Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 2nd Season Part 2

Re:Zero always comes off as an anime someone either really loves or hates. Whether it's that Subaru is a trash protagonist or the pacing is too slow, Re:Zero will always receive hate. However, when I picked up this anime way back in 2016-2017, I would've never expected it to evolve into the masterpiece I consider it to be to this day. I think that a significant aspect that is often ignored when discussing Re:Zero is the masterful character development of our main character, Subaru Natsuki. At first glance, Subaru Natsuki comes off as a stereotypical protagonist just realizing he's finally out of his boring world. Hegets "Isekai'd" into a brand new world, filled with magic and fantasy at every corner. That being said, as the viewer, you believe this character is going to be like any ordinary, mainstream protagonist. However, this isn't the case. This isn't some Shonen or typical isekai MC who has a preset personality and always manages to succeed in the end. Subaru is a character plagued by his past, and time and time again, we witness him being constantly met with failure. Due to his power of return by death, he experiences unimaginable pain and suffering, and as a viewer, all you can do is feel bad for the guy. As the story starts to develop in season 2, you begin to understand, and you begin to emphasize, and most importantly, relate to Subaru. In S2, they show what Subaru's life was like before being isekai'd. At a young age, Subaru had a natural ability and prospered at sports and curriculum. Always being compared to his father, he felt like he couldn't be his own person, and as natural ability and talent began to decline for Subaru, he began to decline as a human being as well. Subaru deteriorated into a person who believes they lack value due to the immense amount of expectations placed on him and the inability to fulfill them. That because he can't live up to anyone's expectations, he should just be forgotten about and left to rot. Having a lack of friends and never leaving his home, it becomes clear to the viewer that he's given up on life. So once he gets transported into a new world, Subaru sees this as an opportunity to "start over." Subaru felt free of the expectations placed on him in his old world and wanted to become the ideal person. He wanted to become the "protagonist," the center of attention, and the main focus, just like in popular anime and video games. However, this wouldn't pan out as in season 1, and you start to see his ideal protagonist facade eventually begin to fade away, as he believes everyone around him is useless and that he and his powers alone are paramount. Furthermore, this power he possesses (return by death) is unknown to all, and because of this, he's never able to express his pain and suffering or reveal his ability for fear he'll die. As a result, these beliefs, mixed with the ignorance of how anyone around him feels, leave him all alone. Realizing that he's useless and the "lowest of the low," he proceeds to self-destruct and destroy himself. However, as Subaru describes the way he thinks about himself, Rem describes the things about Subaru that she loves. The things that led to Subaru becoming Rem's hero. This ultimately gave Subaru the light to see the end of the dark tunnel, and at the end of season 1, he was able to beat the death loop and save everyone he held dear. At least he thought he did. Content that he saved the day, confessed, and smiled with Emilia, Subaru was horrified to find out that no one knew who Rem was. Now in a coma, Rem was effectively wiped out of everyone's mind except Subaru's. This led Subaru reluctant to ask/receive help from anyone. In season 2, new issues and problems seem to arise at each glance, and Subaru returning by death also seems second nature now. Although he escaped his self-loathing stage in season 1, he begins to rely on his return by death ability as he believes without it, he'd be utterly useless. By solely relying on his ability to return by death, he believed he would eventually pave the way for an outcome where he saves everyone, where no one but he should suffer. Repeat after repeat, you start to see Subaru break down, experiencing unmeasurable amounts of pain and suffering alone. The fruits of Subaru's labor being broken down and thrown in the trash after yet another brick wall is thrust in his way. Subaru believes only he should die for the people he cares about; however, he doesn't see this going both ways. People care about his well-being as well, such as Emilia, Otto, and Petra. That being said, as the first trial Subaru completed tackled his past self, the second trial tackled his present self and the current mindset he had. In this trial, Subaru experiences the events that occur after his deaths in certain timelines and witnesses people grieve and experience tremendous pain due to him dying. He realizes that although he saved them from death at his own expense, they still suffer tremendously emotionally due to his demise. Quite literally "back to zero," Subaru is at a loss for what to do and almost takes up Echidna's (the witch of greed) offer out of the fear he's run out of options. At first glance, Echidna's offer seems great. She gives you her insight and wisdom to find the path most desirable, and in return, Echidna wants to experience what Subaru experiences. She wants to explore the hidden future and the possibilities. However, it's much more complicated than that; actually, it's much more messed up and sinister. Echidna would help Subaru achieve his ideal future; However, Echidna wants to satisfy her curiosity. Going into specifics, Echidna would let Subaru die countless times, millions upon millions of times, to satiate her hunger for knowledge. Subaru would eventually reach his ideal future; however, at what cost? Taking up this offer would be tying a direct parallel to Subaru's past where he was trying to live his life according to others' expectations. Rather than living for himself, he'd revert back to the thing that nearly led him astray. Realizing that Echidna is void of any human emotion, Subaru turns down her offer, knowing he would eventually become emotionless like her if he took up her offer. Upon rejecting her offer, Subaru realizes something important. He has not once relied on others for help nor asked throughout his endeavors in the sanctuary arc. Through Otto's actions and words and many others, Subaru finally realized he's not alone. He has people that care about his well-being and people who want to help him. "We human beings are social beings. We come into the world as the result of others' actions. We survive here in dependence on others. Whether we like it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives when we do not benefit from others' activities. For this reason, it is hardly surprising that most of our happiness arises in the context of our relationships with others."