[No-spoiler review, because Anti-Spoiler-Brigade-Master-Race]
[Pseudo spoiler alert: reviews are meant to be subjective ]
To begin with, consider trying this show if you are a fan of 'Isekai' or in English, the 'Different-world' trope :)
Re:zero is a show that has the potential to polarize audiences for all reasons possible. However, I shall get straight to the point as to why it manages to be enjoyable. There are a few obvious flaws in the show which you can immediately pick out during the course of the 25 episodes, however, I feel these missing details were intentional in order to serve as advertisement for the Light Novels. Or that
...
they serve to tease a potential second season in the near future. No cliffhangers were present thankfully.
The series at the very same does not do any babysitting with its narration. It does more of 'show' instead of 'tell', and as a result it sometimes necessitates retrospective viewing ( a fancy phrase for 'rewatch' ) to make better sense of the characters and their behaviours. This series is not something one would watch in order to relax to, IMO, as it involves analyzing the characters to a considerable degree.
Story :________________________________________________________________________
All things considered, very little can be said about the story. The whole season ends up raising more questions than it could answer. Things are only hinted at but they are not explored entirely. As mentioned earlier, I feel this was intentional for it created enough buzz for fan theories and/or encouraged people to pick up the light novels.
As a rough comparison, think of it as the anime Higurashi if you know about it. In Higurashi, the first season served as the 'question' arc while the second season served as the 'answer' arc. Likewise for Re:Zero, the questions are expected to be answered in future seasons (if they ever get released) but this anime ends on a reasonably conclusive note, without any cliffhangers.
I shall refrain from forming opinions about the overall story such calling it as a 'joke' or 'brilliant masterpiece' since there are only bones to chew at for now. Nothing can be said FOR SURE as far as the anime adaptation is concerned, but there is enough to come up with interesting speculations.
The plot is written well enough to forgive the absence of clear-cut answers.
Plot :_________________________________________________________________________
Objectively speaking, this is a breath of fresh air in the usual 'Isekai' genre. The basic premise of the show lies is that the protagonist is somebody who longs for an escape from his presumably pitiful life (a hikkikomori/NEET lifestyle perhaps). This isn't something new. Normally in this trope, we are used to seeing protagonists who get summoned into a different world, and they end up discovering that they have some really amazing super-power or that they are this so-called "Chosen One". Soon enough, they meet a beautiful woman/man or a harem, which then serves as the romantic subplot. Thankfully, that really isn't the case here.
Having said that, the 'uniqueness' lies in the fact that this protagonist HIMSELF buys into the aforementioned trope. He ends up taking this 'escape' as his chance to run away from his own sad and unambitious reality. He begins to treat his new-life experience as a fantasy game, as he thinks that everything is laid out for him as a typical LN/Manga/Anime/Videogame isekai story which he had been consuming all along! Another chance at a new life, another chance at things done right.
Soon and ironically enough, he quickly discovers he has no superpowers other than the ability to "respawn" at a checkpoint back in time whenever he dies. This is the whole plot device around which the show is built around. His only ammunition is information from his previous timelines and his armor is his mental state.
The other aspect of plot is that it punishes the protagonist thoroughly, as if it were some form of retribution for treating his new "life" in the fantasy world as some video game. Things don't tend to progress the way he wants and this is what brings about the character development in the protagonist (as well as some side-characters) as a cause and effect. We get to see a convincingly gradual descent into madness and despair but this is better understood while watching.
The only real flaw or criticism one could point out is the plot-armour of Subaru being unable to convey anyone about his secret ability. While this commendably serves as the show's main tension around his actions and mental anguish, it inadvertently makes it seem as if Subaru doesn't actively seek out answers as to why he was summoned into the world and why he has such an ability.
Key point being, he simply is unable to let anyone in on his secret. If one can look past this issue, the show becomes harder to pull apart.
Characters/Art:_________________________________________________________________
Plenty of adorable characters. Cute maids? Check. Beautiful Elf ? Check. Pretty side/supporting characters? Check. The show also contains a cat-girl trap ( I don't even want to know for what purpose but nevertheless, it just is...) Check, i guess.
The protagonist is intended to be this loser or annoying retard who then builds into this mentally strong and admirable person, which he ought to have been in his old (or real) life. His characterization drives home the point of the importance of self-reflection. This is where the viewer-base either starts to hate him or appreciate him. I am from the latter camp, but I understand both sides. This may potentially make or break the show for you.
