This review assumes you're aware of the basic premise, as it contains minor/vague spoilers.
Re:Zero is a tough cookie to judge. It has some elements of greatness, and there are moments of absolute quality entertainment that not just any anime is able to deliver. However, a work is not judged solely by its best parts, but by the sum of all its parts, the negatives and the positives. In the case of Re:Zero, there's plenty of both.
Story (5/10):
(Short Version)
+ Studio White Fox does a great job with the direction, there are some truly great scenes interspersed in the series
+ Shows both the benefits and drawbacks of
...
time loops/resets
+ Arcs start out with a lot of intrigue, and many twists and turns are abound
- Tension falters due to the practically limitless and overpowered nature of "Return by Death"
- The illusion of failure is fueled by simple screw ups from the main character, who is known and shown to do better previously
- The setting itself is uninteresting due to lackluster worldbuilding that is sporadic and consists of very generic ideas
(Long Version)
Essentially, Re:Zero is the anime equivalent of save scumming in a video game, only it's done with random autosaves and there's no simple "Load Game" option, so the only way to reset is to die. It's practically a time loop, which have been seen quite a few times in other works to varying degrees of success. How does Re:Zero handle it? Honestly, it's a mixed bag.
As there is no concrete end goal in the series, much of the story is split into arcs which each revolve around a sudden and deadly situation that Subaru has to overcome. The story is highly reliant on his aforementioned ability, called "Return by Death", as it's the only thing keeping Subaru from a short-lived existence. It's a crutch for Subaru, and it's in that where most of the story issues stem from.
To start, Subaru's ability is very much shrouded in mystery. There are hints here and there to why he has it and how, but nothing that substantial. While it's not inherently bad to keep the viewer in the dark, the problem here is the lack of limitations to his clearly overpowered ability. For each grisly demise that Subaru has to go through, you grow more comfortable in expecting his ability to ultimately save him and his friends, and the tension falters as a result.
This is not to say that studio White Fox did a bad job, quite opposite. The talent at White Fox shows, as they do a great job with the directing of this series, and they handle tension really well. Rather, it's the scenario writing that leaves something to be desired. Compare this to another White Fox anime, Steins;Gate, which also gives its main character a crutch of sorts. Only in that case, you know its limitations, and as such the tension stays consistently high and the plot remains unpredictable.
Another problem with the ability is its frequency within the story. One could argue that Re:Zero overdoes it early on, as it's not long before Subaru himself realizes just how advantegous his ability is. The issue here is that the show needs to scale it back in an effort to maintain the tension and illusion of potential failure, meaning that Subaru has to become less efficient. While it does a decent job at showing the flaws and misaligned motivations of Subaru's character, his dumber actions and screw ups still require a certain suspension of disbelief. It's often baffling and frustrating to see Subaru revert back to a state where he's unfamiliar with his own ability and its advantages.
"Return by Death" is not all bad however, as it's also responsible for one of the more interesting aspects of show. Despite the overpowered nature of his ability, it also has its drawbacks. The main one is that while Subaru remembers his past lives, everyone else does not. This results in some interesting developments where Subaru's bond with others essentially reset, and he's often taken for granted due to nobody knowing his sacrifices in past lives. Looking past Subaru's ability, each situation on their own start out with intrigue. It's easy to get hooked in by the start of an arc, and it's almost a mystery of sorts as you want to know why Subaru has found himself in this kind of situation, and who's responsible. At the very least, the twists and turns are bound to hook you in.
The last thing to bring up would be the setting and worldbuilding, which is unfortunately rather bland. This other world that Subaru is thrust into is very similar to your average medieval fantasy world or even run-of-the-mill JRPG setting. The other issue is the execution of the worldbuilding, which comes off as very sporadic. It doesn't quite feel like a cohesive world due to missing pieces here and there, and lacking that nuance further highlights how generic most of the ideas are. Regardless of whether the novels go into more detail, it's the anime that is being judged here. Ironically, this other world may just be the most dull aspect of the story as a whole.
Character (6/10):
+ Main character is well-rounded for the most part, which makes him more interesting to watch
+ Despite the power of his ability, the main character is limited in other ways, which makes him an underdog and relatable, for better or worse
- Large majority of the cast is one-dimensional
- Character relationships such as romance feel very shallow for the most part, and comes off as exaggerated at times
The most notable character is Subaru himself, and I've already talked a bit about him the previous section. Subaru is a rather interesting main character, despite coming off as your standard NEET person in his initial introduction. He's a very energetic person, and the show plays on that by having him act totally fine or even excited with his sudden transportation to another world. Over the course of the series, he's pushed to his limits due to the situations he's in, and he starts to learn and grow from that. We also get to see him at his worst, which shows us the less appealing traits of his character.
What the show does well with Subaru is that outside of his "Return by Death" ability, he's just a normal person. This means that he doesn't come out on top all the time, which is believable considering his personal disadvantages. He's the underdog through and through, and even when he succeeds, it's usually because he's helped by someone far more powerful than he is. It tries to balance the overpowered nature of his ability with the fact that he's just a human being, which makes him more relatable.
