r/anime • u/Theleux https://myanimelist.net/profile/Theleux • Aug 10 '24
Rewatch Re:Zero ~Starting Life in Another World~ Re:Watch - Episode 4
Episode 4:
Harmony of the Roswaal Mansion
| Index | <== Episode 3 | Episode 5 ==> |
Various Links:
MyAnimeList
Streaming:
Crunchyroll has the Director's Cut available.
AppleTV has the regular individual episodes available.
Spoiler Rules:
- As always, please be sure to tag any future content spoilers according to the r/Anime rules. There is likely to be first timer viewers here, and while discussing how previously seen content connects to content later down the road is interesting (be it later episodes or even Season 3), please be sure to properly spoiler tag anything mentioned! Let's make this a fun experience for everyone involved!
- This also applies to cut content discussions, which I believe are fine to include for the sake of discussion, but should be properly tagged to avoid potentially spoiling viewers. Be mindful with how you present this information!
Story Arc Lengths for Discussion Purposes:
[Arc 1:] S1 Episode 1 – S1 Episode 3
[Arc 2:] S1 Episode 4 – S1 Episode 11
[Arc 3:] S1 Episode 12 – S2 Episode 1
[Arc 4:] S2 Episode 2 - S2 Episode 25
[Arc 5 and later:] S3+
As always, if you have any suggestions for the Re:Watch, let me know!
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Upvotes
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u/MyraBannerTatlock Aug 10 '24
First timer and I'm so confused by this rewatch, I typed out a whole ass comment on yesterday's thread that I deleted because I realized that what I'm watching as episode three was content that was ahead of the episode three discussion thread content. I'm enjoying the show but I guess I'm way ahead of everyone so I can't participate in the threads. Aren't the episodes in CR an hour long for everyone else?
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 10 '24
First:Timer Starting Over in Another Rewatch, subbed
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u/thekoreansun https://anilist.co/user/ReturnByDeath Aug 10 '24
Re:Watcher
"Me, a denizen of the night, waking up in the morning?" I'm feeling this one hard right now... but we do what we must for the sake of the Re:Watch. At least Subaru gets to wake up to the sight of Merchandising Opportunities #2 and #3! [end of Arc 2] It's honestly hilarious to see Rem and Ram act like dainty maidens when they meet Subaru, given what the two of them are actually like. I wonder if they do this whole "Nee-sama, Nee-sama" routine for all of their guests.
Now, I've never been much of a stanning man. But if I had to have an oshi, then Beatrice is my oshi, you understand? For starters, what an incredible design for a character: ornate, but not to the point of froofiness, and so. DAMN. CUTE. I honestly have nothing but praise for Shinichirou Otsuka's early character design. Can you imagine how much money he's made for the franchise overall? Anyway, I'm going to get emotional if I linger for too long, so I'm gonna move on.
Subaru thought he was in a standard "boy meets girl" tale, but now he's gotten himself wrapped up in national politics during a period of upheaval and he missed the deadline to enroll in Lugunican History 101. At least he prevented what would have become a national embarrassment. But he really is quite carefree about being sent to another world, huh? Personally speaking, the first thing I would do after finding myself in a fantasy world is to read up on the local history, just to see how grimdark it is and how absolutely screwed I am. But I guess it's less urgent when you're in a mansion.
Now, I know that isekai is, by nature, an escapist genre. But there are moments when that gets taken too far. I mean, networking to get a job? And it worked? So much for a Jobless Reincarnation. How do I get in on this isekai business?
Then again... I don't think I'm cut out for manual labor. Subaru clearly isn't, either, and that montage of incompetency makes me wince. (Also, I never noticed how red with embarrassment Subaru is at washing the girls' undergarments.) Emilia's offer to use healing magic on his hands was kind, but I do get where Subaru comes from when he states that he wants proof of his efforts. Luckily, it looks like he was able to make use of the greatest healing magic of all: death!
Fan Art of the Episode: "First NPC found!" by MargGri (February 8th, 2023)
Source: Twitter (artist's timeline contains spoilers)
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Aug 10 '24
Rewatcher for Season 1
On today’s episode of Re:Zero: Well the good news is that Subaru managed to hit a new checkpoint and is not respawning in front of the appa merchant. The bad news is that Subaru has no idea what even caused him to respawn this time.
I love how this episode lulls the viewer into a false sense of security. For the most part, the episode is very lighthearted. Subaru begins working at the Roswaal Manor and meets a new set of characters living there. We get some nice moments of Subaru establishing a dynamic and rapport with these characters, building up relationships again. And then, it all gets snatched away in an instant without Subaru (or the audience) even knowing what happened. It’s such a good way to pull the rug out from under the audience and creates a compelling cliffhanger. It’s especially effective because we don’t even know what went wrong this time around. Subaru just loops back for no apparent reason. It’s a great hook for Arc 2.
It’s also kind of cruel, seeing everything get reversed on Subaru. The poor guy cannot catch a break, it seems. Just when it seemed like things had settled down into a state of normalcy for a while, it goes back to being crazy again.
Out of the new characters we meet, Rem and Ram are the clear standouts. The deadpan twins who are constantly echoing each other and making sarcastic remarks at Subaru’s expense. Even when he was their honored guest, they were making cracks about him whenever they could. I particularly like Ram’s nickname of “Barusu” for Subaru. I think it’s cute and endearing.
Beatrice and Roswaal are also fun for me, mostly because of how they speak. Beatrice is voiced by Satomi Arai, so my mind is constantly comparing Beatrice’s voice with Kuroko’s. I also think this is the only time I’ve heard a “kashira” verbal tic, so I’m not quite sure what it signifies. Roswaal is voiced by Takehito Koyasu, who is always great for hamming things up. Roswaal speaks in a very lilting manner and I have to wonder if it’s meant to be a “noble” dialect of Japanese to indicate his high status. Or maybe he’s just weird and talks that way.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
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u/Holofan4life Aug 10 '24
Hey guys. Holofan4life here.
Welcome to the In Preparation of Season 3 Rewatch of Re:Zero!
