User Reviews

Not since Magical Girl Madoka have I ever been so floored by an anime series seemingly being one thing on the surface, yet being something so much more sinister and brutal at the core.

Going into this show, I only knew one thing; that the main protagonist, Subaru, can come back to life after dying. This is a pretty cool plot device and I decided to give it a go.

The first episode is decent- Subaru is essentially a gamer nerd that for some reason is not at all shocked or surprised to be transported to this other world. There is some slap-stick comedy and it is pretty light hearted. It didn't seem like this was going to be that different or a show, until he is straight up butchered and returns to when he first showed up in the new world. Now he must re-trace his steps...and then gets butchered again in only a few minutes. Now he must re-re-trace his steps...you get the idea. It is a great concept and creates an aspect of a thriller/ horror, especially when he meets his (First) killer in passing several hours before he was previously killed.

The first half of the season does some great world building and the main characters are all likable and three-dimensional. It does a great job helping Subaru grow as a character as his total lack of social skills that in the beginning were annoying, slowly get better and he becomes pretty likable. I will admit that there are some love-interest tropes here that are pretty cringe, but this is how I would imagine a person with no social skills to act in some strange new world: Like the protagonist of an RPG with very rigid gender roles and only a fictional understanding of how relationships work.

The second half though...BRUTAL. This is where I liken this to Magical Girl Madoka. Subaru had success going back in time during his previous deaths, but when he literally is butchered and destroyed over and over and over again, he starts to go crazy. It is shockingly well done and I'd even compare it to some David Lynch type horror: Watching your friends, innocent children, and yourself be butchered and murdered over and over without making any headway into finding a way to break the cycle.

When he finally does, and the White Whale battle happens, the series really transcends into 9/10 territory. Yes the romances are still weak, but everything else is so well done that I can forgive that.

I cannot wait for season 2!

First and foremost this story is just amazing, like really good, and the novels just show that it will keep improving. Unfortunately the protagonist is really misunderstood. For people saying he does not have character development, "have you even seen the show?! He gets amazing character development and super realistic one too, but some people can't wrap their heads around it. For people who say the protagonist is a simp. Do simps ever get the girl? Hell no. Guess what he did!. It's mostly salty reviewers or people who want super overpowered protagonists that beat their enemies with "tHe PoWer Of frIeNdShip" and not be realistic at all, these people unfortunately bring the shows ratings down, so sincerely to you as someone who clearly understands the story: "You are massive idiots".

(Some minor spoilers included will be marked with big letters when done) Re: Zero is one of the best anime recently released. So far, up to episode 15, the plot has been enticing and I have loved what they have done with the characters. The protagonist, Natsuki Subaruis high school student sent to another world. He is a shut in NEET who presumably plays rpgs and has watched a few animes containing the boy sent to another world trope.(somewhat affecting his attitude and actions) The characters (9/10) What really ties this series together are the characters specifically the main character Natsuki Subaru.(Spoiler) Subaru while mostly powerless in this new world, cannot die. Whenever Subaru dies, he returns to a specific point in time. The conditions and limits of this power are mostly unexplained(Not going to give too much away there). Subaru's interactions with other characters are never the same in each time line because his death changes his perspective with each time. This allows us to see multiple sides of the same characters. Subaru's interactions with characters don't even necessarily improve with every reincarnation. Subaru's character development is not on a straight line. He is a realistic protagonist in that his actions frequently won't be liked by the viewer. There are other characters central to the plot but a lot of their emotional development spoils the plot. (end spoilers)

the Sound (10/10) The soundtrack almost always fits the mood of the show and it has a nice therapeutic feel.

The animation(7/10) Well, this is where the show falters a bit. The CGI backgrounds and background characters feel somewhat out of place sometimes but there can be some truly beautifully animated scenes despite this.(Don't worry even the bad parts aren't new Berzerk bad or even worse.... Food Fight..... (shudders))

The plot(10/10) (minor spoilers included) The show really does a great job with the plot for every alternate timeline it makes. There are some truly dark ways the story plays out depending on Subaru's actions or lack there of. There are usually emotional moments regardless of the timeline. (end minor spoilers)

Conclusion I really like this anime and it does a good job with its plot and characters. I would give it a 9/10 and would recommend watching it.