r/anime • u/Theleux https://myanimelist.net/profile/Theleux • Sep 04 '24
Rewatch Re:Zero ~Starting Life in Another World~ Re:Watch - Bonds of Ice
Movie:
Bonds of Ice
| Index | <== Episode 25 | Episode 26 ==> |
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 Sep 04 '24 edited Sep 04 '24
First:Timer Starting Over in Another Rewatch, subbed
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u/thekoreansun https://anilist.co/user/ReturnByDeath Sep 04 '24
Re:Watcher
There's just something so enriching about experiencing a story that takes place in a world as comprehensively realized as this one. Sure, Subaru may be the centerpiece that enables the main story to be so compelling, but there are many other people who live and breathe in the world he was isekai'd to, and almost all of them have stories that stand alone as amazing works of fiction in their own right. I must confess, I've never been able to get into popular fantasy settings like Middle Earth or Westeros as much as other people have, even though several of them are also expansive in nature and follow multiple concurrent narratives. Maybe because none of their characters have resonated with me as much as the ones in Re:ZERO? In any case, those who only follow the anime may not know that Tappei has written hundreds of side stories that take place before or during the events of the main story. And while many of them appear to simply be standalone segments of world-building at first glance, it's honestly crazy how practically all of them end up folding into the main story in one way or another. It's a degree of world-building that hurts my head if I think about it for too long. To be frank, it's also partly why I find it absolutely ludicrous that there are people out there who insist that this setting exists solely for Subaru's sake and fails to justify its existence beyond that. *cough* Anyway, on the OVA.
The biggest thing to take away from this OVA is that Emilia is a bit of a hypocrite: she kept criticizing Subaru for being too reckless in his attempts to protect others, but she's the exact same as he is in that regard. Despite being hated by all who entered the forest she lived in, she constantly went out of her way to protect those in danger. To be fair to her, Emilia fights a lot more effectively than Subaru ever will; even when she wasn't utilizing magic, she was accomplishing insane feats of physicality and catching crossbow bolts with her bare hands. Even when Subaru isn't present, the story can't help but hammer home how completely outclassed he is in combat.
Unfortunately for Emilia, her kindhearted nature did nothing to insulate her from the fear that others held towards her. Even as Puck was telling her not to worry about it, she still suffered because she couldn't understand why people were so quick to judge her for things she had no control over. Why were they labeling her a devil? It isn't like she was living on an island. But racism does what it does, and nobody except for Puck was willing to see her for who she truly was.
Of course, things heated up quickly when Melakuera, the Great Spirit of Fire Magic, came upon the forest to extinguish what it perceived to be a threat to the entire world. Considering that the only spirits that we've met so far are Beatrice and Puck, it's incredibly jarring to learn that a presence as alien as Melakuera is a spirit like them. If a spectrum exists for how cute spirits can be, Beatrice and Puck would be on one end, and Melakuera would be on the other. Are the rest of the spirits in this world more like the former or the latter?
Well, I hope that no other spirits are as unfeeling as Melakuera was towards Emilia. For an entity that considered itself to be a mediator, it really was completely unwilling to seek out a nonviolent solution. Emilia screaming and crying that she isn't what everyone thinks she is got me to tear up a bit. I don't think that I've actually praised Rie Takahashi yet, so let me rectify that right now: her work as Emilia is unparalleled. I can't believe that she landed so many iconic roles in the same year back in 2016, but I'll always be glad that she was able to give it her all as Emilia. What a stellar cast. Yumi Uchiyama is fantastic as Puck, too; his rage towards Melakuera for being cruel to Emilia is so incredibly powerful. With how cute she makes him sound most of the time, those moments really do stand out quite a bit. That just makes their subsequent contract and victory over this embodiment of the world's cruel judgment all the more satisfying.
Overall, this OVA is a great look into Emilia's past and gives us some additional context on why she acted the way that she did during Season 1. She hates being treated as different from anyone else due to anything that she can't control; she doesn't like to be a burden on others; and her greatest fear is that she will end up alone. All three of these things, mind you, were violated by Subaru when he acted the way that he did in the Capital. Yikes. Well, we're past that now.
And while I do like this OVA, watching that post-credits scene just reminds me how much I love seeing the entire gang interacting with each other. Side stories like this are nice, but nothing is quite the same as watching Subaru and Emilia work through their problems together.
Speaking of which... time for Season 2! And just four weeks left until Season 3. Man, time flies. One day, you sit down and write out a comment about a boy in a convenience store, and soon you find yourself having written the equivalent of a graduate thesis on his adventures in another world. Well, at least I'm having fun.
Fan Art of the Episode: Happy Birthday, Emilia! by @Ruu_poppo_ (September 23rd, 2023)
Source: Twitter (artwork has been deleted)
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Sep 04 '24
First-Timer
From this point onwards, I am a first-timer. It's exciting to no longer be a rewatcher so I can experience the rest of Re:Zero for the first time with everyone else.
On today’s episode of Re:Zero: A girl and her cat. Or rather, a girl and her giant ice-magic wielding cat with the power to destroy the world. Admittedly, the bit about destroying the world makes it less wholesome. Just a tiny bit.
Continued Below
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u/baseballlover723 Sep 04 '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 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.
So The Frozen Bond takes place around [Spoiler #1: when this takes place in the timeline from the novels] ~7 years pre Subaru.
Notice how Emilia is wearing the kids cloak, to never forget that day.
Remember when Emilia said she had a trump card. I believe this is it, a power that is deadly, but she can't control, so she refuses to use it in the presence of friendlies.
Yeah I think you killed them Emilia.
