RE: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – 03
She got a very awkward, mixed signals, sort of rescue…
 |
What is the best way to spread Combat Spam Salad? With a very large EXACALIBUR!!!!! of course…. |
Before Reinhard
Subaru: You’re the Cat! Puck: You’re the hairless ape!
I thought that I was going to divide this one up into three combat rounds; and as I write this I just might, so don’t hold me to that. But it really feels the story comes in two parts, which are pretty darn obvious really. This is pretty much when you can draw the line in the episode from when Subaru has a prior knowledge enough for only modicum of control to the moment where the present changes when he takes the fight on himself (the dividing line and the middle of the episode) to where he has considerably less control right down to none at all. This isn’t a bad way to divide the story as both sides have some pretty neat thematic issues to explore, and lend itself to the next arc very well.
These two gonna go at it….lots and lots and lots….and goodness are they done yet?
Now at first, I went into a big old draft about how this episode didn’t sit very well with me at all upon first viewing. As I’ve said in past posts, I’m familiar enough with the manga to anticipate certain events and characterizations. My recollection of the manga, and re-reading the parts covering this episode makes me draw the conclusion that the combat scenes were better in the book. There it felt more tense, more short, sharp, shock as I like combat to be. Here, it felt over-long and repetitive in most bits. I’ve had more than enough magic ice spam and more than enough of Elsa bouncing ’round the room like this was a rave. Having said that, I’ll just leave it there, and go back to the story’s backbone. The manga had that, and it’s well done here.
We left out the OP and ED this episode…add more spinning!!!
Our first round was pretty much Elsa catching up to them and trying her best to deal with a bad situation. Oh, did I say Elsa? I meant Emilia Satella. No it was Elsa that became the bad situation. The gang did the best they could against her, but they’re clearly outclassed against the monster. Both Puck and his half-elf are very good at both ranged combat, and team-work, that was some clever-dicks to get Elsa over-confident and trapped. But they were working on a deadline (Puck get’s sleepy past sundown) and they were working against a “shitbag” (one of my personal favorite insults, way to go Subaru) of an opponent that is just to strong. Both Felt and Old Man Rom didn’t help out at all and only added to the debit pile in the end. But, using prior knowledge, Subaru wanted to book it fast all along…
Hero has to make the save…
After Reinhard
Subaru: No…I need that leg! It goes so well with the other one…
That was when Subaru stepped up to the plate, using the exact same tactic he used with Puck not eight minutes previous. Stall her. Give the magic users time to refocus and regroup. Of course that makes him vulnerable as all hell, but he learned a valuable lesson I think. It’s all pain. All lessons are pain and you cannot get over that eve. But, you can never unlearn it either (if you’re not a complete fool) But good thing he bought Felt the way out. She got the best big gun she could. Day off? Yeah right, Reinhard….what are you up to, and why is Old Man Rom’s place so interesting. Still Subaru is switching control back and forth..until he’s bought more than enough time.
The Guy
As for his part of the fight, I wasn’t all that impressed by the combat itself as much as I was in what was going on around it. One, in this magical world, mana, prana, MP, whatever you want to call it appears limited, not only by how much you have on/in you, but how much is in the area/vicinity. With that in mind it’s certain that any area’s limitation is always going to get hit for the huge FSN/Excalibur style magic like Reinhard pulled, or for hefty healing like Emelia Satella had to do at least twice this episode; one for Rom, the next for Subaru himself. Two, that, as usual, all the sturm and drang is never final, not this early in the episode, In the first cour, character death is closer to, but not that close to, the end. So Elsa get’s out alive but not before giving Subaru a parting gift; Subaru’s total lack of control. Third and final, that Emilia Satella isn’t any closer to finding out who is after her insignia and why. Elsa really is just a cats-paw, and her power level shouldn’t be ignored.
…another useless thing has been cut…
So after the huge fight they got to the end of this particular arc. With Emilia’s name finally revealed as such, Subaru win’s the smile he’s been fighting so hard for. Maybe a little to hard for just that? What do you think? That reminds me of a bit the show had more towards the beginning. Emilia declares she won’t use her trump card for fear it would over-shadow him. I don’t think she’s lying when she says that. But I also think she’s still hiding some more personal feelings. But in getting back to the end of the episode, Reinhard pulls a fast one and yanks Felt right back into the story-line. So, is the insignia really all that important? If so, how? And what sort of burden is Felt carrying now?
Well….crap!
Lovely Spam, Wonderful Spam
For the most part I enjoyed the episode. I could have done without some of the repetitiveness of the combat, but we can’t have it all. White Fox is still working at a very high mark with the animation; characters still look lovely and move so very well, even when repeating themselves. I’m looking forward to next week and seeing what the score is….
