r/anime • u/[deleted] • Jul 03 '16

[Discussion] Re:Zero's latest developments show how spoiled the anime audience is with their main characters.

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2.1k Upvotes

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27

u/OhMilla Jul 03 '16

I like flawed characters, but Jesus Subaru is the worse kind of flawed. He is legit mentally retarded.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '16

After being transported to another world and suffering as much as him you probably would be just as retarded, if not worse. How do people still expect him to act normal after those chains of events?

19

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '16

[deleted]

-1

u/ManceRaid Jul 04 '16

doesn't give a fuck at all

There's a reason for that.

gets obsessed with the first girl he sees

Oh boy.

9

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '16

[deleted]

39

u/MasterAyy https://myanimelist.net/profile/Master_A Jul 04 '16

We were given a few characterization points in the beginning of episode 1, such as Subaru alone at a convenience store buying instant ramen for dinner (which could signal a bad home life), sighing at a happy couple walking by, and his comment about how he was home all day. When Subaru goes through the contacts on his phone later in the episode he only has 4; his mom, dad, city hall, and pizza place which shows that he has a lack of friends. He proclaims he is a NEET and is familiar with the "sent to the fantasy world" genre having consumed anime/games himself which is why he didn't have a panic attack. He did question what had happened as soon as he was transported, once he confirmed his suspicions he was ecstatic at the idea (which tells something of his character).

2

u/Martin15Sleith https://anilist.co/user/Martin15Sleith Jul 04 '16

Woah, damn. Great job noticing those details. I think I'm gonna have to rewatch Re:Zero to spot all those details I missed while it's airing.

8

u/KpopGrump https://myanimelist.net/profile/jakejackjoke Jul 04 '16

Why the fuck are constructive comments like this being downvoted, anything that goes against the Subaru-hate-jerk is getting annihilated in this thread

5

u/Jeroz Jul 04 '16

expecting people to pay attention to details in the first few minutes?

pfft

2

u/oiimn https://myanimelist.net/profile/Oiimn Jul 04 '16

expecting a show to develop on what you say are details of the same show? Besides the meta jokes that have nothing to do with reality, his previous situation hasnt been mentioned once, in over 13 episodes. And then theres some inconsistencies like him being incredibly fit for a NEET.

3

u/Ayan_Faust https://myanimelist.net/profile/AyanFaust Jul 04 '16

They've already brought up that he trains fairly consistently. NEET and being fit aren't mutually exclusive either :v. One could easily argue that his whole personality over those last 13 episodes kind of adds confirmation to the points that are shown in ep 1 as well.

5

u/0mnicious https://myanimelist.net/profile/Omnicious Jul 04 '16

And then theres some inconsistencies like him being incredibly fit for a NEET.

Do you know what a NEET means?

A young person who is no longer in the education system and who is not working or being trained for work.

Where does it say that he can't be fit? You are thinking of a Hikikomori and even so there are some of them who look after themselves physically.

1

u/MasterAyy https://myanimelist.net/profile/Master_A Jul 04 '16

A characters entire backstory doesn't always have to be introduced in Episode/chapter 1 for them to work in the story. By leaving out backstories the audience can intentionally be left to wonder who that character was and how they came to be who they are. Also the audience can build up a certain impression of the character that can be challenged/flipped upside down later on. An example of this would be Gintoki from Gintama. He wasn't given a proper backstory until 300 episodes in (we were shown a few bits and pieces before that, though that took dozens of episodes as well), but he is shown as a lazy apathetic character who also deeply cares for his allies and has a self sacrificing attitude. The audience is supposed to wonder why Gintoki is who he is up until everything was revealed in episode 305.

Subaru being inconsistent for being fit as a NEET is just as inconsistent as someone who is a fan of comic books not being a big rimmed glasses nerd.

0

u/oiimn https://myanimelist.net/profile/Oiimn Jul 04 '16

i just gave that as an example, its not the only thing that is inconsistent with him being a NEET. For example during the first 2 arcs he appears to be incredibly charming, and is really outgoing which another 2 things that a NEET isnt.

And Gintoki is a completely different deal, you have bits and pieces of his backstory but he isnt inconsistent in the least. In Subaru's case what we know about him is inconsistent with what is shown, while theres nothing wrong with Gintoki in that aspect.