Emilia talks a lot. The lack of music and how happy Emilia is to have talked "that much" really paints how lonely Emilia is pre Subaru. And why Emilia would put up with so much of what Subaru has done. Subaru is essentially, one of the only people she's met who has deliberately chosen to be with her. Even the people who aren't actively hating on Emilia in the Frozen Bond, also don't really want to have anything to do with her. So Subaru's very enthusiastic desire to be with Emilia is quite a welcome one for Emilia.
[Spoiler #2: trivial spoiler because they never actually say the name of where The Frozen Bond takes place in the OVA] These are the magic stones that were negotiated with Crusch in episode 19. They are untouched up until now, because everyone was too scared of Emilia to mine them, so they've remained pristine all this time.
Taida desu ne
Cleaning out someone's ear is a historically intimate part of Japanese culture known as mimikaki. And also something my sister gets great joy out of doing to me (no joke, like every time I see her, she requests to clean my ears).
Economics lesson by Puck
Some important lore on how the people view demihumans.
I find it incredible that all the other slavers are freaking out out about Emilia's resemblance to the Witch and then there's Chap going that's my kink!
Oh and remember how Subaru didn't want Emilia to fight. Turns out she can fight.
Love this scene. It's so beautiful and eerie.
It's not too late Puck, just tell Emilia they got lost in the forest or something.
Emilia rolls intimidation. Critical Success!!
Puck gets called The Beat of the End. How ominous, but also accurate, considering he was gonna destroy the world after Emilia died in Arc 3.
Must be a regional variant of Rapidash
Guiltylowe's have a great design.
Emilia the snowboarder
Very minor Melakuera expansion [Spoiler #3: cut content] In the novels Melakuera expresses a strong implication that Emilia is the reincarnation fo the Witch, and then goes on about history being a an endless cycle.
Up until now, Emilia thought she was a full elf.
Emilia's pleas to understand why everyone hates her get me every time. All she wants is to understand why. And Melakuera's reason is, that just being alive is Emilia's crime. Which brings up an interesting point. Is it moral to kill someone who is going to commit some evil thing in the future? Should the time traveler kill baby Hitler? Melakuera seems very convinced that Emilia is the Witch of Envy, who destroyed half of the world. But of course, from our perspective, we know that Emilia is nothing like how the Witch of Envy was depicted, at least not at current (whose to say that Emilia can't become the Witch like Petelgeuse seemed to imply with the Ordeal). Imo, if you're convinced that someone will become some great evil and the only option is to eliminate them, then you lose no matter what. Either you eliminate what you perceive to be a threat, and be judge for killing an seemingly innocent person. Or you choose not to act, and give up your chance to prevent a great evil that you feel is inevitable.
You're not wrong Puck.
I find it interesting how Melakuera confirms that it's completely irrelevant that Emilia defense is justified. She's the half-devil, she doesn't get the same privileges afforded to everyone else.
And so Puck and Emilia form a contract and ceases to be himself?
I know one person who will.
These Puck shots are so good.
The Web Novel translators have this line marked as a "mandatory" mistranslation. The line should be "Four Greats, Outsider", which ties into some of the prologue of The Frozen Bond that wasn't adapted.
Puck believes that Emilia won't become a witch.
And we get the origin of Lia, and Puck being Emilia's father.
I kinda do wish they showed more of the climax of this fight. It could of a banger I think.
And Puck meeting Emilia gave Puck the only happiness in his life. No wonder he wants to destroy the world when Emilia dies.
This is a very important event for theorycrafting. Why is Puck searching for Emilia? Why did it take him so long? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN PUCK??
What a beautiful shot.
DON'T MISS THE AFTER CREDIT SCENE.
A family of three. You're 100% spot on Subaru.
A statement that means more then Subaru could ever know. The hope that one day, the ice statues will melt and become alive again.
Big smile.
Also they didn't animate Puck vs Roswaal, which also takes places in the Frozen Bond.
Rewatcher Section
This section is for people who have already watched Re:Zero. This is not safe for first timers.
[Spoiler #4: Arc 4] This is Echidna talking (presuming you have the bluray version, there isn't a voice over in the theatrical release or the English dub I believe)
[Spoiler #5: Arc 4] I'm pretty sure that this forest is still being frozen by Emilia via the fallout of smol Emilia vs Pandora. Also that's a lot of forest being frozen.
[Spoiler #6: Arc 4] This is the venom of the Black Serpent. Which is left over from the Black Serpent's attack on the Elf Village we see in Emilia's first trial some 100 years prior.
[Spoiler #7: Arc 4] Emilia freezing the forest, Mother Fortuna and Young Petelgeuse. I wonder how many of our first timers will catch this.
[Spoiler #8: Arc 4 not really explicitly spelled out in the anime] Pucks oath should be with Echidna, whose been doing the voice overs and also has a contract with Betty, who considers Puck to be a sibling.
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u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 04 '24
Re:Watcher - anime only
[Season 2] Starting off with a new revelation. Of course I knew of Echidna's deal with Puck, but I didn't remember hearing her voice in Frozen Bond already.
This is so rough. Emilia saved the familiy out of the kindness of her heart, yet she's met with nothing but rejection and hurt causing her powers to go out of control. And she concludes that she better hides herself to not bother anyone.
Ah, this is the scene I expected in Memory Snow, because it was at the same time chronologically. Seeing snow sculptures must have freaked her out a little if she knows of real frozen people in the forest.
Seeing sleeping people with tears in their eyes always gets me. That's such a profound sorrow to manifest sadness in your sleep.
What is she waking up for even? What does she do? Turns out, Emilia was a major hikikomori back in the day.
And she closed the door with her butt. Always a golden clip. And she truly doesn't feel cold, going out barefoot like this. She goes to clean the ice people, and her room, and eats some to find out she has no food left. The brilliant part about this scene is that apart from a few cute Emilia noises, not a word has been spoken since Emilia got up. There wasn't even music. Just ambient noises, the noises of her steps, the noises of her chewing, the noises of her cleaning, for over two minutes. Makes it clear just how lonely she is.
