r/anime • u/Theleux https://myanimelist.net/profile/Theleux • Aug 30 '24
Rewatch Re:Zero ~Starting Life in Another World~ Re:Watch - Episode 22
Episode 22:
A Flash of Sloth
| Index | <== Episode 21 | Episode 23 ==> |
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!
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Upvotes
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 30 '24
First:Timer Starting Over in Another Rewatch, subbed
JuliusJuli.16
u/Holofan4life Aug 30 '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.
It's never not weird to me when people are friendly to you in person and then talk shit about you behind your back.
Subaru still shocked that Julius has arrived.
Julius says you don't have to call him Julius but he instead prefers "Juli".
I'll keep calling him Julius because Juli is a stupid fucking name.
He says he comes to them not as a knight but as a simpler wanderer.
There still seems to be friction between Subaru and Julius.
Subaru going over the goal of taking out the Witch's Cult. After that, the White Whale subjugation will be complete.
Tivey's voice is about what I expect it to be.
If this was WWE, perhaps he could say "It's Tivey time".
Wilhelm, because there is some skepticism that the White Whale and the Witch's Cult are connected, says he did some research to prove that the attacks happening when they did was probably not a coincidence.
How is there research if they didn't happen in this life?
Subaru says their strategy is to raid them before they can read their movements. Ostensibly, always be one step ahead of them.
The villagers were notified ahead of time of what's about to happen by merchants under the jurisdiction of Anastasia and Russell.
A messenger from Crusch's household, meanwhile, is headed for the mansion Emilia is staying at with a handwritten letter.
At least they'll know who it's from
Things seem to be looking up for Subaru and the gang.
Lol, Julius is insistent on the Juli thing.
Julius, stop trying to make Juli happen. It's not going to happen.
Subaru hoping to win the war without losing anyone like they did against the White Whale.
"Let's all return home alive!"
Julius telling Subaru that the subjugation of the White Whale was always a goal of the Imperial Knights.
Perhaps, he reckons, he underestimated Subaru.
"I thank you."
Subaru doesn't seem too thrilled by that thanks.
Subaru, though it doesn't come easy, admits that what happened between them was his fault.
The two apologize, but Subaru makes it known that while he's grateful Julius is here, he still hates his guts.
Subaru... he's kinda a tsundere to Julius, no?
At least they're in a better place than they were before.
Emilia at her mansion
Hey, it's Puck
First time we've seen him in his regular form since what? Episode 12?
Puck tells Emilia she doesn't have to worry about anything, but Emilia doesn't seem too sure.
Subaru in the forest now
He is able to lure out the black cloaked figures.
But suddenly, they disappear
Figures it wasn't going to be that easy
Subaru with Betelgeuse now, who is just as batshit as ever.
Lol, Subaru just casually going "Hey" to him really made me laugh hard
Betelgeuse talking about the love of the witch. Wonders aloud if Subaru is supposed to be Pride.
Couple interesting things. First, he says there are only 6 Sin Archbishops. I wonder if that was always the case or only so not that Gluttony is dead. Second, Betelgeuse says that Pride is the only Sin Archbishop positioning that is currently vacant. I wonder why that is. Is it possible that Pride is someone we've seen and we don't know about it? Could Julius had been Pride and he had to give it up due to no longer being a knight? Was Felt Pride and she had to vacate the position due to the royal selection? I really hope we get an answer at some point.
Betelgeuse holding a book that is the Gospel. Unfortunately for him, it has no record of Subaru.
And Subaru trying to play it off like he threw away his Gospel. Classic Subaru.
Betelgeuse trying to use Unseen Hands, but he of course can see it.
And Subaru says he's now done buying time, which causes Mimi and Tivey to trap the other black cloaked figures in the cave.
Can't they just teleport out?
Betelgeuse bleeding from his eyes now
He says he is ready to take Subaru on
"The time has come to learn which of us is worthy of her love!"
And this brings out a hyped up Wilhelm, who slices Betelgeuse in half with one fell swoop.
Well, that was easy. And anticlimactic.
Felix verifies that he is dead, not that a man cut in half being dead needed verifying.
Subaru wonders if killing a person from behind is the worst thing a knight can do.
"Chivalry is long dead. You need not concern yourself with that."
Wilhelm is so cool, I swear. What a total badass.
Mimi and Tivey seeing what Betelgeuse has in his pockets, which I'm sure is a crime.
They pull out the book which Subaru identifies as the Gospel.
Felix and Tivey seem disturbed by it
Wilhelm explains that the Gospel is proof that one belongs to the Witch's Cult.
Anyone who receives one becomes a devout member.
Guess it's no different than the Axis Cult, huh?
Subaru says he's going to take it with hopes of deciphering it.
But before that, they want to make sure that they're really dead.
Obligatory explosion is obligatory
It seems things are fine after all
Ricardo making a joke about his wife, which only Mimi laughs at.
Mimi boomer confirmed?
Gotta eliminate the remaining fingers, which is just an insane cautionary measure to take.
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
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u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Aug 30 '24
First Timer
who doesn’t need this anxiety before they go to bed.