- Dalai Lama XIV. I think this quote summarizes perfectly the battle Subaru was having internally. Previously covered in a shroud of loneliness, Subaru hated himself and believed all of his worth, and his value was tied to his witch authority. That if you take away his unique ability and the fact that he solves everyone's problems miraculously, he'd be left all alone. However, people loved Subaru because of his character, his being, rather than his ability. As a human, you need to rely on others. Although the people around you may not have the answers to help you with your problems, you can relish the fact that you can confide in them and bear the weight of the burden together. At first glance, depending on the help of others to solve your problems may seem like a weakness; however, it's the opposite. By asking the people closest to you for help or advice, you become stronger, knowing not every problem can't be solved solely on your own. Although I would love to say Re:Zero is fantastic for its plot, it just isn't. Many viewers at the end of S1 were left wondering and pondering what the plot indeed was. And even though we are given a better idea of the plot in S2, Re:Zero chooses not to emphasize the story and focuses on its amazing character development. The hints are all there; we follow Subaru, an MC who quite literally starts at "Zero," and aside from the cheesy reference to the anime's title, we watch Subaru and his journey. We watch him begin as someone who failed to live up to anyone's expectations and initially gave up on life. Through hard-learned lessons and experiences, you watch him turn into someone who finally understands that life is not fair, nor that there's a straight path that solves all problems. You're bound to encounter splinters and bumps along the way; you're going to feel depressed and alone at times too, but rather than take it head-on by yourself, or wallow in self-hate, rely on others, and bear the burden with others. As Subaru echoes wisdom from his mother, "What matters isn't how you start or what happens in the middle, it's how it ends." At first, Subaru misinterpreted the quote's meaning. However, by season 2's end, we meet a Subaru who's a complete contrast to the Subaru at the beginning of the series. Subaru has now realized his self-worth and value, and because of this, he can walk on equal footing with everyone else and laugh and smile with them. Subaru understands that he can't change his past nor the mistakes he's made; however, never lose yourself, keep moving forward with the assurance that you can still carry on with a smile on your face no matter what stands in your way. With that in mind, keep moving onward along with everyone who cares for you and loves you. That way, not even starting from zero would seem that bad.

TLDR: Don't bother unless you've read the source material first. It doesn't take much for me to like anime. I'm not one of those pretentious individuals who demands top-tier animation or prize-winning stories to leave a decent review. I've enjoyed everything from Monogatari to DxD to NGE to 'In Another World with My Smartphone'! So it came as a bit of a shock that something as well received as Re:Zero would be so disappointingly unfulfilling. To be fair, S1 started out reasonably well with a decent experience across all the factors that make an anime good.. animation, art, sound, directing, music, pace & plot. You we're leftat the end of S1 with the distinct impression there was so much more to the story to look forward to in S2. So what went wrong? Well to put it simply, S2 is written, produced and directed for the hardcore fanbase. It relies heavily on viewers to have an established understanding of things that can only be known from reading the source material. Scenes are confusing in their presentation and frequent hopping back and forth between events make it extremely hard to follow. References are frequently made to events or individuals that are never covered or further digressed upon. Motivations and decisions are confusing in their presentation carrying unseen and unexplained significance. Comedic interjections are poorly placed and very out of place. The constant shouting (by Subaru) used to emphasize emotion is frankly just lazy and really starts to grate. Above all however, the excessive laboured expositions and lengthy diatribes on important matters, whilst work well in written format just don't play out as well in the anime. The choice to include so many for so long plays squarely to the fans who've read the material and are hungry for certain scenes. However for anime-only viewers, the frequency gets so tiresome you find yourself no longer emotionally invested or at worst outright bored. At the end of all this having lost a large chunk of interest, you're left with a large expanded story and many more plot threads that leave you feeling confused, dissatisfied and with many questions. With nothing but derision awaiting for being ‘oblivious’ should you venture into the fanbase forums, the best advice I can give in hindsight is to read the source material first. This anime is by the fans, for the fans, and as the more positive reviews demonstrate a much richer experience awaits if you go into it well armed with a decent understanding beforehand.

