RE: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – 18
Yep, he’s the special kind of stupid…
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…you know, instead of – or in addition to – the general sort of raison d’être stupide he’s exhibited the past 17 episodes. So let’s see what took Subaru to the heights of dumb, earning him the scorn of fans far and wide…. |
Exactly What it Says on the Tin
Puck: I’ll just give you the short (and esoteric) version of The Reason You Suck speech…
I can probably make this a fairly short post. I had wanted to complain about it a whoooooooooole bunch, but realized that that wouldn’t be much fun to write, and so probably would be much fun for anyone to read. Besides, this episode pretty much lived up to what it wanted to do, which was to clear Subaru’s path. It did just that, and I can’t find any fault for it doing just that. I really do wish that both Puck’s and Betel’s stuff could make sense in a discernable context, but that really is for another time I guess. I will say that I have much strong suspicions that Puck is aware of Subaru’s Return, and is able to make an attempt to use it as be he can. Perhaps being a spirit means he’s not tied to a human time line like the rest of this world is. But, all in all, I think most of us had been wanting Subaru to pull head from tuckus. Now, the way he did that? ::whew:: That’s another discussion.
Honestly I feel that most of what he had to say could have been done in any other manner than presented. While I understand it’s a good way to maintain the meter, pace, and rhythm the character has been through thus far, Subaru’s (sometimes very forced – Yuusuke Kobayashi? I’m liking your other Subaru better) exasperation came off as more of the same that the audience has been needing a break from for quite some time now. Again, I can understand finishing what’s been in a shade of how it all developed, but….I mean ellipsis, right? A simple harken back to? Take it as written? Something? Anything!
She would prefer to die first? Don’t go foreshadowing now….
But for every single “yeah, dude, we know…” call he cared to bring up, his better half had the response. I’ll just shut up and post it, shall I?
Well, most of it…
Is it a bit on the melodramatic side? Yeah, but aren’t we all like that anyway? It’s also a perfect waifu thesis statement, but that’s an argument for the comments. It’s also painfully beautiful in many aspects, and I fell in love with a 2d character again, and all over again…(not really though, but the indulgence is pleasant)but that’s an argument for the comments… Of course, the special kind of stupid rears it’s head and pretty much shoots it all in the tuckus. Nice job breaking it, hero….But at the end, he has a chance to start over. He’s disabused himself of so much already, I guess one more level is something we can hope the story reaches for…
….Hey, Jeremy, a little hand please? *
My image folder starts here, from zero
So what would that, “one more level”, be? Well, I don’t think the dude loves Emilia so much as he loves the situation or the idea of being in love itself, or in love with the goal. His devotion to her feels like he’s still objectifying her. As if it was one more gamified point. To me, for a show that has been busily deconstructing tropes left and right, why leave that big one? Still, for all that, we have the “whether or not this is a NEET takedown” question…ah debates. There is still a good deal of ground to cover, and now I guess it’ll be just like starting over. But then, to take a step forward, you have to take a step back? Or one of your feet has to stay still?
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
Saying he loves Emilia isn’t objectifying her, not anything more than Rem is doing to him. Emilia is practically the person that gave him everything he has in this new life and is only person to not harm him in some way. Yeah you might go but he doesn’t know her that well, but love doesn’t work like that. People often fall in love with someone due certain aspects of that individual strongly which resonates with them even if they don’t know everything about that person. Rem is just like Subaru in that, she fell in love with self-sacrificing heroic side that and even though she admitted she knew nothing about him beyond what he’s displayed. But Subaru left a deep impression on her just as Emilia left one on him.
Ironically what Rem’s speech actually ended up doing is challenging and reinforcing how strong his own feelings for Emilia were, but in turn making him realize how arrogant he had been in thinking his sacrifices meant he was entitled to something. So he’s shed that ideal and much like Rem simply and earnest wish to be Emilia’s side.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Well he’s more than saying he loves her, he’s involving himself in her affairs after repeatedly being asked not to…that is very close to objectification right there. Right now he’s just in a holding pattern as the episode ends, so I’ll end there as well.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
If he doesn’t she dies and he knows it because expirenced it. If Rem were in his shoes she do samething he is.
