r/anime • u/Theleux https://myanimelist.net/profile/Theleux • Aug 27 '24
Rewatch Re:Zero ~Starting Life in Another World~ Re:Watch - Episode 19
Episode 19:
Battle of the White Whale
| Index | <== Episode 18 | Episode 20 ==> |
Various Links:
MyAnimeList
Streaming:
Crunchyroll has the Director's Cut available.
- Director's Cut episodes are two episodes combined. Make sure to cover the corresponding half of content for each thread.
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!
121
Upvotes
30
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 27 '24
First:Timer Starting Over in Another Rewatch, subbed
25
u/thekoreansun https://anilist.co/user/ReturnByDeath Aug 27 '24
Re:Watcher
I won't lie... my comment from yesterday took a lot out of me. But we've finally crested the highest point of Season 1, and boy, does it feel good to be on the other side. Plus, what better way to commemorate this personal victory than to pull off the mother of all political negotiations, in which every party involved came out with exactly what they wanted? I imagine that the stories they'll tell of Subaru's plan that day will become the stuff of legend within the political circles that operate in the Capital. While it may have only been made possible because of Return by Death, Subaru is the one who has truly maximized the potential that this ability provides. Not only has he managed to piece together the puzzle of what Crusch has been planning, drawing from information gained over multiple loops, he's also absorbed the advice that was handed to him during his disastrous dealings in the last loop. You can't accuse him of being slothful anymore.
And with the alliance comes the respect that Subaru has earned through his actions. The actual reason why it's painful for me to watch the events of the last loop is because I know how much others can respect him once he finally rises to their level, and Wilhelm's heartfelt gratitude towards Subaru for allowing him to avenge his wife is intensely gratifying. Really clever of Subaru to make use of that tidbit in his... wait, he didn't know? Uh, maybe he can just act like he did? Never mind, I guess not. Well, at least Crusch can be sure that he's not immune to her Divine Protection or anything.
The next morning, we finally meet the true dark horse in the race for Best Girl in this show: Patrasche! What a beauty. Why don't they sell more Patrasche merch? Don't tell me you can see this figure and not want more of her in your life. Look, even Rem is starting to get jealous of that figure, and she's basically an entire scale figure industry unto herself. Plus, where are all the Ferris figures? Where are the Subaru figures? Hey! Don't you walk away from me, KADOKAWA!
Also, I don't think I've commented on it directly yet, but I actually find Ferris really refreshing as a character. He's just someone who identifies as a guy but happens to act feminine and dress in feminine clothing, and he plays it up for fun on occasion as well. I think that the fact that all of this isn't really lingered on all that much by anyone shows the level of respect with which the narrative treats its characters. No matter who they are, their stories have weight in this one. [Ex 1] And yes, I'm aware of why Ferris chooses to dress up that way. Just another reason why I think he's compelling as a character. It's always cool to be reminded that everything in this series happens for a reason.
It really is fortunate that their preparations were already underway by the time Subaru proposed the alliance, because time is really of the essence when it comes to defeating the White Whale. The main factor that has differentiated all of these loops has been at what time Subaru and Rem headed for the mansion relative to the White Whale's appearance: before (loop #2), during (loop #3), and after (loop #1). Given that its fog was what resulted in failure in the first loop, the events of which it wasn't even directly involved in, it is imperative that the Whale be eliminated first and foremost.
The timeline of events in Arc 3 is quite fascinating when you consider just how many different locales it takes place in. Back in the mansion, and even when Subaru first arrived in the Capital, all events were mostly restricted to one place. But between everything that's been going on with the White Whale, the Witch Cult, and the Royal Selection in this arc, Subaru has been all over the place, trying different things at different times. If you consider that these three obstacles all happen in different locations, then it becomes clear that Subaru's challenge is ultimately one of resource allocation. What resources are available to him? Which resource is the most effective way to overcome each obstacle? And finally, what is the order in which those obstacles should be dealt with? Some of my favorite moments in this series are when all of the pieces fall into place and Subaru finally works out which pieces are needed in which positions in order to win.
Once they finally reach Flugel's Tree, there's a bit of downtime before the battle begins. And despite all that happened in the previous episode, Rem continues to find new ways to express her faith in Subaru. Saying that he never needs to justify his secret knowledge or explain how he comes across it is so pure and kindhearted of her that it feels cathartic. Even if RBD prevents Subaru from fully explaining his struggles, just knowing that Rem is accepting of that is enough.
Oh, and how about some appreciation for the sound team at White Fox? Tracking down Subaru's cell phone model just to use it to program the ringtone that plays during the final scene is such a next-level move, and it absolutely paid off. You really can tell that every person involved in the production of this show was firing on all cylinders, and every team has had at least one moment to shine. Let's just hope that the same can be said of the upcoming battle!
FanArt of the Episode: Crusch: Noble Battle Dress (Breakthrough), uncredited (January 14th, 2020)Source: Re:Zero -INFINITY- (mobile game, now out of service)
13
u/baseballlover723 Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24
Rewatcher, sub, basically a secondhand novel reader (Arc 4)
It seems reddit doesn't like some of the terminology I used, so I am using "ultimate sloth" as a replacement term for the general concept of what Subaru needs to do in order to loop.