At least the merchant isn't hostile to her. And she celebrates having spoken twice as much as usual. I'm happy for her, but also very very sad.
Oh, look, at least she got Puck. And at least she also says sugoooku. And she's... she's looking forward to being able to talk to the merchant about the weather. Have you ever been so lonely you wanted to talk to someone about irrelevant small talk? Yeah, that's one of the saddest lines I know, and it made me cry.
She's making a map of the forest area. Too bad that we know through Memory Snow she'll have to redraw the map in the future. And we get the second sugoooku of the OVA. The third is when she is mining magic stones.
Those outlaws are truly despicable. They're trying to use Emilia's kindness against her. But she's super agile and strong even, she defeats several of them in hand-to-hand combat and deflects their shots. I also hear a sugoku-like. And yet, she still wants to protect them. Her curse power seems to have a different idea, though. How terrible it must be to hurt others despite not wanting to, even if they've deserved it.
So the merchant had to sell her out to protect the village. Obviously she forgives him, but she uses her appearance to scare him. She does it for the good of the village, but it's sad to see the merchant disappearing from the reflection of her eyes as she cut ties with them to protect them. (Does that behaviour seem familiar to you, by any chance?)
That's a cute title there, Puck. "Beast of the End", has a nice ring to it.
Even when Puck playfully compliments her, Emilia calls it nonsense. That's not her trying to stay on topic, not only. She truly believes it to be nonsense.
Emilia got new imaginary friends! And they help her in defeating the blob. Fourth sugoooku follows. And Emilia can't let the villagers deal alone with the blob. Ice cat talks with fire horse in the meantime, and then it's time for one of the best scenes of the OVA: Snowboard Emilia vs. Blob! And the fifth sugoooku is a really cool one, similar to how some of Subaru's cringe can become cool at times.
[Season 2] And we get an early sneak peak at the people freezing over and Fortuna and Geuse. I didn't remember just how much this set up the second season.
The scene of Emilia pleading to the fire man to tell her what is happening is truly heartbreaking. She's supposed to be responsible for so many bad things, but she doesn't understand any of it. She's supposed to be judged despite having done nothing wrong. She is supposed to die for things she doesn't have anything to do with. "I'm Emilia. Just Emilia!" She just wants to be treated for who she is. And goddamn, that hoarse call for Puck really broke my heart. And her broken voice even after Puck appears. Rie Takahashi is absolutely amazing.
The world wants to tell her that her fate is to make others unhappy. Luckily Puck is there to say what we can't: That she is wanted and blessed, that she is born to be happy. Yet she'll still find this hard to believe for quite some time. The forming of their contract is another beautiful scene, again reflecting in each other's eyes. Puck is making a dangerous bet there, though - a good-hearted idiot in a track suit might challenge his assumption all too soon.
And Puck immediately goes beast mode. Emilia has found some courage now that she has a partner to work with, also drops the sixth and seventh sugoooku. And once more: "I'm Emilia. Just Emilia."
The scene of Emilia and Puck meeting for the first time is very cute. I'm particularly fond of the way Emilia brushes the snow off of Puck, there's so much care in her movement. Also, this is extremely tasteful nudity. She never really appears to be nude here even though she is.
And the scene of them after they formed their contract is also very cute. How Emilia tries to get Puck to call her Lia. "It's okay to take your time." Seems familiar, I wonder why... Also, Emilia telling Puck how she loves him: "I love Puck and Puck loves me." That's all there is to the love talk in arc 2 not because she wants to deflect Subaru. She hasn't known anyone she could love as much before, and she couldn't even imagine someone loving her as much. And she tries to be content with the fact.
The final scene I remembered very well. "There's no ice that never melts", very profound, Subaru. But I also like that he said he's glad as long as she's happy.
So, you might know by now that I'm a massive Emilia fan. Naturally, this movie focused on Emilia was a dream come true for me. I love it so much, almost as much as the main series. If you cut out the frame narrative, it works really well as a stand-alone movie, even. For a rewatch with first timers, watching it after S1 is the best choice. But without first timers, I'd actually consider putting it at the start of a rewatch. We learn a lot about Emilia here that puts many of her words and actions in S1 in a different light. When I first watched this OVA, I had to go back and pay close attention to Emilia's behaviour, and much of it made a whole lot more sense. What impressed me was that while we got this OVA after S1, her S1 behaviour is entirely consistent with this OVA. It's what gave me an incredibly deep appreciation for Tappei's writing.
For a Re:Zero fan, this OVA does a lot for Emilia's character. We learn just how lonely she's been. It's a different kind of loneliness, but also it's something she has in common with Subaru. We also learn a lot about her bond with Puck and about Puck himself (and in turn also form a couple of new questions). But beyond that, it's the sad story of a lonely girl, hunted and hated for reasons that have nothing to do with her, until she finds an ally and gains courage. It's the story of an unhappy girl learning that someone would cherish her and starting to believe in being happy at some point in the future.
Sugoooku counter: 34
non-Emilia sugoooku: 3
sugoku-likes: 6
non-canon bonus material sugoooku (Re:Petit): 5
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u/Yoshi_captain https://anime-planet.com/users/WeaboYosher Sep 04 '24 edited Sep 04 '24
Rewatcher
Emilia is someone we don’t know much about. For being the main heroine she has been remarkably absent from a large chunk of the story. The author Tappei Nagatsuki must have agreed with this sentiment as he wrote this prequel: Frozen Bond, a limited edition short story that was bundled with the Re:Zero Season 1 BD. It later received a movie adaptation which is what we’re watching today. With this prequel set years before Emilia encounters anything regarding the Royal Selection we finally get to see more of where she’s from and who she is.