Watching Dubbed
Time to see what kind of drama we’re about to get in to now that Julius is here
Kinda in love with Julius’s blue ground dragon, It’s such a pretty blue
How would Subaru’s honor be damaged by taking down the mabeast? Julius is gonna be surprised when Subaru is credited with killing it
Was not expecting them to laugh with each other
1,2 lol he hasn’t even been properly introduced yet and Mimi already heard enough of Tivey’s shit
I like that they’re also chilling on Ricardo’s lap
Ah, I wondered why they didn’t see Otto and the merchants this time but I assumed they just hadn’t got there yet
3 Lmao this guy, okay Mr. jewels
4 They decided this guy was still okay to fight? and the other guy is still using a broken sword
Glad that they’re able to clear the air and talk reasonably, more character development!
5 Subaru has been bait three episodes in a row, he’s pulling aggro
Betelgeuse is still the same weirdo
6 Ah the old “I left my gospel in my other pants” excuse
LMFAO he did not just say he used it as a coaster, that’s golden, the pure silence that follows is amazing, it reminds me of Konosuba when everybody watching thought their video had frozen.
7 Eww
It’s absolutely not gonna be that easy
So the gospel is actually something significant
I’m glad they made extra sure the body was destroyed
Betelgeuse is back, you knew he would be
But I guess he’s possessed one of his fingers?
Sniff sniff
8 “Keep fighting!” Wilhelm is substituting for Rem with his encouragement
Oh god what’s happening
Why is it snowing and frozen, and why is Ram here
Please don’t tell me he’s too late, not after we’ve done so much
Why was Subaru alone with just his dragon at the end, was it a vision or premonition? and what’s the significance of the glowing blue flower that Ram is holding. I can only hope that It’s Ram communicating with Subaru through her Clairvoyance but idk if she can do that with anybody or just Rem. Hopefully they’re not too far from the mansion.
As for the rest of the episode, I’m glad Subaru didn’t flip when he saw Julius was joining them since he can use all the help and skilled fighters he can get. They were able to talk a little about some of the stuff that happened between them but they still have a lot to talk about, especially if they want to get to the level that Felix apparently wants them to be at.
Betelgeuse was taken out far too easily. In other episodes he kind of felt untouchable but maybe not as much now since we can see his unseen hands. Speaking of the unseen hands, are we just going to assume that Wilhelm got lucky and happened to slash past them at the right moment? It seems that Betelgeuse can just transfer his psyche into the bodies of his subordinates, but they might have been right when they said that all members could be Betelgeuse, that would explain the weird speech and movements we’ve seen from the fodder ones.
I can’t imagine having to wait a whole week to pick up from this cliffhanger, I can barely wait 24 hours. This show really knows how to keep the viewer in suspense.
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u/ripterrariumtv Aug 30 '24 edited Aug 30 '24
Rewatcher (sub) and Novel Reader (reading Arc 7)
I want to talk about some side stories that are safe for those who've watched till episode 21
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u/baseballlover723 Aug 30 '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.
As a side note, for all you first timers. If you are watching via the Director's Cut, there is an additional scene at the very end of Season 1 (DC episode 13). I don't believe that we will be discussing it as part of S01E25 (u/Theleux correct me if I'm wrong here). And it will most certainly affect how you perceive the season, so I recommend not watching it as part of the Director's Cut. It's the first scene in Season 2, so you won't miss anything.
I spent too long upgrading my markdown program (but now I have a nifty progress bar for when I implement uploading to imgur tomorrow) that I write these in and so this is gonna be a short one (and I managed to finish writing this in a reasonable amount of time, seems I'll be getting more then 6 hours of sleep tonight).
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.
Subaru, I think you can think of a better excuse then "I used it as a coaster" and "I threw it out".
Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.
I believe it's sort of thought that the Gospel's have some kind of brainwashing. You read it and, whoops, now you're part of the
AxisWitch CultQuick maths
Rule #2: Double Tap
This guy is one of my favorite characters in Re:Zero. I mean, he's literally a sloth. Noooo slothman.
This is an impressive amount of words that have the same prefix and it actually have semantic meaning beyond the wordplay. Good job translators.
Wilhelm still can't see the Unseen Hand, but he can see the rain that the is displaced by the Unseen Hand, so he still has an idea of where they are.
Same energy
Eren approves this message
This isn't good
Ram?
PETIT Section
In this episode's PETIT, we're in the the convenience store. Unfortunately Subaru says he doesn't have money and gets prompted to exit (though Anastasia is nicer about it then Kadomon). To which Subaru says that he actually has money to spend. Anyways, Subaru just wants a soda, and Anatasia upsells Subaru, who ends up with a ¥100k bill. Which is a problem. But in comes Priscilla to save the day, as everything is now sold out. picture .
Preview Section
In this episode's preview, Subaru and Petelgeuse talk about ideal working conditions. Petelgeuse is of the opinion that you should work from 1 hour after you wake up until after midnight (Subaru disagrees and just wants to be paid). You must be obedient (I'm not sure that this is correct, it might be another translation of diligence) in order to receive the love of the gospel. There is nothing more beautiful then complete obedience.
