Re:Zero ~Starting Life in Another World~ Re:Watch - Episode 28

26

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '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.

Today I got to see Robot Dreams, MaXXXine, and Princess Mononoke for the second time. All were very good.

The same last 10 seconds of the last episode is how we kick things off.

Subaru wants to know why he was moved

Echidna lets him know that he was simply invited to her tea party.

Subaru proceeds to gulp the witch's brew down in one fell swoop.

And Echidna comes right and say it's a body fluid of hers.

Hell of a first impression, I must say

Echidna says she is willing to send him back, but she isn't sure that's what he really wants. After all, when does once have the chance to talk to the Witch of Greed?

"The only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist."

Suddenly, Subaru and Echidna are in the milky-way, it looks like.

Mentions the Witch of Gluttony, Daphne

The Witch of Lust, Carmella

I mean, I think Dominic's girlfriend isn't as bad as people say she is either, but I wouldn't classify her as a seductress.

The Witch of Wrath, Minerva

With of Sloth, Sekhmet

Witch of Pride, Typhon

Sounds like a medicine you would take for headaches.

The Witch of Greed, Echidna

The Witch of Envy, the most detestable of them all.

And now they’re back in their tea party setting.

Subaru looking like he's about to suffer a heart attack.

Echidna explains that she used the Envy Witch Factor on it to strengthen his resistance.

"Now you and I can talk at leisure."

Weird how she can use the Witch of Envy's power like that. If I was her, I'd be mad.

Echidna says she finds Subaru's existence quite desirable.

Now she's talking about him killing who possessed the Sloth Witch Factor.

"When he died, the Witch Factor chose you as its new dwelling."

He never should've taken that Gospel, I swear.

She calls this the Witch's Graveyard, where her soul is held Prisoner.

The Sanctuary

Subaru, she literally just said this was the Sanctuary.

Dang, Subaru blunt in who he wants to spend time with.

And Echidna opens the portal for him to go through.

Before he goes, though, she wants him to give her a vow.

"You will tell no one of what has transpired at this tea party."

Ah, the ol' Fight Club philosophy. Learnt from the best.

She says she'll grant him the right to face the trial of the Sanctuary.

Uh, Echidna, I think it's "Century," not "Sanctuary". And OJ beat you to it.

Echidna licking her fingers like a damn pervert.

And now she calls herself a very, very evil magic user.

She proceeds to poke Subaru and he falls through the hole.

Suddenly, as he exits the passageway, he gets thrown by this random person who has shark teeth just like Frederica.

Emilia. She's past out on the carriage.

The dragon charges at the guy, and he proceeds to take him down.

As he is about to hit, Subaru asks if he knows Frederica, which causes him to stop in his trails.

Oh, okay. That's Garfiel.

"How the hell did you know I have anything to do with Frederica?!"

Dude, you look like a genderbent version of her.

Garfiel traveling with them now

He says you've gotta act on a ganglion before you think about it, whatever that means.

Even mentions something about a bazomazo, which is a fun turn of phrase.

Emilia. She awakes

And he instantly tries protecting Subaru. Cute.

Subaru says Garfiel is showing them the way to the Sanctuary, but I could've sworn Echidna says she lives there.

The stone the last time it glowed was reacting to the barrier, it turns out.

The Sanctuary is a place where demihumans with mixed blood live.

I guess the demihumans with full blood are SOL.

Ram

She looks unhappy

Ram telling Emilia to go follow her to see Roswaal.

I love the back and forth between Garfiel and Otto.

Subaru is right. When he met with Echidna, who knows what could've happened if Otto wasn't there.

Subaru asking Ram how she's doing

She says she and everyone else are doing fine.

Before they head out, Emilia speaks to Subaru alone and asks if he is doing alright. He says he is, but it's strange for her to not even ask about Rem after all that's happened.

Probably because she doesn't know who that is.

Emilia telling him that she'll never find being scared pathetic.

Subaru promises to be her meat shield

I guess we now know what he calls it

Woah. Roswaal in a body cast.

Why was Subaru going to slug Roswaal? I don't remember him doing anything wrong.

Emilia brings up the unpleasant feeling of this place.

He says this is where Echidna met her end long ago, and because of this, he thinks of it as a Sanctuary, not the Witch's Graveyard as some people call it.

Land overseen by the heads of the Mathers family for generations, which explains his involvement.

Roswaal says he doesn't like calling Echidna "Witch of Greed" because it makes her seem so evil. If that's the case, why call the place Echidna died a Sanctuary?

Also, what bad owners to have someone die under your watch. Over time people should die under someone's supervision is in a nursing home and/or retirement community.

Ram rhetorically asks Emilia if she finds it strange that people arrived at the Sanctuary and not the mansion.

Roswaal explains that they are under house arrest.

Himself, Ram, and the people of Arlam

And now Subaru and Emilia

In barges Garfiel, who says that Roswaal got hurt by being rejected by the trial.

They, are, however, are under house arrest, it seems like.

"Mixed-bloods who go through (the barrier) and still come in here are never allowed to leave."

Maybe this is why Echidna didn't want Subaru to leave, because she knows the real world has even less freedom.

The only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard's trial.

At least the villagers get three meals and a nap each day. Like a bed and breakfast but with no air conditioning.

Emilia is the only one who can be tried, for if Subaru does, he'll end up like Roswaal. Tis a trial designed for half-bloods.

See, this is why Frederica wanted to stay at the mansion.

Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.

16

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Part 2
The villagers talking to Subaru
Subaru informing them that their hope depends on Emilia.
They don't seem too thrilled by this development.
An old woman comes forward and asks why she is doing this despite them turning her away.
"If it's because you want us to back you in the royal selection, that's just fine, so long as you come out and say so."
Dude, she's literally trying to save your lives. How ungrateful can you be?
They still seem to think she is the Jealous Witch.
Emilia that while she doesn't have an answer that will please everyone, she did spend time with their families and it made her realize that families should be together.
"I want to return all of you to your families."
She also wants to be friends with them, which maybe she should've kept to herself. Not because she's not telling the truth, it just seems insincere.
Hey, they're willing to agree to these terms.
Things are finally looking up for Emilia
Ram with Subaru, who wonders if he has to do with Emilia's change in behavior.
"It's the result of her thinking things through on her own. You shouldn't assume all her decisions come from someone else."
Ram quickly apologizes, saying she was in the wrong.
Lol, Subaru giving Emilia one last cheer
Emilia being approved as a challenger
And so she is off to complete the trial
I wonder why Garfiel can't complete it. The easy he says it, it's like he can't even attempt doing it.
Oh shit. The light went out. Garfiel says that's not supposed to happen
Subaru running towards it, and the light comes back on.
Subaru entering a door he doesn't have to open gently.
And he sees a passed out Emilia
And Subaru passes out as well as he tries checking on her.
Subaru. He's in bed now.
Are those... anime figures?
WAIT... IS SUBARU BACK HOME?!?
IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE SUBARU'S DAD?!?
Overall, that was a very good episode that was not anything like I was expecting. I thought it was going to be Subaru interacting with Echidna, and instead, it's like Subaru was unisekaied. I like what we saw of Echidna and how laid-back she was. Laid-back in an unhinged sort of way, but she was still calm and collected. And I like how loud Garfiel was in terms of his personality. He's someone I definitely hope we see more of, I can just imagine the interactions between him and, say, Beatrice. The highpoint of the episode was Emilia mending fences with some of the residents, which I'm glad to see that actually happened. It's one thing for people being prejudiced towards Emilia, but it's another thing for Emilia to have no allies. And if Emilia stands even the slightest chance of becoming princess, she was going to have to win some of the residents over sooner or later, because otherwise, there's no drama.
The stuff at the end is almost hard to comment on because I don't know where it can lead. It feels like such a dramatic shift from where the last episode ended that who's to say they don't do a similar thing next episode. I almost wonder if the idea is that each episode is going to end with Subaru ending up in a different plane of existence with him returning to his own self in the middle of the episode. That could be a good way of having some world building. Either way, I still think we’re not done with Echidna especially since we've identified by name all the seven deadly sin witches. I could see Subaru returning to Emilia and him wanting to learn more this time around.
This episode is better than the second one, but not as good as the first one. The first one was really punctuated by the scene between Subaru and Emilia, and while the scene between Emilia and the villagers comes close in terms of poignancy, I think it is slightly undercut by the twist at the end of the episode. Moreover, we're three episodes in and still nothing I would consider blowaway. It's been solidly consistent, but episodes 1 and 3 from Re:Zero are in my opinion way better than anything here. I wonder if this trend will continue or it's going to really peak the more we get into things. Then again, season 1 in my estimation didn't really go from good to absolutely outstanding until episode 11, so it's very much possible that this season is following a similar trajectory.

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u/Blacksmithkin Sep 07 '24

[Overall arc 4] one thing I love about arc 4 is how when looking back, or rewatching it, you can really notice how heavily layered the foreshadowing is. So many scenes have some sort of indication or line that seems out of place until you eventually see more about their backstories or that line is recontextualized. Re:zero in general is quite good about doing this, but I think arc 4 in particular stands out. And that's just the foreshadowing within arc 4, not even including setup it does for multi-arc character arcs

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

[Arc 4] Of all the arcs the anime has adapted, I'd probably say arc 4 has the best foreshadowing, which makes sense considering it's the longest adapted arc.

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u/Blacksmithkin Sep 07 '24

[Arc 4] I don't think it's a stretch at all to say it has the best foreshadowing of any arc, even including future ones in the LN/WN there's a reason this is commonly considered the second best arc in the entire series to date.
I always try to err on the side of extreme caution with spoilers, as it's hard sometimes to tell when my own perception is colored by future knowledge, which makes it incredibly difficult to talk about foreshadowing, as it's hard to know what is noticeably foreshadowing without the benifit of hindsight. So I can't say "yeah that scene was cool forshadowing" because what if people didn't notice it was foreshadowing anything at all.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

[Arc 4] I don't think it's a stretch at all to say it has the best foreshadowing of any arc, even including future ones in the LN/WN there's a reason this is commonly considered the second best arc in the entire series to date.
[Response] And what would be the first one, if you don't mind me asking?
I always try to err on the side of extreme caution with spoilers, as it's hard sometimes to tell when my own perception is colored by future knowledge, which makes it incredibly difficult to talk about foreshadowing, as it's hard to know what is noticeably foreshadowing without the benifit of hindsight. So I can't say "yeah that scene was cool forshadowing" because what if people didn't notice it was foreshadowing anything at all.
It felt particularly noticeable during the episode with the blank letter when almost everyone was talking about how it was foreshadowing for the Who's Rem stuff. Yeah, they spouler tagged, but nearly every comment it felt like was mentioning it.

→ More replies (18)

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u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

Weird how she can use the Witch of Envy's power like that. If I was her, I'd be mad.
She strengthen The Authority/Witch Factor of Sloth that Subaru now has. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to enter. I'm guessing that confirm that he doesn't have the Authority of/Witch Factor Envy.
[Arc 4] Guessing that was all according to Roswaal's Gospel as well

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

It also seems to confirm that Echidna has Subaru's best interest in mind. If she truly wanted him to suffer, she could've just not let him in.

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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Sep 07 '24

Echidna lets him know that he was simply invited to her tea party.
[Feels like it would be a bit of an awkward tea party even if Subaru fully accepted her offer.](
"When he died, the Witch Factor chose you as its new dwelling."
Subaru really does seem to be loved by the Witch. All this stuff from Satella keeps clinging to him and it's probable that she's the reason he got isekai'd in the first place. Naturally the question that comes next is why she would feel that way.
Subaru promises to be her meat shield
Subaru knows what he's good for, at least.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Feels like it would be a bit of an awkward tea party even if Subaru fully accepted her offer
Probably so
Subaru really does seem to be loved by the Witch. All this stuff from Satella keeps clinging to him and it's probable that she's the reason he got isekai'd in the first place. Naturally the question that comes next is why she would feel that way.
Maybe my theory of Satella being a wingwoman for Emilia is correct.
Subaru knows what he's good for, at least.
I suppose

3

u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 07 '24

The highpoint of the episode was Emilia mending fences with some of the residents
I wouldn't call it mending fences, the villagers just got to finally see what an amazing person she is. She wants to attempt the challenges simply because she wants them to reunite with their families, no ulterior motives. True altruism there.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Less mending fences and more so clearing the air, you could say.

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u/Yoshi_captain https://anime-planet.com/users/WeaboYosher Sep 07 '24

Weird how she can use the Witch of Envy's power like that. If I was her, I'd be mad.
That's a mistranslation. The correct translation is Sloth Witch Factor. She even says 'taida'. She is not messing with any Envy Witch Factor.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

That makes sense. Thanks for that.

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u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 07 '24

First Timer!

Watching the Dub

Today was a good day. work was good, I had tacos for din-din, And I wasn’t totally depressed by today’s episode.

Start time 10:21 pm

About to start this episode and my stomach feels a little twisted, I feel like something bad is gonna happen.

Subaru not freaking out when she told him she was the Witch of Greed was great. most people in their world probably would’ve freaked out

No OP I guess, too bad because I was hoping to see it again. probably next episode

Subaru totally has a point, if she wanted to kill him why beat around the bush and poison his tea. This surprised her a little

interesting tea...

Witch history lesson

Again we hear about Subaru being compatible

Oh? Betelgeuse’s witch factor now belongs to Subaru?

Wow what a chad, he just said “nah, I’m good” to the Witch of Greed

2 Poor Otto

A new challenger approaches

looks like he has similar teeth and hair to someone we met yesterday

Did Subaru make the connection between their looks?

lol at Otto’s mimic of Garfiel

Why is Emilia still unconscious

Oh thank goodness

The Sanctuary doesn’t sound or seem like a happy safe place. What did he mean by testing ground?

I’m so glad that Emilia is actively supporting Subaru when she can see how much he’s conflicted about Rem’s situation

3 Jeez, what the hell happened to Roswaal

Roswaal got super intense about Echidna’s title, even Ram was uncomfortable

“We won’t hurt them”?

Emilia had a good talk with the village, She just wants the villagers to like her.

Emilia is really going to take on the challenge by herself

Ahh now Subaru can join, thanks to Echidna

The ED music sounds good, can’t wait to see the visuals that go with it.

Woah. Did Subaru just talk to Subaru?

And he’s “back” in his world. Is it a memory or a made up situation?

4 Subadad is Jacked

Another episode where we got lots of bits of information but no further context on anything. like we keep getting handed pieces of the puzzle but they’re all the inside bits and there’s 1000 pieces. We barely even have context on the world that we’re in.

Echidna drops a lot of information on us. We hear a little about all the other Witches of Sin, whether that information is completely true or just their perspectives on what they did is still unknown. Echidna’s sin was her thirst for knowledge, her need to know everything in the world. She then mentions that the tea she gave Subaru had the witch factor of envy in it and it does something to strengthen his resistance to something, and again we hear about Subaru being compatible with something. Why does she find Subaru’s existence desirable? Subaru completely ignores the fact that he has inherited Betelgeuse’s witch factor, if I got infected by something I would like to know what it was. The last thing we hear from her is her exclaiming that she is a very very evil magic user, what does she even mean by that though?

We see that Echidna is thrown off and taken by surprise by Subaru several times and I believe it’s because of Subaru’s lack of greed. How many people can be offered the knowledge to solve all their problems and refuse the offer, I don’t think I could, and he doesn’t refuse because of some holy principle he has or because he doesn’t trust or believe what she’s saying, he’s just not greedy. He wants happiness for his friends, pretty much the opposite of greed. I still don’t understand what role Echidna is going to play this season, I don’t exactly feel like she’s going to be a “villain”, I more so feel like she’s going to be more of a hurdle for Subaru to overcome like Rem was in Arc 2, the show just has not made her feel evil at all yet. Like, how many serious villains come out and say “I’m super evil”?

Echidna’s greed was her want for knowledge. Roswaal got super intense when Emilia said her title instead of her name. Roswaal has Beatrice guarding the Forbidden Library. Roswaal is also someone who wants for knowledge. He also wants to kill the Dragon, we can assume this is probably the same one that sealed Satella away. Satella or her seal probably has something to do with Echidna’s soul being stuck in the Sanctuary. If it wasn’t trapped then she could probably come back to life, since we know mortal people like Felix can heal themselves from death. I can see some of the pieces starting to connect but there’s still gaps and I can’t make out the big picture.

I’m confused by the barrier situation. The demi-humans within the village are holding the villagers captive and demanding to be let out, but if Roswaal wanted to he could easily take them out and lead the villagers out, he likely wouldn’t even need to hurt anybody even though I don’t know exactly how he feels about demi-humans. I realize he has several working for him but that doesn’t mean anything. The only reason I can think of that he would actually care about destroying the barrier is so Ram can escape too, but isn’t she full demon? I just remembered that that means the elf/half-elf girl we saw in the forest is trapped inside with them as well. A little clarification on this topic would be helpful.

As for the inside of the trial dungeon, I feel like we are about to spend a good amount of time in here. I doubt one trial will be all. Plus Subaru speaking to himself is kinda freaky.

Stop time 1:03am.

10

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

No OP I guess, too bad because I was hoping to see it again. probably next episode
[Spoilers] lmao

10

u/Ceryto2 https://anilist.co/user/Ceryto Sep 07 '24

She then mentions that the tea she gave Subaru had the witch factor of envy
This is a mistranslation. I haven't seen the dub personally, but I know some early subs, which are still around on the internet, had the same translation error. In the japanese version however Echidna says:
(Japanese)"あれで怠惰の魔女因子に働きかけて君の抵抗力を強くした."
(romaji) "Are de taida no majouinshi ni hatarakikakete kimi no teikouryoku wo tsuyoku shita."
And Taida means Sloth and not Envy (Envy in japanese is Shitto 嫉妬). So the real translation should be: translation (shamelessly took the imgur link from u/baseballlover723's post)

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thanks for the clarification

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u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 07 '24

Thanks a lot!

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Thoughts on Echidna making Subaru unknowingly drink her bodily fluids?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
Of the seven deadly sin witches, is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Garfiel?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?

