Re:Zero - Episode 16 Discussion / Poll

[Kairin]

Welcome to the discussion thread for Re:Zero, Episode 16.

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[Applehell]

Nothing really spoilish this time.

YouTube

https://youtu.be/WyZx3DF8NU8

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[AB079]

Episode 16 was a nice in-between the epic end of Ep15 and the beginning of a new part of the story with the White Whale.

This time Subaru really got crushed over and over but at the same time he learned that he's not able of doing everything and now he's aware about the fact that he needs people around him to overcome all this current situation even if that needs some degree of humiliation. With Crush was more like a discussion to show how dangerous is this situation, with Anastasia... omg she really saved the day I didn't expected he to be that cute to be honest, and finally Priscilla... holy shit I like her but seriously she really need a slap in the face and stop being a bitch.

And then at the end of this episode Subaru finally found the biggest threat and with this we got the introduction of a massive enemy, the White Whale. A really nice detail was the ED with that animation mixed with the song, loved it!.

This series is getting better and better, can't wait for the next episode.

[Kinematics]

Well, cell phone came back out. No link back to the past, yet, but the fact that it came back out after all this time does give me a little hope on that front. Also, it's almost out of battery, as someone suspected, which means any reveals about it have to happen now, before the battery runs out.

[bakato]

I can't tell what's being said, but I'm sure Subaru is being an ass.

[Proto]

I really love this series but this is triggering my vicarious embarrassment levels like no series has done before. I think I've been fast forwarding all scenes involving Subaru's 'social interactions' for the last 6 episodes.

[Fimbulvetr]

New part of the story with the White Whale? Already not interested.
I was expecting the first attempt to gather support to fail spectacularily, and it did, but as always I was hoping he'd die soon and try again with better results. Instead he gets sidetracked.

[AB079]

Originally Posted by Fimbulvetr

New part of the story with the White Whale? Already not interested.
I was expecting the first attempt to gather support to fail spectacularily, and it did, but as always I was hoping he'd die soon and try again with better results. Instead he gets sidetracked.

I assume you didn't understand why Subaru got his ass kicked again, I suggest you to watch the episode again and especially his discussion with Crush and Anastasia there you will see the reason why that happened.

Subaru at this point is someone who's paying for his own mistakes, someone who's running all over the place spilling nonsensical statements (even if is true) asking for help and support when he literally has nothing to offer in exchange, Anastasia was the one who explained that the best but even with that Subaru is still depending on the good will of other people.

In Subaru's mind he dont deserve this, in the rest of the chatacters eyes he deserve this and is justified.

[Applehell]

Originally Posted by Fimbulvetr

New part of the story with the White Whale?

It's not really new. The White Whale was mentioned back in ep 14. The whole reason it took Subaru and Rem two days to reach Roswaal's terrtory was because it was blocking the fastest route there. It was obiviously going to come up again sometime.

Even then that isn't even the first time it's been named dropped in the series. A part of Rom's password at loot house had it's name come up there too.

[HayashiTakara]

What this episode reinforces is that everyone is extremely self-serving, and no one is willing to do anything if it doesn't benefit them directly.

[Proto]

In fact Subaru took Anastasia's words in stride and applied some of it in his negotiations with the merchants. I guess it was easier in his mind to give compensation to people who already work for money.

[Key Board]

did this show turn into Shakugan no Shana

[Metaneo]

Originally Posted by Proto

I really love this series but this is triggering my vicarious embarrassment levels like no series has done before. I think I've been fast forwarding all scenes involving Subaru's 'social interactions' for the last 6 episodes.

The combination of past traumas and Subaru's lack of socialization due to his status as a shut-in is really hurting him now.

In his defense though, it's hard not to be desperate in his situation, but regardless of that, considering what Priscilla's personality is, it should have been painfully obvious what she wanted from Subaru.

[Applehell]

Originally Posted by Metaneo

The combination of past traumas and Subaru's lack of socialization due to his status as a shut-in is really hurting him now.

In his defense though, it's hard not to be desperate in his situation, but regardless of that, considering what Priscilla's personality is, it should have been painfully obvious what she wanted from Subaru.

Maybe or maybe not since she such a bitch it is hard to tell.

[DemonneoPT]

The girls were right but this time Subaru is not at fault. There was nothing he could offer at the moment to get their help. He is an altruistic hero and he expected a little empathy from other people but we are dealing with individuals with a medieval like mentality here. And them being all rivals for the throne does not help it either. If he dies again he will have the advantage of knowing what's up in the girls minds and will probably be able to get something from them. He already applied Anastasia's words with the merchants

That ending with the White whale tho. Another painful week waiting for another episode..lol

Btw, i really love Priscilla's design. Ok, she is a bitch (a funny one tho), but her design is fantastic. My top 3: Elsa > Priscilla > Emilia.