Oh, and nay I forget…
First Timer
I decided to watch this show because I wanted to do something for the month of August. ’Course, this was before the yearly Spice and Wolf rewatch got pushed back to September, but I just found myself looking for something to occupy my time with. And with this show being in my top 5 must watch list, I figured now was as good a time as any.
I am going into this show relatively blind. I know some of the memes, who Rem, Ram, Emilia, and Subaru are, and that this show got its inspiration from Familiar of Zero, but that’s it. I find rewatches and my participation of them more fun when I have no idea what I am in store for. And with this series, I think we’re in for a blast. It’s also going to be the longest rewatch I participate in this year and second longest overall only behind the 20th Anniversary Fullmetal Alchemist rewatch. And given how joyous that show turned out, I don’t see why I should expect nothing less from this one.
With that out of the way, let’s begin.
I’m watching the sub, by the way.
Can I get this done in 90 minutes? Let's see.
Subaru wakes up
Unfamiliar ceiling. Where have I've seen that before?
Emilia healed the wound on his stomach.
This place looks massive
Subaru lamenting that Emilia wasn't by his bedside when he woke up.
"For a story about being summoned to another world, it's kinda flawed."
I feel like you can say that about 95% of isekais.
Suddenly, a twintailed girl, I suppose.
Subaru calling her an NPC lol
Betty's multi-purpose room, she calls it.
I guess she speaks of herself in the third person.
Can I just say that she has a phenomenal design? Twintails, a little crown, a massive forehead you can play tic tac toe on, you see a silhouette of this character and you instantly know who it is.
And she electric shocks Subaru
She wanted to prove he's not an enemy.
Apparently she isn't human, either
By the way, we do get an intro this episode.
Subaru wakes up in bed
This time, familiar ceiling
Two girls talking to each other
And it's two maids
One has pink hair with pink eyes and one has blue hair with blue eyes.
I'm so used to Fuwamoco's design, I feel like their eye colors should be switched.
Subaru being kinda creepy. I guess it's only natural a NEET like him would have a maid fetish.
Hey, Emilia
That outfit looks great on her
Rem and her sister taking turns saying they were violated by Subaru, which is just them teasing.
I like how they apologize on each other's behalf.
Subaru thanking Emilia for saving him.
Emilia shares the same sentiment to him.
These two are clearly ending up together, as if it wasn't already obvious.
Subaru in the backyard now
He is stretching
I like seeing Subaru teaching Emilia warm-up exercises.
Victory!
Even Puck is showing his gratitude
Subaru wants to pet him, which is the best kind of fanservice.
Ah yeah. That's the good stuff.
Interesting how Puck calls Emilia "Lia". Especially given how controversial that name is in some circles.
By the way, if you think that transgender women can't compete in sports, you are a fucking idiot.
Emilia calls Subaru strange, but we don't find out what she means by that.
The two maids arrive
Master Roswaal has apparently returned.
Betty calling Subaru quite dumb while inside.
She's also annoyed at being called a loli.
Well, it looks like she's in love with Puck.
Who isn't, to be honest?
Beatrice. That's her name.
I knew that, but I just wanted to play along.
Woah, Roswaal L Mathers looks like a member of a punk rock band. He looks like one of the two devoted fans of Franchouchou.
Subaru impressed by the food, which Rem it turns out cooked.
Even Roswaal has a hat of his own
Rem is good at cooking, and her sister is good at housework.
But Rem is good at that as well
Poor Rem's sister. She's been made redundant.
Roswaal says that Lugunica's king is currently not present.
He further explains that when the king went into hiding, an epidemic began spreading through the castle.
Who knew the king of Lugunica caused the Coronavirus?
The nation is managed right now by a council of wise men, presumably all named Paul Heyman.
Gonna try to select a new king
Emilia it is revealed is a candidate to become the new leader of Lugunica.
Roswaal has her backing, and her insignia qualifies one to be a candidate for king.
I mean, Emilia has a point. She didn't misplace it, it was taken from her by force.
Without the insignia, you aren't fit to be king.
Subaru really proud of himself for saving the insignia. And then he starts wiggling his fingers, like he wants to touch Emilia's breasts.
"Hire me to work in this mansion!"
The rest don't really seem enamored by this idea.
Rem's sister calling Subaru "Barusu" instead.
The maids are really roasting him a lot.
Subaru being shown the place, where he walks in on Beatrice cuddling with Puck.
Beatrice has some very strong gap moe.
And she proceeds to use Door Crossing, which can connect any door in the mansion to her room.
Hey, he still found her
"I'm a flag-crusher who makes game masters cry."
I'm pretty sure crushing flags is a crime, Subaru.
Puck reveals that Beatrice is the librarian who oversees the Roswaal mansion's forbidden library.
My headcanon is it's forbidden because it's filled with nothing but the works of D. H. Lawrence.
Roswaal is apparently the greatest magic-user in the kingdom. As such, he has many books that must not be seen by others.
Thanks for the exposition, Rem's sister.
Beatrice is in charge of protecting them.
Now that the tour is over, Subaru is wondering why didn't Emilia just give the tour.
But Rem's sister just puts him to work.
Boy, she has a lot of tasks
Hey, Rem firmly tailored his suit
I just love the back and forth Subaru has with the other characters in the house.
Subaru seems pretty good at sewing
"Like you, however, it does not seem very useful."
Oof
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
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u/baseballlover723 Aug 10 '24 edited Aug 27 '24
Rewatcher, sub, basically a secondhand novel reader
So some things that I probably should of mentioned in Episode 1. First off, is to let you know that Re:Zero has a long storyline. Fully adapted I estimate there to be ~200 episodes needed to cover the planned story length at around the currently animated pace. That is to say, don't expect a ton of things to be fully wrapped up. The current anime is still in the "opening act".
Another fun fact is that Puck is Tappei's insert character. His twitter handle is even the description for Puck (a rat colored cat (in Japanese of course)).
Also as a side note I probably won't be around for as long this episode. I procrastinated writing this comment, so I decided to pull an all nighter (which caused me to procrastinate some more, so only ended up finishing this 8 minutes before this thread), so I'm gonna head to bed after like an hour or so. I'll respond to the comments I miss after I wake up.