“I love who I am.” The final line of the opening’s chorus, as well as the ending’s titular “Believe in you”, form the thesis and backbone of this season of Re:Zero. This cour shifted its focus away from the usual Subaru character study, delving more into worldbuilding, developing its side cast and delivering its core messages. Why does Re:Zero, within the abundant sea of modern isekai, stand out like a shining beacon of light 5 years later? Some will argue it’s the breadth of its “best girl” selection, others will say it’s the impactful thriller elements. Re:Zero’s true strength lies, if you were to ask me, inthe humanity of its characters and the messages it imparts. These aspects are in the limelight in this cour. The previously established Trials mechanic is used to explore characters’ histories and motivations, all the while sprinkling in setups upon setups leading up to the grand picture of the series. Subaru, as the protagonist, takes a back seat; he lends a hand to the other characters, gives them a push, and yet it remains up to them to make a choice and save themselves. Yes; Re:Zero Season 2 is about self-reliance — but it is also about the fact that when you do decide to take that first step, whether it’s to change, to save or improve yourself, there are people out there who will cheer you on. The message of this cour is a deeply positive one, hence the show momentarily forsaking its usual gimmick. It’s also a very satisfactory watch, after the feeling of deadlock within the first cour, as the characters smash through insurmountable odds set up by the charismatic villain of Part 1. Due to the nature of the show, some spoilers will follow. Cour 1 revealed the antagonist for this season to be Roswaal, behind both the Sanctuary situation and the mansion attack. I would, however, say that beyond specific characters, the true antagonist in this arc is a symbolic, or abstract one — the idea of “stagnation”, which happens to be behind every obstacle of the arc. Roswaal is stuck in 400 years past, believing in the permanence of feelings and chained to the past, intent on fostering that same weakness which he believes exists in others to manipulate them; Elsa is on a desperate hunt to recapture a feeling of warmth from her past; Beatrice remains bound to a 400 year old contract; Garfiel is terrified of the world being too big for him to protect everyone and decides that the Sanctuary should remain closed off. Re:Zero acknowledges that the status quo is attractive — is it not normal to stay attached to the beautiful Witch who saved your life, to want to recapture a feeling of relief from one’s past, or to want to keep your world small where you can control and protect everything? — before pointing out that it is also deeply self-destructive and dangerous, from the impending doom in the form of a carnivorous rabbit horde to the mental degradation of Roswaal and Elsa’s characters. All of these ideas are conveyed with no shortage of symbolism, the most striking one for me being the use of Beatrice and Roswaal’s Gospels. In order to overcome these barriers, Re:Zero asks its characters to find the balance between “dangerous self-reliance” and “toxic dependence”. Subaru, unable to overcome anything by himself despite his abuse of Return by Death in the first cour, realizes something in the second thanks to a friend; the gears of victory start spinning only when he reaches a hand out to his allies and starts valuing his own life. The main heroine Emilia takes the opposite path, beginning her growth only when her dependence on Puck and Subaru is broken. From there, this hero-heroine duo constitute the heart of the anime, spurring everyone else into action. Characters argue and fight; ideals clash, sparks fly. This would be around the part where the average viewer would call the dialogue overlong and repetitive, without any effort on their end to connect with, or at least understand the situations at hand. I couldn’t disagree more. The dialogue forms the heart of the arc; when a character speaks, their lines aren’t artificially tailored for some 3rd party viewer. The core ideas, themes and motivations aren’t spoonfed; they’re inbetween the lines, asking a degree of investment and attentiveness from the viewers. Camera angles assist the viewer in finding meaning, if not to simply immerse them into the scene, like the series’ iconic eye reflection shots that convey “understanding” or “trust”. The argument between Subaru and Emilia in EP40 is probably the strongest display of that particular strength of the series, from the sheer rawness of it to how real it felt as an unreasonable clash of emotions, all the while allowing the two characters to overcome their emotional hurdles. It wouldn’t be difficult to argue that the Sanctuary premise, and the mansion situation at hand, are only present to allow all of these clashes and character explorations to take place, and the attentive viewer will most definitely appreciate this setting that goes beyond the isekai fantasy norm. From a purely script-writing perspective, a lot of these moments overshadow the first half of Season 1, and come close to even the legendary, all-dialogue episode 18. This is all, sadly, from a purely script-writing perspective. While the directing throughout the show is generally good (with sadly more dips than usual in this cour — and no, this isn’t referring to the liberal use of filters, which