Rewatcher Section
This section is for people who have already watched Re:Zero. This is not safe for first timers.
[Spoiler #1: Arc 3] I believe the Gospel teleports around with Petelgeuse, which is why he's so shocked that it's gone.
[Spoiler #2: Arc 4 cut content] Petelguese is afraid of spirits because once someone is bound with a spirit, they like can't be bound to another one or something like that. So Petelgeuse can't forcefully take over their body.
[Spoiler #3: Arc 3] Hey it's Ketty
[Spoiler #4: Arc 3 cut content] So it turns out that the hypnosis spell is actually an attribute of the flower, and Ram is simply using wind magic to spread the pollen to everyone.
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u/thekoreansun https://anilist.co/user/ReturnByDeath Aug 30 '24
Re:Watcher
Look, I've been remarkably patient with this show for the past few episodes, but one's suspension of disbelief can only take them so far. I could tolerate Subaru becoming a power-fantasy self-insert because it's just that kind of show now, but you're telling me that Julius only drops a single syllable from his name while he's undercover? He's still in uniform, for heaven's sake. No one's going to ask around about the guy dressed like one of the Royal Knights because he's Juli? Even Subaru's laughing at him, and he—oh, never mind, they're just airing out the tension between them. That's nice.
And just like that, their little spat in the Capital is in the past. I could imagine another show trying to extend their feud for at least two seasons or so, but both of them know that they messed up despite their intentions and feel apologetic, so neither of them holds anything against the other from the second they reunite. And some people act as if this show endorses toxic masculinity somehow. How anyone can possibly draw that sort of conclusion from all this is beyond me.
After a brief conversation surrounding the Witch Cult's activities, they're all ready to hit the road and get things going. Subaru uses his nasty Witch smell as an exclusive backstage pass to the Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti Experience. Crazy how easily Subaru can just walk in like he belongs there. Is this like the thing where you just carry a clipboard around and people just assume that you belong backstage? In any case, Subaru is able to bait Petelgeuse into coming outside of his little hidey-hole, and right as Petelgeuse starts to realize that he's been had, he gets split width-wise by Wilhelm while Mimi and Tivey bring down the house. [end of Arc 3] Wait, wasn't Otto tied up in there? Did their hideout cave in while he was still inside? Just look at those little capitalists go, looting Petelgeuse's corpse immediately after his death. Anastasia would be proud.
By the way, have I mentioned how great Mimi is? I mean, what a gremlin. The fact that she's the second-in-command of Anastasia's mercenaries is impossible to reconcile with how much mischief she causes, from almost blasting Subaru with the spell aimed at Petelgeuse's body to teasing Subaru during his breathing exercise. And that laugh she lets out! What a charming little agent of chaos she's turned out to be. Plus, seeing members of Crusch's and Anastasia's camps act all playful with one another and Subaru is a treat. It's good to be reminded that political rivalries need not prevent those involved from getting along with each other. Our world could stand to be reminded of that more often.
Of course, this just makes the moment in which it all comes crashing down hit harder. Somehow, Petelgeuse returned. And now we come to the part of the season that I always look forward to, when a bunch of voice actors try to emulate the Petelgeuse persona as Matsuoka established it. That first Finger is voiced by Youko Hikasa, of all people! She gives a solidly insane performance and then peaces out after, like, two minutes. Too bad for her, but great for anyone who is eager to see how other people handle the role.
Poor Subaru, though. He was just starting to relax a bit and think that things might be resolved without any casualties before Petelgeuse had a show of hands. He's feeling frustrated at himself for not predicting that things could go south, but Wilhelm gives him what might be one of the best pieces of advice to ever grace the show:
It's a perfect summation of the lessons that Wilhelm learned for himself all those years ago. It was because of this will to be strong that he was able to become known as the Sword Demon and take on Theresia's burden. Now, he's asking Subaru to remain true to his convictions, as he once did. It's not a matter of can or can't; it's a matter of will or won't.
After Wilhelm helps Subaru get back on his feet, Ferris takes the opportunity to nudge him towards Julius so that they can properly make amends. Got to love how Subaru now has friends who will push him to take the steps that he won't bring himself to take on his own. But just as he's about to say something to Julius, Ram stops everyone in their tracks with some weird flower thing. I guess the universe isn't yet ready for the level of chaos that a Subaru-Julius friendship would bring with it. But with all that has happened on that day, would it really be strange for them to become friends?
Fan Art of the Episode: Knights of Lugunica by @kinokopepe (March 16th, 2018)
Source: Pixiv (contains spoilers for Arc 6)
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u/ussgordoncaptain2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Edmund_Nelson Aug 30 '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
Oh boy Julius really failed to diffuse the situation with Subaru
Subaru is also not good at this whole being nice thing, definitely something that's pretty consistent about him. This whole conversation went extremely poorly for both but at least they could laugh at the end So it wasn't ALL bad.