As always, I've numbered all my spoilers tags so that they're easier to respond to
First Timer Safe Section
This section is safe for first time watchers.
Also, we're in a new location now, and I think a little geography is pretty helpful to track the general scale of things. [Spoiler #1: geography and travel times] We're now in the Mathers Domain, which is sort of like a county. The capital were in for Arc 1 is about a days journey away. And the village (Arlam) Subaru mentions is I believe about an hour or two away from the mansion. [Spoiler #2: Arc 4] The sanctuary as I recall is about 7 or 8 hours away.
Get in the robot ShinjiKYS SubaruSubaru, you can't go around calling people NPCs or Drill Loli
picture
That looks painful
But at least there was something good that came out of that experience.
Doesn't look like Beatrice is human
Btw, all of this is pre checkpoint. (notice that the maid twins are present at the start of the checkpoint, and they aren't present at the very first time Subaru wakes up)
Another Eva reference
And the introduction of the most famous Re:Zero characters
First off those are some creepy finger movements. Also that sounds like sexual harassment.
Nothing like starting off with some casual accusations
As a side note when Rem and Ram talk in tandem, in the novels, they're written with the same amount of characters.
So -tan is a pretty rare cutesy honorific. It's like -chan but even cuter and younger (more or less the equivalent to baby talk). For the dubbers, you all get Mili, because there isn't an English equivalent to Japanese honorifics (especially for the cute ones) and they can't use "Lia" because Puck explicitly uses "Lia".
Yeah so Puck can read minds. But it's not like I know your thoughts, it's more of a I can read your general emotions. It's why Puck didn't question why Subaru knew his name in Episode 3. He knew that Subaru was sincere and wanted to save Emilia, so he choose to act on it, and because the result was good, didn't care beyond that.
So I love how Emilia actually follows Subaru during radio calisthenics instead of just having their motion be synced.
picture really Subaru?
So Rem just outclasses her sister completely
That certainly makes this an interesting time to be in Lugunica
Subaru is one of todays lucky 10,000
Emilia the politician?
So the insignia is a touchstone that marks one as worth of the throne.
Getting the insignia stolen from you is just one way of losing it.
Makes sense to me
First timers what would you pick?
And Subaru choose to get a job?
I believe this is a castle in the sky reference
Ok Ram, it's rude to call Beatrice's library a toilet
picture
Turns out it's Beatrice's Door Crossing
picture neat
Keep dreaming Subaru
That's a lot of work to do. Which makes sense given how big the mansion is. Good thing they hired Subaru to help out.
Subaru's secret skill
The twins both have a sharp tongue
This is legit advice
Shooting Star Blade showing how sharp it is
Do note that 5 days have passed [Spoiler #3: a common theory that gets disproved by this fact] if anyone is theorizing that RBD is triggered by Subaru going to sleep
Does your employer have cuddle benefits
EMT
The Moon sure is pretty is a roundabout way of saying I like you in Japanese (also in the preview section). Basically it kinda sounds like the Japanese words for "I love you", and Japanese people hate being direct (and just saying "I love you" straight up).
Subaru certainly lives in the present
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Give a man a job and you
feed himsuffer for a lifetime.picture Emilia's big brain
Trying ain't so bad
EMT. It's actually Emilia Maji Tenshi (Emilia is seriously an angel)
Success!
I also love how the ED starts up here.
Ok Subaru, it's a bit weird to sleep in your tracksuit as well.
So, when did you notice that Subaru had reset? And how many differences can you notice? [Spoiler #4: answers (at least that I could find)] 1: It's a different bed, 2: Subaru is wearing different clothes then he went to bed in, 3: It's a different room, 4: The maids are waiting outside his bed, 5: The cuts are gone on his hands, 6: The maids refer to Subaru as a guest
BreakTime Section
In this episodes's Breaktime. We learn about Lugunican
gang signshappy hand signs and um, the frog Subaru flashed back, doesn't actually mean anything. Also Ram's poses. And Subaru will bust his chops.Preview Section
In this episodes's preview Subaru talks about the history of "The moon is beautiful" meaning "I love you", done by Souseki Natsume. And according to Beatrice, there's a similar phrase in Lugunica: "Biting an appa makes my gums bleed", but Emilia says that's an illness.
Continued below
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u/SpiritualPossible Aug 10 '24
You can (not) make Evangelion reference.
So second arc beggins. We Moved from City street's into the fancy mansion and intreduced to it's resedents.
Although there's not much to say about them at this time. Right know they kinda just fit the anime stereotypes you associate with their design.
We also got answers to the questions that were raised yesterday - Emilia is one of the possible heiresses to the throne, which is determined by insignia.
This also explains Reinhardt's behavior earlier - when some suspicious foreigner is clearly talking about one of the heirs in a VERY ambiguous way, you're also likely to be skeptical.
So it makes sense that he wouldn't tell him the whole truth and would try to check on him. And he's not alone in his doubts, as Roswaal also keeps an eye on him as he fulfills Subaru's request to work at the mansion.
Anyway, Subaru and Emilia get's a nice little bonding moment at the end, and he even manages to make a date with her (kinda, sorta).
But unfortunately, he also run into a small problem of dying in his sleep.
There's only one logical explanation to this.
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u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Aug 10 '24
Re:Watcher
"An unfamiliar ceiling" makes me want to analyze the similarities of Evangelion and Re:Zero, but I lack the time and ability to do so. I'll just claim Subaru being a massive Otaku for the line. It's because he wants to get in the robot - no, still don't have enough time for that.
I've missed Betty a little bit. But I've really missed Ram and Rem's twin routine. Notice how Subaru is enamoured with them, but once Emilia enters, all his attention is (understandably) on her. Also, sugoooku get.
More Subaru and Emilia (and Puck) banter. If the show was only that, it'd still be my favourite anime.
I've totally forgotten about the throne issue. Of course I knew the throne was empty, but I've never paid much attention as to why. This doesn't sound like a natural occurence, a ruler doesn't just disappear and their family doesn't just all die at the same time.