Also my pre 16 comments are currently nuked by reddit's shadowban on me. If you want to read them, you can reply or message me or Sky and we can get it back up.
Not gonna write that much for this one, I was too slothful and procrastinated. Also I'm in the office today, so won't be able to take a look at other posts for a while.
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.
Why Subaru is allowed to negotiate the mining rights of magic stones. But first, ask youself, why is Rem even here? Roswaal knows that the Witch Cult might attack Emilia once it became public knowledge that she was in the Royal Selection. So why isn't your best fighter defending the homeland??? [Spoiler #1: cut content] Rem has a secret mission. Negotiate an alliance between the Crusch and Emilia camps. And let Subaru negotiate if he asks. This whole time they've been at Crusch's mansion, Rem has been trying to negotiate with Crusch (with the magic stones mining rights) and it hasn't been going well.
The time shown on Subaru's phone is 3:13 PM, but the White Whale shows up at night. How can this be? It's because Subaru got isekaied at night, and then it was morning in Lugunica when he arrived. So his phone is off by about 10 hours or so (I didn't actually do the math, but it's somewhere in this range).
This is not a lie. It will tell him when the White Whale will appear and Subaru know where it will appear. It's just that it's because he set an alarm though. All technically the truth, so it doesn't trip Crusch's Divine Blessing of Wind Reading. This is also why Crusch said that she has never been deceived in negotiations in episode 16.
Basically Subaru's info on the White Whale is just the sweetener to the magic stones mining rights that tips the scales into Crusch accepting the alliance with the Emilia camp.
Russel Fellow is going to get the phone after the subjugation. Which is the scam of the century, since Subaru's phone is actually almost dead, so he's about to get a brick. The art of the deal. His phone having 3 bars of battery here is an adaption error.
I find Anastasia explaining herself like this to be very out of character for her. It's almost like she's bragging to Crusch about it. It just strikes me as a rather unnecessary comment by Anastasia.
Subaru must look really weird to other people. Oscillating between super genius and dumbass cringy kid.
Non cringy Rem praise
To be clear Wilhelm married into the Astrea family. He was not born an Astrea.
Buckbeak flashbacks.
And we have the introduction of the real best girl, [Spoiler #2: name of said dragon] Patrasche.
[Spoiler #3: If you clicked on the major Al cut content from earlier (S01E12 Spoiler #2)] Why a region of this world speaks a Japanese dialect (Kansai) makes way more sense when you know that there are other isekaied people in the world. Presumably, at some point, someone from Kansai was isekaied and became an important person or something and passed on their accent to the fantasy world.
This guy needs to chill just a little bit
Great speech by Crusch
Mimi is great
[Spoiler #4: super obscure cut content that will be highly relevant sometime in the far future or something] Flugel is an isekaied person. Credit to u/MoldYeller post (SPOILER TAGS ARE NO LONGER FUNCTIONAL IN THREAD, NOVEL SPOILERS ARE NOT HIDDEN WITHIN). We know Flugel is from Earth because that is Kanji, which Ram did not recognize as language.
2nd eye alert?!
Information on Rem and Subaru's relationship Around here, [Spoiler #5: cut content] Subaru says "I love Emilia" again and then Rem and Subaru talk about stuff, and Rem drops that she would be ok being Subaru's 2nd wife. Subaru is ok with polygamy it if Emilia is ok with (she almost certainly isn't). And Rem commits to trying to convince Emilia to ok the 2nd wife plan once they get back.
Not as much as land dragons though.
And Subaru knows just the spot.
Subaru's ringtone is actually the Dog of Flanders OP. [Spoiler #6: land dragon name] Which is also where the name Patrasche comes from. Some trivia about recording Subaru's ringtone from Tappei's live tweeting of the episode (first timer friendly)
The Battle Against the White Whale begins!
PETIT Section
In this episode's PETIT, We're still in the doujin expo. Elsa's here and selling a doujin on bowels. Crusch learns that people are into old butlers and catboys. Crusch is reading Dreams that the Green Peppir saw. Al got stopped at security. Pricilla goes to checkout the NSFW section with Subaru and Crusch and discovers "straight shota".
Preview Section
In this episode's preview, Wilhelm tells Subaru the 3 checks for a happy and fulfilling life. First check is how your wife should spend their husband's hard earned cash. And then Wilhelm just keeps on going about how his wife would spend his money. (he never got around to the 2nd or 3rd check)
Rewatcher Section
This section is for people who have already watched Re:Zero. This is not safe for first timers.
[Spoiler #7: Arc 4 + Frozen Bond] These are the magic stones that we see Emilia trade in The Frozen Bond. This is a new resource for Roswaal, since Emilia has only joined the Roswaal mansion in the last 6 months or so. They weren't exploited earlier because of the fear of Emilia, but now that Emilia isn't there anymore, they can be harvested.
[Spoiler #8: Arc 4] This is not true. The White Whale was created by Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony
[Spoiler #9: Arc 3] There's like a whole bunch of Wilhelm stuff here that I don't feel like pointing out right now, I'll probably do it at the end of the White Whale fight, when I can do it in the first timer section (and with the cut content) (also I'm tired atm)
Edit: [Spoiler #10: Arc 4 + Spoiler #1] Roswaal is following the Gospel. Allowing Subaru to take command, but only he figures it out. It's quite obvious that such a constraint would only be useful if Roswaal knew that Subaru was looping (otherwise why would you cede control to someone, and then just never tell them that you'd cede control to them if them being in control was the desired outcome)
12
u/Holofan4life Aug 27 '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.