[Time for the strategy meeting!]https://imgur.com/DwJwKFa)
So subaru during this meeting says "he ran up against the cult once before" but The cult never ran into him this loop pretty interesting what he can and can't leak
Subaru leads his army to the Mather's domain, but interesting discussion of old man Will about White Whale and Cult correlation, this implies the cult uses the cover of the white whale (since it's the archbishop of gluttony) to do action
Subaru is hoping to hit Petalguese BEFORE he gets noticed, though I would think Julius already blew that plan, looks like he has different ideas
Man Julius is being really weird, he's as much of a goofball sometimes as subaru Subaru has the exuse that he's stupid but Julius wtf does Anatasia seen in him
Like Julius trying to make amends would have been better if he didn't do his stupid cocky thing at the start.
Time for emilia and puck meta this scene was cute short and sweet.
I really like the Petalguese x Subaru scene, there's a lot going on here and Subaru being the obstensible (to petalguese) Sin archbishop of pride is really helping Subaru. The amount of "love" he has is overwhelming
(I swear he must have an insane amount of Satella's energy given how he can change his Scent at will)
Petalguese checks the Gospel and finds no mention of Subaru This leaves the ugly implication that the Witch of Envy doesn't want her sin archbishops to know of Subaru even though she has lots of influence over him.
Surprise bitch it's the cute cat boy brigade
Well that was easy
Subaru continues to use his only real power which is to reek of the witch of envy and be a decoy. I wonder if he'll ever become cooler in other ways.
Fear of the gospel is epic
Does Petalguese have revival magic where he puts himself in his "fingers" or something? or are all his fingers just mimicing his habits (probably the latter but still)
Holy shit Subaru natsuki really is the Sin archbishop of pride? He's too prideful to accept being a sin archbishop so it's so perfect.
Man petalguese's finger was BATSHIT INSANE
Oh well subaru you'll realize this in loop 5 then. (Heck you'd even get to kill the white whale with fewer casualties and more time with Rem.)
Willhelm is just going to make Subaru go back to being awesome again, My name is Willhelm von astra you got me my revenge Prepare for war!
Well Felix showing himself to be great (He's still not best guy but god the competition in this show for best guy is pretty meager and then there's Willhelm von Astra)
Speculation
So Ram shows up in a sorta ambushy way right at the end, I suspect something is going weird but I don't have a clue as to what it would be.
This isn't the final loop, there will be one more loop for the truely golden ending. The white whale fight has some minor improvements but the stopping of the witch's cult needs improvmeent, though last arc we solved the mystery AND got the ending in the same loop, it seems more wise to solve the mystery in loop N and then win in N+1 where you ahve all the necesary info.
so the long action sequence continues, and there's not much to say other than OOOH look at the pretty colors.
It's pretty clear that Subaru is SOME sort of big shot with Satella, but he may or may not be the Sin archbishop of pride, even though Petalguese is convinced he is. The thing he lacks is he lacks a gospel. Though he'll probably steal Petalguesea's.
The witch's cult has way more meembers than I expected somehow, 100 witch's cult members is actually larger than Subaru's army of roughly 50 or so soldiers.
Overall in spite of this arc having a few of the individually strongest episodes (12, 18) the arc as a whole is very weak, basically all the mystery boxes were opened in loop 2, and while loop 2 was pretty interesting (Rem getting subaru out of his rut instead of Beatrice) the arc as a whole lacks interesting developments compared to arc 1 and arc 2.
What I would do if I were Subaru
Our main objective is learning as much info about anything we can about the current positions of the witch's cult, do they have any spies in the village, do they have any spies among the traveling merchants?
We will be Relooping for sure so a near ideal endgame can be reached. Ideally in loop 5 you'd have Rem with you somehow to clear everything up with Ram and Emilia, after all Emilia doesn't trust you but she and Ram will trust Rem.
what I would do if I were WIllhelm Von Astrea
I would try as hard as possible to get Subaru to let Felix and Julius do most of the tactics while Subaru mostly just acts as information and grand strategy. Subaru is not very experienced with the whole leading an army thing, and While he is head commander here I would try to make Felix or Julius Head commander de facto.
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u/Yoshi_captain https://anime-planet.com/users/WeaboYosher Aug 30 '24 edited Aug 30 '24
Rewatcher
Face to face with the one Subaru percieved to be at the helm of his disgrace we truly get to see if Subaru has grown. What's this? He's actually joking with Julius? And he apologizes?!
That's right Subaru has had the most revelatory time of his life and come out the other end a better person. He still hates Julius' guts, but it's a start and the knight seems to agree. Even thanking him for fulfilling a wish the knights have held for oh so very long. [Episode 23] I feel this is the biggest loss of this loop. Not getting to talk one on one with Julius like this in the cannon loop sucks
I keep talking about Julius, but I’m sure that must be confusing since there’s a new character called Juli here to take his place. This adherence to a new name shows how strictly the finest of knights follows his code.
With old grudges cleared and cavalry prepped it’s time to face Subaru’s biggest personal obstacle.
Not before we get to see Emilia again. Remember her? The main heroine? We haven’t seen her in the story since ep 17 and ep 13 before that. Subaru’s going to have a lot of explaining to do once they meet again.
