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「死の味」 (Shi no Aji)
“The Taste of Death”
Zero to sixty might be the go-to auto phrase of choice, but for Re:Zero? Yeah, I believe we can start applying it too. We all knew some tasty tidbits would drop eventually, yet having both Beatrice and Roswaal do their level best to truly upset the status quo certainly came out of left field. Not to exclude some other scrumptious shenanigans though, oh no siree.
Barring the usual unknowns surrounding Re:Zero, the currently biggest black hole was how Subaru was going to reset his latest romp through suffering, and oh boy did we discover that and then some. While nice knowing where the Great Rabbit came from courtesy of Maylie’s timely appearance (who had pint sized malbeast controller on their bingo card?), the fun was arguably more in Elisa’s re-emergence thanks to some surprise multidimensional hacking. Not to say it wasn’t already obvious the girl had skill mind you (earlier episodes alluded to her talent), but doing so at the right possible moment? Oh now that’s just delectable. Yes, I might be slightly hungry if the food adjectives weren’t a dead giveaway.
Of course, the meat this week lay more with the good guys, especially our tartly backtalker Beatrice who finally revealed what I imagine some had a good inkling of. As suspected, Beatrice is a spirit contracted to Echidna to watch over her library (yes, it’s not actually Roswaal’s) until the appearance of a select individual. While up in the air whether Subaru is that individual—such a point is deliberately left unanswered for future fun and games—there’s certainly no faulting the poor girl’s desire to be released considering 400 years is an awfully long time and Roswaal’s ability to annoy even the most stoic of individuals. Although it’s a given Subaru will find a way to free Beatrice from her contract, the manner of it is wholly unknown, and you can bet it will factor into how Subaru finally overcomes the bowel remover once and for all. Not like I anticipate it being a problem once the picture is complete, but when your enemy is able to quickly dispatch with the truly talented, yeah, you might have an issue on your hands.
And as for Roswaal, I think the message speaks for itself. Someone outside of the Witches, in some way, finally has an inkling of just what Subaru is capable of, and you can bet he’ll do what he can to ensure Subaru plays to his tune. Whether or not it involves having Emilia go full Envy to ensure her election prospects are in order remains to be seen, but one way or another, you can firmly bet the next couple of weeks are going to get a little crazy.
Maylie is not the reason the Great Rabbit attacked the Sanctuary. The reason the Great Rabbit is attacking the Sanctuary is because of Roswaal used a lot of mana to make it snow all across the Sanctuary.
It looks like Elsa has multiple lives. That’s how she came back to life after Beatrice appeared to have killed her. It also explained how she survived Reinhard’s nuke in the first arc of the series.
Poor Beatrice just wants to have affection and attention and to have fun, and I think this has been pretty obvious since Season 1 when Beatrice looked out the window longingly at Subaru and Emilia doing radio calisthenics. I just hope that if Subaru does affirm that he is that person that he treats her right and makes her want to live instead of wanting to die.
I wonder who took Subaru’s letter to Emilia given that it wasn’t Roswaal judging by Roswaal’s reaction. Maybe it was someone from the conservative faction of the Sanctuary that doesn’t want the Sanctuary to be liberated which viewers have only heard about but not seen. Re:zero definitely doesn’t have enough time in the rest of this cour to solve everything, so maybe we’ll see some things in more detail in the second cour, including seeing the people from the conservative faction for the first time.
I think the reason Roswaal decided to break Emilia mentally was to show Subaru that he needs to take into account Emilia’s mental state more. That’s probably why he said Subaru could never distance himself from her if she were to lean on him. What Subaru has been obsessed with this arc is finding the time to do the trial in Emilia’s place, not taking into consideration how she feels. I think the key to this arc might be for Subaru to give Emilia the emotional support she needs so that she can pass the trials.
I’m not sure about Elsa having several lives, I think the trick lies in her cape, that works as a “get out of jail free card”. She did exactly the same in the first season against Puck: after she got hit by a heavy magical attack, she discarded her cape and that nullified the attack.
Why would Roswaal wanna make the place covered in snow though?
It’d be a punishment for Subaru for leaving the Sanctuary since it appears that Roswaal made it snow in episode 8 and 11. In episode 8, Subaru attempted to leave and gave advance warning, and a speck of snow flew by before Subaru got teleported back to the jail cell. In episode 11, Roswaal made it snow sometime after Subaru left for the mansion. Roswaal seems to want Subaru to get Emilia to pass the trials, and only then will he allow Subaru to leave the Sanctuary without making it snow. At least, that’s what I make of it so far. Previously, I thought that Puck made it snow in episode 8 after growing huge and that he got eaten by the rabbits. But with the revelation that Roswaal can make it snow, I believe my current interpretation makes more sense.
Gosh, our ordinary NEET boy has a lot on his hands
Waiting 400 years for someone that can enter the magic library’s doors and end her life (and her magical contract with Echidna). No wonder Betty got lonely. I wonder if that was related to that “Roswaal said you are to ask the question.” / “I am that person.” thing?
That said, now the anime viewers know how Elsa waltzed into Beatrice’s–or rather, Echidna’s(!)–magic library. (Open all doors in the Roswaal Mansion and keep them open, except one, and that one closed door will inevitably lead to the library.)