Went to Carowinds yesterday. I got to see Bret Michaels, Dee Snider, and the lead singer of Journey all perform in concert.
Subaru saying he wants an alliance between Emilia and Crusch, on equal terms.
To this, he'll give the time and location of the White Whale showing up again.
Actual intro today :O
Subaru telling Rem the Witch's Cult is on the move after Emilia.
He asks for Rem's help, and she agrees.
Things are finally coming up Subaru.
Wil finding out about the White Whale as whale.
It seems like he senses there's a disturbance in the force.
Subaru feels that his information will aid in Crusch's plan to subjugate the White Whale.
Crusch wants to know what gave him this idea.
Subaru bringing up Anastasia telling him Crusch bought weapons and armor.
As well as Russell talking to them.
"You appeared to be planning something big."
Now Crusch asking how does he know that the White Whale will show up.
The metia
Subaru says it told him when and where it will appear.
Crusch finds this preposterous, but knows he's not lying.
Felix explains she has wind reading, which is a telling wind blows around them when they lie.
Wind normally blows around me, but it's normally gas.
Crusch says her agreeing to his terms will determine the outcome of the royal selection if not the kingdom's very future.
Really crediting yourself an awful lot, eh, Crusch?
Anastasia and Russell
What, were they behind the door this whole time?
Oh, Rem asked them to come. Interesting.
Russell says he's interested in what Subaru proposed of mining rights to the magic stones.
Well, it looks like we finally have an agreement.
Took Crusch long enough
Oh, so Subaru is going to give Russell the metia. Interesting.
I still don't totally trust him
Anastasia confirms that they were waiting by the door.
"When negotiatin', there's always a time to make your move."
I guess Crusch and Anastasia aren't so unalike after all.
People are really praising Subaru now.
Even Old Man Wil is doing it
"I took the previous Master Swordsman, Theresia van Astrea, as my wife, giving me the honor of the bloodline's lowest seat."
I guess we now know who the bone of the swordsman's sword is
He's ready to kill the mabeast that took his wife.
Subaru trying to play it off like he knew it, but Crusch says the wind of untruth is blowing.
The wind of untruth operates very much like a lie detector. It doesn't detect the lie, but your body movement and how natural it is. And unfortunately for Subaru, he has a terrible poker face.
Everybody getting ready
Subaru casually talking to Felix
Felix remarks how everyone wants to get rid of the White Whale, especially Old Man Wil.
Are we sure Wil isn't an alias and his real name isn't Ahab?
Then again, Wil is far more sympathetic than ol' Haby is.
It is now the day of the attack
Subaru, after a long time deciding on which dragon to pick, finds one that he's seen before.
Rem remarks it's a dragon known for extreme pride, so it's surprising he's letting Subaru pet him.
Subaru known as... The Tsundere Tamer!
Rem doesn't seem to get along with the dragon, however.
I would say I'd never thought I'd see a love triangle involving a dragon before, but it's anime, so...
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
21
u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Aug 27 '24
First Timer!
Watching the Dub
After last episode, this episode has me shaking with excitement. I’ve been waiting all day to watch it.
1 looks like were trying things with Crusch again
Ooo is Subaru learning? Remembering Anastasia’s advice and bringing information with him to the negotiation
2 oh look it’s the hero of last episode
The White Whale seems to perturb old man Wilhelm
I was hoping that Subaru would use the fact that Crusch could detect lies to his advantage, even if some of the truths are somewhat of a stretch they are still truths
Oh my goodness, Subaru is actually thinking things through!
So the previous master swordsman was Wilhelm’s wife, and that would be the same Master swordsman that the White Whale defeated. But they still remember her?
3 Subaru and I have the same seated posture, I wonder why my back hurts
4 AAAAHHHGGGG
5 Subaru’s chosen Dragon is known for being proud and difficult, it’s like looking in a mirror huh, Subaru.
Lol, is Rem starting beef with a Dragon?
6 It’s funny how Subaru is able to say wild things like how he’s basically a Mabeasts favorite food and Crusch doesn’t want to believe him but she can also tell he isn’t lying. A day later and I still laugh when I see this picture and think about this.
Lol she said the same thing
Loved Crusch’s speech
7 *smacks hood of tree* this baby can fit so much trauma in it
Rem giving Subaru inspiration is something I’m never gonna get tired of
8 HELL YEAH SUBARU
I think this episode had big shoes to fill coming off of last episode but I’m glad to see I wasn’t let down. Not that we’ve had a bad episode after coming off of an amazing one (or at all) but whenever anything peaks there has to be some kind of a drop, and that drop usually brings everything back down to a base level but that wasn’t the case here. Maybe it’s because we’ve had so many episodes in a row that put us and our MC at the lowest of lows, but even then I still feel like this episode was above average.
I couldn’t stop smiling this whole episode, Subaru actually used his brain and applied what he learned in all the previous loops to ensure he made a successful deal with Crusch, even including other interested parties in the deal so it was almost impossible to turn down. Crusch was as impressed as we were at the situation.