Maintaining that balance, however, is also where the biggest issues with his character lies. While it's understandable that he won't always take the best course of action, it instead feels like he's at the whim of the story to take the worst course of action. He'll get himself in situations of pure suffering, which could've likely been easily avoided. As previously stated, at times it feels like he's unaware of his own ability, and you wonder whether his development is hampered to accomodate the direction the plot is taking.
Subaru isn't the only character in the show though, as the cast is relatively large with some important supporting characters and a bundle of minor characters who play a larger purpose later in the story. In order to avoid spoilers, I won't be specifying characters by name. Regardless, there isn't much to say here anyway because most of the cast is very one-dimensional, including the antagonists/villains of each arc. Of course, there are a few exceptions, and in those cases it's important to talk about their relationship with Subaru as well.
Subaru's reputation is either viewed as poor or non-existant in the eyes of most characters, which works well due to his role as an underdog. Subaru does befriend certain important characters early on, and the show even has a bit of romance going on. Romance is usually a welcome addition, if it's executed well. In this case, I found the romance to be rather shallow, and it's made worse by how important it is to certain character's actions and motivations.
One character in particular, a fan favorite, becomes obsessed with another character. While the process is somewhat believable from their point of view, the end result is handled pretty poorly as it's exaggerated to such a degree that it comes off as pandering to the audience, trying to win over their hearts instead. The other issue is that prior to all that, this character was getting a good amount of focus and development, which has deteriorated since then. Of course, the whole story is far from complete, so it's very possible that it'll redeem itself eventually. Even so, the climax of that characters development this season is a very disappointing one.
Art (7/10):
+ Maintains a consistent and good quality with the art and animation
+ Has some memorable character designs, particularly Subaru's tracksuit look which sticks out in a good way
- Despite some of the memorable designs, a lot of the world and the lesser important characters look generic
White Fox are pretty talented, and they maintain a consistent quality when it comes to the art. The same can be said for the animation, which is even better during the more intense and action-packed scenes of the show. It's nothing outstanding or worthy of the best, but it's certainly good and even great at times. Even the usage of CGI in certain scenes is negligible and easily ignored.
The actual design of things works well for the most part. Again, it's nothing to sing the praises of, as a lot of it is rather generic. However, there are some memorable designs such as Subaru's tracksuit, which is simple yet eye-catching due to its contrast with the inhabitants of this other world.
Sound (6/10):
+ Soundtrack is pretty good on its own merits
+ There are moments of great vocal performances
- Soundtrack doesn't leave a lasting impression while watching the show
- Some of the voice acting can be overly dramatic, as if hearing actors in a theater play
The soundtrack is pretty good, and the openings/endings are solid. However, when thinking back to the show itself, there isn't a moment that I can think of where the music elevated the experience. In the heat of the moment, the music complements the situation well enough that there's not really any complaints but nothing to praise either.
As for the voice acting, it's somewhat uneven. There are some really good performances, but there are also times where the voice performances take it too far, and the whole thing sounds like out of a theater play. It can get pretty "hammy", and that takes you out of the moment because you can't imagine these characters as actual people. The fantasy setting and the abundance of one-dimensional characters also play a role in this, as you get voices that play into the stereotype to an almost annoying degree.
Enjoyment (7/10):
+ Engaging because of its concept, and how it welcomes sudden twists
+ Constantly advancing either story or characters
- Can be rather dull when the focus is away from Subaru and his deadly situation
Despite its flaws, I do think that the positives have a larger influence on the enjoyment factor of the show. The time-loop concept is solid, and it's not too common despite its apparent popularity, so it still manages to feel fresh. The fact that death is a possibility does keep things entertaining, and it can still be surprising even if you know that death is not the end, at least in Subaru's case.
The story is almost always progressing as well, and each arc could be considered its own little story with a beginning, middle and end. Even when the story halts, it takes that opportunity to progress Subaru's character and maybe someone else to a lesser degree.
There are still portions of the show that I found to be rather dull, particularly those that are less focused on Subaru and his deadly situation. Because the world is rather bland, and most of the other characters are one-dimensional, it's easy to lose interest and be bored during these portions. This generally happens towards the end of each arc, which are also much more predictable than the beginning and middle of each arc.
Overall, it's a show that has more potential than it is able to execute on. However, the story also seems to be far from over. It's very possible that if this gets another season (and considering its popularity, it should), much of this criticism will no longer apply. Maybe I'll even update this in the future after contemplating on it more. As of now, this is what I think of Re:Zero.
Final Score: 6.5/10
Sep 18, 2016
This review assumes you're aware of the basic premise, as it contains minor/vague spoilers.
Re:Zero is a tough cookie to judge. It has some elements of greatness, and there are moments of absolute quality entertainment that not just any anime is able to deliver. However, a work is not judged solely by its best parts, but by the sum of all its parts, the negatives and the positives. In the case of Re:Zero, there's plenty of both. Story (5/10): (Short Version) + Studio White Fox does a great job with the direction, there are some truly great scenes interspersed in the series + Shows both the benefits and drawbacks of ... |