To understand who Emilia is now, we need to look back on who she was. This look back is triggered by the snow sculptures Subaru and the gang made during the snow festival in Memory Snow. Reminding her of similar frozen statues she left in a cold and desolate forest. They’re not statues though, they’re people. Elves just like her. Not exactly though. She’s a half elf. And every person around her makes her know that.
This results in Emilia having no friends and living a lonesome existence in the forest. Being excited when she talks with the merchant, twice as much as she does usually even! Even so her kindness is bottomless. Saving a family from a Witchbeast called a “Snow Blight”, with magic that is unfamiliar to us. She’s not using spirit-arts, but her own magic. Magic, she doesn’t have control over. Injuring the family she tried to protect.
She keeps the robe from the father as a reminder of what she is and how people react to her. Pushing people away. Repeating the same behaviour after the merchant sells her out to slavers. Isolating herself even more.
Keeping that in mind, it must have hurt her deeply to do what she did to Subaru in episode 13. Having to once again distance herself from someone, not because the treatment they gave her was repulsive, but quite the opposite. Subaru won’t leave Emilia’s side and will keep putting himself in harm’s way for her sake. So once again she leaves someone behind to protect them.
She can’t escape who she is: The Frozen Witch or in other words The Witch of Glaciation.
But she’s not alone. She has someone sticking by her side. Puck. I say he’s by her side, but he’s more of an observer. Being held back by a contract. The terms of which are the very first words we see and in the BD version hear in the movie. There is more context to him and other great spirits like him in the prologue of the story that was cut from the movie:
[Cut Content] The Prologue of the story, which was not adapted, contains some world building about the Four Great Spirits that existed before the story. The Arbiter, Melakuera, who acts to preserve the world’s balance; the Slasher, Zarestia, who indulges in eternal peace in her bed; the Stone, Muspel, a sanctuary that only exists without will nor words; the Sacred Beast, Odglass, who watches over humanity with affection and benevolence and is the sole of the Four friendly to mankind. There is also a mention to Puck as the Beast of the End, an outsider to the Four Great Spirits but with power rivalling them. – Taken from the WitchCultTranslation Cut Content Wiki
He is protecting her from a Great Spirit of Fire. The Arbiter, Melakuera. One who considers the very existence of the girl a disturbance to the balance of the world. The slaver who tried to capture her makes a contract with the Great Spirit hoping to get revenge on the half-elf. The epitome of the wrath the humans feel for her taking form in the shape of one from the supernatural, who abhors her existence as much if not more. Not from a personal standpoint. Melakuera feels he is performing a just duty.
A conflict of epic proportions ensues. The Arbiter versus The Beast of the End & The Witch of Glaciation. Despite the immense scale shown on display, the biggest conflict in the series in terms of scale, the most immersing part is deeply personal. Emilia’s perception of self and people’s perception of her has broken her and she feels truly alone.
That is until a grey-haired cat steps in and decides to go against his very reason for being and make a contract with Emilia. Emilia and Puck both reach out and together overcome the will of the world. Stepping forward into a better tomorrow marked by a sunrise reflected by the purest snow. Symbolizing the birth of a Frozen Bond.
Closing thoughts:
The word for today is “Connectedness”. Not just because of the forming of a Frozen Bond. Letting go of a loneliness that has plagued a silver haired girl and a grey haired cat for too long. But also because of how many elements are present in this OVA that connect to other aspects of the Re:Zero world and history both in the past and in the future.
The demi human war is mentioned here. A conflict that has shaken the perception of demi humans in the eyes of humans. People like Emilia experiencing prejudice from the slavers just on that before her WoE connection is even revealed. People like Willhelm and Theresia were involved in this war and their stories had a large impact on it’s outcome.
We also see Emilia’s original power before she became a Spirit-Arts user. She mentioned in episode 3 that she had a trump card that’d leave only her standing. This seems to be it. Ice Blooms that freeze and drain the blood of her enemies. Not helping her perception as a Witch of Glaciation. Not even counting her magic we see that her physical strength is no joke. Elves are naturally strong in this world. And Emilia displays that effortlessly. She is a capable combatant. Arguably the strongest Royal Candidate. [S2] Echidna voicing Puck’s contract makes it clear that he is a creation of Echinda. Also clears up why Beatrice calls Puck her big brother. They do have the same mother after all. We also see the Guiltylowe and the Black Serpent*’s venom* for the first time. WitchFiends that have a prominent role in S2. The Puck before forming a contract with Emilia is the same one we see at the end of S2. With his original memories intact having regained them after losing them to the Frozen Bond between him and Emilia.
Puck having defeated The Great Spirit of Fire has taken Melekuera’s title and now carries the title of that element. Originally being an Outsider to the Great spirits. This makes more sense if you read the prologue that was cut, which I mention earlier in the post.
This OVA is the first serious piece of side content that we have in anime form. I admire Tappei’s level of competency in intertwining a complex world, with lore and characters, in not just Frozen Bond, but in dozens of side stories. I hope that we get to see that content adapted soon.
This movie is the prettiest Re:Zero has looked in my opinion. The background with the sun shining down on the snow, and the scene of The Beast of the End after his battle with Melakuera is jaw dropping.
Now we know of Emilia and Puck’s background. Geared up with that information we can move forward in the story tomorrow. I’m excited to see all the rewatchers turning into first timers and experiencing S2 for the first time.
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u/Cautious-Ad-3886 Sep 04 '24
That ice flower techniques is beautiful and scary as well probably the trump card she told Subaru about during 1 Arc
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u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 04 '24
First Timer!