Letting her get killed while he could done something is far worse than a not listening to her. It’s not obejectifcation at all. If he were doing for selifness reasns than that would be a different story.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
I disagree completely, and will add to it. His feelings for her are both creepy and horrible. His special circumstances doesn’t buy his a shred of credit. That’s a metaphor when all things are said and done, and it’s dismissable. As far as her being killed or not, that’s the observer effect. He doesn’t know for certain what will happen, only what he very much fears, if he leaves her to her own devices…AFTER SHE HAS TOLD HIM TO MANY TIMES IN EVERY TIMELINE!
This is the bloody point of the show. You are free to disagree of course….
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
Okay something needs to be cleared up.
1) She never asked him stay way multiple times, I don’t know where got. The only time she ever done was during Royal Election meeting and was entirely for his welfare.
2) This also same reason she decided to part way with him because she did not understand why he was going so far her and he could not put into words because of a combination of RbD and his own pride.
3) Rem, Crusch and knows Suabru loves Emilia and expect him return to manor to patch things ups. Rem herself said he could make up with Emilia if just better communicated with her. Ram also berates for showing up in manor but avoiding seriously talking with Emilia.
4) Yes in ep 14 when he distraught and refused to acknowledge his fault in the matter at Royal Election and willingness became an obsession was creepy mainly because he only thing saving her for his own self satisfaction.
5) That is no longer case he admits own fault and decides to help her even doesn’t return his feelings. And answer her properly this time.
The solution to his problem was not to runaway, but to accept his weakness, accept help instead of trying to play hero and finally facing Emilia being honest with her. Basically face his problems. The point was of From Zero.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
5)admitting fault and doing something about it are two different things and miles and miles apart from each other. I admitted I needed to quit smoking for a decade or more….took me a long time to actually pony up and do it…
The story is basically telling him “go to Emilia and you die, and so does everyone you like”…He needs to back off and just be a dude…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Really, Emilia has told him several times that he should do what she says. Stay in Roswaal’s manor. Stay away from the Election meeting. Stay in the Capital. Get treatment from Felix. Stay away from Roswaal’s area. He’s ignored her time and time and time again, always justifying it to himself that he needed to go save her, to be her white knight.
He’s only ever been saving her for his own self-satisfaction. That’s been his entire motive the whole way. And he’s been a creepy jerk the whole way, not just episode 14, taking advantage of her lack of experience in his culture to maneuver himself closer to her in his mind than she understands him to be. And then he has expected her to be grateful to him, expected her to pay him back for his heroism, something she never asked for and increasingly did not want.
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Well, the Music was really on point his episode, and Rem really wants to be best waifu it seems XD she really put herself out there 110% and went the extra mile for Subaru.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
She reminds me of this song….
…and it’s both sad and beautiful.
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
HAHAHA wow Skylion, that song sounds depressing as. I couldn’t finish listening to it unfortunately. I can’t stand listening to songs like that emanate that type of depressing aura. Not becuz I dislike them, I just can’t take them they make me feel like my soul is slowly drifting away, and all the energy in my body is draining out somewhere.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
It’s very bittersweet. But then Ben Folds is the king of harsh and depressing relationship songs, seeing as how he wrote the book on depressing We Got an Abortion songs…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
But yeah, a week later, and we got a pretty good vid for “Wishing”…
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Interesting episode! I know there are probably going to be a ton of haters because this was just a talking episode with no action or story progression what so ever, but I kinda liked this and it finally got Subaru out of his depressed funk! For now….
Rem is too good for this world! FK YOU SUBARU! You still choose Emila after all this time? REALLY? WOW! If he was going to choose Emila over Rem anyway why ask Rem to run away with him? Did he ask her because he doesn’t want to be alone forever? Whatever the case I just cant see any romance in the air when Emila and Subaru are alone together besides that ONE time she let him take a nap on her lap! That is the only actual time I was like yeah these two could work together as a OTP.