The 'supposed' main heroine Emilia is a complete mystery as the story only drops hints as to what her role in the protagonist's life is going to be. Apart from characterization, there is little character growth but tidbits about her past are hinted to us, mainly from dialogues from others. Fortunately, she leaves a strong impression as she is someone who can stand on her own and is not clingy towards anyone. Her actions bring about strong motivations and character development (both positive and negative) within the protagonist.
As a side information, her identity is intentionally not explored much as the anime only covers the prologue of the story (Arcs 1,2 and 90% of Arc 3 from the web novel) , and the story shifts focus onto her immediately after (Arc 4 revolves entirely around her). Is this a bait to read the light novel? Doesn't take a genius to figure out. Will we get a season 2? Definitely.
From an artistic standpoint, I admit the bright, cheery and colourful themes might turn some people away but they serve as a nice (or necessary) contrast with the dark and gruesome ordeals the protagonist goes through. Perhaps I am reading too much into this but it is as if the show was selling the idea that things just seem happy/idealistic in this new world but it is just a facade for what is to befall Subaru.
On another note, I feel that reading subs makes you loose out on these subtle expressions the characters make. Nevertheless,one can always rewatch some scenes to infer the atmosphere better. This is a minor point according to me, nothing too important. This anime looks pretty, all things considered.
Back to characters, the protagonist is presumably under the 'love-at-first-sight' cliche but I don't blame him. If we were in his isekai shoes, we all would have this fondness for the person (in this case, the beautiful elf-girl) who helps you out in a time of need, especially when you are all alone in a different world. It's the First impressions game.
The villain is an odd love-it or hate-it kind of character. Not a lot is explored about him however there are some interesting parallels that get drawn between him and the protagonist. As a minor point, his dialogue tends to be metaphorical but behind the lines, they reveal quite a bit about the nature of the protagonist's actions and subsequent decisions. Try picking them up during a re-watch perhaps if you didn't catch them the first time :)
There are some side characters, especially a particular someone, whose character development receives more spotlight than all other side characters and even more than the main heroine. Without spoiling much, her character needed to be fleshed out first due to the narrative requirements in the source material. This particular character ended up being the fan favourite of almost all people. And she is also the one of the major reasons for all the memes and polarizing opinions we have about Re:zero.
Unfortunately, the easiest mistake to do with the show is to assume possible courses of action for the protagonist. Subaru is made to be difficult to self-insert into. The show's ability to reel you in is dependent on how well you can empathize and analyze the characters and their behaviours. No hand-holding or spoon-feeding of information is involved.
The good thing about the above is that it makes way for plenty of retrospective viewing to better understand the actions of the characters, much like how Neon Genesis Evangelion/ End of Evangelion could be analyzed for days.
Sound :_______________________________________________________________________
Pretty good. Some enjoyable moments of the show were when something grave/serious was coupled with the ED songs of this show. They just enhanced whatever atmosphere was being built up.
I like the second ED of this show, 'Stay Alive', and it is sung by the voice actress of the Emilia/Satella. I particularly like the metal/djent remix of the same song (you can easily search it on Soundcloud, Stay Alive (Re:Zero remix)[Demo] by Matt Huang)
Summary :_____________________________________________________________________
To what may seem like a long-winded rant or ramble, I could have written off this entire review as a : Boy Meets Girl in Fantasy World, Decides To Save Damsel in Distress by Using the Power of Time.
Now that would sound rather lame and uninteresting. Doing the above would have meant absolute disservice to the whole show for what it has to offer. The story more concerned about the protagonist and his character growth as far as the anime is concerned, given the prologue-only adaptation.
Hopefully this was enough to get you interested in the show without spoiling anything. The show doesn't leave cliffhangers but generates enough curiosity to want for more. It is understandable as to why people can brush the series as a "joke", but those flaws/issues are intentionally present because of reasons considered and discussed above.
Have a great time!
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Jul 16, 2018
[No-spoiler review, because Anti-Spoiler-Brigade-Master-Race]
[Pseudo spoiler alert: reviews are meant to be subjective ] To begin with, consider trying this show if you are a fan of 'Isekai' or in English, the 'Different-world' trope :) Re:zero is a show that has the potential to polarize audiences for all reasons possible. However, I shall get straight to the point as to why it manages to be enjoyable. There are a few obvious flaws in the show which you can immediately pick out during the course of the 25 episodes, however, I feel these missing details were intentional in order to serve as advertisement for the Light Novels. Or that ... |