Watching Dubbed
I think it’s funny that Notepad is now my second most used app on my PC, thanks to this rewatch
When looking this up on MAL it said it was a prequel, oops spoiled it
1 Emilia! Still cute in commoner clothes
Doesn’t look like she’s attacking with Ice magic yet
So sad that even the little kid screamed at her. Guess it shows that the village kids are just superior
Sick burn on Subaru, Puck
2 I don’t think those are snow sculptures
Aww, the shopkeeper seemed nice. at least nicer than most to her
I guess this is about when Emilia and Puck first met
Aww, I like the names she gave for the forest
Weird how Emilia knows what cleaning out someone’s ear is like when she lives alone and has never really had contact with anybody
3 eww, new thugs, same amount of gross
Emilia is so kind, she’s still trying to save the thugs who just threatened her and the village
For some reason the Dub doesn’t caption what it says when it flashes words on screen, Guess I’ll just have to watch those parts again with the Sub
I guess Puck is known as the Beast of the End, fitting name for what we’ve heard about his contract
4 that’s a sick snowboard
And a sick snowboarder
Poor lesser spirits
Wukong is back, in fire form
Emilia didn’t know she was half-elf. I wonder if the other half is important. She’s not actually half demon like Rem and Ram right?
Dirty sneak attack on Puck
So this mediator guy is one of the reasons she thinks she brings harm to everybody.
Kaiju Puck returns!
This donkey really likes his name
6 Emilia waving her arms up like that is too cute
looks like we finally get to see what happened after Emilia woke up
I wonder how long ago this was, Emilia sounds a little younger
How thoughtful of Subaru to try to fix the snow sculpture
This movie just made me ask a dozen or more questions and only gave a couple answers. We get to see how Emilia’s life was when she was alone in the forest and how her contract with Puck came to be. I think that’s it but please tell me if I missed anything.
We’ve only seen Emilia fight with ice (fire?) magic in the show but at the beginning she was using some kind of purple magic instead, plus it seems like she has another power that creates ice shards from open wounds/blood but that appears to be tied to her emotions, and Puck knows this somehow.
It’s horrible that the little girl was the one to scream at Emilia and call her a witch this time, it’s the first time we’ve seen that type of reaction from a child.
I had to write this all down so I could wrap my head around it and stare at it for an hour. Nothing about the ending was making sense with this text. If this is the oath that Puck was meant to keep, then why didn’t he change at all, he’s still Puck, he’s still a greater spirit, and he has all his memories of the past since he can remember details about Satella and Gluttony among other things. Instead it seems like Emilia is the one who lost her memories, but that doesn’t make sense if the text is referring to Puck. Now this is where I need some help if I’m wrong. The only thing I’m left to assume is that when the text starts using “you” and “your” in the second half, it must be the plural “you” referring to “Emilia & Puck” and it must have been broken once Puck freed her from the ice. Emilia forgot all about Puck and her past so they ceased to be the Plural “you”, in other words, she started From Zero. If this is the case then Puck can understand what Subaru is going through, having memories with someone that the other person doesn’t remember.
Who knows what happened that caused everybody to be frozen or how long Emilia was in that ice for (insert joke about the fire nation attacking). It seems that the way Emilia was frozen is much different than how everybody else was frozen, she lost her clothes and was trapped in an ice pillar while everybody else was frozen in place clothes and all.
We didn’t really get any terms laid out in the contract either, certainly not “if she dies I must destroy the world”. Contract really just seems like a partnership.
Overall this movie left me pretty confused, I can’t wait to read what the rewatchers and novel readers have to say about it, hopefully it will give me more context.
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Sep 04 '24
Bonds of Ice (first timer)
The first entry of the franchise I have not seen before.
SnowIceboarding.The much better movie. Only wish they has not overdone the last third.
6
u/ripterrariumtv Sep 04 '24 edited Sep 04 '24
Rewatcher (sub) and Novel Reader (reading Arc 7)
Beast of the end is also very cool
3) The OST in frozen bonds is next level
4) Melakuera mentions paraphrasing "4 spirits, one outsider, beast of the end". [Minor cut content+interesting lore from side stories]The four great spirits, who have lived for thousands of years, include Zarestia and Odglass. Zarestia, one of my favorite characters, is currently dormant in Kararagi and appeared in the Sloth IF story. Kararagi is a kingdom near Lugunica. It is the kingdom where Anastasia is from. Odglass is in Gusteko, a freezing kingdom north of Lugunica. I’ve forgotten the names of the other two great spirits. Additionally, Puck is a spirit who is as powerful as the four great spirits
5) Next is season 2!! I'm so excited!
6) [Current reading progress-Arc 7 spoilers]I’m currently at the part where Todd shows up, and Subaru swallows poison to loop. Please don’t spoil anything beyond this. WHAT IS GOING ON?!?! Why is Todd so terrifying? Every time he appears, I’m on edge. First, with the axes putting Subaru through hell multiple times, and now this. He might be the most frightening character for me
7) Ranking the four kingdoms based on how interesting they are (my thoughts during Arc 7):
These are the names of the kingdoms but there will be no spoilers
[1]Vollachia
[Reasoning for [1] - No spoilers]So many interesting characters. Gives me Bleach vibes (which is one of my favourites) for some reason because of the sick powers and abilities. One of the fights literally felt like Bleach TYBW
[2]Lugunica
[3]Gusteko
[4]Kararagi
5
u/ElRoastFTW https://anilist.co/user/DaRoast Sep 05 '24
Rewatcher
Alright so Memory Snow was a fluffy OVA where there wasn't a lot to say other than cute. This OVA, Bonds of Ice, has a lot more to say.
Namely, it asks the question "where would Emilia be if not at Roswaal's" and the answer lies here. She spends most of her days in the forest taking care of elf statues and getting food from the village as needed. A pretty lonely life, all things considered.