Hey man, you get your damned hands offa her….(scene not appearing in manga)
Break Time
Emilia doesn’t like peppirs
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
Reinhard sure does know how to dress like he’s overpowered with that long coat and all. The art quality on Reinhard got a bit dodgy though this ep esp obvious in the scene when he turned the poor sword into a 1 shot ion cannon or something. Oh and I agree that the best fight scenes aren’t long and drawn out but quick and decisive, esp when the combatants are wielding lethal weapons. About Elsa’s (really painful looking) injuries I wonder if she’s just that tough that she can shrug it off or she just can’t feel pain or something, becuz OWW it looked like it hurt A LOT. Oh and I see what you’ve done Skylion, you captured a moment in time with Felt in it with that ‘metia’ thingie, right?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Reinhard, for right now, is just The Guy. The longcoat is one of many ways he exudes “The Guy Factor”. Won’t use his kickass sword. Yeah, sure, his hands were tied, but we all know he wouldn’t have anyway. It’s his version of “I’m not left handed”, just one of many ways he exudes “The Guy Factor”. I thought the animation for that scene you mention is fine. It was Raw Power he was getting into, so the color and lines quality can get kinda rough looking for a moment or two.
Elsa is not just a slice of crazy cake. She’s the whole countries’ crazy cake production output. If she wants to freeze a block of ice to her ravaged foot, call it a bandaid, and slice people open without so much as an “oh, this is inconvenient” then I’ll step aside and let her. Every single time…I’ll let her.
“metia” thingie? I know what the metia is…but where did I capture it that you see it in this post?
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
HAHAHAHA I was talking about your new profile pic XD, its Felt. And
What if she was going to disembowel you then? XD
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Ah, the profile pic…sorry, I couldn’t tell what you meant…
I would totally let her. I’m not the person to stop her…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Are you serious?! That’s masochism to the extreme!! Is it because of her or that she’s voiced by Mamiko Noto? 😉
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…that’s a realists approach. I’m a slightly grumpy, getting kinda paunchy, middle aged nerd. Elsa isn’t… I know when I’m beat…
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
You don’t want to know how long it took me to catch on to the “Excalibur” reference. I have seen precious few episodes of any Fate/Stay show, so every time someone would say both in the show and out about “EXCALIBUR” I kept wondering if there was some Arthurian legend reference I was missing or if Subaru thought he was supposed to meet with the Lady of the Lake when he fell into the river. The reference ended up going completely over my head. LOL
As for the episode itself, it was one of my favorite already. I just loved the breakneck pace and I was never bored for a second, which I can’t exactly say for the previous couple of episodes.
Elsa is one scary woman all on her own. And when she sliced at Subaru, I knew he had been cut and was really scared that it was game over and we would be starting over again. Thankfully they were merciful to us and will be letting us go on from this point.
I really like Reinhard, and yet I can’t help but still be suspicious of him. We’ll see if he really is the white knight that he has show him self to be. His power is ferocious though. It’s interesting that he and Emilia (who he calls -sama) have a familiar color scheme to their clothes and seem to know each other.
I’m really wondering what he saw in Felt though. From the questions he was asking, I’m betting that she might actually belong to some important family and was stolen at birth or something. We’ll have to see.
All in all, I loved the episode and I can’t wait to see the story progress.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I remember the old days, when I didn’t get the references. It was very awkward. But I’m better now (or at least quicker on Google search).
As for Reinhard? He strikes me as total Lawful Good…which can be sticky for people like Felt. So we’ll have to see how interesting it gets. So far, we don’t know what’s up with the Insignia (it’s not in the manga I’ve read so far either, so no help from me, spoiler or not). But my fan theory is that it’s basically how Subaru “finds” Emilia, as the coolest love story I can foresee is him trapped in time loops always trying to help her….
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
I reckon Felt is a noble or something along those lines, that’s the vibe I got from Reinhard’s overreaction. Also what kind of Slum’s kid ties their hair up nicely like that lol. Its such a pity Subaru and Emilia died in the first timeline cuz they had such a good dynamic going on. Reinhard seems like he’s generally a nice guy but no one messes with the law- I mean Reinhard, well there’s not much of a difference right? When someone is that overpowered they are the law right? Emilia and Reinhard’s clothing/colour coordination is suspiciously similar though yeah.
