RE: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – 14
This is about as easy as he allows himself to take it…
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So, how many ways can a dude just not listen, and expect some sort of success? Let’s see if we can answer that question, and see if we can address what crept out of the shadows (and an OP), this week! |
The fact that I think you’re pathetic…
You need to level up in a different way, dude…
Thematically we haven’t gone very far with our main character since the last episode. He’s still pretty much feeling sorry for himself, and is on the outs with just about everyone he comes into contact with as a result. But I think we did get some tasty morsels of character, if not directly from him, then reflected off of the supporting cast as they came to assert themselves into his situation. And I think I just might concentrate, just like I did last week, on the supporting cast. Honestly, they’re doing the most at delving into the character and plot depths while our main guy still one notes himself to nearly to death.
I love the composition of this shot. He could lose more than he thought…
Reinhard brings an interesting point to the equation. He seems to want to cooperate with everyone, or at least not let the selection process devolve into violence or backstabbing. The duel (or one sided curb stomp) last week really solved nothing and it might have even made things more divisive in future, and Reinhard wants to avoid that. Either for a high minded purpose, or because Felt’s claim is weakest? As of this episode, that point of reason might hinge on how well Subaru is able to take things; which is to say in such a banal and selfish way. With many of the contrary attitudes running around, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be to hard to keep things divided, so all the more reason to keep everything a bit more reasonable. Plus, Subaru, a little lesson, man? Learn to read he air while in town! That didn’t do you or Emilia any good by confronting a mob attitude, dude…
…and the dink wears a tracksuit…
Julis is an odd duck to say the very least. He’s content to be the villain if that’s what the job entails. He seems to acknowledge that the job he is committed to will sometimes get unpretty, also that what he has to do is necessary, and cast it as “in character“. There are so many ways that can go! For one, there is a sense of deep honor that’s both compelling and dramatic, like the old knights/martial arts code of it being more honorable to follow a master you know to be corrupt, because loyalty is tantamount. How this matches up with Anastasia is going to be fascinating, cause we could dismiss her claim as facile at the outset. There is also a sense of the somewhat obvious sense of a sacrifice that Fellis spells out. But is Julis the type to do that for someone? I think he’s trying to make things more divided, and might even be in contempt of the order of knights in this kingdom…but that’s a stretch…
Crusch got so much more intersting
….Both our CatBoi and his mistress got a layer deeper into interesting territory as well. Crusch is happy to be a mercenary it seems. So long as you pay her, and stay on her side of the fence while doing so, she’s your most staunch of allies. She’ll advise you, heal your wounds, and provide you with house and home. She was very much to the point, wasn’t she? In nearly all respects. You don’t have time to wallow in it kid, if you do it will cloud your vision of where you have to be. Don’t cross me, and things will be fine. He doesn’t do a good job of listening to her. How that plays out is going to be the best part of the drama in the future.
…and my staying with you are not contradictory
Rem keeps it endearing…
Of course, the one person he doesn’t listen to the most is the most tragic for him personally. He has to bear witness to something horrifyingly real because of that. Or does he? Good gravy, that was specific and pointed. If you look past the gore, most of the shots on the screen gave us images of people he directly knew, that we’ve seen a few times in the village. This was right after the encounter with the Ghostly Evil Circle of Ghostly Evil Ghosts in a Circle, etc. and their disappearing act. It’s a very specific nightmare scenario is what I’m saying; like it’s designed to push him in that one direction they telegraphed back when he was having a drink with Crusch. The one thing he can do that know one else can. I’m hoping they play against this somehow, cause we’ve already seen that trick; for him to kill himself and Return to save someone. Let’s see if he can learn how to live and solve problems…and maybe listen this time.
This is not ending well at all…
Who’s Up for a Cutlet?
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So what do you guys think of the new OP? Honestly, after being treated to extra stuff all this time, an OP of any variety seems like an intrusion…and it’s not really Myth & Roid’s best, is it? At least I thought the music was kinda flat to the show’s previous ED…But jeeps, it’s like it daring us to believe in any one of those connections, plus obvious Joker like villain is obvious. But the OP and this episode wer great set ups that take us into it’s new Summer continuation; and hey, it’s my first two cour continuous series at Metanorn! Woot!
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: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
Interesting viewpoint. I actually think the fact that Subaru didn’t gives him quite a bit of depth. Realstically despite what anime in general might try have believe, people don’t change overnight. I also don’t feel like the situation with him is black & white either because in all fairness had he blindly listened to Crusch and co’s advice Subaru would not have known about the tragedy that played out there. You have to keep in mind that nobody knows what kind of situation Subaru is struggling with and few know his accomplishment. So while what others are telling him is sound in a general sense and shuold be thought about more, he can’t just go on them either.
The way I see Subaru is doing the right things, but in the wrong way. The fact his development going towards negative direction isn’t a bad thing either since just means he’s heading fall that will force him to change. But this not something he can simply be told to do, he has to exprience those failures first hand so that the ideology he’s bulit up from his recent success can be broken and reshape. At least if he still wants to hold on to all those he cares about.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Well there isn’t a great deal he can go on now is there? The story has painted the guy into a corner. But I think it’s all to tell him to take a lay of the land. He’s done little, that we’ve seen, recon, intelligence gathering, looking at the lay of the land, beyond surface impressions. The story is really breaking down the basic Male MC is the Winner Bey Default assumptions…by only giving him and us the surface impressions of the world around him, that makes the narrative play out like this.
