Monday, September 19, 2016

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Re:ZERO - "Starting Life in Another World" Anime Series

Genre:
Drama, Fantasy, Psychological, Thriller
Episodes:
25
Rating:
R - 17+
(violence & profanity)
Run Time:
25 min. per episode
Release Date:
Apr 4, 2016 to Sep 19, 2016

Based on the novel series written and illustrated by:
Tappei Nagatsuki and Shinichirou Otsuka

Directed by:
Masaharu Watanabe

Studio:
White Fox

Produced by:
TV Tokyo, Media Factory, Kadokawa Shoten

Plot Summary:
When Subaru Natsuki leaves the convenience store, the last thing he expects is to be wrenched from his everyday life and dropped into a fantasy world. Things aren't looking good for the bewildered teenager, however: not long after his arrival, he is attacked by some thugs; armed with only a bag of groceries and a now useless cell phone, he is quickly beaten to a pulp. Fortunately, a mysterious beauty named Satella, in hot pursuit after the one who stole her insignia, happens upon Subaru and saves him. In order to thank the honest and kindhearted girl, Subaru offers to help in her search, and later that night, he even finds the whereabouts of that which she seeks. But unbeknownst to them, a much darker force stalks the pair from the shadows, and just minutes after locating the insignia, Subaru and Satella are brutally murdered.

However, Subaru immediately reawakens to a familiar scene—confronted by the same group of thugs, meeting Satella all over again—the enigma deepens as history inexplicably repeats itself.


Cast:
Yuusuke Kobayashi, Rie Takahashi, Yumi Uchiyama, Chinatsu Akasaki, Rie Murakawa, Inori Minase, Satomi Arai, Yuuichi Nakamura

Social Media:
  

In English:


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*My Thoughts*
Lovely color coordination, a satisfying ending, and different characters all around. The opening theme leaves much to be desired as it only displays characters as ornaments and gave away the main protagonist’s ability. I was skeptical about Re:ZERO for the first few episodes but continued watching it anyway. It is a story involving romance, knights, death, action, gore, moe, and Lolita characters.

The main protagonist Subaru Natsuki, a former Hikikomori or “shut in,” is brave, ridiculous, and thoughtful. He’s a well-rounded hero with ups and downs that will leave the watcher moved, angry, laughing, or anxious. It’s a steady series that forces him to grow up repeatedly. The silver-haired heroine and half-elf, Satella, is kind and selfless without much development other than finding out her real name. So much that I think her maid, Rem, has a bigger fan base. Aside from these two, there are a variety of characters from a snobby princess, a mafia leader, an eccentric count, pretentious knights, and a scrappy street kid; some of these characters only seem available when they are convenient.

A fan favorite seems to be Rem, Emilia’s blue haired maid. She’s sweet, strong, and she too is selfless, A battle maid of sorts, Rem might as well take Emilia’s place as the main heroine but I guess she’s just not important enough. Emilia is beautiful but didn’t seem to try hard enough to understand Subaru.

With mysteries and questions still left unanswered, Re:ZERO has nothing but potential to expand into a second season. Avid fans may take interest in the light novels or manga adaptations that are probably ahead and the story is certainly something to look into. With more character development to come, the Re:ZERO series is one to follow.

My rating:



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