HighWire: [Reaction] Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Episode 15

If you didn't gather, this is an episode reaction, so major plot details of Re:ZERO are going to be revealed in the upcoming post. If you don't wish to be spoiled or haven't caught up to date with the show up until now, I'd stop now. You've been warned peeps.

Before Re:ZERO began to air, my expectations for it were hazy to say the least. While it was headed by studio Whitefox who do have a knack of producing unexpected surprises, it seemed like it would fall into the blindspot of LN adaptations that sounded on paper like they would deviate from the trashy norm that has been set by modern anime light novel interpretations, but instead would be just as bland and lifeless as absolutely everything else coming out in a given season.
Examples include things like GATE, Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru or In Search of the Lost Future. All of these shows were things that seemed like they would expand the potential of LN adaptations into the anime medium and proof that an entire text medium is not defined by its own cliche cultural premise appropriation, but turned out to just reimburse the cynicism that light novels seem to carry along with them. And because of that, expectations for LN adaptations have long been set. A harem sub-plot. A NEET protagonist. A fantasy world is likely involved, or at the very least a video-game one. And a whole lot of boring fluff in between.
All this is a long way of saying that while I had hopes for Re:ZERO, some part of me still expected that it wouldn't be the psychological-thriller I was expecting. Some part of me still thought it would eek out its run-time with perhaps some interesting ideas, but mostly just degrade into predictable mush that I would quickly get bored of. Some part of me didn't believe the little spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, this would be, finally, something daring and different. I've never been glad to be so wrong.
Hello people of "The Wired", my name is Quan, and while I'm a little late to the party, welcome to my first episode reaction for Re:ZERO. Yes, waiting 15 week to start commenting on it may seem a bit lazy and unprofessional, but since I'm both of those things... oh, whatever let's just get this thing started. I thought I had a comeback there.

It's probably an understatement to say that recently, things haven't been going all that well for our self-proclaimed protagonist Natsuki Subaru. It's not like his life in this fantasy world has ever been that lucky; apart from the fact he's named after a car company known for a nice All Wheel Drive, he's died at least a few dozen times, been betrayed and backstabbed constantly by people he thought were friends, and cried his eyes out right in the lap of the girl he loves as snot ran down his nose. Despite that though, the Subaru we've known throughout all of Re:ZERO has been a charismatic, nerdy guy completely loving the fact that he's been trapped in what seems to be a generic light-novel fantasy world, and has been an absolute joy to watch throughout the show. His snappy dialouge and infectious personality has been what carried Re:ZERO through some of its more weaker episodes, and it's been his antics that has given the show its own form of self-aware yet still grounded humor, as his temperament bounces organically off of the rest of the extremely likable cast. Despite making mistakes along the way, he always found a way to pick himself up and find a way to suceed, and as a veiwer, I wanted him to suceed. I wanted for things to work out.

And that's why watching this episode was so goddamn heartbreaking.

The key to everything.