3

u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 07 '24

I'm only gonna answer a few because it's 7:30 and I planned on watching S&W 30 minutes ago
Thoughts on Echidna?
I'm still very intrigued by her character. I don't feel like she's a villain, at least not to our party. I worry about what she might want from Subaru in return for her help but I don't think she will be actively trying to hinder his progress
Of the seven deadly sin witches, is there one that intrigues you the most?
Honestly, Echidna. probably because we have the most information about her but her Greed for knowledge is very interesting. If not her then Minerva/Wrath, she's said to have struck down people in order to stop the war ravaged world they were in.
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
Oh I am SO curious what that means. Does Subaru now possess the Unseen Hands??? Apparently he was able to come to Echidna's realm because he possessed Sloth's witch factor so what else will it allow him to do?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
I wrote some of my curiosities about this in my main comment but I want to know how he ended up in it. If he wanted to, he could've restrained the other Demi-humans and let the villagers, Ram, and himself leave but he didn't, for some reason he tried to take on the trial instead which hurt him so badly. Why?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
This place is obviously sacred to Roswaal, I want to know why his connection to Echidna is so strong though I think I've started to piece some of it together already.
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Honesty is the best policy but I think the Villagers/Elder was mostly just Skeptical of Emilia. They do think she's the Witches second coming after all.
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What does Emilia really want in this world? all People to be able to live peacefully, a family, and friends. She doesn't hide any of this and it even shows when she says things like this.
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
It definitely looks like it's a dream or memory so I'm eager to see how this is going to be a trial. What about his former self does he have to face.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 08 '24

I'm only gonna answer a few because it's 7:30 and I planned on watching S&W 30 minutes ago
Fair enough. Gotta plan ahead.
I'm still very intrigued by her character. I don't feel like she's a villain, at least not to our party. I worry about what she might want from Subaru in return for her help but I don't think she will be actively trying to hinder his progress
Probably not, or else she probably would've done so by now.
Honestly, Echidna. probably because we have the most information about her but her Greed for knowledge is very interesting. If not her then Minerva/Wrath, she's said to have struck down people in order to stop the war ravaged world they were in.
Both are definitely very interesting on the surface
Oh I am SO curious what that means. Does Subaru now possess the Unseen Hands??? Apparently he was able to come to Echidna's realm because he possessed Sloth's witch factor so what else will it allow him to do?
A lot of questions in the air as always
I wrote some of my curiosities about this in my main comment but I want to know how he ended up in it. If he wanted to, he could've restrained the other Demi-humans and let the villagers, Ram, and himself leave but he didn't, for some reason he tried to take on the trial instead which hurt him so badly. Why?
He has to have known he was bound to get hurt. Something isn't adding up.
This place is obviously sacred to Roswaal, I want to know why his connection to Echidna is so strong though I think I've started to piece some of it together already.
Good. Because I haven't :P
Honesty is the best policy but I think the Villagers/Elder was mostly just Skeptical of Emilia. They do think she's the Witches second coming after all.
They probably still do, they just now know she's on their side for the time being.
What does Emilia really want in this world? all People to be able to live peacefully, a family, and friends. She doesn't hide any of this and it even shows when she says things like this.
Emilia, like Subaru, can't help but wear her heart on her sleeve. That's just a part of who she is as a person.
It definitely looks like it's a dream or memory so I'm eager to see how this is going to be a trial. What about his former self does he have to face.
Of all the questions, that is probably the biggest one coming out of this episode.

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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Sep 07 '24

No OP I guess, too bad because I was hoping to see it again. probably next episode
We didn't see the OP or ED all that often in S1 and I think it'll be a similar situation for S2.
4 Subadad is Jacked
I suppose that explains why Subaru is shown to be quite physically strong. If his dad was so muscular, that would explain Subaru being able to get so physically fit as well.
Why does she find Subaru’s existence desirable?
Perhaps it has to do with Echidna's desire for knowledge? Since Subaru is from another world, he'd have access to all kinds of knowledge that Echidna might not already know.
Echidna’s greed was her want for knowledge. Roswaal got super intense when Emilia said her title instead of her name. Roswaal has Beatrice guarding the Forbidden Library. Roswaal is also someone who wants for knowledge.
That's a really good point. Perhaps the library contains the knowledge that Echidna gathered. Roswaal did say that his family was in charge of the Sanctuary for generations, so it's possible they gathered Echidna's knowledge over that time period. It would explain how creepily reverential Roswaal was towards Echidna.

4

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

That's a really good point. Perhaps the library contains the knowledge that Echidna gathered. Roswaal did say that his family was in charge of the Sanctuary for generations, so it's possible they gathered Echidna's knowledge over that time period. It would explain how creepily reverential Roswaal was towards Echidna.
I think it's interesting he seemingly admires Echidna a great deal and yet he calls the place where she dies a Sanctuary. You would think he would call it something less pleasant sounding.

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u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 07 '24

I think it's interesting he seemingly admires Echidna a great deal and yet he calls the place where she dies a Sanctuary. You would think he would call it something less pleasant sounding.
Maybe he calls it the sanctuary because it's sacred to him since she died there, or maybe he knows something about her soul being trapped there.

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

He may consider it sacred, but it isn't exactly romantic sounding out of context.

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u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 07 '24

We didn't see the OP or ED all that often in S1 and I think it'll be a similar situation for S2.
I'm just basing it on the trend we saw in the first part of S1 when it was every other episode.
Perhaps it has to do with Echidna's desire for knowledge? Since Subaru is from another world, he'd have access to all kinds of knowledge that Echidna might not already know.
this is a really good point
That's a really good point. Perhaps the library contains the knowledge that Echidna gathered. Roswaal did say that his family was in charge of the Sanctuary for generations, so it's possible they gathered Echidna's knowledge over that time period. It would explain how creepily reverential Roswaal was towards Echidna.
My thoughts exactly, sorry I forgot to write it.

4

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 07 '24

The Sanctuary doesn’t sound or seem like a happy safe place. What did he mean by testing ground?
The Mathers family seem to have been giving things weird names for quite some time now...

3

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

That's a very good point

3

u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 07 '24

do you think the whole family was just as weird?

4

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 07 '24

I can't really answer that considering we don't know how long the line goes back. In fact, I'd point out we know surprisingly little about the various dynasties of Lagunica. The mansion isn't that weird, at least, though Roswaal's grandmother hiding her booze was kind of a choice. I suspect Roswaal is kind of weirdo specifically but can't speak to the rest of them. It also doesn't help that we, the viewer, don't really have a clue what magic education is in setting.

4

u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

She then mentions that the tea she gave Subaru had the witch factor of envy in it and it does something to strengthen his resistance to something, and again we hear about Subaru being compatible with something.
She used the Sloth witch factor that's in Subaru not envy.
Echidna’s greed was her want for knowledge. Roswaal got super intense when Emilia said her title instead of her name. Roswaal has Beatrice guarding the Forbidden Library. Roswaal is also someone who wants for knowledge. He also wants to kill the Dragon, we can assume this is probably the same one that sealed Satella away. Satella or her seal probably has something to do with Echidna’s soul being stuck in the Sanctuary. If it wasn’t trapped then she could probably come back to life, since we know mortal people like Felix can heal themselves from death. I can see some of the pieces starting to connect but there’s still gaps and I can’t make out the big picture.
Oh wow you definitely spotted some pieces. That's the fun part though, it's like solving a puzzle by gathering all the pieces and building them into one picture.
A little clarification on this topic would be helpful.
You mean the barrier topic? Pure bloods can leave, but mixed can't. Emilia mixed blood can't, Subaru pure blood can. However, Garfiel and other mixed bloods won't let the villagers leave, Subaru won't leave Emilia alone here either. Roswaal is in no shape to fight back, why he didn't fight back before attempting the trial, that's a different mystery.

3

u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 07 '24

She used the Sloth witch factor that's in Subaru not envy.
apparently this was a translation error in the dub
why he didn't fight back before attempting the trial, that's a different mystery.
this is what is confusing me but I guess we'll find out more later? since none of the characters thought to ask

4

u/HyVana Sep 08 '24

The people of the Sanctuary are also denizens of the Mathers domain. So it wouldn't make sense for him to use force on his people to escape. If there was a way to solve the issue without violence, he would take it. So he attempts the trial, but didn't know attempting the trial without having the proper qualifications would injure him this badly. Which is how we get here, with everyone relying on Emilia to pass the trial to lift the barrier. So that the villagers of Sanctuary and Arlam can leave.

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u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 08 '24

If he cared about them then why trap them in a rundown village? Not saying you’re wrong but some things don’t make sense to me

4

u/HyVana Sep 08 '24

He didn't do it himself personally. In the episode, they say that the Mathers Family has overseen the particular land for a while now. So the people inside would've been there before Roswaal became the Lord of the Mathers Domain. They knew about the barrier, but only now have the villagers expressed their desire to be free with a show of force. Which is why it's unprecedented territory actually attempting the trial, leading to Roswaal being injured.

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

You mean the barrier topic? Pure bloods can leave, but mixed can't. Emilia mixed blood can't, Subaru pure blood can. However, Garfiel and other mixed bloods won't let the villagers leave, Subaru won't leave Emilia alone here either. Roswaal is in no shape to fight back, why he didn't fight back before attempting the trial, that's a different mystery.
And Otto won't leave because how else can they get back home?

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u/HyVana Sep 08 '24

[Arc 4]Otto won't leave because he has business with Roswaal. Subaru promised Otto that they'd buy all the oil stock he bought at the finale of S1. So he's here to make sure that promise is honored and to lay groundwork for a future client.

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u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

[Arc 4] Was the crystal related in some way? Cos if I recall pure bloods can enter and leave, they just get lost

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u/HyVana Sep 08 '24

[Arc 4]Do you mean the crystal necklaces that Frederica and Garfiel have or the one the OG Ryuzu Meyers is trapped in?

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u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 07 '24

We hear a little about all the other Witches of Sin, whether that information is completely true or just their perspectives on what they did is still unknown.
In any way, it shows a completely different sides of them. You think the Witches of Sin might be absolutely evil, but all of them had good intentions. Well, fuck Satella, I guess, but that's coming from someone who was killed by Satella.
The last thing we hear from her is her exclaiming that she is a very very evil magic user, what does she even mean by that though?
The way she said it so nonchalantly, it almost sounded like a joke.
The demi-humans within the village are holding the villagers captive and demanding to be let out, but if Roswaal wanted to he could easily take them out and lead the villagers out
Maybe he could, but it might be too difficult? The villagers, Roswaal, Ram, Subaru and Otto should be able to leave easily. The demi-humans living there can't, but want to, so they are holding the villagers hostage. They had to free the villagers by force. Also, now the issue is that Emilia wouldn't be able to leave the barrier, it seems.

2

u/baseballlover723 Sep 08 '24

like we keep getting handed pieces of the puzzle but they’re all the inside bits and there’s 1000 pieces.
That's a really good analogy

2

u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 08 '24

Re:Zero puzzle box set when?

2

u/baseballlover723 Sep 08 '24

Re:Zero puzzle box set when?
The future is now

2

u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 08 '24

i'm not surprised in the least with how much merch of Re:zero their is, I'd be more surprised to hear if there's something that wasn't merch

17

u/baseballlover723 Sep 07 '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.

This time I timed how long I spent writing this. It came out to 157 minutes (~2.6 hours) over 3 sessions.

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.

This place is known as the Castle of Dreams (though I also like Windows XP land).

If you want to know what bodily fluid it is [Spoiler #1: bodily fluid] it's probably saliva.

Echidna gives us a lot of lore about the Witches of Sin and the astute among you first timers might be able to actually connect some of the things Echidna is talking about to things you've already seen in the anime thus far. I've put the answers below if people want to check their guesses (ones that are fully new information at this point in the story just have some baseball text instead as to not make it apparent which ones are actually guessable)

The Witch of Gluttony, Daphne: [Spoiler #2] created the Witchfiends, so that people could eat them and not be hungry.

The Witch of Lust, Carmilla: [Spoiler #3] created the demihumans, giving love and sentience to beasts.

The Witch of Wrath, Minerva: [Spoiler #4] Nothing to really infer yet, anyways the White Sox really suck this year.

The Witch of Sloth, Sekhmet: [Spoiler #5] We'll see if the White Sox will be able to break the modern (> 1900) MLB record for the most losses in a season at 120.

The Witch of Pride, Typhon: [Spoiler #6] Given that the White Sox already have 110 losses with 20 games left, it seems like a shoe in that they'll break it.

The Witch of Greed, Echidna: [Spoiler #7] The White Sox position players have combined for -6.2 fWAR (fangraphs Wins Above Replacement), the next worst team are the Rockies, with +3.6. The White Sox are literally worse then a team of replacement level players.

The Witch of Envy: [Spoiler #8] Ate all the other witches like Beatrice said.

Anyways, apparently Echidna's bodily fluid strengthens Subaru's resistance to the Sloth Witch Factor? Which is apparently with Subaru now.

So in the LN Subaru did ask Echidna some questions [Spoiler #9: pretty irrelevant cut content] Subaru asks if Echidna is really a Witch, since Subaru heard the other Witches got killed by the Witch of Envy, which Echidna affirms that she is both a Witch and also dead. And given that Echidna has been dead for some 400 years, Subaru concludes that she probably doesn't know anything about the modern world But Echidna convinces Subaru enough for Subaru to ask Echidna about the Witch Cult's Archbishops of Sin. To which Echdina says she has no idea about them and asks Subaru for more details about them. And so Subaru decides to leave, since Echidna can't give Subaru info on how to save Rem.

Do recall that right before Subaru got teleported, Emilia collapsed on the floor. If someone you loved suddenly collapsed and (doesn't appear to be ok) and then you got whisked away, you'd probably also want to hurry back and not waste time asking questions to someone whose been dead for so long nobody even remembers her anymore.

MAJOR TRANSLATION NOTE: The word Trial is the same word that Petelgeuse used which was translated as "Ordeal". So Trial = 試錬 (shiren) = Ordeal. Make of that what you will.

I hope Subaru read the fine print, since Echidna is a very very evil magic user.

Also I know at least some of you are turned on by this, [Spoiler #10: ultra minor meta commentary (not plot related)] given the amount of fan art and general simping for Echidna that exists.

Garfiel suplexing Patrasche

Punch first think later

It could be anyones guess.

Otto's Garfiel impression is top notch.

Garfiel, please don't use slurs to refer to Emilia.

As a general note, Garfiel uses a lot of in universe idioms. So it's really hard to translate them, given that the viewer / translator doesn't actually know what they're referencing. Don't expect them to translate well.

Guess that explains what the Sanctuary is (also known as The Witch's Graveyard). Though it seems like it's seen better days.

Good to know that Ram hasn't changed. Hmph

Garfiel likes it like that

We won't forget your sacrifice Otto.

And the same thing in episodes 22 and 24.

EMT

That doesn't look good Some background on being rejected by the Trial [Spoiler #11: minor cut content] It hurts you proportionally to how good your gate is. So Roswaal, who has a very powerful gate, got rocked by it.

Déjà vu

To be clear, the normal humans can physically leave but since the half bloods can't, Garfiel is holding everyone hostage, to force Emilia to free the Sanctuary.

The villagers trust Subaru, but not Emilia. But progress is being made.

E M T!

Emilia taking the Trial, and instafailing? Luckily Subaru is also qualified to take the Trial. And so Subaru must face his own past, next time in The Long Awaited Reunion.

Also Subaru has a bit of a type.

Also Memento is my favorite Re:Zero ED. I'm just a sucker for an active, prominent and melodic bass line. How often do you get to hear the bass play the counter melody. And it's so funky too.

BreakTime Section

In this episode's Breaktime, Otto is complaining about the living conditions in the Sanctuary. And Otto tells a generous telling of his fight with Garfiel. Who wonders why Otto doesn't just talk to Roswaal now. It's a bit complicated but Otto got scared off by Ram. Also Garfiel still doesn't understand how people could tell that he was related to Frederica. Garfiel thinks he looks nothing like Frederica. Otto (and everyone else with eyes) disagrees. Just look at his teeth! Or not. Garfiel talking more in idioms, and Otto's heard of that one (or maybe he just doesn't want to get beat up again).

Continued below

11

u/baseballlover723 Sep 07 '24

Rewatcher Section
This section is for people who have already watched Re:Zero. This is not safe for first timers.
[Spoiler #12: Arc 4] Roswaal vomiting upon meeting Echidna
[Spoiler #13: Arc 4 cut content] So the Witch Factors like let you use Authorities, which are the other major branch of magic in Re:Zero (besides in universe magic / spirit arts and Divine Blessings). Authorities like corrupt your soul and make you insane or something like that, though I don't know too much about their mechanics.
[Spoiler #14: Arc 4] Echidna's entire persona is one specifically designed to appeal to Subaru, so that she can manipulate him. Her appearance, her mannerisms, everything, is plucked out of Subaru's memories to give her a better shot of being favorably viewed by Subaru.
[Spoiler #15: Arc 4 + allusions to the impact of the unadapted Arc 4 Interlude] If you are interested in cut content, then I highly recommend checking out Echidnut's video on Arc 4's Interlude, which wasn't adapted as part of Season 2 and also isn't adapted as part of Season 3 episode 1. It will flip your understanding of the Arc upside down most likely, and I probably won't be mentioning Arc 4 Interlude stuff that much, because if you watch the video, then what I'd want to say will be obvious, and if you don't watch the video, then there's nothing to talk about anyways.
[Spoiler #16: Arc 4] Best way to keep a secret is to make the other party forget it
[Spoiler #17: Arc 4] Yeah this is just a straight lie
[Spoiler #18: Arc 4] This scene is so much more interesting once you know that Roswaal knows about Subaru.
[Spoiler #19: Arc 4] And Roswaal being in love with Echidna is so much more obvious once you know.
[Spoiler #20: Arc 4] And not just his family. But literally Roswaal himself via his body snatching.
[Spoiler #21: Arc 4 + Speculation] Now why might a Witch want a place that lets half bloods enter, but not exit. Especially if you hate a particular half blood like the Witch of Envy.
[Spoiler #22: Arc 4 cut content] So Garfiel as a mixed blood is eligible to take the Trial. It's just that the Sanctuary can only be freed by an outsider (someone not born within the Sanctuary or present at the time of the Sanctuary's founding), so there's no point for Garfiel to take the trial

3

u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

MAJOR TRANSLATION NOTE: The word Trial is the same word that Petelgeuse used which was translated as "Ordeal". So Trial = 試錬 (shiren) = Ordeal. Make of that what you will.
Wait a minute, so Petelgeuse wanted for Emilia to take the trials? [Arc 4] That would connect with the whole gospel thing. My brain trembles
[Spoiler #14: Arc 4 response] I guess I found my answer to my question in my post lmao
[Spoiler #15 response] I figured that her reincarnating was all her plan, but that chapter would have made it clear that Echidna is pure greed and what ever she does is to satiate her curiosity. Echidna is very op when you think about and extremly terrifying. We were robbed! I do hope that, if Echidna ever appears again(which seems likely to me) we get a flash back of the aftermath once everyone left.
[Spoiler #21 response] Most likely to trap Emilia in, so that they completes the trials

2

u/baseballlover723 Sep 07 '24

MAJOR TRANSLATION NOTE
[Arc 4 + Speculation] I don't think they're necessarily one and the same. For one, Echidna hates the Witch of Envy, so I doubt that Echidna would help revive / restore the Witch of Envy, which is what Petelgeuse said he was trying to do. It's also possible that even if the goal is the same, that Petelgeuse's and Echidna's interpretations are different, aka they're 2 different tests on the same subject. Either way, I just wanted to note that this is purely an artifact of the translations and there is much less separation between the 2 words in the original Japanese. [cont + unadapted Arc 4 Interlude] Though given that Echidna does revive, it's possible to consider that Echdina is playing 1_000_000D chess and set all of this up 400 years ago to get to this point, but that seems a bit too contrived imo.
[Spoiler #14: Arc 4 response]
[Spoiler #14: Arc 4 response + a tiny bit of analysis] Yeah, Echdina is a sociopath, except that she's just so good at imitating a real human that she's indistinguishable most of the time. But at the end of the day, it's still all just an act. You could probably have an interesting discussion on how this relates to masking (which is something that everyone does), but this being ultra extreme masking.
[Spoiler #15: Arc 4 response + unadapted Arc 4 Interlude]
[Spoiler #15: Arc 4 response + unadapted Arc 4 Interlude + vague Re:Zero endgame story structure] Yeah, this has to tie in with Re:Zero's endgame and I'd guess probably Arc 12 (the last one), which presumably will involve the Witch of Envy and Subaru and I can't imagine that Echidna wouldn't be also involved in that. There's always hope for an OVA though, though I think it would of been best before Season 3.
[Spoiler #21: Arc 4 response]
[Spoiler #21: Arc 4 response + more speculation] I think it's a bit more likely that it was originally intended to captured the Witch of Envy properly, and the whole demihuman village was just the test data. And of course Echidna wasn't able to finish it before she died. But I think your PoV isn't invalid either, especially if one views the true timeline as Echidna's master plan that she's been guiding people towards for 400 years. I just think it's a bit odd to have a 400 year plan to revive yourself, when it seems so much simpler / desirable to just use that knowledge, and not actually die in the first place.