[HayashiTakara]

Originally Posted by Applehell

Maybe or maybe not since she such a bitch it is hard to tell.

Yeah, the only thing I know she wants is everything. She has no right to call anyone greedy, I wanted Subaru to clutch her throat so badly in that scene.

[felix]

Hm. So what happened to the guy on the left side...

[blakstealth]

Great episode. We see more of Subaru's deteriorating psyche come in play and fashionably shit all over him.

And yes, where is bandana guy?

[Harry Dresden]

This episode finally made me figure out why this arc is not working for me.


The show started with an interesting premise - a smart and cunning protagonist who thinks like a real person being transported into a fantasy world that ends up having lots of mysteries and politics in it. For once the MC could not just force his way through via protagonist powers, so he had to plan and plot himself through trial and error. We finally had MC who was psychologically realistic and had a brain instead of descending into drama or using protagonist power. We were learning things alongside the protagonist and the the world was interesting and the narrative did not need edgy shockers to up the stakes - the tension and mystery was enough.

Then alongside the way it seems author has forgotten that. The author has realized that since Subaru can reset time, you can throw all kinds of disguting and triggering things at him and kill him in various ways and it won't end up mattering seconds latter. Such an easy way to create shock and pin the viewers via cliffhangers!

The problem? The show is not really deconstructing anything(and I HATE that term and how it keeps being thrown around as justification for various shows). It is still very by-the-book LN except it has more gore and SUFFERING for the protagonist. The protagonist still perseveres and achieves all he wants, but instead of fighting he does that by dying and SUFFERING.

The author takes the easy road in adjusting the intelligence of various characters in order to create the MAXIMUM SUFFERING for the protagonist. Like in this episode every other candidate is suddenly embodiment of the devil(because of course Emilia's pure and idealistic vision is the best you guyse), just so Subaru gets no help at all. And at the top of it Subaru grows even dumber in the way he negotiates with them making all the possible mistakes. Is this the same guy who conned Rom into buying a freaking cellphone? How?

The show has taken the easy road and still retains most of the bad LN tropes. It just does it via suffering. And at the cost of all the interesting things that first eleven episodes drew me in with - the lore, the mysteries, the smart and realistic protagonist.

All of it is gone for sake of throwing as many shocking things as possible at the viewer since author can handwave it away seconds latter. So we can have cliffhangers upon cliffhangers of Subaru dying to all sorts of nasty things and encountering the grossest possible things because author won't have to deal with consequences of it. He can just reset it back and prepare next shocking and gory moment.

I don't think I can continue watching a show that seems to solely focused upon author's sick and sadistic need to torture and belittle it's characters in gory ways. I might pick up it again once it is finished and i can skip the cringy, embarassingan d triggering bits and don't have to sit through scenes that either make me cringe or cause me a panic attack like last week(or this week with that whale thing...UGHH).

I know I am quite hard on Alderamin but that show will be enough for me this season. At least it still tries to be realistic and do things differently from the usual LNs. Rezero only pays a lip service to that and has long since abandoned what made it good for me for sake of cheap shock moments.

I mean don't get it wrong, the show is still directed real well and I am sure it captures what the story and narrative is about. White Fox is handling the production perfectly(barring few slip ups like badly directed candidacy ball stuff), but its just that the narrative itself is not only no longer what I liked about it in the first place, but it is starting to really drag on. All we are getting is shockers and gory scenes ans SUFFERING, but the plot is barely moving. At least while Arc 2 dragged through the whole cour, it still had interesting mystery, likeable protagonist and focus on interesting characters. And still progressed the story and Subaru's character. Arc 3 so far is just stuck in the same pit of gore and suffering and that's just not what I signed up for. It no longer has what I wanted out of it and only delivers negative emotions for me. So N-ope.

Dropped.

In before somebody calls this a bait beacuse I dared to have a different opinion about a show that is currently "in". Alas the nature of fiction is that not everybody will have the same opinion on it and this show is simply not resonating with me nor delivering me what I got invested in it for in the first place.

[bakato]

Originally Posted by HayashiTakara

Yeah, the only thing I know she wants is everything. She has no right to call anyone greedy, I wanted Subaru to clutch her throat so badly in that scene.

She believes everything exists for her amusement. She's like Gilgamesh.