RE: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – 06
She really does have to do everything doesn’t she?
 |
Here we are halfway into the Spring ’16 season. What awaits Subaru’s Triumphant Rebirth!!!!???What are those little scamps Rem and Ram up to this week, besides you know the murdering…? |
…that story you told me, about the oni?
I’m back, baby!
We had plenty of time for fairy tales and folk tales this week. The one that gets the most attention is obviously going to be the Red Oni and Blue Oni, cause check the hair. I admitted last week that I didn’t see the parallel (full disclosure: I read the manga before the show came out and just forgot all about most of it) between that Japanese tale and Rem and Ram, and even thought it best if the story cleaves away from that. I still hold to that, as the story has already been told a million times before, and the author of Re:Zero looks like they want to provide a sharp contrast to it.
Are we keeping you up Ram? Last time is was a hiccup, before that it was a sneeze…
The story of the Red Oni and Blue Oni is simple at it’s face; to get something of value means that you don’t get something else of roughly the same value. This isn’t the same thing as losing something of roughly the same value; but it’s incredibly interesting that so many make that mistaken assumption. Where Rem and Ram fall away from the comparison is interesting as of right now seeing that we don’t know what they value beside each other and possibly their employment at the Rosewaal mansion. Red and Blue Oni also serve as a spring board to the far more interesting story of the Dragon of Luginica.
The Lazy Choice for an Obvious Question…
So it’s time to break the horns, when you get right down to it. If the story of the Oni informs us about accepting what mere duality can bring you, then the Dragon of Luginica informs us of a great deal more. At least that’s the way it feels, it’s almost having to accept the most of bad deal maybe? Having to fulfill a vow, one way or the other, can get plenty complicated enough on it’s own. But I find it interesting that a dragon that is sworn to protect the kingdom from all manner of harm, either didn’t or couldn’t protect the royal family with which ii made the pact in the first place. It’s also interesting to me that the Red Oni and Blue Oni tale is just a story and Rem and Ram are very real (but inside a story that we’re watching) and then that sits next to a dragon tale which is not only very real, but the next page of it being written as these two speak.
So what does she do when he’s not around?
But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Let’s go back and catch up with Our lovely Drill LOLi, Beatrice, drops quite a few bombs while trying to do nothing more than getting rid of a pest. First, she’s the one that healed Subaru of the damage he suffered from Miss Gut Murderer back in the loop we watched in episode three. While it’s true, and maybe even taken for granted that Emilia stabilized the boy, it was the loli that brought him back. Next is the nature of a curse. Oh, this specific shaman technique from another country information might not come in handy soon, but it will later. I love how Beatrice simply denounces curses out of hand and states quite clearly that there really are so many other ways to kill someone with much better results and alacrity. Cause that is what we get sooner rather than later this very episode. That’s two plot punches in one, Drill LOLi!!!
Pictured: Not Dealing with Dragons
But really that’s a thesis statement on magic right there as far as the show is concerned, especially the Sufficiently Understood and Studied version they appear to be grooving on. It’s a tool and the first lesson of tool use is you pick the right one for the job. It also implies a great degree of responsibility to use it well and proper and true. Emilia is going to be fighting to take a throne that has to re-negotiate a rather dubious contract with a dragon. That really needs an agenda to back it up not to mention the power to back that agenda up to begin with. That’s the one thing that Ram dreaded in the dragon tale; that perhaps Emilia is not up to the task. But she dreaded hearing just the title of the Witch tale even more. Wonder what that name is again? I’m sure one of the characters went by it briefly. Wonder if dealing with dragons is worth it…
I’m glad they kept some of the rom-com hijinks on low levels this week. They’ve spent just enough on it in previous weeks, and it was time for other elements to show. So a few details before I wrap up. I like how Subaru, in a rather subconscious fashion, let’s his true feelings spill out while trying to concoct a fake story about need to leave and light out on his own. Ram, still makes crappy tea. Puck is playful no matter what the terms. We got a bit more insight into the “mansion’s staff” which was critical and enjoyable.
Ring-a-Ring-a-LOLi
Re: Zero is building up a great head of steam and it knows when to push forward and it knows when to hold and let things settle. By now we can almost predict reactions, which meant it was time to subvert them. I hope I’m right about the author wanting to get away from simple fairly tale analogies, cause that is a narrative method very much worth the effort if done right. And I think they did these tales very very well. I got a ton of great world building out of this without having to buy tickets to the boring This is Exposition Theater! Plus the parallels between the choices everyone has to make is rather chilling. But, all that aside, I’m getting the feeling that I’ve forgotten something. Oh, yeah…the ending…
Don’t tell Rem, I’m certain she wouldn’t like it…
When you can’t get good image from show, you find a good one from both LN and Manga…
The Sound of Chains
Yay! Tea!
