「泣いて泣き喚いて泣き止んだから」 (Naite Nakiwameite Nakiyanda Kara)
“I Cried, Cried My Lungs Out, and Stopped Crying”

This is the first episode in a long time which Subaru doesn’t end up dead. I was waiting for it and I was anticipating that moment where the music starts and someone comes up to kill him but nothing. We don’t even get to the fourth day this week! I think this is a sign that this is it guys – this is the turning point and the final loop which Subaru is going to have to live through because he’s going to make it to the end (of this arc anyway). He’s made huge improvements since last week with this new revelation that the twins aren’t out to get him and in fact – they’re just super protective of one another and he has to gain their trust and friendship in order to avoid dying unnecessarily. Subaru has really made a conscious effort to give it all he’s got – to the point that he’s overexerted himself in a day. Time looked like it was flying by but I think he was trying to do everything he could to “speed up” the process. In reality, I think he STILL looked suspicious because he was so happy-go-lucky and knew too much. If it wasn’t for Emilia, I’m sure Rem would’ve said a thing or two to Roswaal or Ram. Thankfully, there are no signs that anyone’s out to get him (yet).

Speaking of Emilia, this was definitely the episode that focused more so on her relationship with Subaru. Even though we’ve seen him try and woo her several times, it’s more clear to me now that in each loop, she trusts Subaru and tries her best to see what he’s going through. She comforts him, teaches him things and is quite open-minded to the fact that he seems to know nothing about their world. It’s strange how I’m not questioning Emilia’s involvement at all because all I see her as, is an innocent bystander at this time. She hasn’t done anything in the past 8 episodes that really raise any red flags – other than how she introduced herself the first time. She really has nothing to gain by being nice to Subaru and gaining his trust; although, her connection with Satella is always up in the air. I’m inclined to believe that she’s doing it all from the goodness of her heart. She might not be attracted to Subaru that way, but she’s nice enough to offer him a lap and ear when he needs it. Considering how I think this is his last loop – it’s not a bad start to a proper relationship with Emilia.

On the surface, Subaru didn’t learn too much that I feel like that audience couldn’t have already guessed. For one – Subaru came to the conclusion that someone outside the household must’ve placed the curse on him. And that someone (or something!) would’ve been in the village. I already guessed that it was the dog… or someone pretending to be a dog or not a dog at all but we’ll see if my hypothesis is correct next week. Puck reveals that Subaru has a power of his own and while Rem and Ram control the air and water elements (not confirmed, only a guess), Subaru’s background is shadow. Foreshadowing something here? Maybe. Unfortunately Subaru lacks control over his power and I don’t blame him. He’s not even from this world, what do you expect him to do? What I’ve only assumed are that his powers are linked to this dark aura and hand-clenching moment – which in return, are connected to Satella. So if Satella is the one that sent Subaru to this world (and gave him his revival ability), it only makes sense that he smells like her and performs the same magic as her. Now how that is linked to Emilia and what’s going on in their world is still yet to be determined. A lot of theories are floating around online about how Emilia and Satella could be related but then how does Subaru fit into all this and why did she send for him?

Author’s Note: Sorry for the delay this week. It was a long weekend on Monday which was exhausting for me. Next Monday will also be a long weekend for the US so I hope you all have a great Memorial Day!

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: The first episode which doesn’t have Subaru dying… and it was actually fairly lighthearted =) Rather than focusing on the twins again this week, there’s a lot more of Emilia-tan! #ReZero

35 Comments

  1. The thing with the dog theory is that I don’t really remember him going to the village in his first loop. So I think it’s most likely a person that cursed him if anything.

    Baka
    1. It was mentioned back in episode 4 during his 4th day at mansion. There was scene between him Emilia at night (near the end of the episode) where he mentioned it off-hand.

      Iron Maw
  2. Emilia is the true champion of this episode, and I love her so much. However, I now believe more than ever that this series has the potential to take a nose dive into a gruesomely dark abyss without any warning. From this episode and the last, I’m getting the feeling Satella is somehow always there near Subaru, and the thing with Emilia possibly being a vessel for Satella cannot be ignored, and with how Subaru somehow ended up in this world with a shadow kind of magic energy and him smelling like the witch, I just don’t know what this witch is capable of, so she’s already driving me crazy. I love Emilia as she is now, but I can’t help but to think the whole thing is another trap the story is setting up for us just the same as what happened with how the somewhat “uneventful” spice-of-life episode (episode 5) ended with Subaru being brutally murdered inside the castle. I can’t wait to see what comes next, but I’m also frankly afraid of it. I’m gonna be cautious with this anime from now on.