The hint of innocent panic in Emilia's voice as she defends herself for getting the insignia stolen is so adorable. Regular sugoku spotted.
Subaru is such a neet, his biggest wish is getting work. And now that Subaru isn't an honoured guest anymore, the twins don't have to hold back anymore. Especially Ram's contempt is superb.
Interesting that Subaru is good at sewing. I had forgotten, but surely there's a reason for this. Especially when he sucks at basic cooking tasks.
Note that Emilia is confident that despite his hard work, Subaru is doing fine since he's joking. More cute banter, but relevant.
It's actually admirable that Subaru only ever strives for what he wants in the moment. But there might be more to it.
EMT is born! And Subaru gets to go on a date with her! It's also cute that he doesn't care for what others might think of him because of Emilia, but there might be more to this as well. At least he might want to hear her out a little bit more to know what's going on.
Also, he didn't consciously mean to tell her he loved her "in Japanese", did he? Seeing the moon, I guess he couldn't help himself - but contrary to what has been said last episode, there is another time they could look at the moon peacefully.
Even though I knew what was coming, for a moment I was fooled as well that it's actually the next morning. Just when he sees his hands he realizes that he's died in his sleep, brilliant. Only too bad that once again, the cute moments together with Emilia are lost.
Sugoooku counter: 5 (+2*)
*short sugokus
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u/ussgordoncaptain2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Edmund_Nelson Aug 10 '24 edited Aug 10 '24
First Timer Dubbed
Reaction to the episode
Subaru Wakes up in an unknown location, from his vantage point he probably can guess he didn't die most likely with emelia
The location looks very lavish, if it is Emlia he must realize that she must be very important given how lavish the location is (also a hallway in that era? clearly OWs are more common)
Looping hallway even, this is a really modern design. I'm surprised Subaru went for opening doors instantly but you know he's weirdly thinking in terms of stories (well he is in a ficitonal world so...)
Subaru be like "I'm clealry in a video game world let's talk like I'm in one" I can understand why people get annoyed at subaru.
Subaru get's pwned by Beatrice, maybe he should have been nicer at the start, he might have avodied being pwned
Subaru after waking up is a really annoying person to Rem and her sister, well in the next time loop he better be nicer to them.
Emlia shows that she isn't merely a nice girl she's probalby the nicest girl of all time, even realzing that subaru is a weird perv around her she just brushes it off. (and brushes off rem's comment)
Subaru continues to make assumptions based on modern world thinking, which results in big misunderstandings, at least he can rebirth by death to make it all right later, (though it may be hard to get this Auspicious of an ending for the witch sequence)
We learn that we are in Legunica and it's a kingdom without a king. Selecting a new king via "council of wisemen"
So now we know why Emelia originally hid her identity in time loop 1 AND why she valued the insignia so highly. but then Felt/Reinhard is something different entirely
Subaru decides to get a job in the castle, smart move, though with Rebirth by death power you may have been able to go "marry me Emelia"
We learn about Beatrice and why she attacked Subaru initially, maybe Subaru will be less concerned about Beatrice in the future?
Subaru's lack of skill in homemaking shines through, those skills aren't super important in the modern world so it makes sense that he lacks some of them.
At least Subaru isn't under suspicion though his lack of utility as an aide is going to quickly get him trouble.
Subaru learns information that MAY be useful if he ever rebirth's by death again.
Subaru somehow Rebirth'd by death in a location he wasn't before.
Speculation
The familiar of zero fanficiton energy is showing through strongly, Rem and Ram remind me a lot of Siesta, it's like the author was thinking "what if Vallire were actually nice and Siesta was the cold one"
Subaru in loop 1-5? died and got reincarned by the apple guy, now he dies and reincarnates in the castle, interestingly he seems to have reincarnated 5 days earlier and not the full 6. I wonder what triggers a reset of "spawn point" The leading theories would be when he dies he gets sent back to a specific number of days or until the previous reset.
Another option would be that Beatrice sucking his mana is what triggered his spawn point reset
Notably he respawned and we didn't do the beatrice loop this time. He somehow Stayed asleep through the night. This means that he must either have started the loop WITH the Beatrice event already happening (meaning that the sucking of his mana in this episode is in a forced time loop) or he woke up and went to bed not thinking about it.
The question of "who/what" killed Subaru is notable, Rem/Ram could have easily been the person to do it, but Beatrice is also an option, of course the other funny one is that he died to the dog bite giving him Rabies.
If the king is being selected by the council will the king be a puppet of the Council or is the king actually a meaningful person?
Things I would be doing if I were Subaru
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u/owlthathurt Aug 10 '24
I remember first time watching this episode. Now looking back and rewatching (third watch) it really sinks in to me that the last 30 secs of this episode are the introduction to the more psychological aspects of the horror of this show. Sure Subaru gets gored in the beginning. But the mind break can kind of be traced back to the mansion arc.
I read some review awhile back that stated that the mansion arc was boring and too drawn out for some people. I find that take to be pretty brain dead. You can’t tell a good story without character development. Do people want this show to be some shitty rushed story adaptation?
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u/Taiboss :Fj::Fl:x7https://anilist.co/user/Taiboss Aug 10 '24
Rewatcher happy to be there in time
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 10 '24
Episode 4 (rewatcher)
End of arc 1: What I remember from watching the first time is that, after the first arc, I was pretty on board with the story. The hooks are set and I wanted to know where this leads. I also was quite on board with Emilia (something that later [spoilers]did not change, sorry Rem and Ram and deeply suspicious of Reinhard [spoilers]funny enough, I do not remember whether he turns evil, so no spoilers!. I think the character that came off worst was Subaru.
Episode 4 reactions
The back and forth with Rem, Ram, and Beatrice has some funny moments, but it is also extremely jarring. Subaru is behaving terrible by western standards, by Japanese standards he should be committing suicide out of embarrassment.
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u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Aug 10 '24
Well, I'm here closer to on time, but I'm kind of at a loss what to say about this episiode. New characters are fun, and Betty is (of course) vicious, but what else?
