RE: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – 15
My Crap’s Gonna Happen Sense is tingling….
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I have to say, the all-star this episode is Rem, hands down the most loving and most brave of them all. But what she has to do to earn that, eh? |
The Outside of Madness
I would just stay with these two…
Well there is quite a bit to dive into this episode, but before I do that I wanted to cover some small plot details that might have, perhaps, gotten overlooked while the maddening set pieces strutted their stuff across the stage. One is that Crusch is at least making the appearances, if what she asked Rem to deliver to Emila is to be taken at heart, that she desires an orderly transition of power, and perhaps doesn’t hold any of the prejudice others have blatantly shown.
…dude is always falling apart
The second detail has to do with omission more than anything else, but while visiting Rosewaal’s mansion, twice, and we’ve not seen Beatrice anywhere. Puck, is another matter. But is it too much trouble to trap some bad guys in the library and kick their butts? Can that be a thing? Other details, outside of the set pieces this episode, life is progressing, and there are plenty plot details being left behind. I’m wondering how Subaru’s new found mission is going to effect all of that. I’m not convinced he’s really changed that much despite many revelations. But the supporting cast has plans while he makes and remakes his.
So, why did the ear-ring grow too?
Third is the sudden reappearance of a certain spirit. We don’t actually see the little critter, but we know him by his work, his power, and his knowledge. I wonder how much he’s been masterminding this? How far can his strings extend? Everything that came into contact with that fuzzball, as we saw two times around this episode, suffered for it. Freezing like that cannot be good, can it? It conjures to my mind also being “frozen in time”. So, how much does he know about our main character, and how much investment has me already made that we don’t know about yet? What sort of cosmic horror is he?
Gotta keep an eye on this guy…
So I won’t put it off. We’ve got a major new villain here. Betelgeuse is the type of character that doesn’t play it quietly, to put it short and mild. To put it rudely, he’s crazy as b*gf*ck. But to put it critically, the character rather does make a viewer work at some overtime to try and dig him; as he actively buries what little signal he gives under a ton of noise. His monologue is basically, at this point in the game, a very messy and bloody awful word salad. But in this case I think context works it’s magic more than any sort of straight up narrative can. He’s the head of a cult that is for sure, and among the hodge-podge of exposition style terms we can gleam a few ideas. Full Disclosure: I am somewhat spoiled on future events, so I’m just gonna give the pretense that I don’t know a damn thing so as to not spoil anyone else. If you know some thing, please join me in playing derp!
Just wow….
First he’s immensely powerful, armed with some type of telekinesis. That much we know in absolute and horrifying detail. But then his ghost squad is almost laughable in some degrees. They can phase through walls and floors but Rem and Ram can still beat them up? Betelgeuse can too when they don’t live up to standard? Are they on a timer, or do they get tuckered out and can’t do the trick anymore? Ah well, more “Powered at the Plot Demands” I guess? But in the middle of all this, we do understand that whatever you want to call Subaru’s Restart, either a blessing or a curse, the smell of the witch is strong on him, and the Seven Deadly Buzz Words surround him. And Betelbreakfast has some answers; even if what we got out of this nut, and his shell, was a was only a bare new start. I’m looking forward to more unfolding. But for right now, he’s earned an enemy. Part of me can’t blame him, cause it feels like our green-haired nut-job has had to pay a deep prices for what Subaru has, for no discernible reason. That’s got to make a nut-job even more nut-jabroni…
Will revenge really be what changes him?
So, that brings us to our main character. I’m probably alone in this sentiment, but I feel that Subaru is a great character, one for books. Yes, he’s pathetic, and realizes it, and asks about it, to little avail. For sure, he has a real problem listening to other people, women especially, and he believes in his own NEET/Otaku powered BS to the point of annoyance on one level and dangerous to himself and possibly other on the worth level. And yes, he even doubles down on his own arrogance and ignorance. Which is what makes him a very believable character. A bit overplayed? Oh, you bet.