I didn’t find too bothersome as someone used to such things), the animation is insufficient to carry the weight of certain moments. Anime is, first and foremost, a storytelling medium, but even the best story will fall flat if poorly translated on screen. While Part 2 certainly doesn’t fall to that level, the feeling that something is *missing*, or to be more precise that the characters are too static to properly elevate the scene is certainly there. It also certainly doesn’t help that the downgraded character designs, making most of the male characters hard to look at compared to Season 1, have carried over from S2P1. Re:Zero has had segments even heavier in dialogue than this cour before (again, the pure dialogue-heavy EP18 comes to mind), but a lack of dynamic animation on top of the increased complexity of the writing will inevitably lead to some false perceptions for the average viewer. These production-related issues, along with some cuts to the source that may negatively affect the flow of scenes for some, make it so that I cannot give this a perfect score; nevertheless, White Fox persevered admirably, trying their utmost to stay faithful to the source with consistent 30-minute episodes, this entire season reaching up to 33 episodes disguised as 25. While cracks in the production are present, series director Watanabe managed to balance out ambition with a schedule that didn’t require a crunch to the finish line like other popular gems of this season. But I digress. Making up for the more static animation is a soundtrack that may just match AoT in its movie-like feel; the “fantasy” aspect of the series shines through in almost every track. The voice acting is stunning, from Yuusuke Kobayashi’s emotional performances to Rie Takahashi’s more and more confident and energetic voice, matching the arc of her character. Let’s also not forget to praise Takehito Koyasu, who managed to convey every facet of Roswaal’s character with skill. To top it off, this season came with two character insert songs, both used fittingly and beautifully. In a season as focused in fleshing out its cast through numerous backstories, character arcs and climactic moments, these are some of the most essential components, and I can only be glad the production remained stellar on that front. Overall, if I had to sum up in a sentence what this arc of Re:Zero imparted in me, it would be, once again, “when you finally decide to take the first step to make a change, there will be people willing to help and encourage you along the way”. Subaru isn’t strong, he isn’t even cooler, but he isn’t alone anymore— just that fact is enough to change the tone of the series into something more positive. You cannot remain dependent on others, but avoiding human relationships with those around you will also get you nowhere. If nothing else, I think what Re:Zero Season 2 does is worth lending an ear to.

Bravo, Re:Zero. Bravo. First of all, I would like to give a huge thanks to the staff at Studio White Fox for giving us such a passionate adaptation of Re:Zero Season 2, to the Author, Tappei Nagatsuki for writing this brilliant series, to the Voice Actors for their incredible performances as the characters, and everyone who worked on this show. As a huge fan of the series, seeing Re:Zero Season 2 receiving such an amazing adaptation like no other, it's honestly like a dream come true, and I couldn't have asked for more. With that out of the way, let's proceed to the review. Re:Zero Season2 is back after an agonizing 3-month break, honestly was the longest 3 months of my life, while I had a lot of Fall shows to indulge myself in at the time, none were able to fill the empty void inside my heart left behind when Re:Zero S2 Part 1 ended, and now starts another agonizing wait for Season 3, I'm truly going to miss watching this every week. This season starts, literally immediately where Part 1 left off with the Otto punch of friendship and giving Subaru the confidence he needs to overcome the problems Roswaal meticulously set up this season. With a new profound determination to not die and have the people that care about him suffer because of him, he resolves to save everyone in this final loop and makes a bet with Roswaal, it was a long shot, the stakes are high, it was risky, but Subaru was ready to take that risk. A common criticism of Re:Zero is that the story focuses too much on Subaru that it leaves no room for other characters to shine, that was true for Season 1 and Season 2 Part 1 that was focused primarily on Subaru's development, Season 2 Part 2 fixes this problem and gives every single character a much-needed character development and each and every one of them gets to have their time to shine this season. Whether it'd be Otto being best bro, Emilia and Garfiel learning to overcome their traumatic past, Ram wanting to save Roswaal from his 400-year obsession, Beatrice finally letting go and breaking off the shackles of her past that bound her soul preventing her from moving forward, and this. This is what makes Re:Zero special, it's not just a story about Subaru but everyone else around him, it's a story of him starting a new life from zero, how the actions of others affect him and how his own actions affect others. Re:Zero is not a story about suffering, nor is it a story about being the strongest, killing the demon lord, and getting a sweet ass harem. No, Re:Zero is a genuine and emotional