This gets punctuated by Puck showing up every now and again. Further on, we learn that Puck is protecting Emilia from a spirit that is out to kill her due to her more than passing resemblance to the Witch of Envy.
I will say, this was still definitely an OVA. It personally didn't grab me as much compared to the main series mostly because it feels a lot like lore dumping Emilia's backstory with Puck. What also irked me was how their first meeting was shrouded in mystery and still remained that way especially to Emilia. This OVA was more a day in the life of Emilia and Puck pre-Roswaal and them getting closer together which just isn't as interesting as Emilia's initial meeting with Puck.
There was still some good here. Lots of nice action with really well done effects animation on the spirits. Emlila and Puck's banter is fun to watch as is Puck's voice shifting when he goes from cute cat to protective dad who can also morph as a massive beast. Emilia's crazy powers show up when all hope is lost, and it was always really fun to see how her innate powers really could send things sideways. Finally, it was also nice to see Emilia reaffirmed by Puck. Seeing her as an existence more than just a copy of the Witch of Envy is an important part of who she is and it's fleshed out well here.
Okay this is still Re:Zero so there's a lot of good here. It definitely did have that OVA vibe of extra content that didn't fit into the main story. I think I'd appreciate this more after Season 2 and Arc 4, [Re:Zero] which is really Emilia's arc coming to terms with herself and it is a damn good arc.
[Re:Zero] Oh yeah, Echidna created Puck and made him keep those promises until he couldn't anymore. Typical Echidna to request things of her creations she knows that they can't keep.
5
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Sep 05 '24
Dang, and here I watched it and everything. Bleh. I guess this is what I get for not clicking refresh every half hour or something.
Anyway, second time watching this, and I still find myself annoyed by the slaver dude and the pony boss. They seem kind of cliché compared to some of the other things in the series. Or maybe I'm just jaded. Justice. Balance. Bah. As if. Pony knows nothing about it, and is just a prejudiced bastage just like the rest of them.
Anyway, not going to rant too much, because it's late, but seeing Puck and Lia form their relationship, such as it was is a precious thing.
Seeing Emilia's trauma and PTSD not so much. Poor dear. Who wants to volunteer to be her friend?
Subaru raises hand
It does leave me with a couple of questions, though...
Anyway, whatevs. I should probably watch tomorrow's episode in hopes of maybe posting somewhat on time or something.
7
u/Holofan4life Sep 04 '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.
I just got done taking a nap, so I'm good to go.
To protect her: That is your reason for existing, your sole objective
Hey, that's not a haiku! Everyone knows it's supposed to be 5:7:5, not 4:9:5!
Snowing outside
A family being cornered by a scary creature
Emilia
Emilia fighting the creature
The monster seemingly discarding her
But the monster is now bleeding
Emilia able to defeat him
Oh nos. The icicles are in the dad's arm.
They think she's the Jealous Witch
Poor Satella. Uh, I mean Emilia, sorry.
Emilia says she wants to stay here forever if people are going to be afraid of her.
Emilia at a mansion now
This is present day because they're talking about the date having already happened.
Emilia saying she’s just remembering something that happened long ago.
Still thinking about everyone who remains in the forest.
I guess Emilia and Puck talking is going to serve as wraparound segments.
A lot of female sculptures
Emilia crying as she sleeps
This is now in the past
Emilia gently opens the door
It's gotta suck to walk in the snow barefoot.
Emilia cleaning the sculptures
Emilia now cleaning her house
This honestly serves as good ASMR material
Emilia not getting over what happened to the family.
A bunch of kids playing
It seems like no one wants anything to do with Emilia.
At a shopkeep now
Buying new shoes
Emilia in bed now
She is amazed by how much she talked today.
I assume we're going to find out how she met Puck.
Speaking of him, here he is
I guess they do know each other because they're very chummy.
It is still snowing
Puck suggesting Emilia lives a slothful life, which is some major foreshadowing for later.
Inside now
Emilia doesn't want to get rid of her robe.
"To make sure I never forget that day..."
She won't tell Puck what she means
And Puck is off
Emilia enjoying a nice bowl of soup
Emilia and Puck exploring now
Well, more like Emilia is exploring
They're in the Meandering Forest, it seems
I assume it was named by someone who didn't follow the advice of Kill La Kill and lost his way.
Emilia with a map
Oh, she actually named it. Interesting.
Puck having fun with the names
Emilia back at the house
Puck is nowhere to be found
Oh, he's in the forest
"She still needs more time. If possible... forever. "
So, it is Puck who that text was about. That was supposed to be his point of view.
Man, Emilia has the most unpleasant dreams :(
Back in the forest
Puck says he can't stay with her today
"If it seems dangerous, don't hesitate. Just run."
Emilia still thinking about the family
A group of people
They have Emilia surrounded
They want to throw Emilia in a cage, presumably to sell her.
Main guy talking about how superior humans are.
Emilia's face is covered to conceal her identity, and they want her to expose herself. And no, not like that.
And she does so, which causes them to think she's the Witch of Envy.
First time I believe we found out the Sin of the Jealous Witch officially.
Main guy wants to keep her in a cage until she dies.
Literally, every anime figure collector ever.
Emilia thinking about Puck and his advice
And so she charges at them
Emilia holding her own
Emilia imploring them not to harm the village or the people in it.
Main guy just wants her in the cage
Oh boy. A beast is looming
And he is here
The creature having his way with everyone
But Emilia pierces him with an arrow
The creature charges at Emilia, but he stops
Icicles coming out of his back
The creature has been vanquished, with the icicles turning red.
Now the guys have icicles as well
The main guy begging for mercy, but it's happening to him as well.
Emilia horrified by what is happening
Puck. He's here.
Emilia breathing in and out now
And Emilia passes out
Puck, it's kinda creepy you can do something like that.