I’ve known since the beginning that the story wanted to take the piss out of escapist style fantasy characters, and this has been a bold, gutsy, and pretty darn risky move on a publisher and anime producer to bring him front and center. I know many in the audience object to this, and are tired of seeing the story frame this idiot as the main character. That really is the the way you are supposed to feel about his actions. It’s a brilliant move in my opinion. He’s an awkward character that’s unrelenting as presented, but for the theme the author wants to explore, he’s pretty kick-ass…
Just not as kick-ass as his erstwhile GF
Extra Crazycakes
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Would you have this much fortitude?
…and like I said in the introduction, Rem proved to be the bravest character of them all. And the most loving as well. From what they’ve built up, it’s almost predictable that she might, one day, sacrifice herself totally so that Subaru can fully serve Emilia. She said as much to Crusch and Felis, and that took them both very far aback. But then, that’s the twins for you. Both of them will die defending who they love and who they feel obligation to. Goodness, poor Petra…Rem, this episode, was shown as proud to do her duty and to serve her at more than her best. And also to love because she can, even when she doesn’t have the freedom to choose not to…I’m hoping a great deal more of the story revolves around her, and going forward, with nothing but revenge on his mind, Subaru is going to need a quiet and patient heart to listen to.
But for now….Sleep….
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
ReZero sure knows how to make my stomach turn and how to make the real villain’s absolutely despicable pieces of S*iT. Frankly, I hate Betelguese (Usually those crazy characters are entertaining to some degree but what he did was just unforgivable). Watching him kill Rem was like watching/reading about holocaust. So inhumane and merciless. I hope Betelguese gets what’s coming for him cuz he’s an individual that needs his existence removed for the everyone else’s wellbeing. Show ▼
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yep, I remember saying beware of Puck, but it was for vague reasons, such as dem teeth. We don’t know anything about the motive, or why he obviously needs to do what he needs to do. He’s aware of the Restart, and knows how to trigger it. He must be aware of where Subaru comes back…or he doesn’t, limiting his control. Again, we need more time.
It brings to mind that not everyone is who them make themselves out to be…
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 35 comments
Show ▼
EDITED by skylion: Please be careful with spoiler information please.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
That’s all some very fine information there….
Hmm, I can answer one thing outside a spoiler tag. Betelgeuse is set to supernova…..someday, maybe not soon, but someday….
It’s also the Hand of Orion the Hunter….
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Also:
Hmmm, Could a young Alec Baldwin play Subaru?
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
I can assure you aren’t the only one. In fact it’s precisely because he’s so flawed which is why he is interesting and has large room for growth. I’ve personally always found that best heroes weren’t’ the ones that breed for the role from the start, but the ones that eventually grew into from humble if not unlikely beginnings. The types who have good intentions, but their personal failings that hold them back until they cold come to terms with them.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I find you can do a lot more with a story when you have a discernible arc, especially one where a character or group of them can “level up” They don’t have to be zero’s, but they can be closer to “actual size plus a bit”. Because if you have the asskicking asskicker that kicks ass while asskicking, then you only get more of the same as the story move along. That’s the definition of boring…
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 38 comments
Definitely not alone. Actually, I think all the characters in this anime are great and it’s certainly my season favorite. I loved it from the begining, with the very interestingly way the groundhog day” twist was used. Barusu got me hooked especially after playing Starlord to distract the Guts Bounty Hunter (or whatever she was called, looking forward to her return) and breaking the fourth wall to tell us “stay tuned”. That added to his perfectly believable personality made him into a wonderfully interesting character. All the others are interesting in the same way, as well. Of course, not so much, but enough to make them believable and make me care for them. This has kept me on the edge of my seat since the beginning, begging for the next episode AND I SURE AS EVOLUTION (Hell is not at all sure) HOPE THEY WILL NOT END THIS ON SOME SORT OF CLIFFHANGER AND SEND US TO READ THE SOURCE MATERIAL, as most anime nowadays do (some great exceptions like Parasite don’t, making them even more noteworthy).
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Hey, let’s have a translation party!
From the news source!!!
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
“Subaru, we have 80 000 followers on Twitter!”
“Wow, cool! …wait how do you know about twitter? AND WHY ARE YOU WEARING CUTE CLOTHES?”
and then Rem asks to take a photo to commemorate it and Subaru wonders how the hell she can use a smart phone.