I guess we will see in the next couple of episodes do to make Emila great? I’ve always found her to be the most boring character of Re:Zero, but I assume the last half will be spent building her up and the “relationship” with Subaru.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
IKR! LIke he could say to REm, “I’m devoted to Emilia’s household now, so let’s put a relationship off for now”. Be realistic dude! Nah, probably not, this show is about stupid protag beign stupid, you can’t leave one of the stops be….
I’ll be honest with you, I don’t really find Emilia that fascinating on the surface, and I think they’ve done that on purpose. I find her fascinating by what they don’t say about her on purpose and what we can infer from that; having to deal with sh*t as a half elf, how much Rosewaal may or may not be using her….
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
Yes he was using Rem as excuse to run away, a consolation prize as you well, because he had give up saving Emilia and everyone else not because he actually loved Rem. Rem saw through that and rather take advantage of that moment she throw her chances of having a happy life so that Subaru wouldn’t lose the side she loved of him. That side, saved her, that side that he mainly shows Emilia. She wants to become the hero she believes he can regardless if he end up with her or not.
I also don’t really get why your hating Emilia. Yes, is nice, feisty, levelheaded and quite a kind person and seems to lost of intrigue surrounding her, from being a candidate for Royal Election to connections to the Witch Cult. Yeah sure she hasn’t had a whole lot of screentime lately, but I still find her interesting partially because we don’t know everything about her. But meh
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Even with screentime she really hasn’t done anything that screams OH MY GOD BEST CHARACTER EVER! I get it shes a cute character who’s nice and all that but if that’s all she is then zzzzzzzzzzzzz
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Yep, Emilia is more a plot point than a character atm. She’s cute and nice yes but she really hasn’t done all that much. She is interesting though in that she has a lot of potential for well… interesting things to develop with all the mystery surrounding her concerning the jealous witch (or Witch of Envy). I mean she doesn’t seem to even have a last name. Doesn’t that already arouse your suspicions?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
…neither Rem nor Ram have last names either.
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Oh… I actually didn’t notice that… EMT has blinded me from the truth!
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 35 comments
Let me get this straight and im defending subaru here..
Rem Rejected his proposal first.
Secondly Rem Loves a Determined Subaru who never left things unfinished who never gives up. One of those unfinished task include winning the heart of Emilia
and saving the people that will die within the 3 days. basically she dug her own relationship grave. she still yearn for it though if that any consolation.
now to prepare our imagination for things to come:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlbVlRLtDE0
Eomer = crusch, Merry = Subaru, Eowyn = Rem
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Rem rejected his nonsense/idiotic proposal first, yes.
There are many many many ways to be a determined person…Emilia and his “winning” of her need not be any of those ways.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 139 comments
That’s pure your opinion though. It’s valid reason even if you don’t like it. Rem knows Subaru’s truly a good person and fact he goes as far for means his feelings are genuine and is looking out for Emilia just as she does for him even their don’t necessarily agree on everything due to difficult circumstances. If you don’t want to believe that for whatever reason that up to you.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Is Subaru good? He’s a person, I’ll give that. But we’ve seen him exhibit both decent things and we’ve seen him express horrible things; arrogant stupidity that get’s in a friends way is horrible by the way. So yeah, I don’t know if I would call him totally good, but as a normal sort of regular person, with both good and bad qualities makes him more interesting. Just like I think making him blind to his own obsession with Emilia makes him a more interesting character. In so far as who he hooks up with, I have no horse in that race.
I just think he’s a dumb ass for tossing away an opportunity that is closer to him.
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 35 comments
you know he naver said no to her did he?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Did Subaru say no to Rem and her Babies Ever After proposal? I don’t think the word “no I’m not going to do it” ever crossed his lips. But following up with doing for Emilia is a default negative to Rem, even if only for the time being?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Responding to a confession of “I like you” with “I like ~someone else~”, either in a specific name or generically saying “another person”, is a flat-out rejection. The person responding doesn’t even have to like someone else to use it. It’s intended to spare the feelings of the confessor, basically “It’s not you, it’s me.”
