DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ActionRe:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 2nd Season
NOVEL ActionRe:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu
MANGA ActionRe:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu: Dai-4 Shou - Seiiki to Gouyoku no Majo
ONA AdventureRe:Zero kara Hajimeru Kyuukei Jikan (Break Time) 2nd Season Part 2
ANIME ActionRe:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 3rd Season

REVIEWS

• 

  vanillaterries

  95/100
  Re:Zero Season 2: Isekai Perfection?

  **`Re:Zero Season 2: Isekai Perfection?`** ****`MINOR SPOILERS FOR SEASONS 1 AND 2`****

  I find the Isekai subgenre pretty intriguing. They all typically follow a similar formula, having tropes such as a basic main protagonist, the damsel in distress, and the “reincarnated to a fantasy world” storyline. Isekai anime all have such similar stories, yet they still work. I find myself submerged and invested in an Isekai’s vast world and characters. I’ll laugh my ass off watching Kazuma and friends in Konosuba or stare in awe at the amazing visuals of the world of Mushoku Tensei. Re:Zero is just another one of these witty fantasy anime. However, Re:Zero holds a really special place in my heart. Back when my personal circumstances weren’t the greatest, I could fall back and immerse myself into Re:Zero’s exciting world and lovable cast of characters. Through the bright colors of the fantastic animation done by studio White Fox to the wonderfully produced original soundtracks, I could really feel and resonate with the many emotions that came from not just the characters but their inner morals as well. Season 1 of Re:Zero perfectly set up its world for its future seasons. But there was just one small issue: there wasn’t a 2nd season. After being arguably the most popular anime of 2016 and in recent memory, Re:Zero still lacked a second season announcement. 4 long years of waiting went by when we finally were graced with a second season. Finally, after 4+ years of waiting, I was able to reunite with this special series that left me wanting more 4 years ago. Did the second season live up to all of the expectations and waiting that fans have so patiently waited for? Did Re:Zero Season 2 capitalize on the amazing world that its predecessor carefully developed?

  Summary

  Following the events of the first season of Re:Zero, our protagonist Natsuki Subaru and friends are tasked with visiting a secluded community known as the Sanctuary, which surrounds itself with an invisible barrier, preventing any half-humans from passing through. Thus, several innocent half-human villagers are held hostage in the Sanctuary and Subaru must help Emilia complete a daunting three-step process known as the trials to free these villagers. On the surface, the plot for this season seems extremely streamline and simple. However, Tappei Nagatsuki, the author of the Re:Zero web and light novels, uses this simple storyline as a base to develop complex subplots and inner conflicts. This can happen through instances of self-conflict, a clash of ideals between different characters, and grave realizations and flashbacks that lead to a moral epiphany.

  Character Development

  Natsuki Subaru is the definition of an average guy. He looks like your completely typical Isekai protagonist and has 0 traits or qualities that help him stand out amongst the crowd. Nagatsuki takes advantage of the simple storyline of this arc to create a subplot for Subaru’s character. We really knew nothing of what life was like for our beloved Subaru on Earth before this season. Was he the popular jock at school who had girls all over him? Was he smart and cunning, having an amazing aspiration and future? Who were his parents? Were they kind or were they abusive? Or was Natsuki Subaru really just your average human, a person that doesn’t fade off into the background but also doesn’t do anything to stick out to others? Because of his ability to Return by Death (RBD), Subaru has gone through a lot of suffering. No one could resonate with Subaru simply because no one could know of his ability. Throughout the first season, we see our hero die time-and-time again, each time becoming more-and-more numb to the pain and fear of death until it becomes a part of his strategy to move onto his next checkpoint. Subaru cares for the lives of others more than his own, and this is very prevalent in the later parts of Season 1. Even if Subaru passed a checkpoint, he would kill himself in a heartbeat to reset the timeline if one of his comrades died in battle. This behavior has become toxic, so why does Subaru behave this way?

  Season 2 answers this question and many more. Without getting too much into the realm of spoilers, for the first time in the series, we really understand who exactly Natsuki Subaru is. Again, he seems like your average isekai protagonist, but there’s more than what meets the eye. Through highly anticipated character reveals and emotional scenes that may cause some tears, Subaru’s character has been given a sense of depth. He’s no longer the scared and numb character we knew in Season 1. He’s grown to become a reliable and dependant person that people can trust, even if his claims can be extreme. Through the help of these conversations and experiences, Subaru’s learned to put his life on the forefront of everything that happens, but that doesn’t go without saying that he still cares for his friends.