S**t, I could swear Satella was possessing Emilia here with how clingy she was. Subaru would definitely freak out if Emilia said “I love you” or “Love me” in a similar yandere tone to Satella.
This last scene, though… How the f**k did Subaru escape those killer rabbits with bits of his flesh and muscle missing?
Other thoughts:
– So Maylie was already in the village since the first season. (And most likely the one that put that curse on Subaru during the Roswaal Mansion arc.)
– Roswaal and his “ability to annoy even the most stoic of individuals” instantly reminded me of Takehito Koyasu’s other (infamous) role as an annoying talking sword. (“♪ Excalibur! Excalibur! ♫” (ﺧ益ﺨ) ) On a more serious note…
– Roswaal nonchalantly killing both Garfiel and Ram… Yikes.
– Yeah, it’s not only Subaru who has a lot on his plate. The same could be said for the anime-only viewers at this point. Answer one question and two or more take that question’s place.
– Meta: Will Re:Zero season 2 extend through Fall, or will it take a seasonal break?
I think Satella is possessing Emilia. This is where Witch of Envy came from in Episode 9. Maybe when Subaru was telling Witch of Greed about his Return by Death, it actually did have an effect outside of his mind – like strengthening Witch of Envy’s power in the same room, where Emilia was. That’s why she was completely taken over in that loop. In this loop, Subaru left Emilia alone, plus Roswald put extra pressure on her via snow, so she is half-possessed.
It’s honestly creepy how this Emilia is more concerned about clinging to a very injured Subaru instead of (logically) using healing spells.
Though I can’t help but wonder if awakening Satella is the big plan all along.
The second part of Season 2 starts Jan 2021. I hope we also get a third season later in 2021 but maybe I’m expecting too much. They probably will wait a 100 years for more published material for churning out another 24 episodes.
Thanks.
Aw man, I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of cliffhanger the first half’s gonna leave us in.
Also, 100 years for more published material… LOL. Will we still be alive by then? Not to mention it reminds me of Berserk‘s “7 years on the boat” meme.
At this point I’m pretty convinced that Emilia and Satella are one and the same person… at least their origins are the same. If there was a “0th loop” that only Satella remembers many things would make sense.
By the way, Echidna, just because you want to be a loli too, making lolis then leaving them alone for 400 years is not ok.
The current Emilia would never think about herself with Subaru bleeding to death infront of her. If anything she would be greatly distressed to see someone she cares about mortally wounded and about to drop dead.
His injuries were so freaking severe there’s no way anyone in their right mind wouldn’t be upset to see that. And thats why people should have instantly noticed that wasnt current Emilia.
Have we reached rock bottom yet?
With only 2 eps. left I don’t see Subaru solving any of the Elsa or Great Bunny problems in this cour, but I’m slightly hopeful that it’ll end on a positive note.
Seeing Betty cry like that was painful to watch.
I didn’t expect that “a bit of snow” and hiding Subaru’s letter could break Emilia this easily. Well, okay, and then there’s the failed trial.
Of course my first thought was that this might just be Satella again, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
boingman, that is understating what Emilia actually experienced. I’ll show you why in my analysis.
I do not believe it was unbelievable that Emilia went insane, and I have an idea about why Emilia went insane all in the span of 1 day. Emilia indicated in episode 3 of this season (28) that she felt anxious ever since they entered the Sanctuary’s barrier and that she was unable to relax, prompting her to ask Roswaal what exactly is the Sanctuary. She was going to say it feels like a graveyard, but Roswaal interjected and called it the Witch’s Graveyard, so this suggests that Emilia is acutely sensitive to death. This is not the first instance of her being sensitive to death though. In episode 23 of Season 1, Emilia sensed Subaru’s death when Julius killed him. I didn’t make this connection between episode 28 and episode 23 until I thought long and hard about how Emilia could have gone insane so quickly. If this is the case, then the anxiety from being in the Sanctuary which doubles as a place of death, the isolation Emilia felt with Puck being gone and Roswaal’s deliberately breaking her by turning everyone against her by making it snow, her perceived abandonment by Subaru, and her undergoing the trial again, which is a major source of trauma for her, (She probably did because ever since Subaru got teleported back, all she has been doing is staying on the trial grounds) all contributed to Emilia going insane. Also of note in episode 3 (28) is that when the village chief pressed Emilia on why she bowed her head to the villagers to show that she is not a witch that is incomprehensible to them, Emilia looked to Subaru for support, and Subaru nodded, giving her the go-ahead to state her reason. Emilia was already turning to Subaru for support in Puck’s absence, so it’s not inconceivable that she would go insane with the last of her support system being gone.
Subaru is such an idiot. I saw that stab coming 500 miles away. Hell, he’s talking to Beatrice who looks like a child and has lived so long and killed so many. He’s in a world where there is no mercy, and he wants to sit there and debate with Beatrice who is more conscientious about morals in the middle of a fight?
Fucking do better, Subaru. Stop being a fucking pansy and pull your head out of your ass — lolis can murder you, too. Or, you know, their immortal comrade. In this world where you have man eating bunnies, you should really expect a rock to try to stab you.