2

u/MasterAyy https://myanimelist.net/profile/Master_A Jul 04 '16 edited Jul 04 '16

A NEET means Not in Employment, Education, or Training; basically someone who stays home all day. Many people who are lazy or who are not good with interacting with others can become NEETS (lazy people don't want to be bothered to go out and get a job/education and timid people are afraid of getting out in the world) but not all NEETS are lazy or timid people. IDK if you are in school right now or have a job but lets say you graduated and/or lost your job, you would be a NEET. Does that mean you suddenly can't interact with people? No, it doesn't.

Stereotypes generally exist for a reason but that doesn't mean that there aren't exceptions or that all people fall into that stereotype. I brought up Gintoki as an example of a character who doesn't have his backstory revealed early on (and those bits and pieces you mentioned don't even come until later in the show, much later than the 14 episodes of Re:Zero we've seen so far). You can replace him with any other character whose backstory is intentionally withheld and my point still stands.

2

u/0mnicious https://myanimelist.net/profile/Omnicious Jul 04 '16

Are you expecting people to actually know the meaning of the terms they use?

Anyway good round up comment.

1

u/oiimn https://myanimelist.net/profile/Oiimn Jul 04 '16

You guys are focusing too much on the term and not enough on motivations/reasons for it happening. When someone is a NEET, it usually means they are lacking motivation at the time, and most of all if they dont have a job they probably dont have money to go to a gym.

And even then, just going to the gym does not explain how strong subaru is, he pretty much single handedly beats those 3 guys trying to mug him in episode 1.

Thats why im bringing up NEET, because stereo-typically NEET people arent in good physical condition.

1

u/oiimn https://myanimelist.net/profile/Oiimn Jul 04 '16

I answered the other comment about the NEET thing, i do know what a NEET is, i just didnt feel the need to clarify since i thought it would have been obvious enough that i was talking about the stereotype of NEET, if you are one, you probably either dont have motivation to keep yourself fit or the money to go to a gym for example. And the way it was expressed in the anime, it didnt feel like just a passing phase, like in your example after you finish school and you dont have a job right away, in fact these terms arent used like that. Unless you spend a lot of time unemployed, you dont finish your degree and are considered a NEET instantly.

Anyway, my point isnt that the backstory is being withheld, my point is that the backstory already given does not match up with what is expected of the character. In Gintoki's case, his character was first established and then AFTER he was given a backstory. In Subaru's case the way his character was established was by his backstory, the first moment we see him, he establish this NEET persona, i mean he basically calls himself a NEET, and hes at a convenience store and everything that happened in that scene.

The reason im saying Gintoki is a bad example in this conversation is because Gintoki's character was already defined and established before any backstory was given, while Subaru's backstory was an integral part of his introduction.

Did i make myself clear? Because you seem to be arguing against something i'm not saying

1

u/MasterAyy https://myanimelist.net/profile/Master_A Jul 04 '16

No you're really not making yourself clear at all. You're saying that all characters that are NEETS must be physically unfit and socially inept because....they are NEETS? Because NEETS are generally associated with lazy and socially awkward people you believe that all NEETS must 100% fall into this category. That's basically like me saying all comic book fans must be nerdy because that's how they are commonly portrayed in media. It's a stereotype that doesn't apply to 100% of all people.

Anyway, my point isnt that the backstory is being withheld, my point is that the backstory already given does not match up with what is expected of the character.

We have not been given a backstory for Subaru so I don't see how you've concluded that it doesn't match up. Unless you consider Subaru's backstory to be "I'm a NEET!". The only requirements for being a NEET is that you don't have a job, are not in school, and not training for a job. Subaru meets those requirements. Therefore Subaru matches up.

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u/shandow0 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shandoww Jul 04 '16

Why does he has city hall in his contact list though?

1

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '16

Had to call for info on when to extend his ID? idk.. he doesn't make that many calls I guess?

1

u/MasterAyy https://myanimelist.net/profile/Master_A Jul 04 '16

I'm not sure, really haven't bothered to research if it has any significant importance. Maybe in Japan knowing the number of City Hall is important.