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
idk why I didn’t notice sooner but the art of the anime is fairly consistent with that of the source. Ok, time to list the my observations from this ep. 1)Subaru gives new definition to “talking sh*t” if you know what I mean. 2) I somehow convinced my self that the murderer couldn’t be Rem even though last ep I figured out it was one of the the 2 girls. I guess I just didn’t want to see that “betrayal” happening cuz Subaru and her had such a nice thing going on there. I was as shocked as Subaru when the truth was revealed. 3) Beatrice is really growing on me 😀 4) Puck should be a washing machine. I want a Puck in my laundry.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
1) Not really? Any specific sh*t you had in mind?
2) Rem got all cute on him previously, you never expect the cute ones to murder you.
3) Welcome to the Beatrice Club. Now get out, I saw her first…
4) It depends on if he has both cold and hot water and a gentle rinse cycle. If not then just beat your clothes on a rock…
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Yeah, for 1) I was talking about those times he was literally half covered in fresh manure. Oh and for 3) Never! Beatrice’s seiyuu plays her so well. 🙂
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
1) That would be “taking” shit, not “talking”??
3) I don’t know how long you lured around here but the title is LOLi Defender, and I take it seriously…So she can grow on you a bit more, but then I’m putting a stop to it.
..and yes, she’s a great VA.
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
1) lol haven’t you heard of the phrase “talking shit about someone” or “talking smack” or “talking crap” or any variation or it? that’s what I was refering to.
3)You can oppress the populace but you can’t oppress their hearts, you never know when a revolt is nigh (well you do cuz there’ll be a lot of unrest). And yeah I always knew you held the title of LOLi Defender but you’re starting to sound like the Loli enslaver…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
1)I stand corrected.
2)Yes, sure. I hear you. That’s all fair. But…I can also delete all your comments… 🙂
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Wow, sounds like an abuse of power… well anyhow I comment about ReZero becuz I like it and its interesting to talk about. I don’t comment to enjoy the show, that would be putting the cart before the metaphorical horse. I also have no idea how any conflict arose from this commenting system but arguing anything online is utterly pointless unless its with something you know IRL and are close with, even then its probably better to talk face to face since you can’t gauge emotion and gestures well online. I shall now cease to contradict myself by furthering my comment.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Dude, I was joking around…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Going after a loli? In this place? With him lurking about? You’re stepping on a land mine, my friend.
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
No, I was no going after any lolis for any reason. I don’t know where that idea came from. -_-
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I always face palm and laugh when Subaru does that out of place pose of his. Maybe he’s a fan of 70’s disco or something. Beatrice shouldn’t play with fate and should realize the more she chases him out, the greater chance he stumbles into her library again.
So Rem is the one out to kill Subaru. Whoa, did not see that coming. Especially taking all the time they spent together prior to his reset into consideration. If she still did it regardless, Rem’s totally cold-blooded.
Looking back at last episode’s final moments, I was sure the perp was a magic user. Our boy was sent flying to the hallway then torn apart with his attacker out of sight. If someone told Rem’s chained mace was made invisible for the first half of the attack, I might buy it. But there’s still the decapitation that leaves me puzzled.
Well, best bet is the Red and Blue Oni story will have a connection to the two maids. What’s to wonder is how the concept will be applied to their world.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Beatrice has to learn the lesson that “absence make the heart grow fonder”
During the last episode they had that heart to heart moment between both Rem and Subaru, so that tossed a bunch of us off scent.
If she isn’t a magic user then she’s using a magic weapon. Or maybe all spiked balls on chains in this world are capable of doing just as you say. Or all cute maids? We are spoiled for choice!
I think they’re using he Oni story as way to bring Subaru to one specific point. That he would do the same thing any anime protagonist would do; he would think about the third option, not the simple either/or proposal.
To me that was a good use of a narrative device, cause anyone can make that decision with the Oni story, but only Royalty, and potential Emilia, is capable of making the pact with the dragon or not.
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Ok, I’m not sure if it was magic but maybe Rem’s morning star hit Subaru with so much force his arm flew off. And was it a decapitation? I thought she pulverised his head.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…I thought she yanked off most of his left side, arm and shoulder. Point is, all of it was mortal wounds…
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Oh and yeah Subaru is really weird like that, but its fun right?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, It might need to be a magical weapons seeing as how flails probably didn’t exist….
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
“So what does she do when he’s not around?”
I admit, I laughed an entirely too much at Betty struggling to reach those high books without support. XD
She too cute.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Sometimes I am guilty of looking for narrative devices where there aren’t any, so I’m assuming this was just to make her look cute and him helpful. But…
She struggled to reach a place that told of how to do curses from another kingdom, and he had to help her get to it. It feels like fantasy foreshadowing to me….
EDIT: I cleaned up/deleted the spam related comments. I wouldn’t do this on anyone else’s post, but I like to keep mine tidy…
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
Nah, I get you. I like to do the same from time to time. heh
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Ugh, a word of advice. Don’t stare at that part too long. You’ll start to feel your mind straining as you watch. It looks like an optical illusion and makes you think Beatrice is turning along with Subaru.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
The LOLi Vortex!!! It’s actually not that well animated, but it does get the point across very well. Again, I’m guilty of looking for narrative devices but it does make me wonder “who is turning who?”…
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
HAHAHAHHA that part was so good, I was wondering the whole time why Beatrice was revolving around like some kind of fairy or something but given the fantasy context I dismissed it. Then it turned out that Subaru was the one walking circles XD made my day.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
Eh… could someone restore my posts from this morning/yesterday?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Sorry, what you see is what we got. Just the one from above. The one saying that it was caught in the spam filter was deleted by skylion (as is his policy, to delete comments that only are asking about spam filter posts). If you had another one, I didn’t see it as I was going through the filter earlier (I do believe the one from you above was in the spam filter, but that was it).