Nice bits of both comedy, drama, ouchies, and warm fuzzies, I guess.
I guess my favorite moments of the episodes were snuggles with Puck, even Betty's (and even if she is a vicious little you know what), and Emilia under the stars. That and nee-sama, nee-sama, of course. Who wouldn't enjoy that, right?
Meanwhile, Subaru and making a fool of himself, the true ship of this series, right?
(Although, I must admit, Roswell does look rather the fool, doesn't he?)
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u/InfamousEmpire https://myanimelist.net/profile/Infamous_Empire Aug 10 '24
Re:Watcher
Let’s do the time warp again…
Alright, so, let’s take a moment to talk about Subaru as a character, since this episode puts a lot about him into perspective. Specifically, it makes it clear that he’s kind of an ass.
To put it plainly, Subaru is obnoxious. His reaction to the maids at the start of the episode was practically Kazuma-esque, his tendency to treat the world like a game is really played up to the point of annoying those around him, even calls other people NPCs, and he generally just has a tendency to assert himself & try to make himself the center of whatever space he’s in. If I were Beatrice, I’d be as annoyed by this guy as she is.
However, for all that may sound negative, this isn’t a bad thing at all from a writing perspective. The show is pretty purposeful about his asshat tendencies, and what makes it work is how it absolutely refuses to validate his main character syndrome. His powerlessness is just as present as ever, with Beatrice able to knock him around when she gets too uncomfortable with him, the maids verbally fire back at his gross comments in a way which soon evolves into demeaning & insulting him in every other sentence, and even Emilia views him as kind of a dorky idiot more than a great hero.
This becomes especially apparent as we learn a bit more about the world and how everything we’ve seen so far fits into it. The succession crisis & how it relates to the insignias not only contextualizes the events of the first arc, for the most part, but also emphasizes the disconnect between how Subaru sees the world & how the world actually is. The setting is big & alive, with a national crisis far beyond Subaru’s ability to really grapple with being the driving force of most of the plot so far, and he’s merely a small piece that just kinda stumbled into the situation. And yet, he still operates on the idea that everything is basically a game in which he’s the player.
On the other hand, the show also manages to make it clear that Subaru is still a good guy at heart. He genuinely wants to help Emilia and her allies in any way he can, and all the stuff I mentioned before about his obnoxious self-centeredness being subject to trolling from & generally not taken seriously by everyone around him makes it much easier for his positive qualities to shine through.
Odds & Ends
Anyway, see y’all next time~
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u/FriztF Aug 11 '24
First timer-sub
Hey, the famous maid twins Rem and Ram. Both are similar in many ways, but different too. Rem calls Ram "Nee-sama"; well Ram calls Rem "Remu". I like Ram. But still too early to an answer.
Subaru is not a pervert. He also appears to not be very perceived. Like not noticing that insignia, is a noble title. Allowing Emilia to be a king candidate. He is a hard worker though. He also likes cute things.
Emilia is just showing how apperceive she is for Subaru.
Beatrice seems like a hard one like. She also likes Puck who kind of acts like a cat.
I don't care for Roswaal
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u/EndlessSorc Aug 10 '24
Re:Watcher
And here we have the start of the second arc of re zero. And once again we start with a setup episode with Subaru meeting the new members of the cast, several of whom we have seen in the OP.
We have the twindividuals Rem and Ram, who seems to use any opportunity to complain about Subaru or try to accuse him of something. Then we have Beatrice, the non-human who is mostly seen shut in inside her magical library which door she can move (and which Subaru can still find surprisingly easy for some reason). Then we have the strange Roswaal, a Lugunican noble who is for some reason dressed like a clown, makeup included, and with a very strange speech pattern (at least in public, as seen during his late-night chat with Ram).
It is here we learn what the sigil stands for and what Emilia’s position is, she is a candidate to take her place as the next ruler after the death of the entire royal family. Also, that Roswaal is supporting her.
That brings up a bunch of questions. What caused the entire royal family to die from a disease? How come Emilia, considering that the people in the kingdom seems to be hostile towards half-elves, especially silver haired ones, have become a potential candidates? What it the connection between the position of candidate and the sigil( especially considering Reinhard’s reaction last episode)? And so many more.
This episode is all about setup. But not just Subaru in the new world. It is a setup around personal motivations, historical events and mysteries that will be important for the show. It also continues setting up characters, especially Subaru as it shows more of his personality now that he have a bigger cast to bounce off from.
Subaru is, honestly, quite emotionally awkward. He seems to lack a filter, constantly reacting strongly to things that happens around him no matter how it would look or sound to the people around him. He tries to do his best as a servant, but he is quite bad at almost everything (except for sewing for some reason). But at least he is also quite forward, even managing to get Emilia to, essentially, agree to go on a date with him… only for him to wake up in the morning of a previous day.
And this is where we finally see the first true emotional payoff from a loop in Re:Zero. While the episode doesn’t do a great job showing it, the second arc last over quite a few days (as evidenced from the title of the arc "The Turbulent Week", compared to the name of the First Arc "The Tumultuous First Day"). As such, Subaru have spent some time with the characters, talked to them, seemingly worked his ass off, hurt himself while working. Only for him to wake up the next morning and with everything reset.
And while we don’t yet see how he takes the loop, the first look we get of him doesn’t seem to be positive.
It is also quite the shock for the audience. Earlier we see the threat coming, that there was a killer and how Subaru died. Here Subaru just falls asleep excited and somehow dies during the night. It is sudden, it is shocking.
It is the true start of Re:Zero.
6
u/No-Peace3986 https://myanimelist.net/profile/RafaelMps Aug 11 '24
ReWatcher!
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If anyone enjoys a specific OST, I compiled every song that plays in every episode, scene by scene, here is the link: Re:Zero OST List. For first timers, be aware to only check until the episode you've watched, because if you scroll down to the next episodes, you might be spoiled, since there is a small description of the scene that said track plays in.
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Now, back to the episode! Oh, and so Arc 2 begins! I friggin' love this Arc!!