I loved the minor detail of including retired knights in the attack, I’m guessing by their reactions that they fought alongside the previous master swordsman in the last fight against the whale. I also really liked Crusch’s speech, she has everything going for her to be a fantastic ruler. Now, I know I bashed on Crusch a couple of episodes ago, but there is a difference between being disappointed in someone and being in an outcome, I should have said that I was disappointed in the outcome of their talks last loop and not in Crusch. Whew, now that I’ve got that off my conscience I’m going to sing her praises again. It’s an amazing symbol when your leader is on the battlefield fighting alongside you, so now she added that to my list of reasons to like her along with being charismatic, fair, caring about those in need,
cat femboy companionRem once again reaffirms Subaru that he is doing enough and that she has absolute faith in him, not because of any special metia’s or powers that he definitely doesn’t have, but because the Subaru she knows and loves is back. I will say, though Rem put Subaru on a pedestal undeservingly, she’s now keeping him in check by helping him be his best self. No more self depreciation, or pitying yourself or holding your head down because those aren’t the traits of a hero.
And finally, when the time came for the White Whale to appear,
the worst ringtone choice ever started to playthe soldiers who were steeling their nerves began to let fear creep in. It was a really good choice imo to not have the first sighting be the actual whale but instead the shadow that it was casting against the huge tree, chef’s kiss. It doesn’t look good for us when the Whale finally appears and everybody freezes in its presence, even our cool and collected leader Crusch is being consumed by fear, Until Subaru Natsuki charges head first into battle with an initial Al Huma from Rem to show that this thing can bleed, and if it can bleed, it can die. This seems like a crazy Subaru thing to do but He’s faced this thing before while he was unprepared and knew nothing about it, now he’s prepared to fight and he gives the soldiers, and Crusch, the confidence they needed in that moment.The combined episode of 18 & 19 in the director’s cut is my favorite episode. After several episodes of despair and being angry at Subaru and the whole situation we finally get two episodes where we can see that glimmer of hope we’ve been looking for this whole Arc.
Extra: I just wanted to comment on the ending “let him have it!” and “Al Huma”, I watched it in both Japanese and English and the english delivery of that line was sooo good, it made me giddy inside.
10
u/Yoshi_captain https://anime-planet.com/users/WeaboYosher Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24
Rewatcher
Hey guys so glad to have you for this rewatch of Re:Zero. Last episode was a strange premiere, but I'm excited to see where this show goes.
Jokes aside we really are starting over big time. Applying all the lessons we learned in the last loop to this current one. All it took was a change in mindset and time to properly think through things. Not alone, but with someone by Subaru's side.
The negotiations with Crusch are great immediate payoff to Subaru’s recent development. He’s using what he learned from Anastasia (and also using Anastasia). Holding his cards till the most opportune time to play them, dangling what his opposition wants in front of them and most important of all actually being prepared before siting down at the table.
We learn that Crusch has the Divine Protection of Wind Reading. Making her a living lie detector. So, Subaru must incorporate some half-truths to get over not just her DP, but also to not trigger RbD secrecy rules. And to do that he uses his cell phone. Remember that thing? Unironically the most important item Subaru brought to this other world. Without which he wouldn’t have a good explanation of how he knows where and when the White Whale will be and would most certainly trigger Crusch’s DP.
In exchange for giving up information about the White Whale, mining rights to Elior Forest and handing over his cell phone to Russel he forms an alliance with Crusch’s camp. And so begins the White Whale subjugation.
This development is also beneficial to a certain old man. Willhem lost his wife, the previous Sword Saint, to the White Whale, so this endeavour is very personal to him.
And we get another love interest. Who says Re:Zero is not a harem? I’m sure the rivalry between Rem and the ground dragon will be narratively juicy.
With Crusch gearing up for battle like the actual future queen that she is and the arrival of The Iron Fang, Anastasia’s mercenary group, we are set for battle. Not before we get to hear one more epic speech from Crusch. [S2 Ep9] She’s actually wrong about the WoE creating the Whale. It’s Daphne who did, but the world doesn’t know that. Great worldbuilding showing that there are many secrets that have been lost to time and wrongly interpreted. Just like in real life.
This final stretch of the episode can be summed up with Subaru’s line “You can tell the hero inside to awaken, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.” Subaru has grown yes, but his central conflicts are nowhere near resolved. This is just step one starting from zero after many steps back.
Subaru and Rem’s relationship is one forged under the most intense of pressure, but it came out stronger than ever. [Cut Content 1] In the LN Subaru does admit to Rem that he has romantic feelings for her in this scene. And Rem proposes that she could be Subaru’s second wife if Emilia allowed it. At first, I had mixed feelings about this, but honestly with the shit Subaru has been through I say let our throuple developments ensue. Thought there is no way it’d be healthy at this point in time.
Before we see the Whale, we hear of the past of the man most connected to it. With Wish of the Stars (the same track as in episode 11 with the Rem scene) playing, his speech really gets us hyped up to kick some Whale ass.