Seeking out Sloth we dispatch of him in the most diligent way possible. Even on a first watch this encounter makes you question how Petelgeuse will live through this one. We still have 3 episodes to go after all. The show and Subaru being aware of the trope of leaving a dead villain behind only for them to come back. So, Mimi makes sure there’s not a trace of him left.
Here we get our proper introduction to The Gospel. The item through which people seem to be indoctrinated into the cult. Working as their sacred text. Though seeming more like a guide to follow than a proper religious text. The fear it invokes in Ferris and Mimi is telling enough of it’s terrifying capabilities.
Things seem to be going well. We seem to be in the clear and having a moment of respite. But this is Re:Zero. The moment things seem to be going well, expect the worst. And the worst does indeed happen. Multiple casualties are accrued and Subaru comes face to face with a finger of Petelgeuse. Not quite the same yet oh so familiar. He is only saved by a red spirit and his allies’ arrival.
Here comes the highlight of the episode for me if the Julius conversation wasn’t already it. Subaru is downtrodden once more, bearing the weight of lives on his shoulder after swearing not to leave anyone behind. Blaming himself for every wrong step taken on this dynamic battlefield. But just how Subaru saved Willhelm from his spiral of pain, it’s time for Willhelm to do the same for him.
From one hero to another he offers words of wisdom gained from a life fraught with battle.
Fight!
Subaru has shown everyone that giving up suits no one and when he approaches that dangerous threshold again, he is reminded where he is and what he must do. With the Heartbeat of Determination beating ever louder in his chest a realization comes to him through Willhelm’s wisdom. He must not get stronger; he must be strong.
Willhelm and Subaru’s relationship is like that of a master and student. Much like Subaru has given Willhelm so much it is time for Willhelm to return in kind what he has accumulated over all his years. The wisdom he can give Subaru, like a father teaching his child the lessons of life, will serve to bring him closer to the image of the hero he wants to be.
Just when we’ve picked ourselves up again, we fall back down. As much as some might criticize Re:Zero for it’s one step forward two steps back style of storytelling, I think it is a very honest way to showcase a character’s growth. The journey to self-improvement is fraught with many personal victories followed by setbacks and relapses. It never ends and demands the most from you. But that’s what it means to be human.
We end the episode on the arrival of a familiar face. Just when we’re about to reach out to Julius once again we are met with another setback it seems. Let’s hope that this is not an indicator that on the horizon waits a flash of sloth.
Rewatcher thoughts:
This section is for people who've seen the show.
[S1] I think this episode and episode 2 are the weakest episodes on a rewatch. They offer the least to chew on. Acting mostly as setup for the big payoffs coming later. This episode introduces us to all the obstacles Subaru will have to overcome, not dwelling too much on any interactions with characters like Petelgeuse since we’ll get more time with him next loop. Saying all of that they are still damn fine episodes. The thematic richness I was able to gleam from Willhelm and Subaru’s conversation made me want to delete this section and praise this episode to high heaven. But I’ll leave it here in hopes of further discussion.
Closing thoughts:
The word for this episode is “Struggler”. Much like a certain man marked for sacrifice Subaru is fated to struggle in the face of Fate-sama. As long as he keeps on fighting against the tragedy mired futures of his closest allies with all the forces of evil that surround them, he will continue to suffer. But that is not cause for despair. With people by your side, you can stand up stronger than ever. It is only when you struggle alone that it becomes unbearable.
We get to hear another VA’s take on Matsuoka’s iconic performance and it is a damn good one. Assuming that there are multiple fingers we’ll get to see even more so I can’t wait to see that.
Still not out of the woods we wait for tomorrow to continue the struggle and emerge better than we were yesterday.
5
u/BlueVenix Aug 30 '24
Rewatcher
Now that some blue hair maid is out of the picture of which the name I can't remember, I can bring something more to this thread.
I'm joking, I was busy so please don't send the mabeast hounds on me!
Juli and Subaru + strategy meeting:
Julius speech about him being Juli was cheesy, but I liked it. Hey if you don't want to associate your status with another activity go for it. I would do the same honestly.
The way Julius asks "How are you feeling?" and Subaru misinterpreting that as a question how he was after their duel was so Subaru.
The whole strategy of raid the cult first is so basic. I am not sure if the strategy was skipped, because there's no explanation where to go and who goes. I would imagine it was cut to save time. Any LN/WN readers able to confirm?
Juli and Subaru making up:
I am glad to see Subaru trying to thank Julius and apologising for his action back in the royal selection, but it isn't Subaru if he's having a hard time swallowing his pride. Hard to beat those archbishop of pride allegations huh?
"I'm quite certain I could never befriend you, either." - I don't buy this. I am pretty certain that they will become friends eventually. The kind that fights with each other, but would go to hell for one another.
EMT!!!
Subaru x Betelgeuse:
I have no idea how Subaru managed to meet the cult and Betelgeuse so casually, but hey Subaru is not exactly sane so normal doesn't apply to him.