  Re:Zero Season 2 excels in its character development. This season has allowed a plethora of characters to take the charge and hold the spotlight. Emilia breaks out of the basic “damsel in distress” character archetype that many modern isekai seem to have these days. Nagatsuki cleverly adds a moment of depth for Emilia’s character when he finds the opportunity; this is especially prevalent in the second half of Season 2. Emilia is faced with the task to overcome not just the trial, but to overcome her inner conflict with her past and her relationship with people. All this time, Emilia has relied on the assistance and help of others, content with staying dependent and latching on without knowing when to let go. In multiple time loops, we can see the grueling outcome of such a mindset. Season 2 slowly yet beautifully develops Emilia’s character through experiences of the Sanctuary’s trial, her past, and a little push from our favorite isekai protagonist.

  Characters we thought were minor in the world of Re:Zero also have their moment in this season of the anime. Beatrice (aka best girl) fights her own inner conflict with herself and holds onto false hope while characters like Roswaal shine and we learn about his conflict and inability to let go of his past. Even previous antagonists from Season 1 get a major appearance in the anime that make you resonate with people who we thought were evil. It’s moments like these that make Re:Zero such a beautiful and compelling series to watch.

  There’s More

  Re:Zero Season 2 doesn’t just excel in its world building, character development, excellent dialogue, and amazing subplots, but it also shines in contrasting these highly emotional scenes with an adrenaline rush of action. The animation is definitely not as refined as the first season, but that’s to be expected with the limitations of the pandemic and the tight schedule that White Fox was working under. In a technical aspect, there aren’t many complaints surrounding the production quality of Re:Zero. The OSTs are on point as always (with an amazing OP and ED), and the voice acting performances by many of the characters are excellent. The pacing does feel off at some points, but that’s not enough to detract from the otherwise amazing season of Re:Zero that we got, with an absolutely insane stretch of WTF episodes in the second half.

  In Conclusion

  There’s no shortage of WTF moments in Re:Zero. I’ve felt emotions of sadness, horror, happiness, and thrill while watching the series, and this season combines the best of both worlds in terms of excellent dialogue and captivating fight scenes. No less to say that this is all done while White Fox, an understaffed studio, is whipping out 30 minute episodes of our favorite series weekly in excellent quality. I can quite literally recall a dozen moments in this season that seem like the series was built up to hit these moments, as if these scenes were the climax of Re:Zero. In actuality, this is just the start, and I’m ready to absorb all of it. Re:Zero Season 2 exceeded all of my expectations and more and hopefully we won’t have to wait another 4 years for another season, but I’m excited to see what other twists and turns that the future seasons of Re:Zero hold in store for us.

  **TL;DR This show is amazing and I don't know what you're doing if you haven't seen it yet**

  Characters: 10/10
  Plot: 9/10
  World-Building: 10/10
  Animation: 8/10
  OSTs: 9/10
  Pacing: 7/10

  Overall: 95/100

  Thank you for reading!

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• 

  MiNiSoTaN

  90/100
  Re:Zero's sophomore entry is a tremendous continuation to one of isekai's best