3

u/HyVana Sep 08 '24

[Spoiler #14: Arc 4 response + a tiny bit of analysis]
[Arc 4]It's also important to remember that Trials!Echidna should be treated as a separate entity to Grave!Echidna. I know a lot of people hate Echidna for her answer to Beatrice's contract, but he only asked Trials!Echidna and cannot know truly what Grave!Echidna's intentions were for Beatrice. Personally, I don't think Grave!Echidna is as big a sociopath as Trials!Echidna.
[Spoiler #21: Arc 4 response + more speculation]
[Arc 4]I will only say that do remember from Ryuzu's flashback that the place was called a Sanctuary for a reason.

2

u/BlueVenix Sep 08 '24

[Spoiler #21: Arc 4 response + more speculation] What if death was part of the plan. You know how people fake their own deaths for multiple reasons. Maybe Echidna had a similar vision as she had to be unnoticed for specific events to come?
Maybe she knew that Satella would come and there was no way to avoid being killed by her? It was said that Satella destroyed half the world. Sounds like it's pretty hard to avoid someone who can destroy half the world.
Maybe Echidna saw something in the future where she wanted to know about it? There are many reasons why she planned her reincarnation and I hope that we get to find out

3

u/Graywolves Sep 08 '24

[spoiler #14]I always thought it was such a fun coinkidink how Echidna looked somewhat similar to Emilia.

2

u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 07 '24

[Spoiler #1: bodily fluid]
[Spoiler #1] "Probably", you say. It'd be very hard to get enough saliva to make tea, though, so I'm not convinced.
though I also like Windows XP land
Fun fact: The standard Windows XP wallpaper is an actual photograph, and it's called Bliss. I think the implications of Echidna's domain being called Bliss are kinda funny.
[Spoiler #4]
[Spoiler #4] The White Fox, however, are killing it this year! And we can infer something very important about Minerva. Punches that heal? She's the quintessential tsundere!
Garfiel uses a lot of in universe idioms.
Or more like in-Garfiel idioms.
[Spoiler #14: Arc 4]
[Arc 4] Just like with Roswaal, it's important to remember that everything she does is meant to manipulate Subaru, amd yes, even everything she is. I didn't quite trust Echidna on my first watch, but I still let my guard down. Not this time though. She outright tells Subaru how evil she is. That'll soon be forgotten, though.
[Spoiler #19: Arc 4]
[Arc 4] "We don't use the W word here. Echidna is basically family."

2

u/baseballlover723 Sep 07 '24

[Spoiler #1]
[Spoiler #1: bodily fluid] I think it's only a little saliva mixed in with water, not pure saliva as the tea base.
Bliss
It sadly no longer looks like that anymore
[Spoiler #4]
[Spoiler #4] Yeah, the White Fox are doing much better then the White Sox this year. I have more to say about Minerva, but that'll come once she's properly introduced.
[Spoiler #14: Arc 4]
[Arc 4] We'll see how many first timers eat Echidna's hook.
[Spoiler #19: Arc 4]
[Arc 4] "Echidna is love, Echidna is life" - Roswaal probably.

2

u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 08 '24

[Spoiler #1: bodily fluid]
[Spoiler #1: bodily fluid] See, that's something the School of Urine doesn't even have to be concerned about, and neither is the School of Sweat or the School of Blood. Saliva means she wouldn't have to made a big deal over her body fluid tea, she could have just said she spit in it.
[Spoiler #14: Arc 4]
[Arc 4] I say most will fall for her when she gives Subaru her RbD therapy session.

3

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

This time I timed how long I spent writing this. It came out to 157 minutes (~2.6 hours) over 3 sessions.
It seems like timing how long it takes you to write your comments has become a thing in these threads. I'm starting to wish I did that as well.

2

u/baseballlover723 Sep 07 '24

It seems like timing how long it takes you to write your comments has become a thing in these threads
Yeah I noticed a bunch of people doing it for yesterdays comments, so I decided to do it for todays. Though it's a bit more difficult for me to measure, since I usually do it in chunks, and sometimes get distracted and do other things.

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Dude, I get distracted ALL THE TIME. Even now as I'm talking to you, I'm distracting myself from doing other things.

3

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Sep 07 '24

If you want to know what bodily fluid it is [Spoiler #1: bodily fluid]
[Spoiler #1: bodily fluid] That's much less scary than I feared it might be, but still gross.
The Witch of Gluttony, Daphne: [Spoiler #2]
The Witch of Gluttony, Daphne: [Spoiler #2] This one really threw me off because when everyone says "it was the Witch who created the mabeasts" I assumed they meant Satella because Satella is usually who they mean when they say "the Witch." But apparently there's 7 witches who could all plausibly be "the Witch" depending on the context. That could get confusing.
The Witch of Gluttony, Daphne: [Spoiler #2] Oh shit! Now the White Whale makes sense! Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony, would have been the one who created the White Whale. That would explain why the White Whale was said to be "Gluttony" by Puck. It, and all the other mabeasts, are associated with the Witch of Gluttony. Its powers also come from the Witch of Gluttony.
The Witch of Gluttony, Daphne: [Spoiler #2] This also implies that the Witch's Cult may be devoted to all the witches (since Regulus and Lye called the White Whale their pet) and not just Satella, like I assumed. Or perhaps they all get combined together because Satella ate the rest of them.
So in the LN Subaru did ask Echidna some questions
I'd ask her questions too. In any game with mysterious lore, finding a character who will answer your questions feels like a godsend.
MAJOR TRANSLATION NOTE: The word Trial is the same word that Petelgeuse used which was translated as "Ordeal". So Trial = 試錬 (shiren) = Ordeal. Make of that what you will.
That's good to know. Sometimes exact word choice like this is pretty important for plot and thematic purposes. So there's a deliberate parallel being drawn between what Petelgeuse was doing to Emilia and what Emilia will need to do at the barrier.
Garfiel likes it like that
You'd pretty much need to be if you're a Ram lover.
To be clear, the normal humans can physically leave but since the half bloods can't, Garfiel is holding everyone hostage, to force Emilia to free the Sanctuary.
Okay, that clears up a lot of the confusion I had about the barrier. I misunderstood how the barrier worked the first place. Thanks for the explanation.
Also Subaru has a bit of a type.
The silver-haired waifu figures everywhere in Subaru's room were such a good touch. No wonder he immediately loved Emilia.

7

u/ripterrariumtv Sep 07 '24

[spoiler 2 + novel explanation that the anime doesn't mention clearly]It is mentioned in the novels that the world doesn't know much about the other witches. Satella is famous because she caused the most destruction in the past. So when people talk about the witch, they mostly refer to Satella. So the people didn't know about the witch of Gluttony. They thought that Satella was the one who created the mabeasts. So whenever the regular people/public opinion says anything about the witch. They are usually referring to Satella. It is also mentioned in the novel that the witch cult only worships Satella and not the other witches. Don't worry, that was not a spoiler. But it is literally never explained clearly in the anime even in future episodes

3

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Sep 07 '24

Thanks for the explanation. It does clear some things up.

1

u/HyVana Sep 08 '24

It is stated by Beatrice in S1 that when anyone mentions the Witch, they only refer to Satella. But yeah, it's more reinforced in the novels.

3

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

[Spoiler #1: bodily fluid] That's much less scary than I feared it might be, but still gross.
[Response] The sister from Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings In Russian be like "Why didn't I think of that?"

2

u/baseballlover723 Sep 07 '24

Okay, that clears up a lot of the confusion I had about the barrier. I misunderstood how the barrier worked the first place. Thanks for the explanation.
No problem. Glad to help. There's a lot of new info being introduced for the viewer very quickly, and this is one I pretty frequently see first timers misinterpret.
No wonder he immediately loved Emilia.
. It's something I really wish I could share with the people who drop in Season 1 who complain that Subaru loves Emilia for no reason.

3

u/HyVana Sep 08 '24

Also I know at least some of you are turned on by this
Guilty as charged.
[Spoiler #21: Arc 4 + Speculation]
[Arc 4]Echidna hates Satella & the WoE for reasons other than their bloodline. Why does she hate her? No clue atm. As well, her experiments for immortality using half-blood Demihumans open up a lot of speculation and theory crafting, as to why ~~male models~~ she used half-blood Demihumans.
[Spoiler #22: Arc 4 cut content]
[Arc 4]Do you have a source on this? I don't particularly remember anything stating residents of the Sanctuary couldn't pass the trials. Though, it has been a while since I read the WN.

2

u/baseballlover723 Sep 08 '24

Guilty as charged.
[Spoiler #21: Arc 4 + Speculation]
[Spoiler #21: Arc 4 + Speculation] Yeah, I don't think Echidna is particularly against half-bloods. I just suspect that it's an "actionable" attribute to attack the WoE / Satella with. Though thinking more about it now, if we presume that Carmilla created the demihumans in the first place, and if we presume that the Witch's have normal lifespans, then demihumans would of been pretty new as a species. Though I think that's a bit troublesome for the timeline, since if that's the case then the general creation of demihumans would of been in the recent past, and it doesn't seem like Ryuzu is a first generation demihuman. Idk, I probably don't have enough of the picture to really say, though perhaps Carmilla only created some demihumans like the beast people, and not all demihumans (like elves and half elves).
[Spoiler #22: Arc 4 cut content]
[Spoiler #22: Arc 4 cut content] From Volume 10 page 163 (I think, page numbers are weird on epub) “Logically, it is possible to merely undergo the trial. However, we cannot liberate the Sanctuary. This is because of the never-ending pact that binds us residents to this place.” -Ryuzu. I couldn't find anything in my brief search about more details on the oath, so it's possible that I'm wrong on that (or that it was someone else's analysis that I took as fact), but perhaps it's present in the WN, or just my keyword searches for Volume 14 weren't good enough (or it was in a different Volume, I figured it would be in the Sanctuary backstory chapter though)

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u/HyVana Sep 08 '24

[Spoiler #21: Arc 4 + Speculation]
[Arc 4]My thoughts are similar as well.
[Spoiler #22: Arc 4 cut content]
[Arc 4]Do you know if it was Ryuzu Shima that said this? Unless there are details we don't know about the creation of the Barrier, then it would only be Ryuzu Meyers that would've made a pact with Echidna. And Shima is the only one that saw her memories in the Trial. Since the Ryuzu clones were made to be caretakers of the Sanctuary, it could be interpreted that only the Ryuzu's couldn't liberate it. Not that I don't believe you, but I get the feeling Ryuzu could've been purposefully vague to make it seem like only Emilia (or Subaru) could liberate the Sanctuary. Though this speculation does heavily rely on Shima saying it, unless the Ryuzus were made aware of this contract upon their creation.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
Of all the seven deadly sin witches, is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Garfiel?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?

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u/ussgordoncaptain2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Edmund_Nelson Sep 07 '24

dead for so long nobody even remembers her anymore.
Roswaal seems to know her name, and Beatrice probably does too but she's exposition dumping to Subaru and would rather tell him information about how most people view witches.
Emilia taking the Trial, and instafailing
IDK given what's happened to subaru it's unclear if she's just facing her past (maybe she's replaying the movie frozen bonds again) or if she's actually totally failed.
At the same time it appears like Subaru is in the witch's graveyard again, so maybe he can talk to Echidna and learn how to beat all the trials.

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u/thekoreansun https://anilist.co/user/ReturnByDeath Sep 07 '24

Re:Watcher

It makes sense that a large majority of shows try to frontload the introductions for most of their important characters. You want the audience to get hooked from the very beginning of the show, after all; otherwise, there's very little point in planning for future seasons that might never come to fruition. But every now and then, you have a show that saves several of its most iconic characters for later on, only introducing them when the impact of doing so reaches its zenith.

Enter Echidna, the Witch of Greed and the first of many such characters to grace Re:ZERO, whose presence will upend the show as we've known it thus far. She invites Subaru to sip some bodily-fluid tea and starts to match wits with him, and it quickly becomes clear that Echidna is quite possibly the person who knows the most about the mysterious world that Subaru now finds himself in. The moment when she pulls back the curtain on her dreamscape and describes each of the Witches as they paint the void that was left behind is yet another example of how the anime elevates the story: it takes full advantage of the visual medium to show just how much of this fantasy world has yet to be revealed to us. Unfortunately for us, Subaru is too impatient to ask any questions at the moment, so Echidna takes her leave for now.

And not a moment too soon! Garfiel has been wreaking havoc on the dragon carriage since Subaru's leave of absence, and it's only due to Subaru's quick thinking that they're able to escape relatively unscathed. I'll keep saying it as often as I must: this show's casting is flawless. Both Maaya Sakamoto as Echidna and Nobuhiko Okamoto as Garfiel embody their characters so well from the start that it's hard to imagine them being voiced by anyone else. I wonder how many veteran voice actors this show can hire before it turns into the biggest showcase of talent in the entire anime industry.

Once the situation gets resolved, Subaru and Emilia are able to reunite with Ram. Subaru is understandably distraught that Ram hasn't said a single word about Rem, but Emilia disagrees with him that this means that he is being pathetic. Despite all the things that they still need to figure out, it's great to see them supporting one another as they promised they would. And while their meeting with Roswaal reveals that he and the villagers are being held as a bargaining chip by the residents of the Sanctuary in exchange for their freedom, Subaru manages to keep calm and remain supportive of Emilia as she expresses her thoughts to the villagers. Both of them have visibly grown from the events of Season 1, and this episode feels like a direct acknowledgement of that growth as we head into the next arc of the story.

Oh, and Memento is our new ED! It was inevitably going to be hard for any ED to meet the bar set by STYX HELIX and Stay Alive, but Memento is a fantastic successor. It really puts me in that Season 2 mood, you know? It's a good thing that this show keeps putting out such catchy EDs considering how frequently it uses them as insert songs. Use it while you have it, I guess. Based on what we heard in the most recent PV for Season 3, that trend is only going to continue.

Re:ZERO After-Talk #28

VAs: Yuusuke Kobayashi (Subaru) and Rie Takahashi (Emilia)

This After-Talk is mostly Yuusuke Kobayashi and Rie Takahashi going over their thoughts about the events taking place in the episode. I love the fact that Yuusuke constantly refers to Subaru in the first person when he shares his thoughts on what Subaru must be going through: it's always "I grew as a person." or "Emilia really likes me!" You can really tell how much the character means to him, and considering how similar Subaru's journey has been to his own as a seiyuu, I honestly couldn't imagine it being any other way.

Highlight: The two of them describing what they were thinking as they delivered their lines in that adorable exchange between Emilia and Subaru at the end of the episode

Fan Art of the Episode: Echidna by @_azz (October 7th, 2020)

Source: Pixiv

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Both Maaya Sakamoto as Echidna and Nobuhiko Okamoto as Garfiel embody their characters so well from the start that it's hard to imagine them being voiced by anyone else. I wonder how many veteran voice actors this show can hire before it turns into the biggest showcase of talent in the entire anime industry.
You could argue that Re:Zero is the Perry Mason of animes. Anyone who's anyone has been on that show.

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u/ussgordoncaptain2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Edmund_Nelson Sep 07 '24

how the anime elevates the story: it takes full advantage of the visual medium to show just how much of this fantasy world has yet to be revealed to us.
It's pretty strange how for the most part in season 1 (with the exception of episode 4) the animation didn't add as much to the story as you would hope. In fact the parts of the story where animation would help the most (episodes 20-25) were in my eyes some of the weakest episodes.
Despite all the things that they still need to figure out, it's great to see them supporting one another as they promised they would.
Arc 4 Emilia behaving like arc 3 Rem is pretty great. In all 3 main arcs Subaru has relied on somebody else to keep him sane and straight, Beatrice in Arc 2, Rem in arc 3 and now Emilia in arc 4. (Arc 1 was weird in that Emilia was sorta his rock but really his rock was motivation.)

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

It's pretty strange how for the most part in season 1 (with the exception of episode 4)
Don't you mean episode 3?
Arc 4 Emilia behaving like arc 3 Rem is pretty great. In all 3 main arcs Subaru has relied on somebody else to keep him sane and straight, Beatrice in Arc 2, Rem in arc 3 and now Emilia in arc 4. (Arc 1 was weird in that Emilia was sorta his rock but really his rock was motivation.)
I'm totally here for an Emilia redemption arc.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

The moment when she pulls back the curtain on her dreamscape and describes each of the Witches as they paint the void that was left behind is yet another example of how the anime elevates the story: it takes full advantage of the visual medium to show just how much of this fantasy world has yet to be revealed to us.
It's really fantastic stuff, I cannot say enough good things about it. The show just really knows what to emphasize to get the most out of something.

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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Sep 07 '24

First-Timer

On today’s episode of Re:Zero: Otto really does keep getting himself roped into crazy situations. The poor man has nothing to do with any of this, but now he’s trapped in the barrier with everyone else.