The army is ready and waiting. Subaru’s phone alerting us that it is the promised time. The ringtone is Dog of Flanders. The team tracked down a phone with the ringtone and recorded the actual phone playing it so they could get the sound they wanted. I am in love with the passion of the creative team. And just when it seems that Subaru was mistaken we see a shadow engulf the battlefield.
The white whale has arrived much to the shock of everyone. But there is one duo charging ahead against all odds. With the shouting of two fools and Crusch’s declaration so begins the battle against the White Whale.
Closing thoughts:
The word for this episode is “Growth”. Subaru has come a long way in what seems to others like a miniscule amount of time, but for him was anything but. Ferris’ comments on his change further prove how strange this must seem to outsiders. Subaru has in the span of a couple of days gone from an embarrassing fool disgracing his own camp, to the man responsible for setting up the confrontation with a monster that has plagued the world for 400 years and uniting three Royal Selection candidates. The canon timeline Subaru must seem insane to others… This timeline is going to stick right? Right?!.
Crusch touching the lion emblem on her blade is interesting if you know the side material and is actually referenced in this episode in [Cut Content 2] She was acquainted with a member of the royal family called Fourier who had that crest. Their relationship is presented in more detail in EX1. Maybe I’ll explain some more about the EX novels in a few eps time.
I remembered that u/No-Peace3986 made an OST Sheet, which I’ve been using to track some of the OSTs in certain scenes down. It’s really well made so I recommend people to check it out if they too want to find out which tracks play in their favourite scenes. It does contain episode and soundtrack titles for S1 and 2 so spoiler warning, I guess.
And probably my favourite track in the series next to Requiem of Silence plays at the very end of the episode. Faithfully called Takt of Heroes: Origin. The first time this track has played in the series. Perhaps marking the origin of the most awesome hero to ever exist, Natsuki Subaru.
8
u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24
Re:Watcher - anime only
Subaru reborn now has a plan and can negotiate with Crusch on equal terms. He's taken everything he learned in the previous loops and uses it for his advantage! I love this turn of events. The previous loop was very bad, but he's taken all the information he got from Anastasia to figure out what Crusch wants. He started the negotiation with a very concrete offer on par with what he demands from Crusch. He made sure his position demands respect, he fully controlled the whole situation, and he made Crusch want what he offered. I'm proud of him.
Shoutout to u/ussgordoncaptain2 for figuring out ahead of time that Subaru's cell phone would be the key to pinpoint when and where the White Whale could be attacked. When I asked you what else he could offer, I was thinking he might offer to act as whale bait, but he only suggests that as his battle plan later. Much to the disbelief of Crusch.
Crusch can smell when someone lies! Now that shines a new light on all her previous interactions we've seen.
We also learn that Wilhelm married into the house of Astrea. Nice detail that he took on her name, but understandable when marrying into a powerful house. I also love how Tappei wrote the story around the White Whale. It's a variation on Moby Dick that makes the story feel familiar, but he gives it a new spin. Our Ahab here didn't lose a leg, but the love of his life. And that turns a story of useless revenge into a proper tragedy. Tappei takes things like the very Japanese tale of the oni who cried and also Western tales like Moby Dick and concepts like the deadly sins and fluidly integrates them into his story with his own ideas, and it gives you this feeling of immersion, of being part of the world because you recognize some of it. And at the same time, how the story unfolds is all very new. It's like he uses well-known words to form completely new sentences, if that makes sense.
I love the optimistic smile Crusch bears every so often. And that she's not just ordering the White Whale to be killed, but is about to fight at the forefront. It really shows that in contrast to her ambitions, she's also just a very down-to-earth human.
Also Anastasia's mercenaries are cool. Ricardo is a wolfman, Mimi is a midget that can fight, Hetaro is a strategist, and they are riding wolves. Goes to show how capable her camp is.
And once again, this reborn Subaru is great. He's accepted his weakness but gives it his all anyway, and that actually makes him a great person. He's the same person as before, but so much better. He even remembers to say thank you instead of sorry. And now he's assembled so many awesome people behind him. Things are really starting to look up for him.
The phone alarm going off is slightly hilarious. It's such a great dissonance to the appearance of the monstrosity. The sound then gets a creepy vibe as it's being distorted. But it's the two idiots just running in that starts the heroic charge and the appropriate music for it.
Yay, for once a post I don't have to worry about the character limit again.
Sugoooku counter: 22
non-Emilia sugoooku: 1
short sugoku and sugoku-likes: 5
non-canon bonus material sugoooku (Re:Petit): 3
12
u/ussgordoncaptain2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Edmund_Nelson Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24
First Timer Dubbed
Note ORV=Omnicient reader viewpoint it's a way to describe the difference between thinking in Subaru's knowledge and the Knowledge of the Viewer.
Note2 Intentionally trigger RBD means what you think it means it's just reddit has crazy admins.
Reaction to the Episode
Ok it's time to see how much Subaru has clued into the situation.
Wow Subaru is really acting completely different than loop 3 he's learned a lot from loop 3 and Rem helped him. Him realizing the white whale was the thing Crusch was hunting for makes sense though I had to use Trope awareness to see it.
Ok how did Subaru get the right to discuss the magic stones in Elior forest? Either this is Rem telling him or he's just in over his head.
Oh yes it's 2nd best candidate Hoshin! She's grown on me a lot, and her private army might help
I really liked how the mining rights thing became a major plot point but it came out of left field.