  MiNiSoTaN's Re:Zero Season 2 Review

  __THIS WILL BE A REVIEW FOR ALL OF SEASON 2__ __Introduction:__Hello. My name is Neill or "MiNi." This will be my in depth review of Re:Zero Season 2, the 2020 anime adaption of Tappei Nagatsuki's brilliant light novel series. With all my reviews I will score the anime discussed based upon 5 categories that include: Story, Characters, Art, Music, and Personal Enjoyment. Each category will be given a score between 0 and 10. The ending score will be what I determine the show deserves overall. Keep in mind I will be talking about spoilers that occurred during the anime along with spoilers of the light novels that proceed after. Although this review is written under the season 2 part 2 webpage, I will be talking about and discussing all elements from the second season of Re:Zero since its original intent was to be a continuous single cour run. Now, without further ado, let's get into this. __STORY (9/10):__ The only department I believe Re:Zero lacks in compared to its 2016 entry is it's overarching story arc. The premise of these 25 episodes is much harder to summarize and understand. Even as a veteran web novel reader such as my self, the "end goal" of arc 4 is somewhat difficult to keep track of. Contrasting this story to that of season 1, and there are much easier digestible narratives. Arc 1: Stop Elsa from killing Emilia. Arc 2: Find out who is killing Subaru at the mansion. Arc 3: Kill the white whale and stop the witch cult. The best summary I can give to arc 4 is to "save the sanctuary". Now the whole, "what" and "why" of this plot does not really reveal itself until almost the very end. It seems that the characters with all the knowledge pulling the strings behind the scenes don't even know what the sanctuary is themselves. Is this this to say the story is bad? Absolutely not. In fact, many web novel and light novel reader agree this is one of, if not the best arc so far in the story. There are definitely elements of this plot I love and prefer to that of season 1. Although the story is more convoluted and mysterious, does not make it bad. The very beginning is what hits hardest. Subaru losing Rem puts him at his lowest yet. This is an element that I love. Compare the end of season 1: To the beginning of season 2: The parallels are extremely prevalent. The ending of season 1 is joyful, happy, feels like the work has finally paid off. Then everything is immediately taken away at the beginning of season 2. Right back to square one. Right back to zero (I'm sorry). In all seriousness though, this is a great element for storytelling and subverting expectations which is brought up a number of times throughout this season. Other examples include us being introduced to Roswaal in full body bandages the first time we see him. Subaru's parents being extremely supportive of him etc. These are parts of the story that you don't expect. You don't expect such a powerful figure such as Roswaal to greet Subaru in a full body cast. You don't expect a NEET like Subaru to have an athletic and outgoing dad along with a caring and loving mother. There are dozens of other great forms of expectation subversion in this arc which is what kept me coming back for more. I also really enjoyed the trials of the sanctuary. It was an amazing idea to tie them in with the whole "what if" part of Re:Zero. The dealing with your past, what could have been, and what could become is a subtle but ingenious nod at the "return by death factor". I was a lot more engrossed in the first of both Subaru and Emilia's trials compared to both of their second and third ones however. They just didn't feel as developed. Along with the trials there is a a great deal of this arc expanding on the lore of the world of Re:Zero which in my opinion is one of its strongest elements. Tappei has really fleshed out the history and background of the world, magic, characters, and mythos. We got glimpses and hits of such aspects in season 1, but season 2 cranks it up twofold. Seeing new monsters, learning about new technology, and meeting new characters is what keeps viewers interested. Season 2 also contains some of my favorite episodes of the whole series. Season 2 has some of the strongest continuing streaks of just incredible episodes, I was thoroughly impressed on just how good the episodes continued to be. Part 2 especially started on the right foot incredibly well. Some of the best episodes in the entire series are shown within Season 2 which I did not expect. Overall season 2 definitely sets itself to be ambitious and expand on the scope of the Re:Zero story. Although more sophisticated, it has continued to deliver some of the greatest fiction in current anime. __Characters (9/10):__ __Natsuki Subaru:__ Comparing Subaru from the beginning of season 1 the beginning of season 2 is incredible. He has grown so much throughout the story. The story of season 1 showed us how he overcame his selfish tendencies. Season 2 shows us how he becomes a leader. He takes initiative of the his opportunities and does his best to help everyone. Is he perfect? Absolutely not, he still makes mistakes which cost his own and other people's lives. But he is much more of someone you'd strive to be like in this season. I am excited to see him on screen in the future because he will only keep improving. __Echidna:__ I somewhat figured the anime community would go crazy of Echdina, but didn't foresee the extent of her popularity. She is terrific. Not necessarily the "antagonist" of the season, but definitely not someone you're exactly rooting for either. Her development builds up slowly throughout the two parts, but the second cour gets most of the meat from her backstory and motivation established. I greatly enjoyed her interactions with Subaru and the other witches as well, she definitely carried herself as the most sophisticated and "pleasant" of all of them. Overall, a fine edition to the series who I'm excited to see more of in season to come. __Emilia:__ Emilia is easily the most improved character from season 1. Her screen time is easily doubled from her previous 25 episode inclusion. If season 1 was the Rem show, season 2 is the Emilia performance, we get to know so much more about her motivations, struggles, and insecurities. She by no