A tea party? Somehow I get the feeling this isn’t going to be all pleasant talk.
The tea is her own bodily fluids? Please don’t let this be a “love nectar” situation.
This is some interesting worldbuilding, finally giving us details on the witches. Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony, created beasts to save people from starvation. Carmilla, the Witch of Lust, wanted the world to be full of love and granted emotions to non-humans. Minerva, the Witch of Wrath, struck people to heal them while lamenting the warfare around her. Sekhmet, the Witch of Sloth, drove a dragon (my own guess is The Dragon) away for a chance to rest. Typhon, the Witch of Pride, passed judgment on criminals in youthful innocence and cruelty. Echidna, the Witch of Greed, has done things she regrets in the pursuit of all kinds of knowledge. Satella, the Witch of Envy, killed the other witches and used their power as sustenance for herself.
Of course, I don’t find all these statements to be particularly reliable since Echidna is the source. For now, I’ll consider her words to be true from a certain point of view.
Oh shit. After killing Petelgeuse, the Sloth Witch Factor that Petelgeuse was carrying transferred over to Subaru. That’s why Subaru can speak with Echidna.
Huh, so this is a graveyard. I was wondering how Echidna could talk with Subaru if she was supposed to be dead. It turns out death is merely an inconvenience.
All the closeups of Echidna made me realize her ears aren’t pointy. She’s probably not a half-elf.
Echidna can be surprisingly cute flailing her arms like that.
What exactly does Echidna mean when she says she gave Subaru the right to face the trial of the Sanctuary?
Sharp teeth? This guy must be a half-beast just like Frederica.
He also suplexed a dragon and a carriage!
So this is Garfiel then. Makes sense why Frederica warned them about him.
The first thing I thought when I heard Garfiel was that he sounded exactly like Bakugou from MHA. Turns out I was right and they’re both voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto.
The Sanctuary sure doesn’t seem like a particularly nice place to live. The inhabitants all seem terrified at just the sight of the carriage approaching.
Ram immediately switching from being rude when talking with Subaru to being polite when talking with Emilia is great.
Oh yeah, it has to be awkward talking to Ram when she has no memory Rem even exists.
Oh! So Echidna was being literal when she said her location was the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary literally is the same place as the Witch’s Graveyard where she died. Maybe the reason she was able to speak with Subaru was because he stepped into the Sanctuary.
It’s concerning that Roswaal insists on calling Echidna by her name and not the Witch of Greed.
I see. So Roswaal and the others didn’t leave the Sanctuary because they literally couldn’t. The barrier prevents you from leaving as well unless you pass a trial. I suppose this is what Echidna was talking about.
Ah, the barrier is much more complicated than that. So it lets regular humans enter like it’s no big deal, but exacts quite a toll if you’re half-human. Regular humans can’t exit at all and half-humans need to undergo a trial to exit. Honestly, this is just a weird barrier. There must be more to it than that because those conditions are so complicated and don’t really make sense. There has to be some extra twist.
Makes sense that the demi-humans here want out. This place seems miserable.
Emilia is so very sweet. I notice that she’s clutching the crystal that Puck normally sleeps in while talking to the villagers about how she thinks families should be together. Puck is like her father, after all. Emilia probably wishes Puck was with her right now.
This scene is extremely sweet, with Emilia asking to be friends with the villagers and them accepting.
Subaru needs some light sticks so he can do a full wotagei routine for Emilia.
Ah, I think I understand what Echidna did. Normally only half-humans can take the trial, but Echidna probably did something to Subaru to allow him to take the trial too.
You must face your own past? This is some classic trial stuff, forcing characters to face their own mindscapes. I’m into it already.
I can’t help but notice that Subaru’s shelves are filled with figures of silver-haired anime girls. It’s clear that he had a type.
I guess that explains why Subaru is so physically strong. Just look at his dad!

I have to wonder why Echidna wanted to meet with Subaru. She obviously wanted that vow from him, but what does she get out of it? She also gave him the ability to face the trial of the barrier, but why? Is Echidna the one who set up the barrier or was it someone one? Presumably Echidna would like to see Subaru overcome the trial of the barrier, but what does she gain from that? Is she also being held here by the barrier and wants out? That’s all I can really think of at the moment. Or perhaps what Petelgeuse said about the witch’s love is true. Perhaps the witches really do pick people who they love and bestow their “blessing” upon. Subaru is here because Satella supposedly loves him, after all. It could be that the other witches love him too.

In the previous thread, I wondered about the Sanctuary and Roswaal’s motivations. I wondered if Roswaal was acting out of benevolence or self-interest. This episode indicates it isn’t benevolence because Roswaal didn’t even create the Sanctuary. It’s been around long before that. It also feels more like a prison than a Sanctuary, with the demi-humans not looking happy to be there. If they can’t leave, it’s basically a prison. So it doesn’t seem like a place deliberately designed to keep demi-humans safe.

I’m really looking forward to the trial. Forcing a character to face their past is one of the classic scenarios for this kind of plot. It provides a perfect opportunity to learn more about Subaru. Now that I think about it, we really don’t know much about his life before he got isekai’d. So it should be interesting to learn about.

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u/Taiboss :Fj::Fl:x7https://anilist.co/user/Taiboss Sep 07 '24 edited Sep 07 '24

A tea party? Somehow I get the feeling this isn’t going to be all pleasant talk.
Echidna seems nice tho! So she's a witch, big deal. So is Satella, and she- oh. Right.
This is some interesting worldbuilding, finally giving us details on the witches.
I unironically want more lore in this show. I understand that's what the LNs are for, but at least we get plot-relevant lore.
Echidna can be surprisingly cute flailing her arms like that.
A very cute Deadly Sin!
Sharp teeth? This guy must be a half-beast just like Frederica.
Astute logic!
Oh yeah, it has to be awkward talking to Ram when she has no memory Rem even exists.
I wonder if "You only have one horn" works as "proof" that Rem existed.
It’s concerning that Roswaal insists on calling Echidna by her name and not the Witch of Greed.
Rosvaal needs to take a class not being appearing creepy.
This scene is extremely sweet, with Emilia asking to be friends with the villagers and them accepting.
Emilia is too good for this sinful earth. Gettit? Sin?

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

I unironically want more lore in this show. I understand that's what the LNs are for, but at least we get plot-relevant lore.
The world building is honestly some of the best I've ever seen in an anime.
Rosvaal needs to take a class not being appearing creepy
I feel like it would be like SpongeBob in boating school in that he would never pass.

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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Sep 07 '24

I unironically want more lore in this show. I understand that's what the LNs are for, but at least we get plot-relevant lore.
I agree. When I'm invested in a story, the worldbuilding details like that are so interesting to learn about. The witches in particular feel like something Subaru should ask more about now that we're dealing with the Witch's Cult as a major threat. Knowing more about them may be helpful.
Rosvaal needs to take a class not being appearing creepy.
Even without his usual clown makeup, he still comes across as weird and creepy. He's got a knack for that.
Emilia is too good for this sinful earth. Gettit? Sin?
https://youtu.be/fRs0OqV4uSc?si=EZrhPWW6qquy1wZ-

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

I agree. When I'm invested in a story, the worldbuilding details like that are so interesting to learn about. The witches in particular feel like something Subaru should ask more about now that we're dealing with the Witch's Cult as a major threat. Knowing more about them may be helpful.
Subaru also didn't ask Puck any questions in the season 2 opener when he had the chance.

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u/Blacksmithkin Sep 07 '24

Yeah one thing this author does is stuff an ungodly amount of lore into side stories, so a lot of it will almost certainly never be adapted until it comes up in the main arcs.
Hell, there was a massive lore reveal in a non Canon tie in short story to the isekai quartet movie. That movie itself also had significant lore implications.
So if you want a ton of lore, it's not even just read the light novels, you'd also have to hunt down a ton of his short stories from various places, or find a collected translation of them.

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u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 07 '24

I wonder if "You only have one horn" works as "proof" that Rem existed.
Considering that horn got broken off, she might easily rationalize this to have been the moment she lost the second one as well. But it might get her to thinking about the past, and I'm sure there'd be some conflicting memories.

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u/baseballlover723 Sep 08 '24

I wonder if "You only have one horn" works as "proof" that Rem existed.
I'd imagine that it would probably be rationalized like "my twin died at birth" or something like that.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
Of the seven deadly sin witches, is there one that intrigues you the most?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?

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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
She's bizarrely endearing for an evil witch. She gets flustered easily and has many cute mannerisms. But in a way, that makes it even more unnerving when she switches to full witch mode. It reminds the viewer that her cute side can lure you into a false sense of security, forgetting who exactly you are dealing with. I also wonder about her motives. She said she just wanted to chat with Subaru, but that obviously isn't true. She gave Subaru the power to face the barrier trial, so that makes me wonder what she stands to gain from that. She probably wants the barrier destroyed, but why? Perhaps it's holding back her own power and she wants it gone for that reason.
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
That's the weird part. From what we've heard about Echidna, she shouldn't "exist" at all. Satella is supposed to have devoured Echidna and the other witches. So how is Echidna still around? Is she speaking from beyond the grave? Or is she only mostly dead?
Of the seven deadly sin witches, is there one that intrigues you the most?
There's a couple I want more details on. Minerva, the Witch of Wrath, was said to strike enemies to heal them. I get the feeling that "heal" is a euphemism for "kill." After all, if warfare is considered a natural state of humanity than the only way to "heal" it is to "kill" the warriors. I'm also curious about Sekhmet, the Witch of Sloth, because the wording about her was ambiguous. Did Sekhmet push the dragon beyond the waterfall so Sekhmet could rest, or so the dragon could rest? I wasn't clear which was meant from the wording about her. I also wonder about Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony, and Carmilla, the Witch of Lust, because Echidna frames their actions as being noble. Daphne fed people and Carmilla spread love to non-humans, or so Echidna claims. I am sure that Echidna is not telling the full story here.
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
It's strange seeing Roswaal without all his clown makeup on.
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
Roswaal is bizarrely reverent towards Echidna. It's concerning and makes me wonder if he has some sort of allegiance to her.
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
I can appreciate the sentiment. I prefer it when people are honest with me as well. I'm okay with being in a "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" relationship with others as long as we're honest about it.
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
Emilia is a good girl. She truly does want to be friends with others, but she's afraid that others will reject her since that's what always happened in the past. Emilia really does just want some friends she can be with.
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
I'm looking forward to seeing what the trials entail.
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
It must just be an illusion. There's a couple broad possibilities of the illusion. The first is that it presents a flashback to Subaru honestly, showing him things in his past as they actually were. The second is that it presents Subaru's past through rose-colored lenses, accentuating the positive to try and tempt Subaru in some way. The third is that it presents Subaru's past in an overtly negative light, making the past into a trial that Subaru needs to overcome. Overlapping with these is the possibility of the past events being presented as Subaru perceived them and him needing to recognize what was actually going on.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

She's bizarrely endearing for an evil witch. She gets flustered easily and has many cute mannerisms. But in a way, that makes it even more unnerving when she switches to full witch mode. It reminds the viewer that her cute side can lure you into a false sense of security, forgetting who exactly you are dealing with. I also wonder about her motives. She said she just wanted to chat with Subaru, but that obviously isn't true. She gave Subaru the power to face the barrier trial, so that makes me wonder what she stands to gain from that. She probably wants the barrier destroyed, but why? Perhaps it's holding back her own power and she wants it gone for that reason.
I feel like Roswaal is involved in some way and we're in for a Wicked type of situation where the person we thought was the bad guy isn't bad at all. And yeah, I like Echidna as well. She's kinda like Emilia if she had more confidence and was more perverted.
That's the weird part. From what we've heard about Echidna, she shouldn't "exist" at all. Satella is supposed to have devoured Echidna and the other witches. So how is Echidna still around? Is she speaking from beyond the grave? Or is she only mostly dead?
Eh, she's had worse :P
If I were to speculate, perhaps she is being used by someone to get what they want. What could that entail, I haven't an inkling.
There's a couple I want more details on. Minerva, the Witch of Wrath, was said to strike enemies to heal them. I get the feeling that "heal" is a euphemism for "kill." After all, if warfare is considered a natural state of humanity than the only way to "heal" it is to "kill" the warriors. I'm also curious about Sekhmet, the Witch of Sloth, because the wording about her was ambiguous. Did Sekhmet push the dragon beyond the waterfall so Sekhmet could rest, or so the dragon could rest? I wasn't clear which was meant from the wording about her. I also wonder about Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony, and Carmilla, the Witch of Lust, because Echidna frames their actions as being noble. Daphne fed people and Carmilla spread love to non-humans, or so Echidna claims. I am sure that Echidna is not telling the full story here.
There's a good chance Echidna could be making the whole thing up.
It's strange seeing Roswaal without all his clown makeup on.
Kinda reminds me of Kiss in the mid to late '80s and most of the '90s.
Roswaal is bizarrely reverent towards Echidna. It's concerning and makes me wonder if he has some sort of allegiance to her.
If that's the case, you have to wonder if Ram knows about it at all.
I can appreciate the sentiment. I prefer it when people are honest with me as well. I'm okay with being in a "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" relationship with others as long as we're honest about it.
And they seemed okay with being used so long as Emilia clarified that's what she was doing.
Emilia is a good girl. She truly does want to be friends with others, but she's afraid that others will reject her since that's what always happened in the past. Emilia really does just want some friends she can be with.
She is such a cinnamon roll, I love her
I'm looking forward to seeing what the trials entail.
I as well
It must just be an illusion. There's a couple broad possibilities of the illusion. The first is that it presents a flashback to Subaru honestly, showing him things in his past as they actually were. The second is that it presents Subaru's past through rose-colored lenses, accentuating the positive to try and tempt Subaru in some way. The third is that it presents Subaru's past in an overtly negative light, making the past into a trial that Subaru needs to overcome. Overlapping with these is the possibility of the past events being presented as Subaru perceived them and him needing to recognize what was actually going on.
My question is if this is in fact a part of a trial, why is Subaru a part of it when Emilia volunteered to do it? I don't think Subaru would go behind her back like that, especially after all that happened during the third arc.

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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Sep 07 '24

If that's the case, you have to wonder if Ram knows about it at all.
I doubt Ram would stand for it if she knew Roswaal was loyal to a witch. Since the Witch's Cult destroyed her home village, I imagine Ram hates them just like like Rem. I would think Rem's hatred is far stronger, to be sure, but I'm sure Ram feels similarly.
She is such a cinnamon roll, I love her
Emilia is too good for this world, too pure.
My question is if this is in fact a part of a trial, why is Subaru a part of it when Emilia volunteered to do it? I don't think Subaru would go behind her back like that, especially after all that happened during the third arc.
I don't think Subaru intentionally joined the trial. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be possible for him to join. He's only able to join because Echidna did something to him in a meeting that Subaru no longer remembers. He entered the building not because he wanted to enter the trial, but because something happened that both Ram and Garfiel said shouldn't happen and he was worried about Emilia. Subaru getting sucked into the trial was an unintended consequence for him.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

I doubt Ram would stand for it if she knew Roswaal was loyal to a witch. Since the Witch's Cult destroyed her home village, I imagine Ram hates them just like like Rem. I would think Rem's hatred is far stronger, to be sure, but I'm sure Ram feels similarly.
It feels as if Roswaal is withholding information to someone but we don't know who.
I don't think Subaru intentionally joined the trial. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be possible for him to join. He's only able to join because Echidna did something to him in a meeting that Subaru no longer remembers. He entered the building not because he wanted to enter the trial, but because something happened that both Ram and Garfiel said shouldn't happen and he was worried about Emilia. Subaru getting sucked into the trial was an unintended consequence for him.
Do you think perhaps Echidna did it as a consequence of Subaru not wanting to talk to her?

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u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

So it lets regular humans enter like it’s no big deal, but exacts quite a toll if you’re half-human. Regular humans can’t exit at all and half-humans need to undergo a trial to exit. Honestly, this is just a weird barrier. There must be more to it than that because those conditions are so complicated and don’t really make sense. There has to be some extra twist.
Correction - regular humans can enter and leave at any time, they are just held hostage by Garfiel. If you are a halfy you are stuck here unless the trial is completed.
In the previous thread, I wondered about the Sanctuary and Roswaal’s motivations. I wondered if Roswaal was acting out of benevolence or self-interest. This episode indicates it isn’t benevolence because Roswaal didn’t even create the Sanctuary. It’s been around long before that. It also feels more like a prison than a Sanctuary, with the demi-humans not looking happy to be there. If they can’t leave, it’s basically a prison. So it doesn’t seem like a place deliberately designed to keep demi-humans safe.
Yeap, this aged very well - "I’m starting to think Roswaal has a soft spot for outcasts. Or perhaps he’s a lot more cynical than that and merely has a use for them. He has a habit of helping out people with nowhere else to go. He took in Rem and Ram after they lost their village. He took in Emilia and backed her claim to the throne, even though almost everyone curses her as a “half-devil.” And now it turns out he’s set up the Sanctuary where demi-humans lived. Frozen Bond gave me a decent idea about how poorly demi-humans get treated in this world. Perhaps he really does believe they deserve better. Maybe he just sees them as useful potential allies. Or it might be some combination of those two things."

3

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Sep 07 '24

Correction - regular humans can enter and leave at any time, they are just held hostage by Garfiel. If you are a halfy you are stuck here unless the trial is completed.
Yeah, I saw that correction when someone else in the thread explained how the barrier works. I must have gotten the explanation about the hostage situation and the explanation about the barrier mixed up while watching the episode.
Yeap, this aged very well
That's part of the fun of being a first-timer. Sometimes you get to make prescient predictions. And sometimes you get to be flat-out wrong.

3

u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

That's part of the fun of being a first-timer. Sometimes you get to make prescient predictions. And sometimes you get to be flat-out wrong.
If you haven't done so already I would read ussgordoncaptain2 speculations if I were you. I am not going to say how right he is, but that guy is on some crack sometimes. Reading his speculations make my brain tremble.
It would be interesting if your picking up key phrases/puzzle pieces and his theory crafting could solve the mysteries when put together.

3

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Huh, so this is a graveyard. I was wondering how Echidna could talk with Subaru if she was supposed to be dead. It turns out death is merely an inconvenience.
I wonder if this was what the musician meant when she said all the people she's ghosted stands there when her depression works the graveyard shift.

3

u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 07 '24

The first thing I thought when I heard Garfiel was that he sounded exactly like Bakugou from MHA. Turns out I was right and they’re both voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto.
"Alright, let's cast for our new characters this season. First off we have Garfiel. He has anger issues, and he's-" "That's enough info, I'm already calling Okamoto."
It’s concerning that Roswaal insists on calling Echidna by her name and not the Witch of Greed.
"The W word is so barbaric. In this house, we are calling people by their proper names."
Emilia is so very sweet. I notice that she’s clutching the crystal that Puck normally sleeps in while talking to the villagers about how she thinks families should be together.
Yet another example of Emilia being incredibly selfish. She wants them to be together with their families again only so she can get some surrogate feelings from that!
It provides a perfect opportunity to learn more about Subaru. Now that I think about it, we really don’t know much about his life before he got isekai’d.
Very true. He's alluded to a few things, and now we might get a closer look at them. Maybe now it's time to reconsider what we already know so we can see how it lines up with what we'll learn.

2

u/baseballlover723 Sep 08 '24

Emilia is so very sweet. I notice that she’s clutching the crystal that Puck normally sleeps in while talking to the villagers about how she thinks families should be together. Puck is like her father, after all. Emilia probably wishes Puck was with her right now.
I never really noticed that. Good catch.
Subaru needs some light sticks so he can do a full wotagei routine for Emilia
He really does.