Sorry for any inconvenience.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yes, I am very sorry if I deleted something I shouldn’t have. After I saw all the spam related comments on this post, I combed both our trash bin and spam filter and didn’t find anything untoward besides the stuff that had already gotten out since before I first logged in. As Highway says, it’s possible it got lost somewhere.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
@Highway
@skylion
That’s fine. Thank you for your help as always!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I wonder if I would like to see a more scientific method from Subaru, specifically holding more things as control and changing fewer variables. To me, going from an apprentice employee to a freeloader house guest is a big big change, and could have made a big difference in what happens.
Mostly, tho, I don’t want to think that Rem is after Emilia. 🙂
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I don’t know if smaller variable would have made that much of a difference. He gets into new Brownian Motion just from his own observer effects. So maybe is it something big. Or maybe I’m just making that stuff up. It’s early days for him, I think he needs to understand exactly the nature of the phenomena he’s observing.
I think either Ram or Rem could have gotten to Emilia already. It’s not straight murder but control. Again, the contrast between the two tales in the episode is rearing it’s head.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
One of more interesting was how more distant the twins were to him now that chose live as house guest/freeloader this time around. Ram in her case eventually came around, but he didn’t talk much Rem at all. No to mention their usual outing to village never happened…
It seems like being a colleague was definitely the better if not simply because if foster a better environment and impression for Subaru.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
He did regret not being able to go shopping with Rem this particular time around, so maybe he should have rolled up his sleeves and gotten to work.
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Yeah I noticed this as well. He was closest with everyone in the second loop when he was doing butler work with the experience from his previous loop, and he did really well. He got to chat with rozu-chi and got to go on a (date) shopping trip with rem-rin. Too bad he still died a horrible death that loop… Oh and since it seems I’m allowed to post comments again I guess I’ll be back next ep 😛 .
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
OMG you’re such a drama queen!!! :-0
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Hey, its not possible to detect, jks or sarcasm online.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
LOL. You’re OK, dude….
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I like Betty more this time around. She’s kind of adorable the way she talks with her constant “supposing”.
As for Subaru’s new plan, it was smart for him to concentrate now on the attack more so then trying to get a date.
However I wasn’t surprised to see Rem, and yet, I somehow have the feeling that she wasn’t the one to kill him the second time. He faced a slicing weapon during that go around, and Rem carries a long-chained flail. I have to suppose that if one sister has one weapon, the other other carries another similar, but slightly different kind. A chain scythe or something like that?
I have a feeling that perhaps this is all one big misunderstanding. That Roswaal, Rem, and Ram and will do anything to protect their interests and Emilia, and Subaru looks quite suspicious from the outside looking in, especially in this last episode. I’m just wondering…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
We know that since he’s been in the mansion he’s been killed a couple of different ways, that’s all that can really be said. Who did it and how? Not enough information.
As for motivation. That’s the Big Question. I can’t think of a single reason, even yours, that qualifies as a reason to use lethal force like that. My thinking is mind control…like Rem is being possessed or allowing it? Killing him is the lesser of two evils? Again, I can’t really get behind that all that much without seeing more information coming down the pipe.
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Indeed the motive for his murder is most baffling, if only Pheonix Wright was here to point out the contradictions and prove the defendant no guilty- oh wait in this case who exactly would be the defendant? Rem? But Rem is actually guilty XD nevermind.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I think there has been subtle clues during each go round. And all of them have to do with Roswaal. He’s said at least one cryptic line either about or to Subaru during each time around. This time, he mentioned putting something in Subaru’s bag, but never says exactly what it was. I’m betting it was a way to track him.
When Subaru left that path and went up to the cliff with vantage of seeing exactly where Emilia slept and holding a huge knife that he stole from the kitchens (which I’m sure they noticed immediately was missing), if you didn’t know the truth, you would think HE was the assassin sent to kill her!
And especially in a fantasy setting with swords and sorcery, that’s more than enough to kill over.
As for the first couple of times, I don’t think he was as suspicious, but then again, there was the fact that both those times he was trying to take Emilia to a place she was by herself and unprotected.
I just can’t get rid of this suspicion that he’s being killed to protect Emilia somehow.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I can accept that the Rosewaal household will defend Emilia unto death…but why Subaru? It’s about what they learn and when…that is if the story is following a train of logic, I won’t count out killing him for the THE DRAMA!! just yet.
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
[…] very enjoyable. This was a good follow up and resolution to the Red Oni, Blue Oni story that was brought up earlier. It was also quite the transformation, rather than an outright copy, of the much-used trope, as I […]