means has been pictured as the "damsel in distress" in the series, but she also didn't seem that much more capable than that of Rem or Ram to defend herself. Her timid persona grew out of her shell with the help of the trials and becoming a leader to the people of sanctuary. Her backstory was one of the highlights of the entire series, seeing child Emilia along with a pre-insane Petelgeuse was extremely satisfying. To me Emilia has been "best girl" since the beginning, but I think season 2 really showed how greatly written a character she really is. __Garfiel:__ Another fantastic addition to our main cast. He was the character I was probably most excited to seen on screen from reading the Web Novel and I think they nailed him perfectly. His persona and short fused personality was captured perfectly. Garfiel's backstory as well was very adapted. Nothing much more to be said other than he is a great ally to the Emilia camp. __Otto:__ From watching season 1, I thought Otto would be a one off character that wouldn't be seen again after season 1, but I'm glad they didn't because he was a delight to watch on screen and compliments Subaru well. Although it is interesting to learn and get to meet the "extra ordinaries" of the Re:Zero world, the regular people can be just as alluring as well. Granted, he can speak to animals due to his divine protection, but he's about as grounded as it gets when you're apart of Subaru's team. Otto was definitely a captivating member of this season and I am anticipating more of him. __Beatrice:__ Beatrice was also a greatly improved character form season 1. She doesn't see the limelight that much, but when she has the audiences attention you know there's bound to be something funny happening I suppose. Her finally accepting Subaru even though he wasn't "that person" was gratifying. She plays a lot larger role in later arcs and her relationship with Subaru is one of my favorites of the entire series so I can't wait for future content featuring our favorite magical loli. __Roswaal:__ Roswaal's motivation was left as a mystery in season 1. We get to learn more about his relationship with Echidna and how he became the person he is today and his tie in with the whole story. If there were any antagonist in this season it would probably be him. I was still left a bit by some of the decisions he decided to make and his place in the story, but he wasn't awful. I still think he is a great part of the season and hope we get to see more of him in the future. __Art (8/10):__ Although I don't think Re:Zero is doing anything exceptionally different compared to it's peers in the anime industry, its animation is nothing to scoff at. White Fox's level of detail is as good if not better than it was in season 1. I know there were some strange complaints of of the animation during the beginning of part 1 but I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. The animation overall is great, I think the action was very stratifying to watch and they nailed what Tappei was trying to show in his writing. My favorite scene was easily the battle between Garfiel and Elsa outside the burning mansion, you could tell quite a bit of the budget was put in to make it look especially nice and it was noticeable. Re:Zero's art isn't something industry defining, but it doesn't need to be, as long as it keep you engaged and isn't distracting it does its job perfectly. __Music (8/10):__ Although I prefer the season 1 OST, season 2's is still done exceptionally well. Realize was easily my favorite OP of the season and Believe in you was my favorite ED. The insert songs were a particular highlight of this season. I tend to not focus too much on the music besides the OP and ED, but a lot of the voice over music really caught my ear and made me enjoy the season quite a bit. As stated with the Art section, as long as it isn't distracting and takes you out of the element, then its fine. Very few anime I think can redefine how the music is used in anime and I don't think Re:Zero is one of them, but it isn't a bad thing. Re:Zero's soundtrack is commendable for its great work in season 2. Although it doesn't mean much I REALLY hope the composers at White Fox continue to feature these songs starting with "re". Redo and Realize are both great. Season 3 perhaps could feature "Redemption" or "Remember"? I have plenty more suggestions for them if they'd like. __Personal Enjoyment (10/10):__ It's no surprise that Re:Zero is my favorite anime series of all time. Season 2 definitely impressed me with how genuinely perfect some episodes were. Some of the strongest points across the board came from season 2. I fell in love with the story from the very start, and I haven't given up on that love since. Season 2 strengthened that love even further and I'm more that excited to see so many others find out how great this show is. There is so much to love about season 2 of Re:Zero, it truly was a great continuation to my beloved anime. If you have not already done so please watch season 1 and immediately follow it up with season 2 some of the best fantasy isekai in all of anime. I really enjoyed the follow up to the 2016 hit season. I just pray we don't don't have to wait another 4 years for a third season. __Final Thoughts and Score:__Thank you all for reading, please make sure to follow for more reviews. __Favorite Episodes__ Episode 1: _Each One's Promise_ Episode 2: _The Next Location_ Episode 3: _The Long-Awaited Reunion_ Episode 4: _Parent and Child_ Episode 7: _Friend_ Episode 8: _The Value of Life_ Episode 10: _I Know Hell_ Episode 11: _The Taste of Death_ Episode 12: _The Witches' Tea Party_ Episode 13: _The Sounds That Make You Want to Cry_ Episode 14: _STRAIGHT BET_ Episode 15: _Otto Suwen / A Reason to Believe_ Episode 16: _Nobody Can Lift a Quain Stone Alone_ Episode 17: _A Journey Through Memories_ Episode 18: _The Day Betelgeuse Laughed_ Episode 23: _Love Me Down to My Blood and Guts_ Episode 24: _Choose Me_ Episode 25: _Under the Moon, A Crazy Step_ __Official Scores__ Story: (9/10) Characters: (9/10) Art: (9/10) Music: (8/10) Personal Enjoyment: (10/10) # __FINAL SCORE: (9/10) AMAZING__ @MiNiSoTaN Did you really read the review, or are you just looking at the score?
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• 