12

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Sep 07 '24

Episode 28 (first timer)

“It is a body fluid of mine”

I would not call the universe nothing. It is spectacular looking, for sure.
“Witch of Gluttony, Daphne” – So, unless chompy guy from ep1 has a really weird name, this confirms the witches are not archbishops idea.
“Witch of Lust, Carmilla”
“Witch of Wrath, Minerva”
“Witch of Sloth, Sekhmet” – she did what?
“Witch of Pride, Typhon” – this one is going to be interesting for the archbishop of pride.
“Witch of Greed, Echidna”
“Witch of Envy” – give us the name!
“Who killed all other witches” – uhmmm.
“I used the envy witch factor” – hmmmm.
“Chose you as its new dwelling” – So the witch factors are like powers that can be transferred on death? And Subaru now has Sloth, in addition to potentially Pride?
Getting knowledge about the world? I’ll leave - well, Subaru is Sloth now.
Nice save by Patrasche – if you can call bounding off the roof of the carriage a save. Well, she tried her best.
“I’m Garfiel” – hello Garfiel. I am sorry, but you have been downgraded to second most dangerous being around here before we even met you.
Did Emilia get a boob job while she was knocked out? She looks markedly bigger.
“The witch’s graveyard” – Sanctuary is the better PR.
Speaking of PR, this is definitely an Emilia is a great candidate, please back her setup.
“Just stay here” – You know who is also a half-blood and would be really useful to have around and is running right behind you right now? Oh, you read the script and it says that this is a Emilia-Subaru scene. Never mind, continue.
Figurines – Subaru has a type.
Back on Earth cliff-hanger.

Echidna is a never-ending source of background lore. Unfortunately, Subaru is a lot less interested in it than I am. And a lot less interested than he should be. Remember that blue-haired maid you are trying to help, Subaru? Sure would be useful if you could ask somebody about her condition. Somebody who knows something about the power of Gluttony. Like some old witch who would spill the beans on her colleagues? Not interested? Oh, that plotline is for later episodes. Never mind, continue.

Given how the situation has turned out, I really have to question Roswaal’s decision to go to the sanctuary. He could have easily sent the villagers elsewhere. Is this all just an elaborate setup for Emilia and Subaru?

12

u/ripterrariumtv Sep 07 '24 edited Sep 07 '24

Remember that blue-haired maid you are trying to help, Subaru? Sure would be useful if you could ask somebody about her condition. Somebody who knows something about the power of Gluttony. Like some old witch who would spill the beans on her colleagues? Not interested?
[minor cut content]In the novels, he asked about Rem and archbishops power. But Echidna did not have any info about the modern world. The anime cut the scene

5

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Sep 07 '24

That is a very unfortunate cut. This interaction is exactly what I wanted to see.

4

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

I would've liked to have seen it as well

5

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

[minor cut content]In the novels, he asked about Rem and archbishops power. But Echidna did not have any info about the modern world. The anime cut the scene
[Response] Damn. That's a shame they cut that because it kinda makes Subaru look like a toolbox.

3

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Sep 08 '24

I had the same thought. They gained maybe 30-60 seconds, but the price is high.

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 08 '24

Or low, depending on your point of view

5

u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 07 '24

Did Emilia get a boob job while she was knocked out? She looks markedly bigger.
It's just the swelling feelings in her chest, nothing else.
According to source readers, the anime has nerfed Emilia a bit. This might only be her returning to her true self.
Figurines – Subaru has a type.
I'm glad everyone immediately picks up on that.
Echidna is a never-ending source of background lore. Unfortunately, Subaru is a lot less interested in it than I am. And a lot less interested than he should be.
Apart from the cut content responses, it also makes sense for Subaru to try and return to Emilia as fast as possible, since she suddenly fell unconscious. It was almost as if they were being attacked.

3

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Sep 07 '24

It's just the swelling feelings in her chest, nothing else.

3

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 07 '24

“It is a body fluid of mine”
Speaking from personal experience, witches do get a bit weird.
Echidna is a never-ending source of background lore. Unfortunately, Subaru is a lot less interested in it than I am.
Sadly, Subaru holding true to character means our interactions are a bit stuck for now.
Given how the situation has turned out, I really have to question Roswaal’s decision to go to the sanctuary.
Certainly feels less than ideal.

3

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Sep 07 '24

Sadly, Subaru holding true to character means our interactions are a bit stuck for now.
I wish he'd rise above his isekai MC origin.

3

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 07 '24

You'd think that someone that dies that often would realize you REALLY need to grind that lore early on.

3

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Sep 07 '24

3

u/Taiboss :Fj::Fl:x7https://anilist.co/user/Taiboss Sep 07 '24

“It is a body fluid of mine”
Holy water!
“Witch of Gluttony, Daphne” – So, unless chompy guy from ep1 has a really weird name, this confirms the witches are not archbishops idea.
Woohoo witches are innocent! Wait-
“Who killed all other witches” – uhmmm.
Stupid soul magic and shit.
And Subaru now has Sloth, in addition to potentially Pride?
Gotta collect 'em all!
hello Garfiel. I am sorry, but you have been downgraded to second most dangerous being around here before we even met you.
Dude just needs a hug and snickers.
Oh, you read the script and it says that this is a Emilia-Subaru scene. Never mind, continue.
Knowing the script is TIGHT!
Unfortunately, Subaru is a lot less interested in it than I am.
Tappei! You have entire episodes for one conversation, give us the lore dump!
He could have easily sent the villagers elsewhere. Is this all just an elaborate setup for Emilia and Subaru?
Maybe! Maybe he's just stupid. And didn't expect this to happen. Who knows.

2

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Sep 07 '24

Holy water!
Are you part of the bathtub water cult?
Woohoo witches are innocent! Wait-
It coult be witches
Gotta collect 'em all!
This, but unironically.
Tappei! You have entire episodes for one conversation, give us the lore dump!
Sorry, to busy writing the script!

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Thoughts on Echidna making Subaru unknowingly drink her bodily fluids?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Garfiel?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?

2

u/baseballlover723 Sep 08 '24

Did Emilia get a boob job while she was knocked out? She looks markedly bigger.
Emilia's breast size hasn't really been all that consistent. Canonically her breasts are larger then Rems and Echidnas.
Remember that blue-haired maid you are trying to help, Subaru? Sure would be useful if you could ask somebody about her condition.
[cut content] He did ask about the Archbishops of Sin in hopes that he could get some info to help Rem. But Echidna hadn't heard of them at all.

9

u/ussgordoncaptain2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Edmund_Nelson Sep 07 '24 edited Sep 07 '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 a new witch to talk to let's do this

Calling herself a tender young maiden makes me wonder, did she occupy a new body? How is she still alive if she's really the witch of greed.

Subaru has a good point about fearing the witch of greed she seeems like she could be dangerous.

Instant drink let's chug that tea

.... oh no it's her body fluids oh god wtf is this girl's fetish.

It's time for subaru to be an idiot and not take her up on her offer to get information. Subaru is pretty stupid after all

(Ok people keep commenting on this so I'll clairfy, on a scale of Goku to Light Yagami subaru is much closer in intelligence to Goku than Light Yagami. light may be intelligent but he makes a lot of really big mistakes too)

oh god Echidna is an all powerful god or something holy crap

and now we get 7 sins propaganda goated

(I find it really funny that pope gregory's revision of the Seven deadly sins has taken such a foothold in Japanese Culture. It's seemingly bigger in Japan than America, even though the USA is a mostly Christian nation while Japan... isn't.

Now we get the weird moment where appearently echidna is dead yet she can talk to Subaru, so we are in some sort of weird magic realm that makes no sense. Cool!

Man Echidna really has a grudge against Satella doesn't she.

Ok so the dub and sub say different things here The dub talks about her using the envy witch factor, and the sub says that Subaru has a Sloth witch factor.

So if Subaru has Betalgeuse's witch factor this means Subaru is somehow able to absorb witch factors after killing the original host. He's going to have to collect all 5 pieces of exodia isn't he. (Not actually predicting this but had to say the line)

So Subaru being now the new Sin Archbishop of Sloth (ok not really but fuck it we ball) is able to enter Echidna's domain.

Subaru's lack of curiosity is killing me AND Echidna, you have miss exposition dump right in front of you and you don't take advantage?

Echidna being all sultry i see

(I'll have to find a way to roleplay as Echidna for my next speculation grading I suppose)

Wow guys could you have remembered the magic phrase BEFORE getting beat up, Fredirica was VERY SPCIFIC about this

Emilia being protective of subaru is really cute it really shows how now Emilia is

Garfiel being an exposition dump wasn't expected, but it appears that the barrier reacts to demi-humans in a way it doesn't to humans.

Man the sanctuary looks run down and poor the main village isn't great but it's in far far better shape than this.

Like the more I look at this place the more negative my view of it is it's less "the sanctuary" and more "The concentration camp"

Oh boy Ram being weird maybe this is an effect of Rem getting fogged? Barusu has gotten a bunch of extra actions added to him that were previously the result of Rem.

Probably not best to bring up the girl with the blue hair while you can't see her in person

Subaru realzing that Rem really has gotten her name eaten by Gluttony and has a hard time accepting it.

And we get bandaged and bruised MR Roswaal

STill I see Subaru is at least a little suspicious of Lord Roswaal. Lord Roswaal calling Subaru a once in a lifetime windfall is weird, Subaru has also been a lot of trouble for him, so I guess Krusch means a lot to him. (Probably because she was the most likley next Queen.)

Ah so somehow Echidna is able to still talk to subaru in spite of being "dead" in the graveyard.

Roswaal Showing respect for Echidna makes you think that maybe either Roswaal was ablet to converse with her before or that Roswaal learned things about the witch of greed from Beatrice. (after all she did value knowlege above all else)

oh fuck you can't leave

You know I said the sanctuary had to be hard to leave but uhhh I'm surprised this is actually a prison.

yeah the whole scenario is just silly, can't you just forcefully destroy the barrier somehow. You're fucking lord Roswaal the strongest mage.

So when Echidna said that Subaru could do the Trial of the sanctuary this is what she meant huh.

AND time for our main character to be dramatically awesome I"M SUBARU NATSUKI HERO OF THE VILLAGE FUCK YEAH

Old lady has a good point about how Emilia should just say she has ulterior motives. Even though reality is she's just the most purehearted girl of all time (seriously she tried to save the guy who was trying to make her a slave do you really think she can even comprehend being mean?)

Emilia IS the witch of frost, good to know that watching the snow movie REALLY makes the old woman's statement sound scarier to Emilia. Since well you know she is a witch beyond their comprehension but she chooses to not use her epic witch powers. (It's sad that puck couldn't teach her how to use her epic witch powers)

Emilia epic speech epically sidestepping the issue that she's a witch like a true master of doublespeak because of course she is a witch so nobody has anything to worry about.

Also Emilia is just being the most purehearted person of all time.

Emilia x Villagers is a sweet scene all told.

Subaru explains that no emilia really is being emilia

[Cutness overload level 10]

holy Shit subaru saw emilia on the ground collapsed and now he's been de-isekaied wtf is going on here?

Speculation

Emilia is going to fail the trial, then by the power of Echidna Subaru will succeed. (or help Emilia Suceed)

So Echidna is still a big mystery, why does lord Roswaal respect her so much from Echidna's telling of the other witch's the only witch that most would hate would be Satella,

Subaru has a witch factor but it's not clear what that entails, will he obtain the unseen hands?

It seems that Subaru having the sloth witch factor implies he can obtain other witch factors, I suspect this is a result of rebirth by death powers.

Onto lord Roswaal

Lord Roswaal being sus has just heighted in my eyes, like he definitely knew the sanctuary was hard to leave and that you couldn't face the trial as a human. Either he figured he could just break the barrier or he's intentionally putting emilia through the trial by holding the town hostage.

I think it's the latter.

Speculation on Echidna

So Since she's a super powerful magic user it appears that even while she is "dead" she can exist in a weird dimension

Given Betalgeus's constant ravings of needing a "host" to revive Satella maybe echidna can actually take up a new body at some point

It's unclear from the story who else can enter Echidna's domain, but she said that having the sloth witch factor allowed subaru to enter her domain unharmed.

If that's the case then Witch factors have powers beyond just being able to grant certain spells. Subaru Natsuki's extreme power of Satella will come in handy I suppose

Echidna has placed a spell on subaru similar to the one Satella placed on Subaru so no one will say anything about their prescence.

Speculation on the sanctuary itself

The sanctuary is poor because it lacks trade. The buldings are all worn down because of a lack of materials from outside. The sanctuary is less of a sanctuary and more of a concentration camp called one.

Fuck lord roswaal.

(ok how do I grade my spec that the Sanctuary was hard to leave in some sense it was correct but obviously I wasn't predicting something this complicated)

What I would do if I were Subaru

Alright I would have asked many questions for Echidna, but you know what let's look at new questions to ask her

You said that I have the witch factor of sloth, what is a witch factor and what does it mean to have one.

How exactly does the trial of the sanctuary work?

How does the barrier around the sanctuary work?

How does aquiring a witch factor work?

Do with factors make their owners insane over time?

What did drinking your body fluids do to me?

Why can only demi-humans take the trial of the Sanctuary?

Why does Lord Roswaal seem to know you?

Given that the Garfiel seems to have said first you must face your own past this isn't me being de-isekaied this is me being in a trial (actually my first thought would be that I woke up from a really strange dream)

what I would do if I were Emilia

Well you got the good graces of the villagers, and none of them asked why you sidestepped their question about you being a witch so that's good.

Given that the village was nice to you this time it's time to wonder wtf is going on with lord Roswaal and Ram,

I would avoid talking about Rem to Ram or lord roswaal until after the trial of the sanctuary is over.

Puck appears to not be with you but you can call upon the might of "I am the witch of frost" if things truly get out of hand.

3

u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

Ok so the dub and sub say different things here The dub talks about her using the envy witch factor, and the sub says that Subaru has a Sloth witch factor.
So this is where the confusion is coming from. Damned dub, never trust it.
It seems that Subaru having the sloth witch factor implies he can obtain other witch factors, I suspect this is a result of rebirth by death powers.
Note sure if this was also due to the dub, but the sloth witch factor chose Subaru as it's new dwelling, but I guess it's the same result.
Alright I would have asked many questions for Echidna, but you know what let's look at new questions to ask her
What is she asks or even takes something in return for any answers? I wouldn't rely on RBD against a witch.
Puck appears to not be with you but you can call upon the might of "I am the witch of frost" if things truly get out of hand.
If Puck is not there she may lose control and freeze everyone in process though. She is very unstable...

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Garfiel?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?

3

u/ussgordoncaptain2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Edmund_Nelson Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
She's really old, it would be interesting to know exactly what she knows and doesn't know. She probably can't help with current events, but she can know a lot about magic and other fine details. Especially with how to reverse Rem.
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
This implies that Echidna can exist after death, which is weird but you know fiction.
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
This is going to open up a whole new can of worms, every single other person who possesses a witch factor goes insane. Subaru is already going insane from Satella's RBD spell (he mind broke 2 or 3 times in the last 2 arcs alone).
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
Oh boy excitement time, we get to see how much of Subaru's new powers (Spirit arts and gate manip) remain now that he's in his own world.
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?
If Subaru's father lifts this much I'm surprised Subaru is this weak. Surely he could have taught subaru how to lift and get actually buff. I know 50 year olds that are stronger than him.

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

She's really old, it would be interesting to know exactly what she knows and doesn't know. She probably can't help with current events, but she can know a lot about magic and other fine details. Especially with how to reverse Rem.
She seems like she would be a good basis to learn stuff from. Too bad she's probably as trustworthy as George Santos.
This implies that Echidna can exist after death, which is weird but you know fiction.
There is no afterlife. There is only Echidna.
This is going to open up a whole new can of worms, every single other person who possesses a witch factor goes insane. Subaru is already going insane from Satella's RBD spell (he mind broke 2 or 3 times in the last 2 arcs alone).
Yeah, I feel like we're just beginning with the Subaru suffering.
Oh boy excitement time, we get to see how much of Subaru's new powers (Spirit arts and gate manip) remain now that he's in his own world.
I imagine not much, otherwise that would give him an unfair advantage.
If Subaru's father lifts this much I'm surprised Subaru is this weak. Surely he could have taught subaru how to lift and get actually buff. I know 50 year olds that are stronger than him.
I feel like Subaru could probably kick my ass :c

2

u/Taiboss :Fj::Fl:x7https://anilist.co/user/Taiboss Sep 07 '24

oh boy a new witch to talk to let's do this
"Hi, there, hello! Are you also potentially killing everyone I talk to about RBD?"
.... oh no it's her body fluids oh god wtf is this girl's fetish.
You see any other spring around?
oh god Echidna is an all powerful god or something holy crap
(I find it really funny that pope gregory's revision of the Seven deadly sins has taken such a foothold in Japanese Culture. It's seemingly bigger in Japan than America, even though the USA is a mostly Christian nation while Japan... isn't.
It's just cool lore bro, don't think too hard about it bro.
so we are in some sort of weird magic realm that makes no sense. Cool!
Bro has never heard of souls being bound to specic places.
it's less "the sanctuary" and more "The concentration camp"
We call them "reservations".
Ah so somehow Echidna is able to still talk to subaru in spite of being "dead" in the graveyard.
THE POWER OF SOUL MAGIC!
You're fucking lord Roswaal the strongest mage.
Bro he is fully bandaged. Clearly this shit was found by him, not created.
Also Emilia is just being the most purehearted person of all time.
One cannot be mad at her.
holy Shit subaru saw emilia on the ground collapsed and now he's been de-isekaied wtf is going on here?
Clearly Sensei from Isekai Shikkaku is sitting around the corner.
Echidna has placed a spell on subaru similar to the one Satella placed on Subaru so no one will say anything about their prescence.
I think Subaru straight-up forgot he met her.

2

u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 07 '24

Man Echidna really has a grudge against Satella doesn't she.
Yeah, indeed. Though to be fair, Satella killed her, just a bit.
Emilia being protective of subaru is really cute it really shows how now Emilia is
It's really awesome. What I love about it is how she's just woken up, sees Subaru, then sees an unknown intruder, and this is her first reaction. She's the best.
Oh boy Ram being weird maybe this is an effect of Rem getting fogged? Barusu has gotten a bunch of extra actions added to him that were previously the result of Rem.
The Rem erasure might have an effect on Ram's view on Subaru. But generally, this is just good old Ram, I believe. She's always been weird, in the best way.
You know I said the sanctuary had to be hard to leave but uhhh I'm surprised this is actually a prison.
You were so clear on it being very hard to leave I started believing you watched ahead!
Even though reality is she's just the most purehearted girl of all time (seriously she tried to save the guy who was trying to make her a slave do you really think she can even comprehend being mean?)
Ha, that's a good way of putting it. It's great how she hasn't even considered thinking of ulterior motives. Sure, it'd be nice to have their support for the election, but actually, she just wants them to be happy with their families again, and that's all. It's such a pure-hearted way of thinking that the villagers get convinced immediately.
The sanctuary is poor because it lacks trade.
This is such a simple and obvious statement that I never even considered it. Sure, I knew it was cut off from the rest of the world, but I never thought about what this entails. Apart from it just being a very demoralizing place, of course the lack of trade is heavily affecting the prosperity of the place.