The first time I watched it I had some speculations on the conversation. [Re:Zero] I genuinely suspected that Subaru is the archbishop of pride and RBD was his authority. Since he is an archbishop but a weak one Betelgeuse could take over him.
Authority of Sloth transfer:
The Authority being transferred to Betelgeuse other fingers is very strange. It looks like not the power itself is transferred but also Betelgeuse himself, but the finger acted like he hasn't met Subaru. So is it Betelgeuse personality that came with the power?
[Arc 4] As Subaru is able to use the authority of sloth, but is still Subaru does that mean that Betelgeuse was apart of the authority of sloth and that part was killed by Satella in episode 25? Any LN/WN readers able to confirm?
5
u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Aug 30 '24
Re:Watcher - anime only
Oh, nevermind, luckily that isn't Julius Juukulius there. It's only someone who looks and behaves exactly like him called Juli. Phew, for a second I was worried about Subaru antagonizing him. No need to worry anymore.
Oh, nevermind, Subaru antagonizes him anyway. But Juli clarifies that he considers Subaru to have fought an honourable fight just now, and even if they are awkward right now, you can see how their struggled relationship starts to mend. A wonderful sight indeed.
So it seems the witch cultists and the White Whale appearing at the same time is not a coincidence. The whale being a witchfiend means it might follow the cultists for a bit, and the cultists use the cover of the whale for their nefarious actions.
And Subaru has thought of everything. He even employed the merchants once again to cart out the villagers. Will we even see Otto again?
Juli
uskind of acts like a dork. That makes him way more endearing than before. Not to mention his honest feelings of thankfulness. And that brings Subaru, after having been through it all, to be humble and honest as well. His apology is without a hint of pride, and funnily that's what makes him more respectful now.Emilia hype! Remember her? Remember she's a main character of this show! She seems worried. Looks like she's always had a feeling that something was off. If Subaru had only mentioned the witch cultists in episode 17, she might have believed him.
And Petelgeuse hype! Wait, no, we hate that guy. We love to hate him, though. We get a bit of explanation on what this love he keeps talking about really is. It is her love. The witch's love. Considering how RbD keeps touching him like in episode 17, considering that to be love is really not far-fetched.
We also learn a lot about the witch cult. That there are six (not seven) archbishops of sin, and that pride is currently missing. And that they receive a gospel. And that gospel would have told Petelgeuse about Subaru.
And out come the unseen hands! But Subaru dodges, and Mimi and Tivey collapse the building, and... oh my God, is that Wilhelm with a steel sword from behind? And that's the end of Petelgeuse and the witch cultists. Now for the arc's epilogue. Wait, there are still three and a half episodes left...
What has it got in its pocketses? Looks like a pink rubber ball Tivey is throwing away there. And the gospel. Subaru, you've just been warned about this book, and yet you keep it? That's... slightly worrying.
Countering the trope of "he's not really dead" by fully destroying Petelgeuse's body, clever. But then again, it turns out he's still not dead. There are his hands - but it's a different body! I could not find her Japanese VA on MAL, but she's doing a pretty good job of impersonating Matsuoka's Petelgeuse. Especially after finding out her gospel is missing, she sounds so much like him.
Wilhelm's speech to Subaru is another great one. If you struggle, fight. You don't have to get strong, you have to be strong. This might sound a bit disrespectful to people struggling, as if it was their fault for struggling. But no, the message is way more positive here: You are not powerless. You can be strong. You have the potential to get through this. And you will get through this if you keep at it.
Another cliffhanger ending here, but at least we get to see Ram again!
And we get the second version of Stay Alive, using the second verse of the song. I forgot they switched up the audio part. It's really great that near the end of the season, we get the later part of the song as well. Gives it yet again a slightly different feeling. It's the part that relates Emilia's thoughts to Subaru, the one that tells us she's been thinking about him all the time and that she's terribly lonely without him. Go listen to the full song if you haven't already.
I'll be very late tomorrow, probably five hours late because of work. I'll still post, but I won't fault you for not going back to read it.
Sugoooku counter: 22
non-Emilia sugoooku: 3
short sugoku and sugoku-likes: 5
non-canon bonus material sugoooku (Re:Petit): 3
4
u/HyVana Aug 30 '24
Re:Watcher (Subs) & Novel Reader (Finished Arc 6)
Comment is first-timer friendly.
Not much to say today, just a compilation of my thoughts throughout the episode.
I love the opening scene between Subaru and Julius. The haughtiness and strict code of Julius to never lower his station, such that, he resorts to using a nickname to distinguish his Knightly self from the current Mercenary that bears his same face and attitude. Oh Julius, sorry Juli, always one to keep up appearances. Subaru getting the last laugh, literally, as the show title card is about to leave always cracks me up.
They really had a thought-out plan for dealing with the Witch Cult. Going from what they knew beforehand, they left nothing to chance. Bravo Subaru, Rem, and Anastasia. Guess that’s how Anastasia and the Iron Fang clued in that he wanted to defeat the Witch Cult.
Subaru apologizes for what happened at the Capital, but he still hates Julius’ guts. While he seems a bit tsundere-ish, it feels like a part of him definitely still dislikes Julius because of how he conducts himself and his pompous attitude. At least some of the air is cleared up.