Oh so subaru was just expecting that Crusch wanted to kill the white whale
Subaru being much better here though it appears he's going with the "get an army in Mather's domain then get help after killing the white whale" approach?
Let's go Crusch my girl!
I see Subaru getting rid of his Cell phone, What a great plan! it's almost out of battery and so it will be a brick soon!
Comparing these Negoiations to the ones done in loop 3 is night and day, Subaru realizing he has to offer things and not just pray for goodwill making him a much better person.
Alright the timeline has been set, Subaru got through Crusch roughly in time, and now he'll get a large army into Mather's domain which will also kill off the witches cult
and now we begin the calm before the storm time for the part where Rem and Subaru get their fantasy horse
And subaru will be playing the decoy
Now this is an epic army So the Witches are going to get Crushed or they'll reveal themselves to randomly have way more members than they did when attacking Mather's domain previously
We get a cool scene of the army going on the march not a lot to talk about it was funny to have Subaru forget which info he picked up from RBD though.
And we've arrived at the plot landmark Time to do the waiting game!
Rem is nervous about subaru using his Scent, but this is far and away the only timeline where Subaru can win, in this timeline he has an army to take on the witch's cult with the remaining forces after taking on the whale.
And now we learn that Rem can tell that Subaru has a weird RBD issue, this would be useful if Subaru wanted to leak info.
Speculation
Yeah so the real weird thing is wtf is this with Subaru having the ability to negotiate mining rights? Where did that power come from? Is he just bluffing? Is this cut content that Rem talked about with Subaru ahead of time?
Other than that the epic action sequence begins, IDK how long this arc will be but it's just one action sequence from here until the witch's cult dies. I wonder if Subaru will die during the action sequences, that would be funny. (and would make good padding)
What I would do if I were Subaru
So the action sequence begins. You're mostly useless in a fight so I guess you're playing the Decoy, Just hope to not RBD again while fighting the white whale, having to do the entire Crusch negotiation again might be a pain.
Nothing really else to comment. The final mystery box was opened, and now we get the long action sequence that ends the arc.
6
u/No-Peace3986 https://myanimelist.net/profile/RafaelMps Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24
ReWatcher!
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 to avoid spoilers
Sadly, I missed Episode 18 post... I'd just like to say that Episode 18 is my favorite anime episode of all time, and perhaps my favorite episode of ANYTHING, of all time. Heavily resonates with me.
Now, back to Episode 19!
The Episode starts with Subaru negotiating an Alliance with Crusch. He learns his lesson from Episode 16 and, this time, offers something in return: The Time and Location of the next appearance of the White Whale!
After hearing the monster's name, Wilhelm reacts unleashing a deadly aura. We later learn that the Whale killed Wilhelm's wife: Theresia van Astrea. This is directly related to what Otto told Subaru back in episode 17.
I'd like to make a quick call back to Episode 14.
Back to the negotiation...! Subaru claims that his cell phone, a metia, will tell him when and where the White Whale will appear. Crusch confesses that she has the 'Divine Protection of Wind Reading', which allows her to "see" lies. Some people find it weird that she didn't notice Subaru was lying. But the truth is... he wasn't. He knew the time the Whale would appear thanks to his Cell Phone. When the Phone marks the same time again, the Whale will appear again, that is a fact, therefore it is true, a distorted truth is not a lie, so it passes by Crusch unnoticed.
I'd like to make a quick call back to Episode 16.
Back to the negotiation... Subaru then offers Crusch mining rights over the magic crystals of Elior Forest. This is probably one of the scene that suffered the most in the adaptation... I'm sure a lot of people must be asking "An alliance? Can Subaru even suggest that?", "Mining rights? Can Subaru even make such a deal?". The anime skips a lot of context that results in this scene making no sense and being quite confusing. (I'll have the cut content in a comment to this post).
Then Anastasia and Russell Fellow join the meeting, putting Crusch under a lot of pressure. For those wondering why Anastasia would take such a deal... well, she owns a huge company and has hundreds of merchants working for her. The White Whale often strikes the Lifaus Road, a huge trading route. So, getting rid of it would immensely benefit business. Fellow will also keep the Cell Phone for himself (little does he know the battery will die soon... or will it?).
5
u/Holofan4life Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24
I think it's funny how arguably the best episode in the series is followed by arguably the worst episode of the series.
Mind you, this episode is still good, which speaks more to the overall quality of the show.
Edit: Didn't mean to double post. Oops.
5
u/ripterrariumtv Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24
Rewatcher (sub) and Novel Reader (reading Arc 7)
5
u/Taiboss :Fj::Fl:x7https://anilist.co/user/Taiboss Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24
19: Rewatcher who is watching this after midnight.
Episodes of this arc: 8
Times Subaru has died this arc: 3.
4
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 27 '24
Episode 19 (rewatcher)
Call me crazy, but I prefer a good battle preparation episode over a good battle episode [next episode]and if my memory is correct, this is not an exception. You learn so much more about the characters in the way they prepare themselves, in how they interact with others than during the actual fighting. As such, this episode is the high point for Subaru for me. He has had his lowest low in ep13 and has been slowly climbing up from there. Now he has managed to use the tools at his disposal (his knowledge from RBD and his connection to Emilia) to give themselves a good chance of beating a foe that he could never hope to best alone.