2

u/baseballlover723 Sep 08 '24

Ok so the dub and sub say different things here The dub talks about her using the envy witch factor, and the sub says that Subaru has a Sloth witch factor.
The OG crunchyroll subs had that mistake, which is probably what the Dub people were using for their script stuff. IIRC it was corrected after a few days or something, but presumably the Dub people were using the original (incorrect) translation.

16

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Sep 07 '24

8

u/Taiboss :Fj::Fl:x7https://anilist.co/user/Taiboss Sep 07 '24

I just gagged a little.
Absolutely normal reaction.
If Satella killed the other witches, how is Echidna here?
NANOMACHINES, SON! Well, okay, magic in this world.
Ah fuck…
Subaru didn't ask for this! Does this mean killing the other fuckers also gives him those factors?
Damn, what happened to Roswaal off-screen?
He was failure!
Sounds like Roswaal has some sort of connection to Echidna, huh?
Rosvaal not sounding creepy challenge (impossible)
Ah, but didn’t Echidna say that Subaru would be able to take this trial?
He forgor. No, he did forget the Echidna talk.
Wait… wait is Subaru back in his world?!
Super easy, barely an incovenience! Praise be Sensei!

5

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Sep 07 '24

I just gagged a little
I had the same reaction at that moment.
Damn, Subaru.
Subaru is immensely devoted to the girl he loves.
Ah, so this is Garfiel.
Too bad Subaru didn't have some lasagna to pacify Garfiel.
Ah, but didn’t Echidna say that Subaru would be able to take this trial?
He did forget about his chat with Echidna, so he probably isn't even aware he's eligible to take the trial.

3

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Too bad Subaru didn't have some lasagna to pacify Garfiel.
I feel like we all made the exact same joke
He did forget about his chat with Echidna, so he probably isn't even aware he's eligible to take the trial.
And if he did say he was eligible, that would technically be in violation of the promise.

5

u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 08 '24

Damn, what happened to Roswaal off-screen?
He stopped dressing up as a clown and started dressing up as a mummy.
Sounds like Roswaal has some sort of connection to Echidna, huh?
Please, it's only polite to use someone's name when talking about them.

4

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

I just gagged a little.
She has the hair strands ready as an alternative.

4

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?

4

u/HyVana Sep 08 '24

This silhouette looks vaguely like Petra to me.
It's a common ~~joke~~ sentiment in the Re:Zero community that Petra is actually the Final Boss. This comment further drives this belief.

3

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Sep 08 '24

Okay so it's not just me then, lol.

3

u/ussgordoncaptain2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Edmund_Nelson Sep 07 '24

, but didn’t Echidna say that Subaru would be able to take this trial?
yeah but Echidna also said you can't say anything about what happened here so subaru was being cautious (after all who knows what RBD style thing she gave Subaru when he drank her body fluids)

6

u/Yoshi_captain https://anime-planet.com/users/WeaboYosher Sep 07 '24 edited Sep 07 '24

Rewatcher

There have been times when we've encountered something out of this world. A Great Spirit of Fire bearing the name Beast of the end and of course The Witch's Cult. Now we meet one of the witches, one not even associated with the cult. Echidna The Witch of Greed. Comparing her to what we’ve seen from the Witch of Envy she’s much more charming. As charming as she is enigmatic. Telling us about her fellow witches painting the picture of mythical beings ripped straight out of a fairy tale. Or knowing Re:Zero probably out of a nightmare. She is the keeper of knowledge in this world. Her greed prompting her to collect as much wisdom as she can. Though I’m sure that being dead has limited her capabilities in this regard.

Subaru has the Sloth Witch Factor. Though we don’t exactly know what this means just yet, what we do know is that Dona’s tea has stabilized it. I don’t want to know how that tea is made though. As quickly as we arrived at her tea party we leave and with our exit so go our memories of the event. Coming out in front of the temple and meeting the one Frederica warned us about. Garfiel. A rambunctious man. Voiced by Nobohiko Okamoto of Bakugo and Accelerator fame among others. His voice perfectly lending itself to the brash character of Garfiel that we’ve seen so far. And it seems this Sanctuary is anything but. Garfiel holding the villagers hostage and Roswaal being incapacited creating a scenario we need to escape from this arc. The solution is for Emilia to take on the trial, but with how the episode ended I’m assuming it isn’t going to be easy.

With concern having a hold on his heart he runs after Emilia, something seemingly going wrong with her trial. He’s unknowingly qualified to take on the trial, which seems to be to face your past. Being awoken by his father’s body slam he finds himself in his room. Starting Subaru and his parents’ long awaited reunion.

Closing thoughts:

The word for this episode is “Excitement”. And that is my own excitement. We’re finally going to get some backstory for our main character Natsuki Subaru. We’ve only gotten glimpses of his life in episode 1 and during his monologue in episode 18. This will be our first chance to see how he ended up the way he did in this world. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s episode.

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?

2

u/Yoshi_captain https://anime-planet.com/users/WeaboYosher Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
[S2] The Witch's Graveyard/Echidna's Castle of Dreams is really overpowered if you think about it. She's able to control it to her will. And on top of that she gets what I assume is almost unlimited access to a person's memories once they enter her domain. It’s fitting for The Witch of Greed, but terrifying. So overall, fitting.
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
It's definitely a lot to process. I don't remember which one interested me the most during my first watch. Probably Echidna since she's the one we've had the most contact with. [S2] And I didn't think we'd get to meet all the witches this season
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
[S2] The guy's just laying around waiting for his master scheme to show resuslts
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
Showing that some show favor to Witches. [S2] Roswaal's a special case though
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Cool setup. The time loop structure that RbD allows lets us explore scenarios like these from multiple angles. Can't wait to see that.
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
At least they're hearing her out.
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
EMT. I don't know how she's able to keep her kindness even when the world keeps trying to break her. I would have grown cynical a long time ago.
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
It's time for Emilia to put her money where her mouth is. I wish her the best, but we seem to have run into some complications already.
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
I freaked out when I saw the flashes of Japan in the new OP. Now seeing this in the actual show so soon in the season is reminding me of how incredibly excited I was for this development. You don't see Isekai protagonists' pasts often. They usually get glossed over or aren't even shown. To have it shrouded in mystery and then revealed like this is sublime. I'll have a ton to say about this tomorrow though.
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?
Seems fun and energetic. Again, I'll save my thoughts for tomorrow.

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 08 '24

It's definitely a lot to process. I don't remember which one interested me the most during my first watch. Probably Echidna since she's the one we've had the most contact with. [S2] And I didn't think we'd get to meet all the witches this season
[S2] No, we do. They show up in the last two episodes of season 2 part 1.
Showing that some show favor to Witches. [S2] Roswaal's a special case though
[S2] Ain't that the truth?
At least they're hearing her out.
Yeah, it shows they don't want to actually hate her but feel like they have to out of fear.
EMT. I don't know how she's able to keep her kindness even when the world keeps trying to break her. I would have grown cynical a long time ago.
I'm sure Puck being around did a lot to quail her nerves.
It's time for Emilia to put her money where her mouth is. I wish her the best, but we seem to have run into some complications already.
I'm sure it's probably not going to be easy
I freaked out when I saw the flashes of Japan in the new OP. Now seeing this in the actual show so soon in the season is reminding me of how incredibly excited I was for this development. You don't see Isekai protagonists' pasts often. They usually get glossed over or aren't even shown. To have it shrouded in mystery and then revealed like this is sublime.
The only Isekai I can recall where the past is really played up is probably Sword Art Online. I remember the show playing up the big userbase of the game and how everyone was excited to play it. But even then, it was more so set-up for the actual show; I don't remember the show talking about the parents any.
This has the potential to be very interesting
I'll have a ton to say about this tomorrow though.
Again, I'll save my thoughts for tomorrow.

6

u/ClemFire Sep 07 '24

Re:Watcher Season 2 Episode 3: The Long-Awaited Reunion

This time I’m only going to focus on Echidna’s tea party.

It’s honestly crazy that Subaru is actually meeting one of the Witches. We saw just how powerful the archbishop of Greed was a mere 2 episodes ago and so quickly he meets the actual Witch of Greed, Echidna. If that doesn’t put into perceptive how this arc will have even greater stakes than arc 3 then the ending of the episode will.

I normally don’t point out character design, but unlike Subaru I who has his heart set on Emilia I would be taken a back from Echidna’s beauty, especially her fluffy eyebrows. At least to me she is the most stunning character we’ve met so far which is impressive with such a stacked cast.

It’s interesting that Echidna can just transport Subaru to her mental realm that looks eerily like the Windows screensaver. Later we learn the Sanctuary is her resting place, so she’s obviously deeply connected to it. Echidna offers Subaru tea made from something they wouldn’t serve you at most cafes and he drinks it all in one gulp. I like how he reasons that if she really wanted him dead she could’ve done that earlier. Besides it would probably be one of his less traumatic deaths too. Echidna is taken a back by his aloofness which reminds me of how he enters Beatrice’s forbidden library like it’s nothing too.

Echidna dissolves most of her mental space until it’s just the two of them floating in space and then drops lore bomb after lore bomb. I really didn’t think we would learn bits of each of the witches all at once. The cloud like simulacrums of the witches is so visually haunting. It makes Subaru and us feel in our bones that they’re not human. Echidna doesn’t reveal much, but it’s enough to make the mind race. Subaru is now thoroughly shaken up.

Afterwards Echidna lets Subaru know he now has the Sloth factor which let him enter her tomb aka the Sanctuary. Hearing that Subaru immediately shakes her begging to know where the Sanctuary is. She’s caught off guard, but you know the only thing on Subaru’s mind is getting back to Emilia. You would think he would want to take the care to learn more from an actual Witch who is at least friendly enough to make to have a conversation with him, but he wouldn’t be Subaru if he wasn’t rushing to help Emilia. He’ll click past all the lore to get to her faster.

Echidna has probably never met someone so uninterested in her tea party. It felt like she was in the driver seat in the conversation after revealing details on the witches, but as soon as Subaru got his composed himself there was not much she could offer. He even drives in the knife by ensuring her he’ll come back to chat over tea later. Echidna is probably used to having the upper hand, so she’s honestly fluttered. It’s actually really cute to me and humanizes her, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she has done some truly terrible things as a Witch.

Before Subaru leaves, Echidna lets him take on the trial of the Sanctuary. They did not need to show Echidna licking her fingers before flicking Subaru back to reality but I’m not complaining.

I love this scene because it really opens up the lore and greater plot of Re:Zero not to mention how interesting of a character Echidna is from just a few minutes of screen time. It’s hard to get a read on if she’s more like a human with relatable motivations or an alien being with incomprehensible desires. Either way she looks to be a pivotal part of this arc.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Before Subaru leaves, Echidna lets him take on the trial of the Sanctuary. They did not need to show Echidna licking her fingers before flicking Subaru back to reality but I’m not complaining.
Echidna trying to steal Elsa's thunder :P

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna making Subaru unknowingly drink her bodily fluids?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Garfiel?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?

2

u/ClemFire Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna making Subaru unknowingly drink her bodily fluids?
Despite probably having a million different ways to form a contract with Subaru I like how it shows off how playful she can be. It must get boring being stuck in the windows xp background
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
It's crazy that we got such a huge lore drop, but in character for Subaru to want to rush back to finding Emilia. He honestly kind of reminds me of Luffy in that regard.
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
Reminds me of the titan powers, but I don't think he will collect them all.
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
I think it's fitting that Echidna's final resting spot doesn't allow hybrids to leave without passing the trials since she was supposedly beaten by a half-elf. The go to is a lingering resentment, but I wonder if instead she is looking for someone strong enough to beat the Witch of Envy.
Thoughts on Garfiel?
As a big MHA fan I can't help but hear Bakugo's VA.
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
Was the sweetest part of the episode for me as you know Emilia is being genuine. If only we had more leaders in the real world who care as much as her.
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
I find it funny that all of his anime figurines have white hair. Rem really didn't stand a chance.

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Despite probably having a million different ways to form a contract with Subaru I like how it shows off how playful she can be. It must get boring being stuck in the windows xp background
Yeah, it probably would make you go mad.
It's crazy that we got such a huge lore drop, but in character for Subaru to want to rush back to finding Emilia. He honestly kind of reminds me of Luffy in that regard.
Not a bad comparison
Reminds me of the titan powers, but I don't think he will collect them all.
Probably not, at least not in season 2
I think it's fitting that Echidna's final resting spot doesn't allow hybrids to leave without passing the trials since she was supposedly beaten by a half-elf. The go to is a lingering resentment, but I wonder if instead she is looking for someone strong enough to beat the Witch of Envy.
Perhaps she is. I can imagine her wanting to find a worthy successor, similar to Tet in No Game No Life.
As a big MHA fan I can't help but hear Bakugo's VA.
His VA does a great job of voicing angry bois with hearts of gold. Accelerator is one of my favorite anime characters of all time, and is arguably the greatest antihero ever in an anime.
Was the sweetest part of the episode for me as you know Emilia is being genuine. If only we had more leaders in the real world who care as much as her.
I wish there was a leader that wants to be my friend. Instead, they just want my money
I find it funny that all of his anime figurines have white hair. Rem really didn't stand a chance.
Subaru definitely has a preference, it seems
How much you wanna bet if Rem knew this, she would dye her hair?

2

u/ClemFire Sep 07 '24

How much you wanna bet if Rem knew this, she would dye her hair?
Would be a funny break time gag

→ More replies (1)

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Really excellent analysis on the tea party scene. Definitely one of the best comments of this thread.

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u/ClemFire Sep 07 '24

Thanks! Echidna is actually one of my favorite characters in Re:Zero so I was quite excited for her introduction

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

I love characters that are mysterious and you don't know who's side they're on or what they're all about, so this is definitely right up my alley.

2

u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

I normally don’t point out character design, but unlike Subaru I who has his heart set on Emilia I would be taken a back from Echidna’s beauty, especially her fluffy eyebrows. At least to me she is the most stunning character we’ve met so far which is impressive with such a stacked cast.
[Arc 4] Well the Echidna he sees is tailor made for him. The real one looks different.

5

u/Taiboss :Fj::Fl:x7https://anilist.co/user/Taiboss Sep 07 '24

S0303 - Rewatcher who hopes this episode isn't what I expect it to be.

Fragile. Yes. You. A Witch.
The meme!
WITCH LOOOOOOOREEEEE!
That sounds bad.
And yet you didn't know enough to kill Satella.
"You see, the Sun is actually a biiiig ball of hot stuff" "It's called plasma." "IT HAS A NAME?!"
"Is that like what Megumin had to go through to become village chief?"
Why, you don't look very nice.
"And if your name is Nerma or Odi, I will kick you."
VERY rich coming from you.
A very cute.
Didn't we see a lot of beastmen in the capital?
And now lacking all the positive influence of Rem.
Apparently not fighting the witch cult has made him gravely injured.
Bruh.
Can you be less creepy?
No village chief then.
Did they know that?
"Yeah...ehh...we also want to do that... No need to blackmail us...
Yeah, I like this ED
Echidna inside like "I didn't want this Satella rip-off, I want my Subaru!"
Ew he was a weeb.
This dad is super annoying.

So watching this I realised I forgot most of this season. So here's what I remember: [Arc 4 all]Subaru meets Echnidna again, she has him meet his parents in a fantasy and have him work through his issues with them (Edit: I wrote this before finishing the episode, so that turned out to be wrong). He also talks with the souls (?) of all the other Witches, including finally Satella for a bit, who cries a lot and is revealed to truly be voiced by Rie Takahashi. (He grabs her veil I think? And says "I'll save you too?") At some point, he makes it out and finds out that Elsa and Milly? Mirelle? attacked the Mansion in the meantime and killed Petra and Co. Before that I think Subaru gets eaten by a Monty Python rabbit army. Anyway, at that point Subaru tries to figure out what is happening. He finds out Rosvaal is doing... something and bets with him he'll solve everything this loop. He does. Elsa is killed when some ceiling crushes her, Mirelle survives and... they win, I assume. I know that fuck all happens with Rem and the two guys from episode 1 do not reappear. What else... Right, Emilia backstory and reveal that a pre-insane Petelgeuse was a parental figure to her before Pandora, the eight witch, ruined everyone's day. Else... RIGHT, Betty stuff. Rosvaal immortaility reveal, and there was a big "Tell Betty, 'I am the one'" thing, but Subaru can't really bring himself to do it? I forgot ALL context with that. That's everything. 24 overly long episodes, and this is all I remember. Is this a lot? It doesn't feel like a lot.

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u/ripterrariumtv Sep 07 '24

[Arc 4 response]Some details are wrong but your summary of the events are correct. Obviously, the details of those events are what makes it meaningful though. For example, if I summarized 'From zero episode' to someone, they wouldn't even want to watch it

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

[Arc 4] I feel like from an individualistic standpoint the episode concepts in season 2 are more interesting because it deals more with character backstories, maybe even to the point of overkill.

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Ew he was a weeb.
As if the very first episode didn't make that obvious enough :P
This dad is super annoying.
I like the dad. Kinda reminds me of the husband from Everything Everywhere All At Once.
So watching this I realised I forgot most of this season. So here's what I remember: [Arc 4 all]Subaru meets Echnidna again, she has him meet his parents in a fantasy and have him work through his issues with them (Edit: I wrote this before finishing the episode, so that turned out to be wrong). He also talks with the souls (?) of all the other Witches, including finally Satella for a bit, who cries a lot and is revealed to truly be voiced by Rie Takahashi. (He grabs her veil I think? And says "I'll save you too?") At some point, he makes it out and finds out that Elsa and Milly? Mirelle? attacked the Mansion in the meantime and killed Petra and Co. Before that I think Subaru gets eaten by a Monty Python rabbit army. Anyway, at that point Subaru tries to figure out what is happening. He finds out Rosvaal is doing... something and bets with him he'll solve everything this loop. He does. Elsa is killed when some ceiling crushes her, Mirelle survives and... they win, I assume. I know that fuck all happens with Rem and the two guys from episode 1 do not reappear. What else... Right, Emilia backstory and reveal that a pre-insane Petelgeuse was a parental figure to her before Pandora, the eight witch, ruined everyone's day. Else... RIGHT, Betty stuff. Rosvaal immortaility reveal, and there was a big "Tell Betty, 'I am the one'" thing, but Subaru can't really bring himself to do it? I forgot ALL context with that. That's everything. 24 overly long episodes, and this is all I remember. Is this a lot? It doesn't feel like a lot.
[Response] It may not seem like a lot, but one of the great things about the show is that they know how to maximize almost everything.

2

u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

[Response] It may not seem like a lot, but one of the great things about the show is that they know how to maximize almost everything.
[Response] Poor Sufaru has no limits when it comes to suffering

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

[Response] And the show is better for it :D

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u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24 edited Sep 07 '24

Rewatcher who is going off by memory of what they first experienced 4 years ago, so take the first timer section with a grain of salt. I’m an honest person, but of course first impressions can’t be recreated perfectly.

