Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 4th season

I'll post what I posed at r/anime here too, why not. Man, we finally get into the main part of arc 6. It’s been so long since I first encountered this arc back around 2018-2019 (I don’t remember now xd), but I’ve been loving how WF has been able to translate the same sense of mystery and danger that this arc conveys. I haven’t been able to for the last episodes, but I want to post my impressions on this adaptation. The direction this episode seemed simpler and a little ‘flatter’ than the last five episodes, many almost static shots were used during the various conversations. It’s not bad, it could have been better. I particularly love that shot where we see both Eridna and Subaru in the reflection from the white bird’s eye for how it stands out. I also liked a lot the whole sequence of Subaru chasing the bird and entering the secret passage to the balcony, it feels like something you would do to get the secret ending on a video game or something. The cut between this scene and the last one could have been given more time to breathe, but it is fine. The main plot point in this episode revolves around the increase in tension between the two different camps on this mission. A few episodes back we had Julius praise Subaru for his inability to keep secrets; something he finds in a weird sense admirable; and this revelation seems to have shaken that impression of him. And his inability to recognize the problem with Anastasia/Eridna; even with all the baggage he has been handed this season; has further wounded his knightly heart. After these last two episodes he probably feels that he has been robbed of everything he knew to be true. He does not have a name or recognized nobility, he does not have his friends and companions, his trust has been broken, his strength belittled and his own pride as ‘the finest knight’ is probably at the tipping point of being lost. With how they've nailed this initial characterization, I'm really looking forward to how they portray the development of Julius throughout this season. The conversation between Subaru and Eridna is interesting, these two are extremely suspicious of each other from the very beginning. Eridna being tied to the infamous Witch we know and love (?) and the mysterious man that just seemed to have appeared one day in front of a fountain in the capital that for some reason has solved 400-year-old problems and mysteries. I’m intrigued how they will be able to adapt this mutual distrust, but so far it has been great. That first reveal at the first episode and the balcony scene this episode have been great scenes. Finally, that last reveal. It was a bit fast for my taste, but maybe only because I already knew what was going to happen. I would like to see how the anime only people react to it. If I remember correctly back when this chapter first released it was somewhat controversial, you know, amnesia plot and all. I loved how they portrayed this new (old) Subaru, with light literally shining in his eyes. If you go back to episode one of season one, we see the same thing happen, light appearing in the eyes of Subaru as he realizes this is the opportunity he has been waiting for. We started this season with a ‘level 10’ Subaru entering what seems to be the endgame zone of this world, the place the witch of envy is supposed to be sealed, but now a ‘level 0’ Subaru will have to be the one to challenge it. Good luck, I suppose.

Ram does sound in pain while talking at the beginning. Good thing that Subaru doesn't produce a lot of mana. Betty would fatten up in that case and she would have t excersise, which not even her mother can do. We got a pretty cool look of the inside of watchtower! What a romantic encounter with Ana... The lord of pigeons is spying on them! I am glad they animated Scarfdona being afraid and suspicious of Subaru And the moment Julius with his spirit blessing appears, the pigeons run away.... They are definitely fairies. The only Echidna that inherited the love...

Welp amnesia arc starting, meaning the start of hell is incoming. Based off the pacing I doubt they’ll go in-depth with a lot of the failed loops, you know the “[][][]” ones Absolutely love how they implied shaula’s loneliness, made her fell both creepy and pitiful And they absolutely nailed the confrontation scene lil sad they skipped Subaru calling rem, Patrasche, and Emilia his, only for Emilia to respond that he is hers. Unfortunate part of the low episode number is that a lot of Emilia and Subaru moments get cut down a lot But Julius VA was crazy good, you could just hear the betrayal. I wonder if the julisuba edits or fanarts will take a hit cause he called Subaru an outsider? Def do believe the anime being a good way of covering the core of story, with good animation and VA work. Though it doesn’t cover all the good moments, it does a good job being an adaptation of it.

Awww Emilia worrying about Julius is so precious! Love to see her caring side everytime :> Fills me with wholesome feelings! Oooh Subaru and Emilia don't have their cloaks on this episode. They look good. Hehe Beako's shy about wanting to hold hands with Subaru and he gives her a hug! Love them so much! "Shame's not in her vocabulary" You're right about that Meili 😆 Uh oh Subaru fell asleep and is alone again. I don't like the bird...feels like he's going to die or something weird's gonna happen. Oh it was Echidna trying to lead him for a chat. False alarm. Oh fuck oh fuck Julius caught them.... That conversation was intense but thankfully Julius and Echidna have Ana's wellbeing as their first priority. Aww Subaru trying to get close to Ram and calling her a big sister! Wonder if Ram'll soften up to it eventually. Oh noooooooo....what....how....

It was a good episode. But I see the criticism at the end about that moment. While it's practically a 1:1 adaptation of the novel, in my opinion, I wanted more. The internal monologue in this scene helps to further muddy the situation, making it clear what happened, but that's not the serious issue. The real problem is that there's practically no resolution to the scene itself. Think of it this way: all we see is Subaru waking up confused, thinking some funny things like calling Emilia a silver elf, Beako a loli, and Patrache a giant lizard—there's the clue. And while that's how it ends in the novel, it doesn't mean the anime should follow suit. Personally, I would have preferred it to end with Emilia saying, "You don't even remember me." I bet some people won't understand what happened at the end of this episode. Let's be honest, it could mean anything to someone watching it without knowing anything. Sure, some people will get it, but that doesn't mean they won't come up with all sorts of theories that will be debunked in the next episode. I think it's fine, but with just a little more dialogue, you could have made a better ending. I think it completely loses the impact of the scene. Not only do you have no idea what happened, but you have to wait a week to fully understand the meaning of those words. It fails to have the impact it could have if you don't connect the small details of a very short scene right at the end of an episode. If you're not paying attention, it'll just go by like, "Look, it's just one of Subaru's eccentricities." This is just my opinion, and I'm only thinking about how I would have enjoyed it more. Besides, they could have used more music to create tension or other elements to make it clearer, or they could have ended it in a heartbreaking way, with Emilia and Beako almost crying. Anyway, I hope you get my point. I also read the web novel straight through, so I felt the impact of the scene immediately. I wonder how it was for those who were reading it as it came along and were left with that cliffhanger. It's a good setup chapter, but it will definitely be more enjoyable with the next one as a whole.

Anime only but I'm here to ask one question. Are we going to hear Subaru monologuing? Sometimes, like in season 2, we go for an extended period of time where we know what Subaru is doing but not what he is thinking. However it is easy to guess what he is thinking due to what is going on. Now that Subaru has been factory reset, only seeing what he says is unlikely to give us insight to his mind. And I am very curious as to what he thinks of his allies now that he forgot them. My guess is he will spend lots of time simping for Emilia.