Let’s Re:Think Things Here: Re:ZERO: Starting Life in Another World

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!  It’s Sunday again and that means it’s time for another review!  Granted, I’m probably not all that enthused about this week’s pick.  I’ll admit I didn’t particularly like this week’s show even though it’s been on my review radar for quite some time now.  There are some emotional ties to a certain someone who won’t be mentioned any further in this post, but that’s not why I’m being so negative about it (honest!).  Curious as to what it is?  Well then, sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s review on Re:ZERO: Starting Life in Another World, more commonly referred to as just Re:ZERO.

 Subaru Natsuki is suddenly transported from his world (our world) to a strange fantasy world without any explanation of how or why it happened.  In the first couple of moments in this new world, he meets a half-elf girl named Emelia (although she originally introduces herself as Satella).  But soon, Subaru quickly makes an unusual discovery.  After he’s mysteriously killed in a pub, he finds himself exactly where he started in time and place of when he originally came into the strange new world.  So yeah, every time he dies, he goes back to a certain point in the past to relive the events and hopefully try to change them…yeah, it’s kind of odd.  Anyway, after several attempts in the span of the first two episodes, Subaru is able to defeat the person who killed him and accompanies Emelia afterward…only to get killed again a few episodes later. 

 So yeah, like I said, I didn’t like this show.  And what it all came down to was one creative flaw, and I mean it when I say flaw.  So I give Re:ZERO a 6.5 out of ten.  Now while I haven’t sounded all that positive about this show, there are some great things about it.  For one, the suspense is great!  The time loop aspect of the plot actually makes for a lot of great suspense and build up for the show.  While some of the moments in between can be a little tedious and boring cause you’re just waiting for Subaru to die, there’s a lot of great mystery to it as you wonder what will happen next.  And I’ll also admit, while I felt like the characters weren’t all that interesting, there were a few that I particularly liked.   So yeah, there were some pretty good things going for this series that I don’t have the heart to put down.  But there is one thing that I can put down.

By far the biggest problem I had with this show was the overall concept.  Why?  In my opinion, the creators tried way too hard to be different and unique with their story.  There are two totally different concepts going on.  First, you have the main character being trapped in a magical world, and then you have the main character being trapped in some sort of time loop.  These were two ideas that have often been great on their own, but putting them together made a confusing mess of a show.  In fact, the first episode made things so confusing that I thought it was a video game anime in disguise!  Obviously, it wasn’t.  It’s my belief that the first episode of a show should not only get you interested in the show, but also be clear and concise about what you’ll be seeing.  Re:ZERO accomplishes only one of those.  These were two totally different concepts that should’ve just been separate, like having Subaru just be trapped in a magical world or have Subaru just be trapped in a time loop.  Speaking of, Subaru is not that great a protagonist either.  I seemed to get the impression that he was a jerk.  Still, while I may not have liked this show, there certainly are people out there who do because there is a fan base for it.  So I would still recommend giving it a go!

I can’t really say anything more about this show than I might have not liked it, but it shouldn’t stop you from watching it either…you’ll probably like it better than I did.  Oddly enough, an English dub is currently in the works.  But until that comes out, the entire series is available in Japanese on Crunchyroll!  Well, that ends this week’s less than raving review.  But fortunately, I have a new Talkative Thursday post coming up on one of my all time favorite shows, so maybe that will lighten the mode a little bit…or will it?  Stay tuned till then!

-Hanime on Anime

Re:ZERO Promo