't afford that.

Other characters, like Emilia, Garf, Felt, and Otto, have faith because so many of the strongest people in the nation (especially Reinhard) are present.

Still others, like Ferris, Priscilla, and Al, could honestly care less whether the city is destroyed or not - each for different reasons.

There are other reasons, too, like the archbishops not being there to destroy the city in the first place, that help out. And there's certainly a level of ego that a lot of the cast has to boot.

But overall, I think the real reason is just that the theme of this story doesn't fit that sort of thinking. The emotion Re:Zero focuses on in the face of immense odds is isolated despair, and the antidote each time is community. Because the cast this season has community to start, isolated despair can't exist, and we are shown instead the way community holds people together. This show isn't about painting a realistic picture of humanity (or what the author believes to be a realistic picture of humanity) the way shows like AoT are. Re:Zero instead consists of a plot which conspires to demonstrate a particular palette of emotions that the author wants to express. Sometimes, then, the characters don't act the way real people would, but they always act in a way that gets across the emotion the author would like to convey to the reader/viewer. Sometimes, art is intentionally unrealistic, and that's okay.

Daddi4900Nov 16, 12:57 AM

Nov 16, 5:22 AM

CreepHazard

Offline

Apr 2021

1576

Daddi4900 said:

But overall, I think the real reason is just that the theme of this story doesn't fit that sort of thinking. The emotion Re:Zero focuses on in the face of immense odds is isolated despair, and the antidote each time is community. Because the cast this season has community to start, isolated despair can't exist, and we are shown instead the way community holds people together. This show isn't about painting a realistic picture of humanity (or what the author believes to be a realistic picture of humanity) the way shows like AoT are. Re:Zero instead consists of a plot which conspires to demonstrate a particular palette of emotions that the author wants to express. Sometimes, then, the characters don't act the way real people would, but they always act in a way that gets across the emotion the author would like to convey to the reader/viewer. Sometimes, art is intentionally unrealistic, and that's okay.

hm a pretty sound reasoning
can't make it stop irking me nonetheless 😭

Nov 16, 6:17 PM

PLEIADES_

Offline

Sep 2024

difference between petelguese and the other archbishops is he plans, does recon on the place he plans to attack and is actually good at leading, the other archbishops just do what ever tf they want cause they are that confident and is why petelguese was lowkey the biggest menace in the witchcult. the people are in a city made to be a trap, it was already said that they took shelter quickly and were more calm about it because preparations were already made incase of emergencies like these unlike AOT were there were no thoughts of titans invading before or safe places to go so there was alot more panic and deaths, also unlike the titans whose first instinct is to kill all humans in sight, the witch cultist didn't run around attacking indiscriminately, just those that were in their path, then the demi-beasts were released hours later, that was probably just capella being a bitch or maybe to entice more fear as not everyone made it to a shelter. the cast has been tense when the moment called for it, the most "optimistic" they were was in the latest episode and that was because subaru speech lifted their hopes. the cast has alot of experience and can act rationally for the most part.

PLEIADES_Nov 16, 6:28 PM

Nov 18, 2:38 AM

Best-Girl-Emilia

Offline

Jun 2023

I mean, it's more like holding the city hostage instead of all out war, but I get your point.

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The stakes are sort of... hidden?

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