So I’d say that even if it’s not game over for Rem, it’s at least an inning-ending strikeout. Now, given how nice she is, and passing over the idea that current Subaru doesn’t deserve her, time goes on and maybe after Subaru gets over his puppy-love crush on Emilia, she’d have another chance.
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 35 comments
If Emilia ever do reject Subaru proposal at the very least Rem is there. That why i implied that he didnt say no. He just open to another option if the first love is not destined for him.
P/S Is it me or the fact that he say ‘I Love Emilia’ just save Rem from a certain ever watchful Green Eyes (figuratively). u know a certain heartbreaker XD
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 42 comments
Well, atleast we can all agree subatu is so annoying
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
…so darn annoying…
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
I only semi agree with that notion unfortunately :/ feel free to burn me at the stake.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
The fact of the matter is that Barasu has broken Emilia’s heart in more ways than one… But I’m pretty sure next episode and onward will be the start of something new.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Yes, this show needs a lot of repairs to the cast…
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Subaru needs a break, and maybe an appointment at the local automobile repairs.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Looks like Subaura has another Crusch?
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
t took him three revivals and some of the worst horrors that a person could ever see, but he finally learned the lessons he had to learn from the school of the hardest knocks ever imagined.
And now that he’s learned, and he’s got the support at his back, he can know start anew and go at this situation from a whole new angle. Honestly, I wouldn’t be that determined. I know that personally I would have skipped town long ago. I would be incredibly homesick and be trying to get home to my family. (I know Subaru doesn’t have the same strong family ties that I do, but I would still be homesick for my own world.)
Puck was fiercely scary this episode. His rebuke of Subaru was what finally made him have that breakthrough. And it seems that his contract with Emilia is that if she dies he will destroy the world?! That’s some responsibility for Emilia. I think she would taking better care of her life if she know the ENTIRE WORLD would perish for her sake. I think they really should make that known. In the words of Doctor Doom, “there’s no point in trying to take over a world if there is no longer a world left to rule”.
Also with Betelgeuse being Sloth, we know now that the White Whale is actually Gluttony, leaving us 4 others unknown. (Envy/Jealousy being Satella of course)
As for Rem, she has pushed herself to becoming the best female character of not only the show, but of the season so far. I like Emilia well enough, but honestly I don’t think she’s done enough to really give her a leg up above the blue-haired oni-girl. I honestly don’t even really know why Subaru loves her other than her physical attractiveness, her kindness, their experience in the beginning, and the fact that he can act as her white knight. I feel like Rem has done all that and more, and it really seems that if he were to think about it, he cares for her just a little bit more than Emilia. As Crusch said, he easily let his anger and pride override his love for Emilia, but when Rem was forgotten, she was constantly the first thought in his mind.
However, despite his rejection, Rem proves once again why she deserves best girl status by having an agape type love of him, and a loyalty that will stay even if she knows that his heart belongs to another.
Well now that Subaru has gotten his groove back, what shall he do now?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
IKR! Thank goodness it’s fiction!
Thanks for bringing it up, I left this one for comments. It really makes me wonder about the size/shape of this world Subaru has found himself. It has a very slow progress to the future doesn’t it? The entire thing starts over when this dink dies? Holy crap, no progress or stalled progress. If Puck would/could destroy it on that slim a reason, then that just makes me mind spin on how precarious worlds can be. It’s some chilling fridge horror, IMO.
Didn’t Satella eat them like a midnight value meal? I’m not sure if I’m recalling that correctly…
As for the Subaru/Rem/Emilia love triangle? Well, Emilia has done exactly that, and in my mind it’s his last, or at least most current, opportunity to stop acting like a dink. The reason he loves her? He should love her…that’s how these things are! To me it’s one more of his preconceived notion about his place in the this world that needs to go…
..and I agree, Rem is love…