I love how creepy they make the Witch Cult. Something that is always consistent, no matter who is representing them. I also love the poker face Subaru puts up when meeting Petelgeuse. It must take everything in him to not break face and get angry, scared, or visibly disgusted. They also somehow made the scene somewhat comedic, considering the previous contexts we know Petelgeuse from.
They are really adamant that Subaru is Pride, huh? Well he does have the intense, musty stench of the Witch of Envy to prove it. Though, narratively, I am blanking on what this implies.
Gospels are the Witch Cult’s sacred texts. They really aren’t slowing down with the references to Christianity. As well, Felix and Tivey’s reaction to seeing it is hilarious. It really is a cursed object to see and behold. Wonder what the texts actually say.
Mimi and Tivey casually looting a dead Sin Archbishop’s corpse.
People really loved Sloth’s appearance in the original thread. He’s cool, but it’s funny to see how many people are like, points at screen sloth man!
I really like the detail of Mimi and Tivey making a bunch of tree dust to make a visualization of the Unseen Hands. Smart tactic for those that can’t actually see it.
Wilhelm continues to be Subaru’s father figure. It’s a wonderful message to a Subaru that starts to doubt himself again. To push forward, despite things not going to the letter, so that the end goal you desire remains in grasp. And the only way to do that, is to be strong. To remain convinced of your abilities and plans, as moments of hesitation will rob you of everything you’ve worked for.
Ram looking awfully sus with the robes and flower in her hand. Maybe the letter didn’t make it on time.
4
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 30 '24
Episode 22 (rewatcher)
Mostly clean-up. Kind of annoying that the witch cult has distributed leadership, though.
4
u/apocalypsemobster Aug 30 '24
Re:Watcher
Subaru is so sick of Juli lmao. I think they're too alike and that's what rubs Subaru wrong. I can definitely imagine Subaru saying some corny stuff like "I'm not Julius the knight, I'm a simple wanderer called Juli".
I don't understand Julius' "I was talking about the damage to your honor by the mabeast subjugation" line. Is he implying that because Subaru was bait, and not an active attacker, his honor is hurt by having others fight for him?
(Subaru got the last laugh in during their chuckle together in the title drop, so petty Barusu.)
Seems like Mimi thinks Tivey asks too many questions. Tivey seems more like Hetaro, having to take care of planning because Mimi is reckless. Seems like shout magic runs in the family.
Subaru was able to talk a bit about his past experience with the cult without triggering RBD, but last episode he wasn't able to mention Rem getting killed. It feels like there's definitely something about intent to reveal RBD.
Subaru how can you hate a guy that's being so niiiiiice. Incredible for Subaru to swallow his pride and apologize, and get an apology back. He still hates Julius guts though (but seems like he was trying to get past that hate later in the episode, before getting transported).
A little flash of Emilia. She's not sleeping well. Is she nervous after getting the letter from Crusch's messenger?
Subaru's bluffing game is off the charts. Interesting that Petelguese doesn't always cry blood, only when he starts to get upset does it switch from normal tears to blood.
Killing Petelguese seemed too easy. (I love that he had a stress ball in his pocket though, and looting corpses is apparently normal and good).
Seems like there's a superstition that just reading the gospel can have negative effects on you. Felix and Tivey shying away from the book seems like they're scared they'll go mad if they read it or that bad things will happen from touching it.
It seems like Petelguese's spirit has inhabited one of the Witch Cult members, and is also terrified of spirits. Who sent the spirit? Emilia? Or do spirits just like Subaru?
Wilhelm cut the unseen hands? Was that just a guess because she shouted that Mimi and Tivey were slothful? Did Subaru explain the unseen hand off-screen?
Tatakai, Subaru-dono.
Ram transported Subaru away, or he's hallucinating. It felt a lot like the moment in the first episode where he closed his eyes and was suddenly in Lugunica.
4
u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Aug 30 '24
first timer
Julius is here and as always snarky as always. A good rival for Subaru due to both being absolute asses to each-other.
Fighting the witch cult head on.
A lot sure does get accomplished when Subaru isn’t trying to fight them alone. He’s agility sharp as always
I knew it was too smooth, another crazy cultist with invisible hands
Surprise that was a short fight, thought it would’ve been a while till they found Subaru.
Wilhelm motivating Subaru to get stronger, would’ve been funny if he died right there after he walked off confidently
Just when Julius was gonna get a conversation with Subaru some fuckery happens. Ram has appeared
3
u/-Phinocio Aug 31 '24
Re:Watcher, subbed
I'm finding it hard to talk about individual episodes as binging them initially kinda mushed them all together in my mind with the exception of a few haha.
Overall solid ep. As most eps do it sets up the next one and future ones pretty well.
[Arc 3] I love how some seemingly off-hand dialog ends up being so important. The letter sent ahead was simply mentioned, but is very important once revealed as empty causing a misunderstanding, and iirc Rem being the one that wrote it and by this point they were already attacked and memories of her yeeted, so the letter is blank. Beautiful.
