Moving on, if there is just one thing that I had to choose to say why Re:Zero stands among the best of the best, it is the realistic take on a fantasy world MC (Subaru)... and the character growth (read suffering) that he goes through. Some arcs were just plain depressing and disgusting to watch. How pathetic can the main character get? Well, that's where this anime outshines most others. This makes the final redemption arc all the more satisfying to watch. And it's not just Subaru, there's Rem! Right from her initial reaction to Subaru to the culmination of everything beautiful in episode 18, it was perfect. Same goes for Emilia. From the kinda uptight girl that saves Subaru in EP1 to the conclusive finale where she goes through an emotional release (in a good way), her character, while it didn't develop much, grew to be more open. I can keep on talking about the other characters, but I think Tappei (the author) did a wonderful job here. So characters? 10/10.
Animation - 9/10
Kudos to White Fox for doing such an amazing job. Lots of wallpaper worthy shots.
OST - 9/10
Again, White Fox did an amazing job here plugging in the songs at very appropriate times. Not a big fan of any of the OPs. But the endings, goddamn. Episode 18 stands out as one of the best use of a song ever ~ (Wishing by Rem). And that title drop gave me goosebumps.
Story - 10/10
Ever watched an anime that just the perfect mix of action, adventure, comedy, romance, mystery, drama, tragedy, etc? You haven't yet, if you have not watched Re:Zero. Right from the delightfully comedic interactions between Rem/Ram and Subaru at the start to Subaru's distressing and pitiful redemption arc, it was just so wholesome and complete. However, the story was not perfect. Some decisions the MC makes, make no sense whatsoever. But they can be overlooked when you think how good it integrates the different genres.
And finally, I'm going to add one more category for the rating - Community. 10/10.
Watching an anime episode after episode on the day it airs might be frustrating sometimes. But in the case of Re:Zero it just made the anime all the more enjoyable. Thanks mostly in part to r/anime, r/Re_Zero, twitter, MAL and also /a/. Having a community to share the meltdowns and good moments with, is something that cannot be put in words.
So, just go ahead and marvel in the glorious suffering anime that is Re:Zero, while I sit here wishing I can start this anime, again, from Zero.
Season 2, WHEN?