He’s not right, he not wrong, he’s uniformed and stubborn.
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 35 comments
Interesting part about the op other than the ominous chant in the beginning:
1) the priestess dude with arms for day. head worshipper of Satella Fan Club who hobbies may include Killing maiming burning and stucking people back with an ornamental daggers. The Witch is so proud
p/s these guys are rather good for mooks in that they could kill rem. i guess rem doesn’t have the sentai plot armor fighting multiple mooks
2) the big red eyes thingy. Crusch and her faction (mostly Wilhelm) has a grudge against it. and its terrifying not because it can kill u because of another terrifying thing that is worse than dying. Prepare that Shadow of colossus OST
3) The Snow Sprinkle when subaru scream to the surface of the dark ocean. If only they do not cut to show in the coronation regarding a certain terrifying (cute) someone people could see it a mile away.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
This would be a very very chilling development…
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
How many ways can a dude not listen? Let me count the ways… 😛
(Reinhard) One…(Appa seller) Two…(Rem) Three…
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
There was also Crusch-san and Felis-nyan AND I’m sure he’s going to not listen a whole lot more before he does listen XD.
Subaru needed Wilhelm to teach him how to read the atmosphere before swordsmanship it seems, plus I felt bad for appa man for having Subaru lash out at him when he was trying to help (wait add Reinhard and anyone else trying to be nice to Subaru when he’s giving the whole world the middle finger :P).
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
All of these are true things…
And it’s like you say, he’s giving the whole world a rude gesture, and yet they still give him the benefit of the doubt don’t they?
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
I’m glad Subaru has a good reason to get himself killed or just to prove his worth but seriously I hope he stops moping and starts listening to some of the advice from around him. I feel like he’s going to do more crazy and embarrassing (when he fails hard)stuff before he learns to turn himself down a notch or two. Ah also, he should really keep his savior complex under wraps 😛 I don’t think Emilia likes it (I doubt anyone would like Subaru expressing such a attitude).
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
The problem is, is that the reset ability is why he has the hero complex now. It’s the only thing he has that no one else does, and he’s fallen back on that to make himself feel special and important. The problem is that in his state of despair, he’s allowing the curse to become a crutch.
And yet, because of how important it is, I’m not sure if not using it is the answer either.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Oh yes, it does feed his Hero Complex, and it looks like the OP is trying to say it might feed his Villain Complex? Are we looking at the Start of Darkness?
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Oh Subaru, you do have some issues don’t you…and until you can work through them, you’ll never be able to truly help Emilia.
You want to help her, but you are unknowingly doing it in a selfish way. Only you can help her, only you can save her, only you can be the hero, and everyone else is the enemy.
The thing is, in every arc, Subaru is only truly useful once he’s gone through the loop a few times and thus is able to know information that others don’t and thus he learns how to best deal with a situation. Other than that, he’s really like a baby just getting to experience the world. He wants to act like he knows best, and arrogantly thinks he does, but in reality, he’s really a foreigner in a new land.
And thing is, when someone actually challenges that, he becomes incredibly defensive, really as a matter of pride more than reason. He has a hero complex. The idea that she is hopeless without you? Everything is about you. Come on Subaru, that’s ego and damaged pride talking, not the selfless ideal of an actual hero.
And now we have the witch cult that massacred a village and supposedly killed Rem, but interestingly bowed to Subaru, probably because of the witch’s scent upon him.
I think it might be time for a reset, and this time Subaru, learn from this!
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Yeah like you said earlier, his reset curse is both his downfall and his salvation. Its the very thing that gave him his messiah complex but I too think its going to be instrumental to fixing his messiah complex because he’s not listening at all. He needs to learn from experience it seems.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
But as both of you have said, the source of his hero complex is that he has the ability to go back and save people. I think it will have to do something different before Subaru will get the message. If he’s able to induce a reset now, that will just feed his hubris. “Whatever, Emilia, I’ll just save you and you’ll owe me even more.” Even if the others don’t know about it, those debts are accumulating in his head, still, and it’s obvious he’s not a big enough person to see that he’s in the wrong.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
I’m all for the dude taking things into account for a bit longer then acting on what he knows, not what he suspects. Recon! More than anything it’s his stubborn refusal to take his surrounding in at their merit rather than his that is his undoing….
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
Argh, my post got caught again. =/
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Same with me, spammy is viciously going on a comment massacre again.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
For both this and the recent KnK post, I’ve not found anyone’s comments in the spam folder. So please sound off if your comments are here instead of gone. Then I’ll delete these alerts!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I got them.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
16GB of Ram:
http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=57718626
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
…sigh…
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Pure genius XD
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
I may be late to this but Subaru’s curse bears similarities to the Darksign of Dark Souls. His mental breakdown is like him hollowing (going crazy) due the stress of dying, reliving events. and seeing death.
Also, the Witch cult reminds me of Aldritch and his cronies.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Hey, better late then never, and welcome to Metanorn, deedee….
I have to plead complete ignorance of Dark Souls and all it’s assorted stuff; I’m just not for the vidya anymore. I mean I do know that I could get away with saying that Re: Zero is the Dark Souls of Anime, or that Subaru is the Dark Souls of Re: Zero? Maybe? But in a narrative sense we brought up the idea of a realistic reaction to a character’s perceptive to being Reloaded for a Save Point. So it’s not like bringing up Dark Souls is a bad idea, right?
So, if you don’t get an answer in this post, go ahead and bring it up next time, I won’t mind to much.