    1. The theory that Suburu is summoned to protect Emilia who’s actually Satella is so blatant that I think the author’s doing it on purpose. It’s like it’s going to be a constant question of, is Emilia actually Satella or not? IMO the story’s done such a great job of being inventive despite all the themes it’s borrowing, so I don’t think it will be so simple that Emilia is actually Satella (or the typical discarded vessel/split personality theme).

      Like this episode, Suburu actually bawling like a child on Emilia’s lap, that was beautiful and unexpected. The heroine comforting the protagonist is one thing, but that was something much more intimate while still being very innocent. For this episode I was expecting it’d be more like “yay victory!” or “culprit found!” or “oh my limbs are blasting off again!”

      flap
  3. So Subaru was summoned to this world to guide Emilia, the vessel of Satella to become the King.
    Hmm… Being 2-cours, I hope there will be a satisfying conclusion to this anime…

    WhyY
  4. I really felt the tension this episode while he was forcing himself to be cheerful. It started when Puck’s demonstration of Shumac gave him PTSD of that moment when he knew that some other entity (we all assume it to be the Jealous Witch Satella) essentially proclaimed that she owned him completely and it just kept going as he drove himself forward trying to be best guy. The low unresolved chords that played then built up towards the climax of the act increased the sensation of unease. The moment afterward between Emilia and Subaru felt so genuine to me; I was surprised how touched I felt watching it. Like this strange mix of catharsis as if I was the one going through this turmoil and slightly uncomfortable because I felt like I was intruding on a private intimate moment. Lastly, this thing about a connection between Emilia and Satella was mentioned like it was an off-hand thing to be swept under the rug, but this is very interesting. She even called herself Satella the first time they met and Puck gave her a strange look and said that it was in bad taste. Hmmm…. Also, Puck! That guy is one of the few furry adorable mascots that I actually really adore.

    The Waker
  5. That lap pillow! :O That and the whispering at the end was just too sweet. They better keep Subaru alive this loop so Emilia doesn’t lose this memory or else, I’ll riot!

    Trap Master
  6. I tried not to cry, but I couldn’t stop. Maybe I’m just a crybaby, but that scene with Emilia allowing him to rest on her lap was very sweet and had me tear up. Subaru was trying so hard for the first half that he was breaking even more than before, and having a genuinely caring person that trusts him has done so much good for him. Emilia is his most precious reason to stay alive, and I have absolutely no qualms about that. Also yay for cute blushing loli from Beatrice :3

    I sincerely hope this is the final revival Subaru has to go through within this mansion, especially since he seems to have a better relationship with both Emilia and Beatrice so far. All that’s left are the killer sisters, and to gain the trust of Roswaal. Come on Subaru!

    ChromeNova
  7. Meh, Emilia this, Emilia that, meh, lolli is still best girl. She protects MC, she teaches him about stuff, she’s going to solve the curse for him and she’s a save point. Also everyone loves a tsundere, even if they forced it on a lolli this time around.

    bknight
    1. I quite disagree with you that Beatrice is best girl (though she is an awesome character), but I give your comment a thumbs up for your valid points and testicular fortitude for saying that after such a strong Emilia episode and all the appeal she won this day.

      The Walker
  8. Got a few details filled in, but while I expected Subaru would not die this time, I also expected more progress than getting half way through the process. It wasn’t a slow episode per se, but show’s also taking its time with this “arc”. If we don’t “clear” this arc next episode, then IMO pacing is too slow.

    JMO, but while I was sympathetic to Subaru last time, his antics when trying to be “likeable” were anything but for me. I get the reason, but still back to annoying Subaru. :/ I was glad, however, that in fantasy magic world, he decided to explore the option of him being able to use magic. Didn’t work – which is fine, but at least he thought about it and tried it.

    Show definitely threw out the “Emilia might be Satella (Jealous Witch)” card. Not sure how much I’m buying that. If she was JW, you would think she would “stink” like a giant pile of manure and thus easily discovered by, well, just about anyone other than Subaru in the mansion. IDK. Maybe she’s got “concealing” (shadow) magic or something to deal with that.

    Curious to see whether it’s the village dog or a someone (something) else who places the curse. Probably the dog since the show made that scene with it so noticeable though the maids don’t strike me as “dog people”.

    daikama
    1. Light novel readers have already calculated that this arc will probably end in episode 10.
      And I’m ok with this, there is still some important stuff that needs to be animated and I don’t think next episode would be enough to cover all of that. The pacing is good imho, Re:Zero’s arcs keep getting longer and longer (the third arc will cover all the remaining episodes of the series) so time is needed to focus on different situations each time. They even cut off less important details from this arc (like in episode 4)

      Lelo
      1. @Lelo: Sorry for the late reply. Not an LN reader so can’t say what’s missing and what’s not. IMO, the pacing is one of those “yes and not” type of deals. On an episode basis, it’s not terribly slow and probably OK, though there is some things I think can be streamlined. On a more macro level though, it’s beginning to feel like “Are we still on Namek?” with this “arc”. The reset feature of the series doesn’t help with this. It’s a lot of start over, try this, start over try that, start over try this and that, etc. which for me ultimately makes things feel slow.