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Acutally imagine if Elsa and Reinhard body swapped… Sadistic, crazy Reinhard… GG
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Afterall from what we’ve seen from this episode Reinhard can’t be stopped when he’s made up his mind to do something. He also seems to be a shoot first ask questions later person, “For Great Justice!” wouldn’t sound wrong coming from his mouth as he slaughters the crims.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The trouble with that is if he accidently kills them. Dead suspects can’t provide a thing.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Excalibur = Sword of Promised Victory. Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm.
>_>
https://youtu.be/1vcVmGb_ff4
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Careful where you say that. You risk bringing hordes of Type-Moon fans down on you. Remember, the Boss Lady is one of them! 😛
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
Eh, I’m pretty sure said it was because she it would kill him a long everything else. hahaha
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Yeah it was probably a nuking type move or something with lots of collateral damage.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
She said she didn’t want to use it for the concern of outdoing him when he was trying so hard. I don’t think that is not-false, but she’s using it to hide something greater. As if using her grump card might reveal more of her true nature; embarrassing in the least, or something in the power is so terrible she thinks it will change his opinion of her to use it. Works for her character, and works for the scene.
Why would the story be afraid of a “nuke” when it planned to have Reinhard use one all along?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I too thought she said “I would be the only one left standing” if she used it. As in she would defeat Elsa, and everyone else, and it would kill 3 people who were ostensibly on her side.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I got the impression that the “it’ll blow all the stuff up” feature was softened if not discarded once “I’m not going to make you feel less manly” feature came into the picture. So, the trump card is probably formidable, but not as exaggerated as all that…
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
Reinhard’s attack happened only in one direction (this is shone more clearly in the manga) in which Elsa was in, this doesn’t seem like it would be the same case for Emilia. Furthermore, being that is this a life and death battle holding back on just for that is rather silly, at least for a sensible person Emilia comes across as.
I think the “working hard” comment meant if she were use that skill and it killed it him it would show has no regard for his well being despite Subaru’s efforts to saving her.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well yeah, holding back is silly. So is having an emotional break like that in the middle of a pitched battle. I kinda appreciate what I perceive as a wrinkle in the proceedings. Sensible is as it does, and she had the tiny little moment that brought a bit of character in the right place. Otherwise the battle is just an unfolding play by play of some fantasy TCG/CCG “I play MY FINAL TRUMP CARD” event.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Basically, the episode was one big battle royale. But still, what a hell of a fight it was to behold. So epic the OP and ED were validly sacrificed. I didn’t see the whole episode through in one go due to repeating certain parts a number of times. The multiple angle shots gave the extra appeal.
Props to Subaru gaining a pair throughout the fight as opposed to cowering in fear. Emphasis on the first half because anyone else would’ve found it too intense to cut in. Luckily he escaped having to do another respawn. After seeing he’d actually been cut again, I just thought “Come on, really? After everything’s been seeming to end on a good note?”.
No doubt Elsa was tough yet there’s the nagging feeling she’s the tip of the iceberg. Making a trade for stolen goods like she was told to do ranks as a foot soldier’s job, at least. Whoever she’s affiliated with probably makes dealing with her look like child’s play.
Reinhard is so OP and he isn’t even trying. Imagine when he has to go all-out. I assume his sudden turn in behavior towards Felt is because she’s a secret existence once lost but now found.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Elsa’s position can say quite a bit about her side of the fence. If she’s acting the part of the “foot solider” all the while looking down the whole activity then 1) that side is so desperate it can’t afford to let this detail go to the lower ranks 2) Elsa insists on taking personal control of the exchange; and who could tell what playbook she’s working from for the type of attention that draws. or 3)Yes, the top of the organization, like you imply, is the god of this world or close enough.
Reinhard’s sudden turn could be explained later, but in this episode it’s cliffhanger bait – which isn’t to say that it’s wasn’t good cliffhanger bait….that part wasn’t in the manga so it surprised me…
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
To be perfectly fair Suburu ‘gaining a pair’ that’s a bit harsh considering how outclasses he was. He can’t do magic and isn’t superhuman, doesn’t even have training. Even if he was to cower in fear I would forgive him considering the ‘monsters’ around him. Getting himself into action is however admirable.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Does anyone notice a parallel in this? Re: Zero, like Hataraku Maou-sama! is made by White Fox. And both series have a half-blood girl named Emilia.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…like my friends and I used to say of all sorts of fandom (comic book, anime, manga, movies, vidya, TRPGs, etc) about 25 years ago, when this sort of comparison invariably cropped up, “Coincidence~!? Or….Mysteries of the F___ing Unknown!!!!!” Some lessons never go out of date…Or White Fox could have a producer that likes that sort of thing?