…Someone else can fix my errors haha. Also I can’t read the last panel very well =w= Except for “CHEEEESE!”
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
So much plus!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
If I were reading it, a couple lines in panel 2 would be:
“And wait a second! Where did you get those clothes?! But they’re really cute tho…”
“Barasu, don’t stare at me so much!” from Ram
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Man, I’m at a loss for words. It’s just getting so, so intense.
I’m not sure how I feel about Betelgeuse since his monologues really are word salad. Only half of it has actual substance. I much prefer Roswaal’s speaking quirks. Still, he does a good job at being disgusting and an all-around creep so he fits the bill perfectly.
REM ;_;
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It makes me wonder how they will balance it out next episode, or if they are going back to that sort of pacing. Where they have a huge, intense show, and the next one has some cute, or at least not-horrible, bits to lighten things up, then back to intense. With Betel Bailey around it seems like that might not work any more….?
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Well, I have finally gotten a chance to watch this episode and Wow…this series certainly knows how to top itself!
Where do I begin? I guess on the more obvious parts of the show. The Witch Cult, they are much more dangerous and creepy that I had anticipated, and they really provided a sufficient threat. However, I think, even more so then them, is the creepy feeling of the unknown. We have never seen the Witch and yet all of us fear her presence. We don’t see the massacre, but we can see the results and to see that as well as their affect of Subaru is some of the strongest imagery of the season.
Subaru went through Hell several times this episode, but it never felt redundant. I also like how they worked in Subaru’s major flaws that we’ve been seeing as well. They slapped in the face early that despite him having this power, it can’t make all of his problems disappear. It also showed his cowardice, where he was pretending to have broken down, sticking his head in the sand as it were and trying to leave it entirely up to someone else. I didn’t even think to consider he was pretending until Betel brought it up and suddenly it seemed so like Subaru. Subaru seemed to snap out of it way too easily and quickly to have really had a mental breakdown. What really made me certain was his response to his last reset. He now has someone as a target which makes him driven. Before that, the only person he could think to blame was himself and he couldn’t face that, so he hid from everyone including himself and convinced himself that he was broken.
The music here was phenomenal working to the best of its effects to serve the mood and tone. Props the composer and the score.
I honestly didn’t guess that that was Puck at all. I didn’t recognize the voice and honestly thought it might be the witch both times. However, I’m not really sure that Puck is evil or anything. It’s definitely a possibility considering his name is “Puck” and anyone in a series with that name has a much higher chance of being two faced. Yet, I also remember two things that were mentioned way earlier in the series. One being what happens in terms of Puck and Emilia’s contract should something happen to Emilia. And two, is that Emilia has and end-all last chance card that can be played but it basically means the deaths of everyone. I’m wondering if Puck’s actions in either loop have to do with either of those.
I have noticed the absence of three people in either loop: Emilia, Betty, and Roswaal. I would not be surprised at all if Roswaal is one of the Archbishops of Sin as well. I would say, greed, lust or wrath could all be possible, but it’s very suspicious that we never see him in either massacre, and there’s no signs of his usual magic either. As for Betty and Emilia, I can only guess Emilia sacrificed herself in her final attack. Betty, I have no idea.
Lastly, that leads me to Betel. Talk about seeing the Joker times 5, this guy is much more creepy that I would have thought from seeing him in the OP. His mood swings and hidden intelligence and power make him extremely dangerous. I wonder how many other leaders there are in the cult, what is the Gospel he’s talking about, as well as the Ordeal? And is Subaru supposed to be Pride as he supposed?
I didn’t think about it all that time, but this plays in perfectly with the last few episodes of this arc. His hero complex, his inability to listen, even him hiding behind a supposed mental breakdown, all came because of his pride. We forget that the Jealous Witch killed all the other 6 Witches of Sin and took on their power, which kind of effectively makes the Jealous Witch simply the Witch of all 7 Sins. It makes sense that her worshipers can call on one of the other sins for their power. Is this Subaru’s path and does this mean that he has access to power like Betel does?