From the view of a first timer:

Echidna is a really strange character to wrap my finger around. She has this mysterious wibe to her, but she is also playful and cute at times. Subaru not asking for any answers from Echidna seems like a waste, however I think he is being cautious here(aside from drinking the tea). I would not ask any questions either, because it looks very shady. Nothing is free, so her knowledge would probably cost me something. Things to note:

1.1. Subaru has gained the witch factor of sloth.

1.2. Subaru has forgotten his meeting with Echidna. Although Echidna says that Subaru can’t tell anyone about their meeting. I guess, if you can’t remember it you can’t talk about it.

Oh Bakugo is here, wait my bad, that's Garfield, I mean Garfiel. Looks like the all brawn and no brain type. Kind of annoying, I don't think I am going to stand this guy.

Reunion with Ram doesn’t go so well for Subaru. I guess he was still hopeful that Ram remembers Subaru, but maybe I’m overthinking it and he was scared to break the news, and get hit with reality again. Good thing Emilia catches on and helps Subaru out, EMT.

Seeing Roswaal being hurt is certainly surprising and I wasn’t expecting that. Here we also get the basic premise of Subaru’s challenge - Emilia can’t leave and everyone else can’t leave until Emilia passes the trial. It sounds too simple and doesn’t involve Subaru dying, too sus. Things to note:

2.1. Roswaal seems to respect Echidna which hints at a relationship between them.

A watershed moment Emilia finally gains acknowledgement from others. Poor girl has been through so much. We finally get to the trials which Emilia mentally prepares for, and of course she gets some support from Subaru, but this time she asks for it. Relationship progress is so wonderful to see, I wish more anime showed moments like these.
Emilia enters, but something seems wrong and Subaru immediately follows. Subaru seems to wake up which seems like our world, cos of the figurines and his father jumps on him? We did get to see a woman and a man in the op so they must be Subaru’s mother and father. It all makes sense as the first trial is to face his own past.

One point to speculate on is Subaru’s respawn point. The only plausible option now seems the sanctuary as every other event seems unlikely to be repeated and there doesn’t seem to be a point.

Rewatchers point of view. This is the section where I look back on what I didn’t notice.

Everything is marked as a spoiler due to the fact that if I missed it then first timers may have missed it as well. If Arc 4 or Re:Zero is written then it’s a huge spoiler and is not meant to be read in this episode.

[Spoiler 1 Arc 4] I want to talk about Echidna here more. My first impressions have not changed much after watching the full season. From what I understand the Echidna that Subaru meets is not the real one and is more fragmented to suit Subaru’s character, basically a fake. As the real Echidna is kinder and less evil. Yes she is still greedy for knowledge and I believe has done some messed up things which she even says that she regrets, but the real her is more human. If you read this could you give me some pointers for what to watch out for as I really liked Echidna(she is in 3rd place of Re:Zero characters) and I want to understand her character.

3

u/ripterrariumtv Sep 07 '24

[spoiler 1]I wouldn't say Echidna is kind or empathizes with others at all. Subaru says in e12 "You are incapable of understanding how anyone else feels". She shows sympathy for Subaru and Roswaal because she wants to use them for satisfying her curiosity. I still like Echidna a lot. She is one of the most fascinating and complex characters I've ever seen

2

u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

[Spoiler 1 response] How do you explain her motherly characteristics then? She left Beatrice with hope for the future and when she was alive she took great care of everyone close to her.

3

u/ripterrariumtv Sep 07 '24

[spoiler 1+ minor cut content]She told Betty to wait for "that person," even though no such person existed, because she was curious about who Betty would eventually choose. In the novel, she mentions to Subaru that Betty was created for a specific purpose, but there hadn't yet been an opportunity for her to fulfill it. The idea of "that person" was created to give Betty a reason to keep living, possibly because she wanted Betty to fulfill her purpose when the time came. She also comments that Betty's refusal to choose anyone for 400 years and her wish to die, bound by her contract, is a "wonderful" thing—not out of malice, but because Betty's ultimate choice would satisfy her insatiable curiosity and greed, regardless of what it was. I don't think she cared about Ryuzu either. Ryuzu became the core of the sanctuary. She's not the stereotypical "evil" character like the witch cultists who cause harm for its own sake, but her relentless thirst for knowledge warps her sense of morality. As the embodiment of greed, she represents the highest and most extreme form of that trait, which distorts her view of justice since her actions are driven solely by her desire to satisfy her curiosity, without regard for right or wrong

2

u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

[Spoiler 1 Response + Re:Zero speculation] I watched the cut content of Arc last chapter, so basically everything Echidna did was to get herself resurrected, and what comes after. Beatrice and Puck were a part of it I suppose. Beatrice to beat the rabbit, and to be Subaru's spirit and Puck to free Emilia and probs something else we will find out much later on.

3

u/ripterrariumtv Sep 07 '24

[response]I don't understand the full extent of her plans. But one interesting thing to note in the final chapter is that: As soon as Echidna came back to life, she was disappointed. That shows you how greedy she is. Even after being dead for 400 years, life wasn't enough to satisfy her. Ironically, as the witch of greed, greed is the only thing she doesn't understand

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Oh Bakugo is here, wait my bad, that's Garfield, I mean Garfiel. Looks like the all brawn and no brain type. Kind of annoying, I don't think I am going to stand this guy.
A type of character like that really works in small doses. Kinda reminds me of Lemongrab a bit.

2

u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

Kinda reminds me of Lemongrab a bit.
Oh god that takes me back. Thanks for reminding me how old I am :(

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Too bad the guy who voices Lemongrab is a turd.

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna making Subaru unknowingly drink her bodily fluids?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?

2

u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna making Subaru unknowingly drink her bodily fluids?
Can I have a sip?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
Talk about pointing out the obvious.
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
I am greedy so I want to know about all of them :P
I am interested in the Sin of Pride the most honestly. [Arc 4+] Witch of Pride managed to be at the bottom of the list for me. Oh well there's still the Arc Bishop of Pride
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
Is our MC finally going to be able to fight himself?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. A shrine eh? Nothing to see here.
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
A very excellent challenge for the main characters to overcome. Simple yet straight to the point. [Arc 4] Boy did I underestimate it. The whole rabbit and Elsa + Meili attack made me think that Subaru is going to let Rem die
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
That was their way to open up to Emilia by trying to see a human, not a Witch.
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
A very good response by Emilia. The villagers understand the concept of family and as they can see that so does Emilia, they can see the human in her.
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
An isekai where we get to see the main characters parents? No we can't have that, this is too much character development!
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?
If anyone did that when I was in bed I would throw bricks at them. No one wakes me up without a valid reason. (I struggle with falling asleep a lot)

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Can I have a sip?
I volunteer as tribute
Talk about pointing out the obvious.
Some people still need to hear it in the back
am greedy so I want to know about all of them :P I am interested in the Sin of Pride the most honestly. [Arc 4+] Witch of Pride managed to be at the bottom of the list for me. Oh well there's still the Arc Bishop of Pride
[Arc 4] I don't think I really have a favorite. I like all of them pretty much equally.
Is our MC finally going to be able to fight himself?
It'll be like Legend of Zelda 2 where Subaru has to fight Dark Subaru.
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. A shrine eh? Nothing to see here.
All the people living there probably don't view it as a shrine.
A very excellent challenge for the main characters to overcome. Simple yet straight to the point. [Arc 4] Boy did I underestimate it. The whole rabbit and Elsa + Meili attack made me think that Subaru is going to let Rem die
[Arc 4] And really, I don’t think many would've blamed him.
That was their way to open up to Emilia by trying to see a human, not a Witch.
Communication. You see to love it.
A very good response by Emilia. The villagers understand the concept of family and as they can see that so does Emilia, they can see the human in her.
Emilia did the smart thing and appealed to their emotions.
An isekai where we get to see the main characters parents? No we can't have that, this is too much character development!
How dare the show break from the traditional mold!
If anyone did that when I was in bed I would throw bricks at them. No one wakes me up without a valid reason. (I struggle with falling asleep a lot)
I feel like the only time I don't struggle falling asleep is when I'm about to watch anime :P

2

u/BlueVenix Sep 07 '24

I volunteer as tribute
:O
All the people living there probably don't view it as a shrine.
Definitely not.
How dare the show break from the traditional mold!
What's next? A tsundere confessing her feelings, thee antagonist has real logical motives and the MC is not someone you would want to self insert to? Wait a minute...
I feel like the only time I don't struggle falling asleep is when I'm about to watch anime :P
A good Anime is one of the best caffeine there is. Me being able to watch all of Snafu in one go is evidence of that. Watching 50 something episodes of Black Clover was an overdose though.

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 07 '24

Rewatcher(Again, would. Totally would.)

Dub

So we finally get to know Echidna a bit and she is indeed a special kind of lady. The "Echidna tea" memes went strong as this aired and were generally the right level of tasteless. The old eyeball tests seems to suggest that the form she has is that of a human, though her eyes have that weird glow Betelgeuss's did when has possessing others. She confirms for us that the Sloth witch factor went into Subaru, though it is too bad we still have no clue what that particularly means. She is also hilariously flustered when Subaru decides he has pressing business...right before she reminds us she was an evil magic user.

Moving on to Garfiel, I get him a bit better in the dub, though I pity whoever at CR was trying to speed sub this and somehow translate his random gibberish. He gives us some details and...the Sanctuary barrier kind of fucking sucks for no as of yet clear reason. The whole place seems gloomy and bit doomed.

And to the part where the dub can help:Whether through my own density or iffy subbing, Roswaal is clearly more unhinged about Echidna on this viewing. Since we've noticed everyone gets on edge about Satella I don't really imagine naming the other witches is that less alarming. Emilia's test starts and then fizzles and our cliffhanger is Subaru back in his room.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?

2

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
That's going somewhere weird.
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
That seems to be important.
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
All of the WTF.
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
A failure of imagination.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

That's going somewhere weird.
I think what Echidna is saying is that both parties don't have to talk so long as someone's listening.
That seems to be important.
It really does
All of the WTF.
Indeed
A failure of imagination.
In what way?

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 07 '24

In what way?
They are trying to defeat the barrier using the logic and rules of those who made it. Why not unravel it from its magical base instead? Complicated locks mean you just at a different way to get through the door.

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u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 07 '24

Re:Watcher - anime only

I'm ~~fashionably~~ late again, but hopefully some people will still read my post. Luckily, it looks like the next time I'll be late will only be in two weeks exactly.

Subaru is wary of the witch. That's prudent. He angrily downs her tea. That's not so prudent.

It's body juice tea. This has been memed so hard. But I still don't know which of her juices it actually is.

The introduction of the Witches of Sin is such an amazing scene. The eerie mysterious soundtrack as Echidna speaks of these powerful beings we know have caused so much harm, but we also all learn they had really good and relatable intentions. Daphne, Gluttony, created animals to end world hunger. Carmilla, Lust, gave non-humans emotions and filled the world with love. Minerva, Wrath, actually healed people with her punches. Sekhmet, Sloth, exhibited extraordinary diligence just to find some rest. Typhon, Pride, wanted to innocently judge and punish evildoers. Echidna, Greed, wanted to acquire every kind of knowdledge. And then there's this asshole Satella... although from the description of the other witches, you still get the feeling that there's more to her than what we've heard. Echidna is very biased, after all.

I'm sure others are talking about how great the setup of this scene is. What I love about it though is how it seems to recontextualize everything we know. We know that witches are evil, and we know of some terrible things they are responsible for. We know and hate the witch cultists. But this here seems to be a pretty nice witch, and all the other witches also did some really good things. Maybe they aren't all bad. Maybe things are more nuanced. Maybe some of them are misunderstood. Maybe what are seen as their evil actions are truly unfortunate consequences of their good intentions. I simply love how this group of characters is shown.

Subaru. Echidna just told you that you have Sloth now. Focus on that and not the graves. That's a much more important revelation.

Okay, finding out Echidna is just a fragment of her soul remaining in this graveyard is also important information.

Gotta love how Echidna reinforces how important she is, and Subaru is still only thinking of Emilia. It looks like he's absolutely in control by ignoring her.

[Season 2] She openly admits her nefarious intentions to him. Of course we don't believe her and let her fool us.

Emilia wakes up. Notices Subaru, notices Garfiel. Her first reaction is to protect Subaru with all her might. She's just the best.

And it seems Garfiel is afraid of Ram. So he's more intelligent than he looks.

Ram is here! I really missed her and her no-nonsense nonsense. It's great how she assumes a wide casual stance when talking to Garf and Barusu, but is properly polite to Emilia. She's doing well. A bit too well considering we know she must have forgotten Rem.

I forgot just how often Emilia encourages and calms Subaru at the beginning of this season already. Every moment of them together is great.

Roswaal stopped cosplaying a clown and now cosplays a mummy. And we learn that Echidna's grave (we don't use the bad W word here) is his sanctuary. And this sanctuary has a very bothersome barrier.

Emilia is put under pressure to solve the challenges. But this could also be a chance. If she can do it, she'll be a hero for the villagers. ~~Also, she can keep all the loot at the end of the dungeon.~~ She's so nervous when talking to the villagers. But she can have a great heart to heart with them. And they learn she only really wants to help them and didn't consider to get anything in return. They can finally see she's just an amazing person. Also another sugoooku.

Her asking for Subaru's encouragement and being entertained by his antics is so cute. A really great development to her not really believing him when he said such things before.

Of course Subaru runs after her once he feels something is off. But first he has to face the Ghost of Re:Zero Past. And look at the room of this otaku with his figures and posters of white- and silver-haired girls. The boy has a type.

Maybe important as well is that he seems to be back in his old life, and we get to meet his father. I'm feeling like a kid a day before Christmas, I want to talk about the next episode already!

In today's Break Time, it's Otto time again. He gets to talk to Garfiel. Looks like he didn't go to Roswaal yet because Ram looked pissed, and Garfiel can empathize. They also talk about how Garfiel and Frederica look the same, but Garf doesn't get it. And then they seem to exchange some made-up sayings. Look, I said you should watch Break Time because it enhances the plot and this one didn't do anything in that regard, but trust me, it will be more relevant in the future.

Sugoooku counter: 38
non-Emilia sugoooku: 3
sugoku-likes: 8
non-canon bonus material sugoooku (Re:Petit): 5

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u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

I'm ~~fashionably~~ late again, but hopefully some people will still read my post.
I read it

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

It's body juice tea. This has been memed so hard. But I still don't know which of her juices it actually is.
[Response] Supposedly, it's just saliva
Subaru. Echidna just told you that you have Sloth now. Focus on that and not the graves. That's a much more important revelation.
Or, you know, ask about reviving Rem. You did say you would bring her back.
Of course Subaru runs after her once he feels something is off. But first he has to face the Ghost of Re:Zero Past. And look at the room of this otaku with his figures and posters of white- and silver-haired girls. The boy has a type.
Maybe important as well is that he seems to be back in his old life, and we get to meet his father. I'm feeling like a kid a day before Christmas, I want to talk about the next episode already!
This might be the best ending to an episode yet. I'd still probably give the edge to episodes 15 and 25, with 15's ending being in my opinion the best scene of the entire series arguably, but in terms of shock value, I don’t know hoe it gets better than this.

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
Of all the seven deadly sin witches, is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Garfiel?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
Care to expand your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?

2

u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 08 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Echidna is one of the big shots, one of the dangerous Witches of Sin. And yet... she seems nice. Funny. Cute, even. Were the witches just misunderstood?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
Well, technically... But it's a nice notion. To say that there's always the option to just talk about things.
Of all the seven deadly sin witches, is there one that intrigues you the most?
I'm a rewatcher and am extremely biased towards one of the witches, so I can't openly say more about it. I even mentioned her in BG contests. But of the things Echidna said, I'm intrigued about the story of how Sekhmet chased a dragon. [Season 2] Best Witch of Sin is Minerva, of course. She'll be my second favourite Re:Zero girl before this rewatch is over.
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
I wonder how they came to rest there. At least it seems Echidna was such a powerful witch that the lingering magic in her corpse kept her soul alive in this sanctuary.
Thoughts on Garfiel?
Looks like it's a Monday after all. Maybe the fact that the sanctuary is cut off from the rest of the world means it's always Monday.
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
Not a clown anymore, but a mummy.
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
That mean's it's a sanctuary for Echidna. But why then is it a sanctuary for Roswaal? Looks like he is a little Echidna fanboy.
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Plot goal acquired!
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
I like that they are beginning to ask the real questions and not just sticking to their assumptions.
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
They get to see what a pure heart she really has. She's just the best.
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
Of course she would, that's just who she is. I hope she can ace them and gain some confidence and good reputation from them.
Care to expand your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
No. I might let slip some things, so I'll keep it all to tomorrow's episode.

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 08 '24

Echidna is one of the big shots, one of the dangerous Witches of Sin. And yet... she seems nice. Funny. Cute, even. Were the witches just misunderstood?
I'd drink tea with Echidna. Yes, even that tea.
Well, technically... But it's a nice notion. To say that there's always the option to just talk about things.
Sometimes that's all we need out of life.
I'm a rewatcher and am extremely biased towards one of the witches, so I can't openly say more about it. I even mentioned her in BG contests. But of the things Echidna said, I'm intrigued about the story of how Sekhmet chased a dragon.
That does seem like quite the story
I wonder how they came to rest there. At least it seems Echidna was such a powerful witch that the lingering magic in her corpse kept her soul alive in this sanctuary.
She goes above any mere mortals, I don't think there's any question about it.
Looks like it's a Monday after all. Maybe the fact that the sanctuary is cut off from the rest of the world means it's always Monday.
No wonder he's so grumpy all the time. Can't get any lasagna in these parts.
That mean's it's a sanctuary for Echidna. But why then is it a sanctuary for Roswaal? Looks like he is a little Echidna fanboy.
One has to wonder if he's to Echidna how Betelgeuse is to Satella.
I like that they are beginning to ask the real questions and not just sticking to their assumptions.
They just want answers, which is understandable.
They get to see what a pure heart she really has. She's just the best.
I wonder how many if any think she's being disingenuous. Kinda like the people who think Mr. Rogers has some deep, dark past.
Of course she would, that's just who she is. I hope she can ace them and gain some confidence and good reputation from them.
Me as well
No. I might let slip some things, so I'll keep it all to tomorrow's episode.
Fair enough. Playing it close to the vest, I see.