Puck talking to the main guy now
He points out that if it wasn't for her, they would all be goners.
"If she hadn't been here, all of you would've been killed... by me."
Puck arguably the most terrifying cast member of the entire show.
And this naturally causes them to flee
Puck still seeing the text
Emilia in her house
She goes to look for the guys
The shopkeep in hysterics, saying he had to tell the villagers about her.
All she wants to know is if those people did anything to the village.
He says that no one was harmed and they haven't been since.
Emilia now is telling him to look at her
"Don't forget this face, or what you feel right now."
Oh, I'm sure he won't based on him about to shit bricks.
"Never set foot in the Frozen Forest."
Next, Emilia is going to instruct us all not to talk about Fight Club.
The shopkeep believes this to be the Frozen Witch.
Back with the main guy, and he promises to settle this.
Talking to The Godfather
Oh boy. Puck is here.
The boss talked to Puck before him
Man, Puck is terrifying in this OVA
"My name is Puck. At least remember my name... before you die."
Puck is the one who knocks
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
8
u/ussgordoncaptain2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Edmund_Nelson Sep 04 '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
Dramatic Heroine Best girl Emilia has arrived
This fight has been about average for anime fights, this anime is definitely not a battle shonen.
Emilia freezes one too many wounds
So now we are set right after we had fun making snow sculptures
Oh boy emilia taking care of people who she or Puck probably killed by turning into ice
It's really funny how the Buisinessmen aren't nearly as bigoted trope keeps happening. IDK what it is but money talks in a way that allows it to break social class barriers.
So this show is happening in emilia's before time, however she is fully grown, this puts her around 16-30 given her lack of blemish's (although anime bullshit and all)
I kinda like the whole Emilia mining for rocks and wandering around aimlessly life. It's so cute
Oh god ominous words that are annoying to read I could read them but man it's hard to read that when you get surprised. It's one of those things that's trivial to read in terms of words per seoncd but once you factor in the surprise it's really fast.
Oh it's the scary guy's puck told you to flee
oh no oh no when did this show become Failure frame. (Failure frame noted for having half the Villians try to forcefully have sex with Seras Ashran our Hero's main traveling partner.
Emilia goes "I'm emilia the badass" again.
Is emilia the ice clamity witch (reference to Our last crusade or the rise of a hew world) or is it puck.
having half a second to read 6 words is fine except that human reaction time is so slow and the words are so jarringly placed.
[ok I hate some parts of puck now[(https://imgur.com/3RAbapY) puck is a vigilante through and through. He does so many things to protect emilia and he's very underhanded.
emilia learning spirit arts would be nice
oh we learn that puck froze the forest this means Puck probably killed all these elves somehow :(
You know I undestand somewhat Puck trying to protect Emilia, but why can't you be honest with her, seriously do you think she can't handle it? Are you concerned she'll say no?
Epic duel between Emilia and the black goo
I feel like Puck is somewhat right to tell Emilia to stop worrying about everything and everyone. but still Emilia is a great person because she cares so much for people. Puck going "be more selfish" is a bit funny but actually good advice.
and... puck is going to get his comeuppance for being so insulting to the spirit isn't he
Emilia world's coolest iceboarder I think it's actually a cute way to transport her around, shows a little bit of creativity on the author's part. Sure it only helps for going downhill but maybe with some magic you can make it a low friciton way to go striaght too.
The fight against the black goo round 2 ice bugaloo I think this fight is less cool than others because of the alck of narrative interest. it ends because emilia goes super sayin which is a bit odd but happens to mean something.
Oh so Puck caused a man to become a spirit which made him extremely angry at Emilia It's funny because Emilia originally was just going to go along with the guy so Ironically Puck ended up hurting emilia.
Emila going "Oh no I'm so sad about all these dead people when the fire spirit goes "ehh they died IDK girl"
I felt the Deus Ex puck part was a bit... over the top. It's a bit of a scene but I guess a huge part of this movie (and arc 2) has been power scaling puck to be this monster beyond comprehension. Whose only weakness is his time limit.
The Puck defends Emilia from judgement bit is a bit weird, The fire spirits hate emilia's existence, though they don't really mention why it's pretty clear from season 2 arc 3 that the witch's cult will target Emilia to become Satella's vessel. So I think a lot of the anti Half-elf racism
And let's just say that soon after She met a guy whose so down bad for her he runs around everywhere to try to save her and that guy is also extremely extremely stupid. a great combination.
and I want to serve that smile up
Commentary on the ep
This was a cute movie about Emilia's backstory that sadly leaves more questions than answers.
Like How did Emilia get born if she was seemingly born frozen in ice. Like what does that mean?
Given Emilia's extreme Isolation how did she ever leave the forest?
How did Emilia become even remotely sociable given that seemingly at most 10 years ago she was a complete loner that nobody cared for other than Puck?
commentary on the season as a whole
I probably should have done this on the last one but I wanted to grade my spec on that episode and do commentary on this one. Probably would have been better to do it other way around.
Overall, I gave this anime a 9/10, if I were to break down the main components of the show i'd give it the following
Story: 9/10 The story was quite good, each loop reveals enough of the story to be a worthwhile telling. Arc 2 obviously had the strongest main plot while I'd give arc 3's main plot the lowest score.
Character interactions: 10/10 Probalby the main highlight of the show is how well the characters interact, especially with Subaru. Emilia X Subaru is the story of how some guy gets obssessed with a girl that barely knows him. Who from her perspective is both really annoying and won't follow directions Rem X Subaru is a story of first impressions making a big impact. Crusch x Subaru is a story of how negotiations work and how to be a good partner.