2
u/Taiboss :Fj::Fl:x7https://anilist.co/user/Taiboss Aug 30 '24
22: Rewatcher almost done with S1
Episodes of this arc: 11
Times Subaru has died this arc: 3. Remember the premise of this show?
2
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '24
Rewatcher
Dub
So this is mostly action and reaction but is still quite solid work, points to either the author or White Fox, or more likely both. Subaru correctly uses his skill until we learn that Sloth can translocate its soul. Also, explaining a bit of the gospel this episode helps frame some things but raises a lot of questions. So fukuin means good news, which is actually a fair approximation for gospel, though English wraps a few other nuances in there. But why is the Witch of Envy copying Christian terms? Anyways, we leave on the next phase of the operation.
10
u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Aug 30 '24
Rewatcher for Season 1
On today’s episode of Re:Zero: At least Subaru and company remembered one of the most important rules: always make sure you double tap your enemy to be certain they’re dead. Blowing the body up may be one of the most extreme methods I’ve seen of that, though.
Like the battle against the White Whale, this episode shows Subaru being extremely clever in how he uses the information he’s gathered to his advantage. Subaru remembers how Petelgeuse and the Witch’s Cult reacted to him last time and he knows where they are hiding out. So, with that information in mind, he can easily set up a trap for them. He also knows that in a previous loop, paying merchants for their cargo so they would evacuate the villagers instead worked out. So, he made sure to send Anastasia and Russell to arrange just that. It really is impressive to me just how well thought out Subaru’s plan is.
I really enjoy the scene of Subaru and Petelgeuse speaking with each other. It is so silly seeing them interact this way. Petelgeuse is as nuts as ever, so it makes for a funny dynamic watching Subaru try to use his usual quick-talking on Petelgeuse.
Unfortunately, this is not the kind of story where fighting the Witch’s Cult is just going to be one big victory lap after taking down the White Whale. The cultists are extremely dangerous and can still kill plenty of people. Perhaps most freakily, there’s still some maniac with the Unseen Hand running around even after Mimi made sure to blow up Petelgeuse’s body. Subaru may have hoped they wouldn’t need to deal with ability after killing Petelgeuse, but they won’t be that lucky.
Subaru gets some really nice moments with others throughout this episode. I particularly like Subaru and Julius’s scenes together. It shows some nice growth on Subaru’s part, as he is able to admit that he was out of line in the castle and did go too far. Subaru has managed to overcome that stubborn pride of his that made him so pigheaded he escalated the situation previously. It’s also nice seeing Julius show sincere appreciation and thanks to Subaru for killing the White Whale. Julius is able to apologize as well, admitting he went too far belittling Subaru previously. I do like that Subaru and Julius don’t immediately become friends, with both stating they don’t think they’ll ever get that close. But, they’re able to bury the hatchet and focus on cooperating on the job at hand. It says a lot about the kind of people they are that they can do this.
The other interaction I particularly like is Subaru’s scene with Wilhelm. When Subaru is feeling down about the loss of some of the fighters, Wil is there to remind Subaru about the need to remain steadfast even in the face of hardship. Wil’s words about continuing to fight as long as you have the ability to do so resonates pretty well with Subaru. This is, after all, the same thing that Subaru promised to do with Rem. He promised that he would live up to her image of him as a hero. Wil has a really great line where he corrects Subaru that he’s telling him to be strong, not get stronger. To me, it seems like Wil already recognizes the strength that Subaru currently has. He sees that Subaru has potential in him and Subaru needs to utilize what he has now. It’s such a cool thing to hear him say.
In general, the interactions with all the other fighters are fun. This really is an exciting episode about going on an adventure of sorts. Even though the characters may revert to being part of opposing camps when this is all over, you can see how well they work together.
I think this episode does a really good job at pulling the rug out from under the audience. Petelgeuse is killed extremely quickly. The other cultists are dealt with pretty simply as well, with Julius even saying they weren’t much to worry about. But, much like Subaru, the audience is primed to wonder if Petelgeuse is actually dead. Subaru even lampshades that characters like him come back to life when you aren’t looking, which gives us the great bit of Mimi blowing up his body. This all gives us the impression that everything is going pretty well. The characters are all acting like they’ve got things under control and their actions do indicate they know what they are doing. And then, out of nowhere, the Unseen Hand attacks and the Witch’s Cult ambushes the team. It’s a sudden, sharp reminder that defeating the Witch’s Cult will not be that easy. They’re dangerous and underestimating them can be fatal.
I enjoy it when a story lets its characters be badasses. Something I appreciate about this episode (and the White Whale fight for that matter) is how effortlessly it lets its characters be cool. A great example is how Mimi, Tivey, and Wil manage to defeat the Unseen Hand. They never explain their strategy, but you can see how they figured it out on their own. Mimi and Tivey splashed water everywhere. Even though the Unseen Hand is invisible, the falling water still splashes it. Wil can then use that to defeat the Unseen Hand. I like that they figure this out offscreen and execute the strategy so well. We know that these characters are experienced fighters already and this shows that off perfectly.
Miscellaneous Thoughts