AnimeSuki Forum - View Single Post - Re:Zero - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating

snkpro386 · 2016-10-04, 18:38

Let's go over the things I like about the Re:Zero anime.

1: Excellent pacing. Almost never is the show too slow or too fast. Probably helped how many eps didn't have an OP and ED sequence, but unlike many other LN animes, it doesn't suffer here thanks to that and clever editing.

2: Excellent characterization. There aren't any moeblobs, shallow tsunderes, one-note villains, and what have you. Some, especially Subaru, Rem and Wilhelm, have a surprising amount of depth to them. It also helps how Subaru is better than roughly 90 percent of all male leads of the last decade.

3: THAT MUSIC. Already better than certain overhyped composers which will remain anonymous. Suehiro Kenichiro is a name I'll remember in the future. The OST did a great job of selling whatever was happening on screen. It was never annoying nor out of place. The first ED was superb.

4: The voice acting. Just about everyone sounded excellent. There's no stuntcasting nor otaku baiting with the casting, and the performances themselves are about as good as I can determine for someone not fluent in Japanese. If there's an English dub, I fear it may not equal the Japanese, for it's that good.

5: The setting. It's a fantasy setting, but not another riff of The Lord of the Rings. Sure, there's epic battles to the death, but that's hardly the only thing going on. Political intrigue with the royal selection, the displacement of the poor outside the capitol city, the oni culture, the cult of the witch, it all adds up to impressive world building.

6: The romance. Show of hands; how many of you are tired of animes having two or more characters obviously attracted to one another, only to NEVER make ANY progress until the very last second? Not so here. Regardless of how you feel about the feelings of Subaru, Emilia and Rem, I have not seen an anime handle romance this well since.....shit, since Clannad? Probably not that far back, but yeah, another exception to the rule.

7: NO ONE COUR RUN!!!!!!!! This is perhaps the best thing about the Re:Zero anime. Unlike nearly every new anime of this decade, the runtime is not forced into 1 cour. This, perhaps more than anything else, gave the show time to develop its setting, characters, and a chance for the show's developments to appear naturally, instead of out of nowhere.

Now, things I'm iffy on.

1: Some of the dialog. Being based off a web/light novel, there's obviously going to be more chatting than most other animes. This is fine, as R:Z's dialog is above average, though some of it does come across as melodramatic. Then again, remember that most of the major characters are teenagers, and teens are more likely to be emotional (emo? Does anyone still say that?) than most others. It all depends on taste.

2: The art. It's about above average. Not a strikingly beautiful show most of the time. I like some of the character designs, and some of the fight scenes have good animation, but it's still a tv show, not a theatrical movie. At the very least, it looks better than that one episode of Psycho-Pass when it first aired.

And now the bad.

1: I HATE Elsa's design. Her character and voice are fine, but I don't care if it's make-believe; no woman with a torso that small could have knockers that huge. She's not human, I tell you! Uncanny valley in the chest!

2: Subaru, for all of his awesomeness, still has traces of the dreaded "self-insert" cliche in his character. What was his life back on Earth? Did he have friends? A love interest? Does he want to go back to Earth? Can he return to Earth? These are never mentioned in the anime. Maybe later in the LN, something is mentioned? I don't know, but I do think there was and still is potential for him to be even more detailed.

Mark this down as 9.5/10 for me. This needs a 2nd season. Best tv anime since Hunter X Hunter 2011, as far as I'm concerned.

2016-10-04, 18:38	Link #12
snkpro386 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2015	Let's go over the things I like about the Re:Zero anime. 1: Excellent pacing. Almost never is the show too slow or too fast. Probably helped how many eps didn't have an OP and ED sequence, but unlike many other LN animes, it doesn't suffer here thanks to that and clever editing. 2: Excellent characterization. There aren't any moeblobs, shallow tsunderes, one-note villains, and what have you. Some, especially Subaru, Rem and Wilhelm, have a surprising amount of depth to them. It also helps how Subaru is better than roughly 90 percent of all male leads of the last decade. 3: THAT MUSIC. Already better than certain overhyped composers which will remain anonymous. Suehiro Kenichiro is a name I'll remember in the future. The OST did a great job of selling whatever was happening on screen. It was never annoying nor out of place. The first ED was superb. 4: The voice acting. Just about everyone sounded excellent. There's no stuntcasting nor otaku baiting with the casting, and the performances themselves are about as good as I can determine for someone not fluent in Japanese. If there's an English dub, I fear it may not equal the Japanese, for it's that good. 5: The setting. It's a fantasy setting, but not another riff of The Lord of the Rings. Sure, there's epic battles to the death, but that's hardly the only thing going on. Political intrigue with the royal selection, the displacement of the poor outside the capitol city, the oni culture, the cult of the witch, it all adds up to impressive world building. 6: The romance. Show of hands; how many of you are tired of animes having two or more characters obviously attracted to one another, only to NEVER make ANY progress until the very last second? Not so here. Regardless of how you feel about the feelings of Subaru, Emilia and Rem, I have not seen an anime handle romance this well since.....shit, since Clannad? Probably not that far back, but yeah, another exception to the rule. 7: NO ONE COUR RUN!!!!!!!! This is perhaps the best thing about the Re:Zero anime. Unlike nearly every new anime of this decade, the runtime is not forced into 1 cour. This, perhaps more than anything else, gave the show time to develop its setting, characters, and a chance for the show's developments to appear naturally, instead of out of nowhere. Now, things I'm iffy on. 1: Some of the dialog. Being based off a web/light novel, there's obviously going to be more chatting than most other animes. This is fine, as R:Z's dialog is above average, though some of it does come across as melodramatic. Then again, remember that most of the major characters are teenagers, and teens are more likely to be emotional (emo? Does anyone still say that?) than most others. It all depends on taste. 2: The art. It's about above average. Not a strikingly beautiful show most of the time. I like some of the character designs, and some of the fight scenes have good animation, but it's still a tv show, not a theatrical movie. At the very least, it looks better than that one episode of Psycho-Pass when it first aired. And now the bad. 1: I HATE Elsa's design. Her character and voice are fine, but I don't care if it's make-believe; no woman with a torso that small could have knockers that huge. She's not human, I tell you! Uncanny valley in the chest! 2: Subaru, for all of his awesomeness, still has traces of the dreaded "self-insert" cliche in his character. What was his life back on Earth? Did he have friends? A love interest? Does he want to go back to Earth? Can he return to Earth? These are never mentioned in the anime. Maybe later in the LN, something is mentioned? I don't know, but I do think there was and still is potential for him to be even more detailed. Mark this down as 9.5/10 for me. This needs a 2nd season. Best tv anime since Hunter X Hunter 2011, as far as I'm concerned.