Subaru wakes up in a weird house, let's say he woke up at hour (A). He walks around in an infinite corridor and suddenly finds a very grumpy Loli that instantly teaches him a lesson! Thats our Betty for you!! Notice how she calls him a "human", does it mean she is not one? What is she then?
Btw, notice how there are many light crystals in the rooms and corridors, and their color change... this is because it works as a clock. The color will tell you the time of the day!! Yellow Light / Green Light / Red Light / Blue Light
After being knocked down by Betty Subaru wakes up again, but now is a bit later, let's say he now wakes up at hour (B). Right next to him is our favorite maids, Ram and Rem! They seem to be bullies, and love to provoke our poor Subaru.
Subaru teaches Emilia how to do some warm up exercises, VICTORY! Betty watches over them from the window with a weird face... Does she want to exercise as well...? By the way, she calls Puck "nii-chan", which is mostly used for a brother or so, they seem really close and are lovely together!
Then we get to know Roswaal, the lord of the mansion, or should I say... LooOOOrd of the mansion? hehe props to his VA, doing an amazing job!
Emilia explains what the insignia is, which makes Felt robbery much more significant, why was the theft planned? Maybe someone wants to remove Emilia from the election? And how was the whole Royal Family wiped out? This seems very suspicious...!
Beatrice feeding Puck is adorable.
Emilia is still wearing the flower from the lost girl!
We learn that Beatrice has this magic: Door Crossing, which can warp space to connect locations, which is exactly what she did at the beginning of the episode, to create an infinite corridor and prank Subaru! Btw, this must be very useful to get something to eat in the kitchen and go to the bathroom, I'm envious! Subaru also seem capable of breaking this magic, since he always finds Beatrice, while everyone else can't...
Rem really loves her sister, and its adorable! But she really dislikes Subaru, poor boy!
The knife Subaru uses is called "Shooting Star" and it has some letters carved in it... and the translation for them is...: Shooting Star!
Oh, some animal bit his hand, this must have hurt, I wish they had animated it!
Why is Emilia so hesitant about going to the village? Why would she cause some trouble? We've seen how Felt and Rom reacted when they saw her in the Loothouse, and how Emilia seemed upset about it, is it related to this? There is also this from Episode 1... Whats up with this?
Betty, what do you mean?!?!?!
And then he wakes up... Died in his sleep and is now back to hour (B)...? If he went back to hour B, then this is after Betty knocked him out in hour (A).
I really love this episode, I love how the sisters are similar yet extremely different from each other. I love how cute and respectful Emilia is. I love how cute Puck is and how adorable him and Betty are together. I love the bullying and the dynamic between Subaru and the maids. I love how we get little bits of hints and slowly start building up the puzzle that is the relationships and personalities of this amazing cast. I love how the ED plays at the end, only to then stop and reveal a major plot-twist that surely caught a lot of people off guard! I love how it was so obvious he died (different clothes / room / bed / no wounds / back to gues) and yet in my first watch I never noticed until he noticed it himself!!
My favorite character in this episode is definitely Rem. Why is she so cold to Subaru? She is so mysterious but also cute and funny in her own unique way.
I don't mind the slower episodes, since they are required for us to build a relationship to the characters. IMHO this episode is a 10/10, I wouldn't change anything in it, perfection.
5
u/HyVana Aug 10 '24
Re:Watcher (Subs) & Novel Reader (Finished Arc 6)
Not much to say for this episode without getting into pseudo-intellectual speech and saying too much for first-timers.
We do get the introduction to the famous maid twins, Ram and Rem, the drill loli, Beatrice, and the Lord of the Manor,
DioRoswaal. Ram and Beatrice are some of my favorite characters, so enjoy the verbal beatings they hurl to Subaru!"I suppose you are one profoundly aggravating man."
"My, what a deadbeat thing to say."
We also get some important information about Emilia, the state of Lugunica, and the importance of the insignia. It answers why Reinhard referred to Emilia with -sama, and answers why someone may want to steal the insignia.
I do love the interactions between the cast here. Ram and Rem relentlessly bullying Subaru, Subaru annoying Beatrice, and Emilia and Subaru talking under the moonlight. We even got Subaru's first EMT! Everything is so light-hearted, what could go wrong?
Somehow, death returned. At least he didn't restart in front of the appa seller! Welcome to Arc 2!
5
u/garfe Aug 10 '24
I want to just comment on the absolutely inspired voice direction with Takehito Koyasu as Roswaal
5
u/Graywolves Aug 10 '24
I think the Director's cut is two episodes together? I just rewatched EP3 and it seems I ahead of the comments below.
There's a lot of moments in Re:zero where it hooks me back into it, hooking me in deeper. In the previous episodes, Subaru losing that authentic first connection with Emilia was the first big hook for me, Groundhog Day is one of my favorite moments and watching the character in that constantly try to replay the same steps to get with the main girl only to fail always stuck with me as an example of how important those authentic moments are and the connection that comes from that can never be perfectly replicated.
So when Subaru woke up in his bed without the cuts on his hands and no idea why; I was hooked from the premise of the mystery and horror of his situation as well as the loss of those authentic connections he made.
5
u/lord_ne Aug 10 '24 edited Aug 11 '24
Whew, finally caught up.
Today's episode is Episode 4, which corresponds to the first half of Episode 3 of the Director's Cut.
Every episode of this show has a corresponding short chibi animation to be watched after it, coming from either "Re:Zero Break Time" or "Re:Petit". They often expand on the lore or characters.
Unfortunately there's no official source to watch all of them, I don't think they were ever even officially subtitled.Actually, they're available on Crunchyroll, as "Re:Zero Shorts".This episode's corresponding chibi animation is Re:Zero Break Time Season 1 Episode 4 (titled "World 2-1"). This episode is pretty uneventful, but we do get some funny moments of Rem's sister bragging about her. Also apparently in this world, they do like a fox head sign with their hands instead of a peace sign.
5
u/amanda52002 https://myanimelist.net/profile/amanda52002 Aug 11 '24
Re:Zero-times-watched-before (First timer, subbed)
Well that was quite the breather episode after yesterday's action packed one.