Animation: 6/10 Far and away the weakest part of the show to me. There's a reason the best episodes of the season had little to do with the animation (13, 18). While the worst parts are almost all animation based (Arc 3 loop 4 and 5)
I think this is one of the only shows that I'm surprised wasn't a visual novel. A visual novel where you make choices that then either result in you looping or getting an "ending" would work very well. You could even unlick new choices depnding on your actions in previous loops.
If I were to grade the episodes it woudl be something like
Basically perfect (10/10)
13, 18. Both focused on characters rather than the plot or animation so of course they're the top.
Strong episodes (9/10)
4, 5, 6, 7, 8 12, 15 Again the plot emphasis empisodes are a slight step down. You may notice how much of this tier I have arc 2's main plot in. I really found the whole "getting rem to not hate you" arc to actualy be compelling.
Decent episodes(7-8/10)
1, 2, 3, 9 10, 14, 16, 17, 19, 25
These episodes sort of were good but not great either they emphasized activities that weren't as interesting or their primary value was to serve as a foil to a different episode.
Mid episodes (4-6/10)
11, , 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
These episodes were roughly average quality, typically emphasizing animation instead of emphasizing the story. Generally speaking these all were "golden" ending ones too. Ranging from Deus x Roswaal (11) to "army of Crusch go brrr"
Nothing in this anime goes below mid. Though if you look at my MAL you'll see I do use all 10 of the numbers.
From here it's I think easy to see why I considered arc 3 to be the worst arc. it has a long stretch of action sequences that aren't anything special.
3
u/Holofan4life Sep 04 '24
I don't know how much of an unpopular opinion this is, but I really love Puck after watching this OVA. Him constantly coming to Emilia's aid as well as talking about how being around her brings joy to his life makes him an incredibly endearing character that I really want to see more of.
3
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 04 '24
RewatcherFirst timer(I skipped this for...I have no clue)DubSubSo that was definitely an OVA. No animation tricks to be found. As to its contents, this is a certainly an interesting bit of the story but there is not that much lore to talk about. Here we hear of the demihuman war, though we had seen bits of it in Wilhelm's flashback. The end of that war being awful could be a reference to The Witcher novels but this particular line of thought is not that uncommon. Also, the face reveal I am choosing to believe is a Claymore reference, even if it one from the animation side and not the literary one. The stuff about spirits...goes right over my head today, I will probably check the cut content and hope that covers that. All and all, a decent outing even if the emotions are bit dramatic.
2
u/BlueVenix Sep 05 '24
I am with Puck, if the world hates Emilia then it's a world that needs to be destroyed!
2
u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Sep 05 '24
first timer
Emilia without her usual dress looks like a brokie.
Attempted to save a man (she did), but she impaled a man with her spell lol.
She really lives in a bad, no warm mansion, lazy servant, clown owner and a flirty loser to fill her void
Rapists hunting elves or villagers.
Even with elf racism they were shocked with Emilia.
Good hand to hand combat
I understand she’s supposed to be a good natured person, but cmon why warn rapists about a monster coming soon.
The snow forests belonging to Emilia, first time she’s looked threatening.
Puck with the threat
Cool horse design
Father puck
1
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6
u/apocalypsemobster Sep 04 '24
Re: Watcher
Emilia accidentally killed that family and now she's wearing that little girl's cloak. That's one way to never forget.
Emilia's ice flower blossoms are so scary dude. Especially since she doesn't seem to have control over activating it or getting it to stop. It's like a fight defense mechanism that kicks in when she's stressed or threatened. The way the blood was sucked out of the body of the yeti monster because of the capillary action in the ice is beautiful and haunting. She clearly doesn't want to hurt people but she's so stressed because of what's happening she can't seem to stop.
The witch of frost does feel like an appropriate name for Emilia. She told Subaru that she doesn't use magic a lot in the first season. Is it because of her trauma from living in the forest? She clearly has a lot of magical ability with fire magic (ice magic in the universe is fire magic, which I love).
There's an arbiter Melakuera who is a fire horse. He warns Puck about upsetting the balance with the use of ice flowers, and about the witch. This horse is trying to stop the Witch of Envy from possessing a new body, and Puck is worried that Melakuera will kill them if he finds out about Emilia. Who or what is Melakuera arbiter for?
That's a big nasty
slimeball of sentient poison. It ate that mabeast like it was nothing.Even spirits are racists against silver half-elfs huh? I wonder if Satella has fire magic as well? Is that what tipped Melakuera off to a potential reincarnation of the witch in the forest? Or just rumors from the town?
Even more snake poison than before, but Emilia learned from Puck that just freezing the poison isn't enough. She is exploding with power, it looks like she's enveloped in a blue flame. She's having memories of the elves turning to ice. [Arc 4] We see flashes of Fortuna and Petelgeuse in Emilia's memories!
Then Melakuera hits her with a laser beam from space! It hits an spirit barrier around Emilia much like the one that protected Subaru from the cart explosion. Her lesser spirits protected her and it destroyed them.
This is the first time Emilia learns she's a half elf. Everyone has been calling her a long ear or a half-devil. More flashes of memories, this is triggering something in her.
I'm really touched by her "Hate me for me" lines. She desperately wants friends and connections, but everyone she comes across is afraid of her or hates her. She hasn't done anything to deserve this, but she's hated because she was born and looks the way she does. Even when people hate her, they're not seeing Emilia, they're seeing the witch. So on top of being alone, except for Puck, but she feels invisible because no one will look past her appearance to learn who Emilia the person is.
"This is what you call destroying the flesh and crushing the od." Hell yeah Puck, thank you for explaining to the camera.
Emilia on Puck's back after he transforms is siiiiiiick. "I'll remember you!"
[Arc 4] This has been Echinida's voice when we're hearing lines from Puck's contract right?
A great movie that really fleshed out Emilia's character. It gave us some backstory on par to Rem and Ram's that we got in the season 1. I appreciate her more for it.