My favorite things about RE:Zero is theory crafting and watching Subaru suffer.
I liked the most recent episode of RE:Zero, Episode 39. Subaru with the help of Otto appears to be making headway out of his current predicament. I guess this is the moment where we begin to feel some relief, and see light at the end of the tunnel for this arc. While inevitable for the story to make headway, I prefer the story when there is no progress. My favorite elements of the story is theory crafting, and guessing who can be trusted and what might be around the corner.
I guess I am the type of viewer who likes to engage in the what if’s in a scenario. As a chronic overthinker I can sometimes replay scenes in my mind over and over again. I want to see if I can pick up on something new, or see it from an angle I hadn’t seen before. Of course for me that is the fun in watching a show or reading the manga. I like it when there are time loops repeating events again endlessly. I like it when stories diverge from the anime to the manga and seeing the consequences of actions unfold differently. For me a perfect story would be one told over and over again, with different outcomes each time. I am certain that would drive most people crazy.
What I like most about RE:Zero isn’t necessarily the story itself, but the different elements at play within it. It gives a lot for my brain to chew on and to imagine the different what ifs that could occur. I prefer Subaru being in the dark because then I can sit back and think about how this story can develop. Coming up with crazy theories about what is going on, and taking long-shot gambles on how things could go are my favorite. Even if I end up wrong that’s fine.
Given all this it should come as no surprise that I like RE:Zero, Steins Gate, Endless Eight from the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and the diverging of Akame ga Kill from anime to the manga. Possibilities should truly be endless.
My second reason for loving RE:Zero is because I like watching Subaru suffer.
You might think me a sadist with that statement, and that could very well be true. But to me Subaru is the type of character who should suffer for his lack of foresight and his blatant character flaws. I have stated many times that I do not like Subaru as a character. But I do like Subaru as a protagonist. Without him and his poor decisions I wouldn’t get to have as much fun as I do with this show. Whenever he gets his ass handed to him, I cheer.
At the very least Subaru seems to learn from the suffering. So as they say, no pain no gain. I would like to see how Subaru changes and develops. If he was able to overcome or polish some of his character flaws I could get onboard the Subaru train. But until then watching him suffer is the next best thing.
Do you agree? What are your thoughts? I want to know!
Is there anything you would like me to cover? Do you want to know my thoughts on anything? Have something I should know? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, comment below!
Fortress William 
While I wouldn’t necessarily say I enjoy watching Subaru suffer, I do appreciate that he struggles unlike in other isekai power fantasies where the main character does not have to do much struggling at all because they’re either extremely gifted at something or blessed with a very overpowering quality.
I’ve updated my analysis of the Priscilla and Subaru scene in episode 16. It was kind of unrefined before, but now I’ve made my thoughts on it as clear as possible.
There is something I’d you to cover actually. There’s a new romance anime called Horimiya, and I thought it had a strong premiere. I’m not sure if you watch romance anime, but I feel it’d be a nice experience for you if you actually enjoy watching this kind of show.
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I am not brave enough for romance anime, but I will take it under consideration. If there seems to be enough interest in the community for it I might give it a go.
It is refreshing to have an Isekai character earn their place.
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Speaking about theorycrafting, I have a controversial one here.
I’m not really into the Subaru/Emilia relationship as I feel that what Subaru feels for Emilia is basically puppy love.
I also have a theory about why Subaru has such unwavering affection for Emilia based mainly off of Episodes 18, 21, and 25 of Re:zero.
In episode said if Emilia mentioned 10 things she hated about himself that he’d tell her 2,000 things he likes about her. In episode 18, 25, Subaru Puck told Petelgeuse that if he wants to kill them he needs to generate a thousand shadow hands, half of what Satella could, which is 2,000. This suggests that perhaps the reason Subaru thought of that specific number is that Satella influenced him subconsciously. Given Emilia is discriminated against for looking like the Witch, I think it was insensitive of Subaru to use that number even if Emilia doesn’t know that number is associated with Satella, and the only logical explanation I could think of for him doing so was that he wasn’t of sound mind when he said it.
I’m positive that Satella can influence Subaru given that she can read his mind and determine if his intent is to reveal Return by Death, which shows that subconsciously, there is a connection between them even if Subaru has no access to Satella, the Witch of Envy’s thoughts. So if Satella can make Subaru think of the number 2,000, which is associated with her, it’s possible that part of the reason Subaru’s affection for Emilia is so strong is because Emilia looks just like Satella, and Satella is subconsciously making him obsessed with someone who looks just like she does.
In episode 21, when Crusch offered to Subaru to become one of her men, he turned her down and said it wasn’t about loyalty or allegiance, but his faith lies exactly where it should. This shows that his reason for supporting Emilia perhaps does not have a very solid foundation if loyalty has nothing to do with it. It shows that Subaru is personally making it his mission to make Emilia the ruler because he’s doing it for his own ego since he thinks of himself as the main character of a story.
I want to state clearly now that I’m not saying that the entire reason Subaru is attracted to Emilia is because of Satella. He does have a thing for silver-haired girls as shown by his taste in anime heroines, and Emilia did show that she had very good character when he first got summoned to the world and was struggling by himself in a foreign land, but I do think what he feels for Emilia is partially a result of the Witch of Envy’s influence.
I say this taking into account that Subaru believes in video game tropes and thinks of himself as the main character of a story, even going as far as saying Emilia would slowly fall for him in episode 25 as if it was a given that it would eventually happen much like what happens for most male isekai protagonists. And Emilia even treated him kindly when no else would and eventually gave him a lap pillow, which was one of his otaku dream fantasies, and given his natural inclination to silver-haired beauties, it would make sense that he would fall for Emilia. However, I just think there might be something more sinister going on under the surface.
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In episode 25, Subaru said if Emilia mentioned 10 things she hated about himself that he’d tell her 2,000 things he likes about her. In episode 18, Puck told Petelgeuse that if he wants to kill them he needs to generate a thousand shadow hands, half of what Satella could, which is 2,000.*
Sorry for the mistake. I clicked something and dragged it, and I messed up my post without realizing it.
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I had never considered this angle before. It’s interesting.
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