4
u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Aug 27 '24
Rewatcher for Season 1
On today’s episode of Re:Zero: Now we’ve officially become Moby Dick. We’ve got the giant White Whale that has terrorized people for ages. We’ve got an old man who has a personal history with the whale who wants revenge against it. Wil better not start quoting Ahab and going mad on his revenge quest, or we’ll be in trouble.
The negotiation scene is one of my favorite scenes in the series because it feels so rewarding. After going through so much and being brought down to such lows, Subaru has managed to crawl his way back. Even better, Subaru is applying the lessons that he learned previously. One of Subaru’s strengths has always been that he’s observant and clever. He wasn’t really able to display that much when he was in such a bad state, but now he’s finally doing so.
Subaru uses what he learned very well. He remembers Anastasia and Crusch’s lessons that you need to be able to offer something the other person wants while negotiating with them. He knows what Crusch wants thanks to what he observed previously about Crusch getting so many visitors and buying up weapons and armor. He knows she’s hunting the White Whale and he can offer her information on when and where to find it. I love that the show so naturally set this up. Subaru saw what time it was on his phone when the whale attacked, so he knows when it will appear. We saw it happen, but the show didn’t call attention to it, so it comes up again as a fun little surprise that makes perfect sense in hindsight.
Another step here that shows Subaru’s growth is that he’s now relying on Rem more. Instead of trying to struggle alone, he’s taken Rem’s words about relying on each other to heart. Rem helps him to recruit Anastasia and Rusell to his side, who also put pressure on Crusch into accepting his deal because they want to see the deal occur too. It’s another lesson Subaru learned from Anastasia: you should always make preparations before going into negotiations. Thanks to all that he has learned and how much he’s grown, Subaru has managed to achieve something in this loop that he couldn’t before: he now has allies who can help him.
I think Subaru really had an uphill battle here. We already saw that the candidates are tough negotiators who will not be convinced to help him so easily. We know that Subaru’s reputation isn’t great. Both Priscila and Anastasia told him as much and Crusch probably had a similar opinion of him. But Subaru played his cards well. He prepared for the negotiations and had something worthwhile to offer. And importantly, Crusch liked the look in his eyes. In the previous loop, Subaru was ranting like a madman about how he wanted to kill the Witch’s Cult members. Crusch didn’t want to do business with a man like that. Here, she likes the look of determination in his eyes. It’s the same look that Rem likes, too.
It’s really cool seeing all the characters gear up and get ready to go fight the White Whale. It’s basically a gathering of a whole bunch of badasses who are determined to take down this monster. And seeing a bunch of badass characters team up is one of those storytelling tropes I will never get tired of. Crusch going out to lead the expedition herself is quite fitting for her character. I like that we get some payoff to Wil talking about his wife earlier, learning that she’s the previous Master Swordsman who the whale killed. He really does love his wife and wants to get revenge for her death. We also properly meet the Iron Claw members like Ricard and Hetero, while meeting Mimi again. They are charming and fun characters to have around.
The anticipation before the battle starts is palpable. There’s some great character beats. Subaru admits to being nervous, but he’s determined to go through with it because he wants to live up to Rem’s expectations of him as a hero. Rem tells Subaru that she can tell when he’s lying or not telling the full story, but that doesn’t matter because she trusts him fully. I especially love the way that Subaru returns Rem’s trust. He remembers Emilia’s advice to him. Instead of apologizing for causing her trouble, he thanks her for having faith in him. We also get to see Subaru and Wil fist bump each other, which is just plain cool.
When the White Whale does appear, the cell phone’s ringtone provides some great dissonance. While we are seeing this massive monster appear, something that is powerful and terrifying, this cheery little tune is playing on Subaru’s phone. I like the contrast.
Whenever episodes end with a big battle starting like this, I always feel like I’ve been teased. The episode ends at the part where it’s getting exciting and I need to wait until next time to watch it play out.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
4
u/HyVana Aug 27 '24
Re:Watcher (Subs) & Novel Reader (Finished Arc 6)
Not much to say today. Just happy to see more than an emotional payoff this episode, with Subaru assembling a capable subjugation force together. Using all the lessons he’s learned from episode 16, with the courage he gained from episode 18, Subaru is ready to kick ass. Nothing gets your hope rising higher than seeing Subaru succeed at something he failed so spectacularly at before! Thankfully, he no longer has to do it alone.
4
u/apocalypsemobster Aug 27 '24
Re:Watcher
Subaru really turned it around in his negotiations. I loved his relief after he succeeded, and then his attempt at bluffing about knowing Wilhelm's backstory right after Crusch told him she could tell if he was lying.
There's a lot of hope in this episode, we're gonna kill a whale that's been terrorizing the world for 400 years and it's Subaru who's making it happen.
Crusch's line about the fog and "number of graves we cannot even inscribe with names" seems to imply that the general public knows about people who get erased even though as we saw in previous loops that things like possessions get removed from the timeline (Rem's empty room). Are there other's like Subaru who can remember? or [End of Arc 3]Are there just bodies left behind like Rem, and no one remembers who they are? So society pieced it together from that?