story of growth and self-improvement, learning to accept and love yourself, everyone has flaws, no one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, but that's not a bad thing, it's precisely because you are imperfect, that you have flaws that make you human. I feel like a lot of people have a bias against modern shows, and I get a lot of people will disagree. But Re:Zero IS a DEEP series, deep in the sense of its emotional and psychological themes, there are genuine underlying messages portrayed in the show, and I have mentioned some of them already in my previous paragraph. One of the central themes of Season 2 is the idea of obsession and stagnation. Roswaal is the embodiment of this ideology, and every character in the series shows a part of this in their respective personality, they are stuck at a point in time unable to move forward, unable to change. A lot of people complain about Season 2 being stuck in the sanctuary for 25 episodes but that is the point, that symbolizes stagnation and directly parallels the stagnation of some of the characters, they are stuck in time, in one place, and after this season are able to move past all of that and change, that is the main theme of this season. These are examples of those characters; Roswaal's 400-year obsession with Echidna, Ryuzu Shima's wish to respect Ryuzu Meyer's sacrifice, Garfiel's trauma that leads to him to hate the outside world, resulting in him resolving to keep the Sanctuary closed off forever. Emilia is bound by her traumatic past, Beatrice's stubbornness to keep her 400-year contract with Echidna, to wait for a person that doesn't exist. A lot of people have also been complaining about the pacing of this season, I don't understand why. They are completely missing the sheer significance and importance of this arc, before you start complaining about the arc being so long, ask yourself. Why is this arc in particular so long? Firstly, it sets up important plot points and mysteries for the future. Secondly, give some context and revelations of some questions we've been asking back in Season 1, and finally, It serves as a turning point for the Emilia camp as a whole. If Season 1 focused entirely on Subaru and his development, then Season 2 focuses on building up and strengthening the Emilia camp through character growth for the side characters. The Emilia Camp was all over the place during Season 1, and they aren't really united and especially Emilia herself was a problem, she didn't possess the necessary qualities that a Ruler should have, no solid foundation, this Arc not only develops Emilia's character, but it also serves to develop and unite the rest of the Emilia camp that will help and support her in the future. Emilia back in Season 1 as we know is a very immature person, she was very naive and had very idealistic goals for the Royal Selection, as she was then, she was unfit of becoming the Ruler, and that's a big problem. She doesn't have the best leadership and has problems with self-confidence because of discrimination she has faced due to her Half-Elf lineage and looking exactly like the Witch of Envy. Even the determination she lacks, unlike the rest of the Royal Candidates. However this season she has learned to become more mature and start to become better as a person, slowly becoming someone who can lead the country in the future. Through the 1st Trial she found the resolve and determination to make her wishes come true, through the 2nd Trial she learned to fully accept herself and to not be afraid of what others think of her, and finally, through the 3rd Trial, she gained the confidence to overcome the disaster that may come. The characters are the best part of Re:Zero. They feel genuine and real, not in the sense that their personalities are realistic, but instead in their character flaws, and psychology. The author gives a lot of thought into them, even the characters that may seem very insignificant at first glance. Apart from the characters, the story is solid as well. Season 2's plot is complex and tightly written, unlike the first 3 arcs in Season 1 which were more simplistic and straightforward. Part 1 served as the build-up phase by introducing the central mysteries and problems like Elsa, Meili, Mansion Problems, Rabbits, Witches, and Roswaal's true intentions. While Part 2 is the emotional climax and development, and it was well worth all the build-up. The songs and OST this season is amazing, the opening and ending are both really good too bad they're not played much often, we also got some really nice Insert Songs by Emilia and Ram's VAs, and some new tracks courtesy of Kenichiro Suehiro and are honestly some of the best of the series. Animation is a step up over Part 1, might not be the same quality as Season 1 but there is one fight, in particular, this season that I believe is the best-animated fight of the series thus far, Kazuhiro Ota is a god, and is carrying all the fight scenes on his back. All in all, this season of Re:Zero has been spectacular and I feel it far surpasses Season 1 in almost every aspect that's not animation. It has everything that made Season 1 so good and improved upon it and also fixes a lot of problems people had with Season 1. This deserves a 10/10 rating. If you've lasted until the end, thank you very much for reading, and I hope you liked my review. Have a good day!

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