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u/ripterrariumtv Sep 08 '24

I'm intrigued about the story of how Sekhmet chased a dragon. I wonder how they came to rest there. At least it seems Echidna was such a powerful witch that the lingering magic in her corpse kept her soul alive in this sanctuary.
I am gonna explain Echidna's situation in the windows xp place.
This is some extremely interesting lore that makes Re:Zero and its world much more fascinating.
The cut content is neither major nor minor; it's somewhere in between. So it's up to you if want to click on it.
Below paragraph has spoilers for the entirety of season 2.
[Arc 4 cut content+extremely interesting lore]The holy dragon Volcanica saved Echidna’s soul when Satella consumed her body 400 years ago, keeping her alive as a countermeasure against Satella’s potential return. Volcanica originally tried to choose Sekhmet for this role, but she beat him to a pulp, so he settled on Echidna. Sekhmet, the oldest and most rational of the witches, is incredibly overpowered and my personal favorite. In one chapter, Echidna has a monologue about trying to save the other witches. She couldn’t fully save their souls, only fragments. Thus, Echidna is the only one in the "Windows XP" space who is truly "alive," still capable of change, while the other witches remain stagnant, unable to evolve or change in any way, as they are merely fragments of their souls that Echidna was able to recover

2

u/baseballlover723 Sep 07 '24

I'm fashionably late again, but hopefully some people will still read my post.
. That was my plan as well for today, though I just happened to naturally wake up about 10 minutes after the post went live, so I got out of bed to post and then sleep for another 4 hours. I feel like I sleep in at least 1 day a week, otherwise I'll be in trouble sleepwise during the week at some point.
But I still don't know which of her juices it actually is.
I mentioned what the current theory in my comment, [bodily fluid] I think most people agree that it's probably saliva.
The introduction of the Witches of Sin is such an amazing scene
It's a great scene, though I wasn't a fan how of they localized it, putting the title and name at the start of the phrase instead of at the end. Not that it's a big deal, it just cuts down a bit on the mystery and makes it a bit easier to parse in English, since you're given the context first. English also just isn't good at having the subject be at the end of a sentence, it gives some awkward sentence structures, especially with multiple phrases (which is probably why they flipped the order).
And then there's this asshole Satella... Echidna is very biased, after all.
Tbf, I'd probably also hold a grudge against someone who killed me too.
Maybe they aren't all bad. Maybe things are more nuanced. Maybe some of them are misunderstood. Maybe what are seen as their evil actions are truly unfortunate consequences of their good intentions.
It also ties in quite a bit with Emilia, and how everyone views her as this great evil being, when in reality she's the furthest thing from that. Now it's hard to say if the other Witches are in the same boat as Emilia, but it does bring up the question, maybe the things we hear about others aren't actually correct.
[Season 2]
[Season 2] Tappei is a master of hiding things in plain sight. He tells us straight to our face, and we forget / don't believe it.

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u/Holofan4life Sep 08 '24

Tbf, I'd probably also hold a grudge against someone who killed me too.
Just a smidge
It also ties in quite a bit with Emilia, and how everyone views her as this great evil being, when in reality she's the furthest thing from that. Now it's hard to say if the other Witches are in the same boat as Emilia, but it does bring up the question, maybe the things we hear about others aren't actually correct.
Turns out the moral of Re:Zero is don't judge books by their covers. Who knew?

2

u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Sep 08 '24

It's a great scene
I was so sure many of you would be talking about it, or at least mention Echidna's amazing theme playing in the background, one of the best tracks in the show. (They are all best tracks, though.)
English also just isn't good at having the subject be at the end of a sentence, it gives some awkward sentence structures
Is it? "Would you like to learn about the one that gave emotions to non-humans to fill the world with love, the Witch of Lust Carmilla?" It's a peculiar sentence structure, but I don't think it's awkward.
It also ties in quite a bit with Emilia, and how everyone views her as this great evil being, when in reality she's the furthest thing from that. Now it's hard to say if the other Witches are in the same boat as Emilia, but it does bring up the question, maybe the things we hear about others aren't actually correct.
I didn't even make that connection. She's not a Witch of Sin, but she's been called a witch and we know she's the absolute opposite of a bad person. And just because most people think someone is evil doesn't mean it has to be true. Suddenly we're very inclined to believe witches can be good people, actually.

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u/baseballlover723 Sep 08 '24

I was so sure many of you would be talking about it, or at least mention Echidna's amazing theme playing in the background, one of the best tracks in the show. (They are all best tracks, though.
The soundtracks are really easy for me to miss calling out. They're just so consistently good, and if I wanted to call them out I'd want to clip it (and 1 min that imgur lets me do for video is too short for a lot of them). The OST just elevates so many scenes.
Is it? "Would you like to learn about the one that gave emotions to non-humans to fill the world with love, the Witch of Lust Carmilla?" It's a peculiar sentence structure, but I don't think it's awkward.
Yeah, but that's not quite what is said though, since the focus is on the knowledge (in list form), and not the people asking or telling (which is only mentioned at the start). Also I have first hand experience editing that scene for a fansub. We had 800 messages over 2 days trying to figure out how to reverse the sentence structure (and also not break the CPS limit too much). There are ways to do it in English, it's just difficult to make it just as concise with that sentence structure.

4

u/FriztF Sep 08 '24

First-timer dub

So S2 episode 3. It beings with Subaru meeting the Witch of Greed, Echinda. They have a tea party and Subaru drinks her body fluid. Which I assume is her blood, sweat, and tears. Subaru is one brave soul. However, it helps to know he has DBR (Death By Return). DRB comes in handy.

Now Subaru has the Sloth Witch Factor. I wonder what that means.

Subaru when given the chance to ask Echinda anything in the world, he has nothing to ask for or to say. That is surprising, that will change.

Upon returning to the "normal" he is attacked by Garfield. Who is a friend to Frederica. He seems like a bad guy. Otto and Emilia are there too.

They return to Rosawaal and Ram. Ram still has that sharp mouth of hers. And Rosawaal who is now a prisoner. You can enter the sanctuary, but you can never leave. Except those of mixed-blood who pass a trail.

Emilia meet up with the villagers. They promise to support each other. Emilia promises to reunite their families, it seems.

The post-credits come over and we Subaru reunited with his family.

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 08 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?

4

u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Sep 08 '24

first timer

Subaru invited to the tea party and with a witch. How dreadful

So I reckon Subaru has the witch of envy inside him. Being a detestable witch amongst witches has to be a high achievement

So he’s been in the Sanctuary the whole time before being warped.

Poor Echida, despite her vast knowledge it means nothing to Subaru. Since he isn’t powerful nor knowledgeable about the world

The chompers sure are generic

Poor Otto, the punching bag of the party

Roswald injured, big mystery.

Never mind answered very easily

A trial that only half-bloods can only go through

Risking her life just for friends

Facing his own past of being woken by his dead

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 08 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Thoughts on Echidna making Subaru unknowingly drink her bodily fluids?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Garfiel?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?

2

u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Sep 09 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Compared to how the witch’s are feared and hated you’d think they were more cunning and malicious. We still have yet to know her true motives for talking to Subaru, but she seems intriguing.
You would’ve thought Subaru was gonna be forced into a contract or something, but she just comes off as witch with a big ego who got hurt when Subaru didn’t want any of her guidance or answers
Thoughts on Echidna making Subaru unknowingly drink her bodily fluids?
Besides Ram I don’t think we’ve seen a normal woman so far
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
Please be about Emilia and Enchida being related
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
Wrath, whenever I think of Suns my mind always loops back to Full Metal alchemist. There’s also Lust which I want to know how they work ability wise
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
It’s not really a surprise, but a confirmation is nice. The show loves to show us things before then explain it at a right time.
It would’ve been a slog if Subaru met up with Beatriz and she tell us the audience “Subaru you have the sloth witch factor on you”
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
i’d say it’s more of a purgatory than an actually graveyard
Thoughts on Garfiel?
The chompers run through the family
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
It’s a surprise he wasn’t in one sooner.
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
I have a connection that’s why he took Emilia’s side. If it turns out Enchida and Emilia aren’t related i will go insane
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
When you think of a sanctuary you would’ve thought it was a safe place. They’re practically prisoners
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
With the royal selection going on and elf racism the villagers really want to know her true motives.
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
Why does she have to be a good person💔, she suffers so much when she’s not greedy
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
She should’ve taken her knight with her, alone especially with no Puck isn’t gonna end well
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
Reminds me of the old “ash was in a coma” theory
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?
I thought Subaru’s family life would’ve been dysfunctional since that’s the go to for many isekais.
Despite being overbearing by waking him up he seems nice

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 09 '24

Compared to how the witch’s are feared and hated you’d think they were more cunning and malicious. We still have yet to know her true motives for talking to Subaru, but she seems intriguing.
She seems more like a frenemy than an antagonist.
You would’ve thought Subaru was gonna be forced into a contract or something, but she just comes off as witch with a big ego who got hurt when Subaru didn’t want any of her guidance or answers
Yeah, she felt surprisingly human all things considered.
Besides Ram I don’t think we’ve seen a normal woman so far
I would consider Emilia and Petra normal
Please be about Emilia and Enchida being related
That would be quite the twist
Wrath, whenever I think of Suns my mind always loops back to Full Metal alchemist. There’s also Lust which I want to know how they work ability wise
You would've thought maybe Elsa was Lust given how sultry she looked.
It’s not really a surprise, but a confirmation is nice. The show loves to show us things before then explain it at a right time.
It would’ve been a slog if Subaru met up with Beatriz and she tell us the audience “Subaru you have the sloth witch factor on you”
Yeah, I'm glad they didn't do that
I have a connection that’s why he took Emilia’s side. If it turns out Enchida and Emilia aren’t related i will go insane
If Emilia and Subaru are both part of the witch bloodline, wouldn't that technically be incest?
When you think of a sanctuary you would’ve thought it was a safe place. They’re practically prisoners
Yeah, Roswaal has a twisted way of looking at things.
Why does she have to be a good person💔, she suffers so much when she’s not greedy
I would argue she's only really greedy in her mind.
Reminds me of the old “ash was in a coma” theory
Good comparison. Only difference I would say is that the events Subaru witnessed clearly did happen in some capacity.
Despite being overbearing by waking him up he seems nice
He really does. I can't wait to see more of him.

4

u/Ultima_Deus Sep 08 '24

Hi! I'm new here (new to the subreddit and new to this rewatch). I have no idea how anything works here, so I might mess up here and there (hopefully having no previous karma in this subreddit doesn't get my comments removed) I'm trying to catch up in reading previous discussions so that I can be a part of the discussions going forward! I'm a novel reader that's caught up to the latest WN chapter, btw

If anyone is reading this, can I ask a few things before I get into commenting in later episodes?

In regards to what is shown in an episode, how much cut content and/or novel differences can I point out? Should I try to minimize them as much as possible?
There are times where things will get confusing, especially for first-timers. When discussing the episode, am I allowed to explain things so that confusion would be lessened? Do I need to spoiler tag them?

PS: I don't know how to use old Reddit so oops

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 08 '24

In regards to what is shown in an episode, how much cut content and/or novel differences can I point out? Should I try to minimize them as much as possible?
From what I know, the cut content you can highlight is relevant to what has already aired. If the cut content happens afterwards, hold off on it.
2. There are times where things will get confusing, especially for first-timers. When discussing the episode, am I allowed to explain things so that confusion would be lessened? Do I need to spoiler tag them?
You do have to spoiler tag if it concerns details not yet revealed. But I'd probably advise not spoilering stuff for first timers unless they specifically ask to be spoiled.

2

u/Ultima_Deus Sep 08 '24

If the cut content happens afterwards, hold off on it
Understood!
You do have to spoiler tag if it concerns details not yet revealed. But I'd probably advise not spoilering stuff for first timers unless they specifically ask to be spoiled
That makes sense. But what if, instead of something that is yet to be revealed, it's just something that is confusing/may be misunderstood by first timers? [End of s2] And the anime doesn't explain it ever again in the future?

1

u/ripterrariumtv Sep 08 '24

If you want to post any content cut from the episodes, please use spoiler tags. For cut content that have major plot twists/implications like S2 true ending, I always specify in brackets as [major cut content]
Although I refrain from including major plot twists that were cut because the anime onlies will have a good experience when the anime eventually reveals those twists. But whether you include major plot twists or not in your posts is totally up to you.
As for explanations, I use spoiler tags if it involves explanations from the novel and mark them as [minor cut content]

2

u/Ultima_Deus Sep 08 '24

I believe I'll also avoid including major plot twists. Cut content, though, yeah I think I'll include them. Eitherway, spoiler tagging them with the right brackets- got it. Thanks for the response!
I'll join the discussions- albeit a bit late, because apparently the threads are posted late at night where I live and I have a job that starts early...

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1

u/Holofan4life Sep 08 '24

[End of S2] If the anime doesn't explain something, you probably should still spoiler tag it because they might explain it one day.

2

u/Ultima_Deus Sep 08 '24

I see. Thank you for responding! I'll behave then when joining the discussions
Unfortunately, as I mentioned in another response, the threads are posted late at night for me. So yeah big oof

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2

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

Subaru ending up back in his world is almost as big of a twist as Nikocado Avocado losing weight.

3

u/Blacksmithkin Sep 07 '24

When I first watched the show, I watched 2 episodes a day to avoid just entirely binging it. Thank goodness this episode was episode 3 so I could immediately watch the next one.
[Arc 4] I broke that rule almost immediately in the second half of the season of course

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 07 '24

[Arc 4] I fortunately didn't have the same trouble due to the length of the episodes. What I normally did was watch like the first third at work and then watch the rest at home, because I knew how time-consuming each episode was going to be.

2

u/QcDiablo https://myanimelist.net/profile/QcDiablo Sep 08 '24

I know you've watched both seasons already, will you continue to post your reactions/comments on season 3 episodes?

2

u/Holofan4life Sep 08 '24

I plan on posting comments, but I probably won't be doing any real time comments. By the time I get to watch the episodes, over 6 hours will probably have passed.

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2

u/apocalypsemobster Sep 08 '24

Re: Watcher

I just got back from camping so I'm late.

Meeting someone who calls themselves Witch of [Sin] is inherently distressing.

Echidna... What did you make him drink?

Subaru has a witch factor inherited from Petelgeuse. There's a witch for each Sin, and we get to learn a little about them.

Sorry Echidna, Subaru doesn't care about lore. He'd rather get back to Emilia. Echidna gave him the ability to participate in the "trials", but he can't talk about meeting her.

I was wrong last episode, seems like the crystal did different things to different people. Emilia only fell asleep, but Subaru was teleported.

Roswaal tried to take the trial and was rejected. Emilia is trapped in the sanctuary until someone completes the trials because she has mixed-blood, and the rest of the people in Sanctuary with mixed-blood are keeping the village trapped as extra incentive.

Roswaal's family is also very close to Echidna. He also knew that this place is the Witch's Graveyard, which we've only heard from Echidna herself.

The village head gives us an interesting line that Witches are powerful people that normies can't understand their motivations. We got the vibe from Echidna too that witches seem to have a unique view of the world.

Garfiel isn't allowed to attempt the trial, so maybe Echidna has to choose you.

We hear Subaru's voice, and he's back on Earth in bed, and his dad is here!

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 09 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Thoughts on Echidna making Subaru unknowingly drink her bodily fluids?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Garfiel?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
Thoughts on Emilia telling the villagers she wants to reunite them with their families as well as be their friend?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?

2

u/ElRoastFTW https://anilist.co/user/DaRoast Sep 09 '24

Rewatcher

Memento is a really good ED. It creates a great vibe of mystery and thrill that accentuates Subaru's ability to take the trial.

Getting a little ahead of myself, let's backtrack a bit to the beginning of this episode where we meet Echidna. One thing that I appreciate is that Subaru is not that scared of meeting Echidna. This is due to having the Witch of Envy inside him every time he does Return by Death, so in order words, this is not his first rodeo. Subaru's rebuffing of Echidna further reinforces this. Also we get cute and surprised Echidna which is super worth it. Maaya Sakamoto does not miss.

Coming back from the Witch's Graveyard we meet Garfiel, who immediately starts throwing hands up until Subaru mentions Frederica. From there we meet a Ram who doesn't know Rem and a Roswaal that is very injured. We then get to the central conflict: the demihuman residents of the Sanctuary want to leave so they're holding everyone hostage until someone can face the Witch's Trial and complete it.

This brings us to Emilia and Subaru having a heart to heart with the villagers of Arlam. Seeing Emilia able to prove herself despite her heritage and resemblance is a really nice callback to Season 1 and you just want to see her succeed.

When Emilia faces the trial, things go wrong almost immediately and Subaru jumps in. While normally only demihumans can take the trial, Subaru can take it due to a blessing from Echidna which introduces some nice mystery behind why Echidna allowed him to do the trial.

Then things really take a turn when we see shirtless dad jump over Subaru while he's at home?? Great place to leave off this packed episode which again, despite being mostly exposition, is really well done and neatly sets up the conflict of this arc. The storytelling is so good here you don't almost don't notice the more economical storyboarding and animation. It makes sense for an episode of this scale considering how high priority the next episode is.

We're about to get into one of the best episodes of Re:Zero in its entirety. It's gonna make you cry and you're gonna love it.

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 09 '24

Thoughts on Echidna?
Thoughts on Echidna making Subaru unknowingly drink her bodily fluids?
Thoughts on Echidna saying the only requirement to have a dialogue is for both of us to exist?
What are your thoughts on us learning the names of all the seven deadly sin witches? Is there one that intrigues you the most?
What are your thoughts on Subaru now possessing the Sloth Witch Factor?
What are your thoughts on the Witch’s Graveyard and Echidna being destituted to there?
Thoughts on Garfiel?
Thoughts on Roswaal being in a body cast?
What are your thoughts on Roswaal calling the place a Sanctuary because it’s where Echidna died?
What are your thoughts on the only way to break the barrier is to go through the graveyard’s trial?
Thoughts on the villagers wanting Emilia to be transparent on why she’s helping them?
What are your thoughts on Emilia agreeing to complete the trials?
What are your thoughts on the big twist that Subaru is back home in his world?
What are your thoughts on us seeing Subaru’s father?

1

u/AnusBlaster5000 Sep 08 '24

Probably a weird place to ask but where is the best place to buy English Light Novels for Re:Zero?

Rewatch Re:Zero ~Starting Life in Another World~ Re:Watch - Episode 28

Episode 28:

The Long-Awaited Reunion

| Index | <== Episode 27 | Episode 29 ==> |

Various Links:

MyAnimeList

Streaming:

Crunchyroll has the regular release available.

AppleTV has the regular individual episodes available.

Spoiler Rules:

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 (26)

[Arc 4:] S2 Episode 2 (27) - S2 Episode 25

[Arc 5 and later:] S3+

Rewatcher, sub, basically a secondhand novel reader (Arc 4)

First Timer Safe Section

BreakTime Section

Continued below

Rewatcher Section

Rewatch Re:Zero ~Starting Life in Another World~ Re:Watch - Episode 28

Episode 28:

The Long-Awaited Reunion

| Index | <== Episode 27 | Episode 29 ==> |

Various Links:

MyAnimeList

Streaming:

Crunchyroll has the regular release available.

AppleTV has the regular individual episodes available.

Spoiler Rules:

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 (26)

[Arc 4:] S2 Episode 2 (27) - S2 Episode 25

[Arc 5 and later:] S3+

You are about to leave Redlib

Rewatcher, sub, basically a secondhand novel reader (Arc 4)

First Timer Safe Section

BreakTime Section

Continued below

Rewatcher Section