I hope this next time around Subaru remembers that he can’t allow his anger and pride to get in the way, and finds a way to find some help. He’s been doing his best to burn some bridges lately, but he’s going to need help if he’s going to take on the cult.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I think this was more a taunt on Betel’s part, and more about some misdirection on the storyteller’s part. Was Subaru faking something? I don’t think so…what he was feeling was real, of course, but was it a mental breakdown? If he retreated into it, I’m not going to blast him for it. Most, I think, would put head in sand as quickly as possible…but again, that was a taunt on the bad guy’s part. As for misdirection. We are now going with the fact that Subaru has this new power? Are we trusting the word of a madman? Is it good or bad to make that qualification?
…going in with misdirection…is Rosewaal similar to Betel? Oh, you bet. If we can make that assumption, will Subaru? What if we, and he, are not only wrong wrong, but stupid wrong?
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Well if Rosewaal was a Archbishop of Sin it would indeed explain his abhorrent fashion sense XD.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
goodness,he does have rather horrid clothes doesn’t he…maybe that explains the insanity?
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Now’s the time for the hard question. Did the clothes cause Roswaal’s insanity or did his insanity result in the horrible clothes?
Note: Roswaal’s insanity is pure speculation.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It’s a feedback loop…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I didn’t think he was faking it either.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, honestly, the jig is up with Betel himself. He’s the media-accepted (I hesitate to say friendly) version of crazy. It’s like we want to envision a “romantic” Anthony Hopkins/Mads Mikkleson version of a cannibal serial killer…but we have actual data that they ain’t that smooth; Ed Gein was a rough looking dude.
So when a media-accepted type like Betel says something like faking it, its’ the rest of the conversation that needs attention paid to.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I don’t think it was a taunt Betel was making, and I don’t think the writer would waste such dialogue on something as thrown away as a taunt. This is the first time any of the cult has seen Subaru and they were curious as to why he has so much of the Witch’s aura surrounding him. I don’t think he would have known enough about Subaru to make that judgement as a taunt. And so I think the point of that line was to show that Betel is not all talk and ridiculousness, but he also shows some substance. He’s very smart and very observant despite his madness and I think his observation that Subaru wasn’t as mentally broken as even he himself probably thought, shows that.
After thinking about it, I agree with what another watcher pointed out, that perhaps Subaru was lucid enough to have a degree of controlling himself and being aware, and yet he was also trying to dissociate himself from his surroundings as well. Sort of like that he is aware of what’s going on around him, and yet is trying to break himself away from his reality as perhaps an impromptu defense mechanism. He had to be cognizent enough to be able to catch Betel’s name when he said it only once. However, when Rem was getting killed and Betel was taunting him about letting her die, he was unable to keep that dissociative state any longer, and that was what brought him fully back.
As for powers, we all know that Subaru is hear under the witch’s power and that she probably has a reason for doing all this. She obviously grants her followers power as well, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Subaru is being groomed to become one of her servant later when he has finished, or even to in order to accomplish, what she has set out for him to do. In fact, I can see this becoming a “doing something wrong for the right intentions” kind of situation, where he takes on power for himself in order to protect those he loves, only for it to destroy them, him, or both.
And Roswaal? He’s becoming so suspicious he might just be a red herring for how obvious he is. He just so happened to be there to save Ram and Rem from the cultists, who also so happened to be there. His weird ways and fashion sense some how seem to match that of Betel, just in a different way. How in the world did that cult come on his land and mansion without him lifting a finger? I’m thinking, because perhaps he allowed them too?
We’ll have to see, it feels to easy, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s one of the Sin Archbishops.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, Betel is a waste of dialog to begin with. Seriously, the writers planned out his action, let them speak for itself…but instead we go scenery chewing. So…I’m not taking much he has to say into much of an account. When the writing calms down? I’ll revisit. But for right now he’s a huge glob of emotional texture…
If Subaru is going through enough stress to have to shut down however by degree, for however long, that is a definition of a breakdown of normality. So therefor Betel is taunting him for either not keeping it together, or for not having the guts to do all the way down.
We have precious little details about how anything works so far as magic, witches, etc. So for me most of this stuff has been about painting texture rather than strict detail.
LOL. C’mon If I were an attorney I would have you discounted from jury duty with that much prejudice! Rosewaal looks like another dude? Curious, yes. Suspicious? Maybe? Same person…texture, not detail.