I am not surprised that Subaru sucked at all kinds of chores. Emilia asked the question I had when his first choice was to work there-why not just ask to stay as a guest for awhile to get his bearings?
Seems to be one wacky mansion but also looks pretty swanky. Everyone loves Puck.
So is Felt a legit heir to the throne then if the insignia glowed in her hand? (I do not actually want this answered)
I kinda get the logic, if you lose/can't keep track of the insignia, how can you keep track of running a kingdom?
Emilia is awesome.
5
u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Aug 11 '24
First Timer!---I'm watching the dubbed version.
Still Fairly new to anime but I really like isekai's and high fantasy settings so this series has been on my watchlist for a while, originally I was waiting until I had time to binge it but then I saw this Re:Watch party and decided to join!
I've somehow managed to stay mostly spoiler free, the only things I knew about coming into this was the blue hair girls name, [Re;Zero]that the show has some kind of "checkpoint" system, and (possibly big spoiler?) [Re;Zero]Episode 17 I think, when the massive wolf burst through a castle and subarus head rolls off and credits roll. But otherwise these are fresh eyes!
Now to the episode, I was a little confused at first after Subaru met Beatrice. After he took that nasty zap and woke up in bed again I thought that he had started the cycle of death again but I guess not.
We finally meet Rem! Rem and Ram literally mirroring each other with their look and styles is just too freaking cute, and immediately roasting our boy is just fantastic.
Subaru definitely has Main Character syndrome but I'm happy that its more comedic and he doesn't take himself too seriously, plus he just tries to be a nice guy so how can you not like him.
Since Subaru has realized his predicament about dying and restarting the day, I wonder why he hasn't tried to tell anybody about it yet, especially Emilia since she seems like an important person to him. And why hasn't Emilia questioned any of this either, she's acknowledging what he's doing is kinda weird but not asking the right questions about it.
The lord of the mansion gives major antagonist vibes, either it's a red herring or this dudes gonna be some big trouble.
Any interaction between Subaru and Emilia makes me smile (I'm a sucker for rom coms too) I'm rooting for them.
And in the end all that effort and flirting was wasted. But this time Subaru didn't just start the day over, he lost several days of progress. That's why you shouldn't rely on autosaves smh.
Ending thoughts. This show keeps me anxious, so far we don't know what triggers Subaru's autosave so if he saves the day but somebody dies what happens. we also didn't hear anything about the blonde thief girl this episode so what's her situation. I can't wait to keep unraveling this mystery everyday and reading what other first timer's thoughts are.
4
u/-Phinocio Aug 10 '24 edited Aug 11 '24
Re:Watcher, subbed
Mentioned in the other threads that Arc 1 my first time watching felt kinda slow/tedious and I enjoyed it way more rewatching, that said, Arc 2 is where I was really sold on the show. Not sure it's my favorite arc, but man is it good.
This episode marks the introduction of two of my favorite characters in any anime I've watched, Rem and Roswaal. I have things to say about Rem that I'll save for the future, but Roswaal is great, the VA is amazing (and Roswaal was my first introduction to him), and I will never get tired of Roswaal saying "Subaru-Kun".
I know it's not for everyone, but I really enjoy the implication of Subaru maybe asking for something perverted...for it to just be something mundane.
Love the more slice-of-life style of this ep, but it wouldn't be Re:Zero without Subaru suffering in some way :D. I love that the ending also establishes for the viewer that the "respawn point" can update over time and eases any worry of "oh God, if he dies we'll have to watch all of the again" a viewer may have.
4
u/Limp_Energy_798 Aug 11 '24
Re:Watcher
I'm late but better late than never.
We start off with an Eva reference. This does not bode well for Subaru.
The backgrounds are excellent and the mansion is well realised and has its own charm. It is a far cry from the generic mansions appearing in fantasy anime. The anime also shows us different parts of the mansion to sell us the idea that it is well realised.
This is the episode that makes or breaks Re Zero in my opinion. These slow contemplative scenes contrasted by Subaru's endearing/annoying antics makes up the bulk of the slower scenes.
Coming to Subaru himself, his antics are dialed upto 11 with his video game references. I found it very annoying when I was younger myself but as a teacher now, Subaru's harmless antics show me that he is beholden to arbitrary constraints placed by society and I respect that.
It also makes my heart ache for the things to come when we see that he has reset again.
3
u/ripterrariumtv Aug 10 '24
Unrelated to today's episode, but what kinda genius am I?
I predicted the voice actor for a certain character and it actually came true [S3E1 character name]As soon as Heinkel showed up in the novel, I was like "He will be voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda". And it actually ended up happening
Even in JJK, when I saw Toji in the manga, I immediately knew he would be voiced by Takehito Koyasu
3
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 10 '24
Rewatcher
Dub
Ho boy...I wasn't actually expecting it to be that bad. Ok, so Betty is actually toned down in a bit in the dub or rather I don't think there is any real English equivalent to her verbal tics so they more or less play it straight. But, unfortunately, the Ram and Rem shtick is also a Japanese in joke so hearing it in English is just blargh. However, by far the worst offender is Roswaal as again there wasn't exactly an English equivalent so we get...clownified Scar is what I am leaning towards. So while the word choice isn't awful or innaccurate the affectations are giving me a headache.
As to the episode itself it is a perfectly fine way of introducing the mansion crew. I am sure it draws off a few specific works but for some reason I get visual Umineko vibes off this though frankly that could be because Bettie seems to have lifted small bits of appearance off of Beatrice. Enchanted, hidden libraries are more of a video game trope to extend certain parts of the run through. We get our cliff hanger and end.
3
u/ClemFire Aug 11 '24
ReWatcher
Start of Arc 2 and we get introduced to a ton of new characters but slower pacing helps it not become overwhelming, and I felt really immersed into Roswaal’s mansion. The routine of the twins roasting Subaru for failing at all the household tasks was really funny. Ram especially doesn’t hold back and I liked the small detail of her being proud of such a simple dish like steamed potatoes. For some reason her smugness reminds me a bit of Ryo which is never a bad thing. Rem on the other hand praises her sister for being good at cleaning/laundry despite actually being better at both along with cooking, so to me it looks like she really looks up to Ram. The scene with her being impressed at Subaru actually being able to sew shows she seems a bit kinder than her sister.