        Rokka no Yuusha was slow paced – one volume in 12 episodes IRRC, but it didn’t feel as slow, due in part to linear approach (albeit with ubiquitous flashbacks. Anime loves its flashbacks). There was also quite a bit of action which also gives the impression of things moving along.

        I’m NOT saying they should rush or omit important stuff. Still, it just seems a bit slow to me, an impression no doubt bolstered by the fact that in large part the SOL portions are not working for me. Like I said, Subaru as a character is a mix of good and bad. Sometimes he’s fine, sometimes (too often), dude just annoys me.

        daikama
  9. Just throwing this out there without much to back it up, but what if a hero or group of heroes banished Satella’s soul out of her body? What if, Emelia is just a blank soul put into said now empty body? What if Satella’s soul was tossed into our world and thus she needed Subaru as a “living host” to get back? What if that shadowy stuff is Satella’s jealousy, and also she’s making sure Subaru doesn’t tell anyone so that they don’t realize “whelp, she’s back, gotta kill her”? I mean, if you think of it possibly like this, a lot falls into place. Like the author’s need to make Subaru continually suffer.

    However, I don’t think Subaru’s magic would fall into the same category as “oh, it is actually Satella’s magic”. I said living host because she would need the best soul to hide in/behind (everyone would love to kill her), therefore his shadow magic would need to be just as good or if not better than hers. Her downfall before he probably goes “I wouldn’t’ve been able to do all of this or live this incredible life, so thank you”. Then she’ll get all mushy, fall in love like the story continually hints is the only way to truly defeat her and then Satella basically merges with Emelia and boom. Claims the girl!

    But oh, there will likely be so much suffering for Subaru that we’ll all be going “dude, this so isn’t worth it. Stay dead already.”

    Then again, I’m just tossing out stuff.

    Dorian S.
  10. Since the theory of Felt being the true successor of the King is still up in the air, I don’t think Emilia is out of the woods just yet. Subaru may be falling for/protecting the wrong girl here and Emilia could be the big bad boss in the end. Although she has Puck, and Puck is awesome so I can’t fault the MC. Looking forward to how this plays out in the end.

    LightHawk
    1. A: that’s just a theory, and B: the insignia was glowing for Emilia as much or even more than it was for Felt. At present there is no “true” successor, the insignia is said to merely determines one’s worthiness for candidacy.

      Wanderer
    1. From what I gather, Subaru has been fairly depressed since maybe the 3rd or so time he reincarnated. His downward spiral is really brought into focus here for different reasons. The first arc dealing with Elsa murdering everyone, he was able to understand early on where he died and then to whom. This made him attempt to be proactive and he was able to focus on trying to be happy-go-lucky and solving the issue. This time around he woke up to realize that he apparently died in his sleep and continued to suffer from multiple sides while not understanding what was happening. He then felt betrayed by the twins. Even though they only knew him for 3-4 days, he’s experienced almost 2 weeks of companionship with them learning and growing. At this point he just about gave up before dredging up the courage to try again. So now in this run through, he’s desperately trying to check all the boxes for trust and friendship with Rem and Ram while trying to convince everyone that nothing is wrong because the last attempt to explain his situation left him with a strongly implied death threat. Basically, as we saw with the lap pillow scene, he’s still desperate and depressed, he’s just trying to keep the maids from killing him and figure out what is going on in the mansion.

      The Waker
  11. Subaru works so hard to the point being exhausted just in a day in order to gain trust from the twin sisters and prevent them from killing himself…?

    It perfectly makes sense that he is so much concerned about the sisters.

    Then why he shows so little interest in the witch stench on him? He knows the witch stench on him was one of the main reasons (possibly the biggest reason) Rem hated, tortured brutally and tried to kill him.

    fripsidelover9111
    1. Perhaps because it’s not possible to remove it, even for Beatrice. The witch seems to be incredibly sneaky and cunning, for her to have this strong and hidden grip on Subaru. And even if Beatrice could remove it, Subaru asking her for help with the stench will only draw more suspicion on him, especially with the twin maids already tasked to spy on him. It’s already more than enough that Rem smelled the stench on him which drove her to kill him, so a whole household of people that suspect him is just out of the question. Best to keep as much quiet about it as possible when there is nothing he can do about it, at least until he gains the household’s full trust.

      However, I don’t know the story myself, so this is all just speculation. Hope that helps.

  12. I’ve been watching the anime and waiting for it to get real dark soon, like LN readers say the 3rd arc will. Maybe this will end up like Madoka Magica, where Puck, like Kyubei, turns out to be extremely scary.

    conspiracyTheorist

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