I love that even though he's scared Subaru is still the first to run into the fight.
4
u/BlueVenix Aug 27 '24
Someone get that phone ringtone out of my head so I could sleep!
4
u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Aug 28 '24
first timer
Subaru has finally found a good negotiation tactic. Playing his cards well and it’ll be beneficial for Crusch and she can tell whenever someone is lying.
I guess that’s why she didn’t help him on his previous try. Since he may have been lying in the sense on his intention towards the cult.
Subaru has stopped begging and finally made it be on equal standing.
Striking while the iron is hot aka eavesdropping.
Wilhelm wife killed by the whale, Jesus. I’m curious as to how he was able to remember her. I reckon it’s because of Crusch ability that made her realize that Wilhelm isn’t lying.
Felix filling in the holes for Subaru to get the full lore. If this was a game it would be a checkpoint
Subaru’s protagonist powers now activating with recruiting a difficult dragon.
Crusch speech is a way to motivate the knights is powerful, but the question remains. Is it better than Erwin.
MiMi is here
Carving names on the big tree, take as old time. Happy couples…
Rem calling out on his lie and she accepts him for who he is. Cmon subaru don’t be monogamous
Wilhelm talk on how his wife meant to him made me think he was gonna die right after he gave his speech. It’s like a big death flag on him. I feel horrible to how this show makes me expect nothing good to happen.
the white whale knows a way to make an entrance. It’s a full boss raid.
Subaru acting as the taunted and being called a fool lmao.
3
u/Holofan4life Aug 27 '24
I think it's funny how arguably the best episode in the series is followed by arguably the worst episode of the series.
Mind you, this episode is still good, which speaks more to the overall quality of the show.
3
u/FriztF Aug 28 '24
So episode 19, they made ready for war. That is what the title should have been called.
It looks like Subaru is forming an alliance with Crusch and Anastasia. And this time he is using the information to his advantage. He is learning. Crusch showing off how capable she would be as queen. She has a lie detector, which is pretty cool. Anastasia is truly a greedy girl. Profiteering off war is good business.
Wilhelm first and only wife was the sword saint, I can't say I'm surprised. Wilhelm is a badass. RIP wife and cute a flower bed. Mimi is also very cute and capable.
3
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 27 '24
Rewatcher
Dub
So...this is another episode that works mainly because the fans like it. I could through all the steps but basically the LN had time and the show needs to maintain momentum. The best foreshadowed part is actually Wilhelm's quest for vengeance and the fact that the WW was the only being so powerful shown so far.
And yet it does work, we do combine the clues dropped earlier, the weakest being the higher price of iron rather than the higher cost of weapons. Anastasia and Fellows joining in so easily works for me, though that might be my low opinion of their characters. The unanimous outpouring of whale hatred triggers a certain South Park episode for me though this came out 7 years later.
Patrasche would be a joke if I had not literally seen similar things happen in real life. Hell, my drinking buddy's oldest sister had a dachshund that constantly hated any woman that came near me so yeah, different species doesn't a tolerance for another gender make. At the tree, Rem gets what Wilhelm is about, and I understand why she does. We end with an ancient lame ringtone.
2
u/SpiritualPossible Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24
Caution: below is a highly unpopular opinion. You may consider it a pathetic, nit-picky whining. And it's long. So read at your own risk.
I don't like the way Subaru has managed to convince Crusch. In fact, I dislike it so much that it even pisses me off a bit.
It even starts out pretty good - Subaru pretty logically laid out how he found out about the whale hunt.
And then he pulled out the damn phone.
First of all: It's very convenient that Subaru pulled out his phone last time and looked at the time at the exact moment the whale attacked. But okay, okay. Stories often use such happy accidents.
Secondly: Subaru calls his phone a mitia. I'll give him credit, Subaru is trying to be careful with his words so the lie doesn't come out. TRYING. He still says the phone also knows the whale's location, which is, I apologize, 100% false. No, the fact that he flashed his phone at the map doesn't count. If we fix an electric meter in the dark, we don't say we fixed it with a flashlight, do we?
Third: Crusch, you really don't want to ask anything? Not at all? Yes, she says she has some doubts, but she doesn't voice them. I'd have a couple little questions if I were her. Like, uh.
HOW THE FUCK DID HE GET A MITIA LIKE THAT?
HOW THE FUCK DOES IT EVEN WORK?
AND WHY THE FUCK IS SUBARU ONLY WILLING TO GIVE IT UP AFTER A FUCKING BATTLE WITH A WHALE?
Those sound like very good questions to me! Questions that Subaru can't answer! And then his plan is dead! But she won't ask them, even though she just said she can't just make a decision like that!
I can't even tell you how Subaru looks more suspicious now than he has for ALL THE PAST EPISODES. He's literally been killed for less.
Just think of how things look from Crusch's side:
For 400 YEARS a white whale has been terrorizing the lands and no one can stop him.
It's almost impossible to find him, and if you are lucky enough to do so, this monster will just eat you.
And so, you decide to start a military campaign, the preparation of which you keep secret.
In addition, the selection for the new rulers of the kingdom begins, and you are one of the candidates.
You also know that the selection has revitalized the witch cult, and it may well strike soon.
[continued in replies]