Sep 20, 2016
Re:Zero aims to be a very accurate adaptation of its popular light novels, with the animators seemingly willing to devote entire episodes to delivering all the most crucial moments in at least some detail, even if it brings the pacing to a halt to do so (one episode is basically a 20 minute emotional breakdown conversation, word for word from the novel). In other words, for better or worse, they tried to get as much of the story and as many popular bits from the source material to the screen.
They accomplished this, even if some very minor subplots and encounters didn't make the cut. The
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show decided to end before the novel's rather grievous cliffhanger epilogue, which presumably is resolved in the newest book coming out soon. (Interesting to note, the billboards advertising the book's release are hailing it as "the TV anime's sequel", essentially a confirmation that no S2 is planned.)
The first issue of Re:Zero is, this is a story that knows it will continue past these events and sets up many things, important plot points and such, for future resolution in future novels. But we only get 25 episodes, so a lot of these loose ends are not addressed again. Characters are introduced but couldn't be fit into the later episodes, like Elsa, Reinhardt, or Felt. Otto's introduction is a montage of Subaru having fun and making a new friend in the city, but there was no time to properly show it.
However, no one suffers more from the show's bizarre pacing than poor Emilia.
Emilia is a character; she is there. She's the primary motivator of our protagonist. That is about all one could say about her after watching the anime. Her personality is inconsistent (and never very engaging), her motives as a Candidate for Royal Selection are extremely unclear, and she disappears from the show for long periods of time. Her biggest moments are pretty much at the beginning and the end, and in between she sits in a mansion doing paperwork and being utterly clueless about anything going on. (Poor Betty also ends up this way, since plot rules say she can't leave the mansion.) Emilia's familiar Puck also does most of the talking when Emilia is present. Puck is cute, but she often steals the spotlight during Subaru and Emilia's few scenes together.
Every second Subaru is apart from Emilia, he is thinking about her, talking about her, or trying to involve himself in her affairs some more. But we never get any real attachment to her, and the few interesting moments that hint at her secrets, are never brought up again or explained. They imply that Emilia must go through "Ordeals" to become ruler, but that's all they do. Imply. We never see Emilia herself do a single thing besides occasionally fire icicles at cultists. So if you go into this show because you really like Emilia or her design, I'm sorry to say you just don't see much of her at all til the latter half. After the first few episodes, Emilia is reduced to a cameo at best until endgame.
Through a bait and switch, we're given Rem, the actual heroine of this anime, to accompany Subaru instead for a substantial chunk of the series.
Rem is...... she's a waifu maid. There's no way around it; she was clearly written to be one, which I suppose is the author's way of messing with fans by having this constant, unbearable sexual tension between Rem and Subaru that will never go anywhere. Subaru simultaneously worships his love for Emilia while relying on the cute Oni maid Rem the entire show for moral and emotional support, which she unconditionally gives him. Again, they expect you to read the web novels, which have various spinoffs and 'what if' stories to expand on the things it only hints at in the anime, like a Rem/Subaru ending. But without any context, it might come off as the show just blueballing Subaru, and the viewer by extension.
Now, the animation. There are some absolutely gorgeous episodes in this show. The quality fluctuates occasionally, but there are no hugely noticeable cut corners. Magic is flashy, swordfights are swift, cursed magic is ethereal. Characters are lively and animated. Its best moments are when emphasis is put on the character faces, which are often very expressive and emotional. Many scenes are 1:1 visual adaptations of pages from the books and manga. Soundtrack has some really stand out tracks as well.
I liked the experience of watching it, I liked the constant cliffhangers leading into the next episode, and I liked the main cast. The story has a very addictive quality that makes you eager for more. It's just a shame so much exposition and many crucial plot elements are only found in the manga and books.
Still, I recommend it for the character interactions and the great protagonist.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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