To be fair, this isn't the first time that Subaru has given up. Episode 7, one of the shows strongest outings, was basically Subaru quite literally running away from his responsibility to save everyone, as his mental fortitude finally broke given the increasingly screwed-up and psychologically taxing situations he had been subjected to. It was hard to watch his happy demeanor finally break down after the accumulated stress of his circumstances, but that was why it was equally rewarding to see him put himself back together at the end of that episode, vowing to himself that no matter what, he wouldn't give in to the witches' curse. It's funny how all of that seems so petty compared to what he's going through now.
It seems like the fallout of Subaru's quarrel with Emilia is what is going to drive the emotional weight of the second half of the show(as hinted by the new opening "Paradisus-Paradoxum"), and watching his mental implosion throughout the last few episodes has been both heart-wrenching and sickly fascinating. After last episode's horrific conclusion, not only has Subaru lost the will to attempt to repair his relationship with Emilia, it seems like he's lost the will to do basically anything at all - reduced to a reactionless husk that Rem has to essentially lead by the hand from place to place, establishing her as a character that clearly is going to have a bigger hand in events than I would have ever dreamed when she was first introduced(and maybe, considering this episode's ending: the new love interest). It seems after what he considers all of his effort over the series completely backfiring on him two episodes ago(even it clearly hasn't), Sabaru seems to consider the best course of action now is to not act at all; but seeing how this world seems intent to continuously screw him over, as even this tactic results in pain like he's never experienced.
On their way to the mansion, him and Rem(who is quickly becoming "best girl", btw) are attacked by the hooded figures from the previous episode who slaughtered everyone at Roswaal's mansion, as Subaru is kidnapped, and Rem is forced to go after him in a demon-rage. Upon waking up chained in a cave, the leader(some bat-sh*t crazy Moe Howard looking mother-f*cker) reveals their identity to Subaru as the "Witches' Cult". It's anybodies' guess how exactly they relate to the Witch, but judging from their actions and their constant references to something called "The Ordeal", they're following the Witches' plan or wishes to some extent, which at this point definitely involves Subaru in some way since the anime has insinuated from the beginning that it was the Witch who gave him "Return by Death" and transported him to this world in the first place. Of course, the specifics of said plan is very vague, as well as what the hell Subaru saw rising from the ruins of Roswaal's mansion in the episode's haunting ending sequence, which easily ranks as one of year's best moments of animation and storytelling.

A grim inevitably.

It's going to be interesting to see just how screwed up things get from this point on. This episode was easily the most disturbingly viscerally Re:ZERO has ever been, Rem's death scene easily ranking as the most graphic the show has gotten, its horrific detail and on-point directing emulates Higurashi's psychological approach to violence. At this point, all bets are off, there doesn't seem to be any boundary to how dark or gorey the story will get from here, and trust me, while I'm all for a psychological spiral downfall that will hopefully unravel into one of the best anime this year, I just hope the show, like Subaru, doesn't lose itself. The show is best when it balances the dark and light, and I hope the screenwriter remembers that. There is, after all, a very complex plot that has a lot of questions to be answered, and while I'm all for the next episode or two solely being dedicated to Subaru's character arc, the overarching story of the royal succession and the Witches' plan will need to be addressed, though thankfully with this show being two-cour, there's plenty of time left for that. And if this episode has taught us anything, the scale of what is going on, or what could potentially be going on in that time left is anybodies guess, and I really can't wait to see where the story goes from here(seriously, what was that at the end of the episode?!). The characters seem to be caught in a spiral of events that are beyond any of their control, the fate of the world could feasibly be at stake, after all, but then again, that's what Re:ZERO is all about isn't it? Finding a way to an outcome where everyone is smiling despite innumerable odds and an unfair world. Currently, Subaru's hatred towards that unfair world has consumed him completely, making him lose sight of what is actually important, and that turn of direction is going to really screw some stuff up for him in the future, as that road for him won't end well. How that is handled will determine everything about this show, because it's Subaru's journey that has been put front-and-center of Re:ZERO's narrative.
Natsuki Subaru is a person whose greatest flaw is that he cares too much. After all, this is a guy who pretty much dedicated his life to a girl who he just met because she helped him literally once and that pure well-intentioned ideology has backfired on himself, because unfortunately, reality doesn't match up with his ideals. Because he's not some typically overpowered LN protagonist, because above all else, this isn't a typical LN adaptation. He's learning that the hard way. I just hope he learns his lesson before he's swallowed whole by the forces controlling the narrative from the shadows.

Currently, the stakes have never been higher, both in narrative and in retaining narrative integrity, and Re:ZERO has risen to the challenge amazingly. This is by far the best the show has ever been, and at this point, it has earned enough good-will from me that I have confidence that it will be able to tie up the many loose ends of the story by the time the finale airs. This is what a great story can achieve when it hits its stride, and Re:ZERO is currently checking all off my boxes, one swiftly after the other. Here's a chance for a modern light novel adaptation to be great, which is not an opportunity that comes up every season. Because when it's at its best, Re:ZERO isn't just good, it's great, because Re:ZERO is great; an adeptly crafted immersing story with great characters that has clearly set its sights on a peak that nobody would have expected. Well then, all that's left to do is see how high it climbs from here. Goodbye for now guys.

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