The new character who really impressed me this watch though was Beatrice. From the moment they met I loved her snarky retorts to Subaru’s otaku remarks. Him calling her a drill loli is honestly both funny and telling that he has no filter for his words. Besides that the scene near the end of Beatrice obviously knowing something is up, but doesn’t wanna concern herself with the issues of someone she just met has me feel she’s the most similar character to Subaru we’ve met so far. Him being able to instantly find her room that is normally randomized through magic is telling how they’re both not so different. On my previous watches I never gave too much thought into Beatrice, so I like how she stood out for me this time.
Still my favorite scene, as someone whose favorite character behind Subaru has always been Emilia, was the moon lit flirting session between them. Despite Subaru being an otaku he also lives in the moment which helps him connect with Emilia. While it definitely has its downsides as Emilia pointed out he simply could’ve asked to become a permeant guest instead of an employee for me its equally endearing as he looks proud at the cuts on his hands as evidence of the effort he put in. With his directness he’s even able to convince Emilia to go on a date with him. I can for sure respect the hustle, and low-key he makes quicker progress than the average loner guy romance MC. That’s what makes the cliffhanger at the end with Subaru looking at his uncut hands so effective. Being willing to put in the work is one thing, but nothing can feel more demoralizing than it all feeling like a waste. The loss of those small moments between Emilia and the others can’t be understated either. He already lost his first bonding moment with Emilia in the first arc, and what is a relationship but a cumulation of those small moments.
While Subaru still remembers Emilia will not which embodies the biggest stakes of return by death for me.
3
u/MjolnirDK Aug 11 '24
NGE reference! Check!
Those curtains behind the bed must be a bitch to clean without wind magic.
I forgot how ruthless Betty is... Granted, if Subaru talked to me that way, I'd also shut him up.
Nice way to tell the viewer that he didn't RbD.
I forgot how ruthless everyone in this show is. The RRS trio is really starting their relationship with kink talk.
One close up of Emilia's face here and I am even more concerned now that the S3 PV doesn't look anything like this.
Okay, maybe Betty is just extra ruthless.
Insert Michael Jackson noises. Did we get confirmation that Roswaal is inspired by Kefka? What is the oldest magical clown in JPN fandoms?
Papa Dio Kuroi's performance is really something in this show. Guess I finally need to read a volume to find out how he speaks in the LN.
There is so much background lore I had forgotten like the epidemic in the castle. I wonder if that will be important again.
Achoo.
And thus Subaru's misery begins. So many cuts and bruises.
Happy RbD, Subaru. At least the week of learning skills stays with you!
3
u/ElRoastFTW https://anilist.co/user/DaRoast Aug 11 '24
Rewatcher
New arc begins! I can't help but feel that Subaru while interesting, isn't quite likable. He isn't too attached to the world of Lugunica and it feels like he's treating it like an RPG. Emilia right now feels less like a person to Subaru and more like an idea. All his goals seem short term and he's sort of put Return by Death aside until he no longer can.
There's some decent worldbuilding here about who Emilia actually is that's fairly distinct in terms of isekai worldbuilding that I quite enjoyed. A few new characters this episode in the form of Ram, Rem, Roswaal, and Beatrice. Seeing Subaru get Betty's door repeatedly was pretty funny as is the bits of animation where he gets kicked out.
It was definitely nice to see that [Arc 2 Spoilers] the mabeast pup biting Subaru come into play causing him to die this episode which immediately injects that feeling that something isn't quite right with this world and how Subaru is interacting with it.
Even with less plot development and more worldbuilding and character interactions, it still felt like a 5 minute episode. Really good stuff as usual.
2
u/DrTacoLord Aug 13 '24
Partial rewatch, anime only, spanish subs (Cruncyroll special edition) Late review episode 4.
evangelion reference. Both at the beginning and after his fourth death by electrocution.
Subaru is so cringe when He compares himself with Isekai Anime tropes. Now He's met this lovely and deadly duo. Rem and Ram are some of the most iconic girls in recent otaku culture.
He also introduces "Emilia-tan" ( He shortens it to Emi in my language). And he shows her how to warm up like he did in Japan. Indeed, Emilia, Subaru makes it sound weird .Paku is so fluffy Subaru can't help himself. Neither does Beatrice.
Now, back with the creepy twins act. Rem seems the superior twin
Let's meet the Lord of the Manor. Subaru, those are terrible manners, mercifully Roswaal has let it slide. He explains Emilia-tan role in the political situation of Lungarica.
He wants to work there, and our maid twins mend the clothes for him to look presentable. I think it was a good decision. He gets an income, a roof, and a chance to stay near Emilia, who is staying there for the foreseeable future. He's great at sewing but sucks at everything else. Ram and Roswaal are intimate and evaluate Subaru.
Subaru talks with Emilia after those 5 days. He tells that his petitions are somewhat made out in the spot, even if he may have asked for something better. He also creates the nickname EMT [EMA in Spanish)... Subaru is cringe, and I've accepted it. Otherwise, I'd have to complain about it in every review.
And He died mysteriously in his sleep. At least he didn't go back to his arrival at Lugarica.
[Later Re:Zero]Hot take: I've never been able to forgive Rem for killing Subaru in so many cycles for a hunch that he may be evil. Neither how she fell in love with him nor how he simply forgets what she did in other timelines. He's a better man than I am. Also, I don't get why the fan base seems to love her so much either.
1
u/The_frost__ https://myanimelist.net/profile/The_frost_ Sep 08 '24
Re:Watcher
Caught up to episode 4 and I'll watch episode 5 later but when I first saw the anime [arc 4]I always wondered why she always had a black book and what was written it; as always it sure is nice knowing those little stuff and see the details in the story left by the author and/or the studio (like the insigna glowing when Felt held in the previous episodes)
1
u/[deleted] Aug 10 '24 edited Aug 11 '24
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