  ChirekachiMizu

  96/100
  Ladies and Gentlemen, Re:Zero has reached it's peak

  My Thought on Re:Zero S2 Part 2

  ---

  With the final episode released today, I was pretty excited to see the conclusion of a great Season 2. Let's be real, Season 1 was good as it is, but Season 2 took it to a whole other level. I binge the shit out of Season 1 last year if I remember, and it was amazing, so following up with the latest episodes made my anime experience a lot more interesting to say the least.

  ---

  Short Overview

  If you have followed with Season 2 Part 1, you should know what is going on already. If not, then I'll say this in a way where I don't spoil anything. After the big meme that has occurred with the final episode of Season 1, the big climax of Episode 4, the absolute cluster fuck of Episode 8 and everything revolving around it, we are now left with Subaru figuring out what to do with the situation in hand. After getting his head nogged by Otto, in which he asks him to ask for his aid to his occurring issue, there is now a bet in which he and Roswal has made.

  The question is whether he can deal with the members of the witch's cult, have Emilia pass the trials, Save Beatrice, and get rid of all of The Great Rabbit. Can he do it? Let's see.

  ---

  Story

  The story for Season 2 just went fucking smoothly. One episode is great after another. One cliffhanger after another cliffhanger. One big twist in that occurs from a single episode. I don't think one could easily top a good enough story like Re:Zero (cough, Steins;Gate, cough). Definitely had good highlights. And guess what?

  Subaru Didn't Die for once

  Aside from that, we get more of Emilia's past history. If you've seen the OVA, you've understood the relationship between Puck and Emilia. Right here though? This is more so about what happened before Frozen Bonds. It's nice to now see the dots connecting to the left out parts and understand it thoroughly.

  Characters

  You can't change my mind when I say this, but Emilia had one big development. From the frail and.. tbh, uselessness that she had with the trial, it only took 2 episodes for her to gain that confidence and grow to become one of the greatest developed characters in Re:Zero. Of course I still think that Subaru's development is much more better. You really can't excuse me for when Episode 4 was released. And then he became one of the greatest chads to ever exist (Watch Episode 15 for context).

  What's more about the characters is that we actually get to learn why Betelgeuse is who he was in Season 1, and honestly, it's really sad once you've thought about it, how his mind was twisted and then eventually, became one of the Witch's Cult. His relationship with him and Fortuna is also interesting to look at. Imagine where Betelgeuse wasn't so twist minded before and he'd live a good happy life. I guess it'll never happen.

  But of course, we can't forget about Best Boy Otto, who got the good boy role in the series. Although he's an easy bully target, he actually peaked and shined through the Season. His back story is also interesting to look at. With how he has this ability to talk and hear what animals say. He's lived a hard life, but he managed to break through that hard life.

  Who tf else should I talk about? Ram? Beatrice? Garfiel? Roswal? Good fucking lord, there is a ton of good character development from each and every one of the characters. I don't think I'll talk about all of them, cause there's much of visibility in it.

  Visuals

  Yeah, no, the visuals are amazing as it is. It was amazing in Season 1, and it still is in Season 2. The battles definitely took a good shining light, and there's nothing else I can really say about the visuals other than the fact that... it's amazing.

  ---

  Overall Statement

  Do I really have to say it? Ok fine... Re:Zero has definitely reached it's peak. Is it my favorite from White Fox? No no.. that goes to Steins;Gate, but this is indeed a second. You should definitely watch it if you want to get thrilled by what it has to offer. It'll be a treat for you, or a downfall... idk, it depends on how you see it. Will there be a Season 3 now since Season 2 ended? Well.. who knows. It'll happen eventually

  See you with another review I guess? Maybe. This is my last review for me... being 16. By the time I'm writing this, my birthday is actually 2 days from now, so I'll be 17 very soon. I most definitely am 17 once this review is passed on. I won't stop making reviews. I'll continue to make some that I find interesting and give a shit review on it still, so I'll keep going with the reviews. Anyhow, adios~ o7

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