This episode literally turns the trajectory of the show in its entirety. Satella being portrayed as not the scary monster we thought of her as, but as someone who is trying to help is groundbreaking. We have been taught to fear her for so long. Also, ReZero has mid season breaks. After this episode, it was MONTHS before the next one came out. Happy you guys don’t have to wait.
Not spoiler but something stated in LN but skipped in anime: Apparently Satella has a condition of personality disorder which causes there will be two personalities:Satella and witch of envy. The times we see her shadow tormenting and hunting subaru it was the witch of envy persona thats why there is a major difference between what we see this episode and what we saw on previous occasions spooking subaru. Hopefully anime will address this on later seasons
One of my favorite moments is hearing Satella and Subaru talk. Excerpt from the web novel about it if anyone is interested. I dont think there is any spoilers but lowering it just incase. [Satella: I, love you. ――Because you gave me light. It was you who took me by the hand, and showed me the world outside. In the nights when I was lonely and afraid, you held my hand. And when I was all alone, you kissed me on the lips and told me that I wasn’t. You’ve given me so, so much. ……That’s why, I love you. Because you… _you gave me everything_ [Subaru: ――――] Subaru couldn’t recall doing a single thing that Satella had whispered. He had no part in it, it had nothing to do with him. Whether it was meeting Satella, trading words with her, or sharing a single feeling of warmth. Everything she said had been the product of her delusions. The arrayed, empty fantasies of a woman crazed with longing. That was how it should be. And yet, “Natsuki Subaru” remembered. [Subaru: Why is this…… inside me, what is this? I don’t want this feeling. Don’t try to bind me… with memories that can’t exist…… you… you… I…… tk] “I hate you”, was all he needed to say. All he had to do was stab the girl who offered him these feelings with the fact that he didn’t have the slightest affection for her. Once he does, he would be able to see the look on the face of the one who had selfishly sought to warp his heart. Surely, it would be an expression magnificently twisted by heartbreak. ―― _But, how could you do that to her?_ I feel like there has to be time travel fuckery going on.
The things Satella says sound a LOT like what Subaru says when he's trying to explain what Emilia and the others have done for him in worlds they never experienced. It's entirely possible that Subaru and Satella have a shared history that was erased by her Authority, and she's the only one who got to keep the memories.
It sounds like what he did for Emilia. My pet theory (not having seen any spoilers) is that she’s just Emilia from the future, and that’s why she asks him to kill her at some point. Might also be Emilia from a lost timeline.
One of the very early, and most important Lessons Subaru touched on when he first got in this world was learning that he is powerless and needs to rely on others for some assistance, but that he can still get great things done if he relinquishes his "Pride". Pride was the first Sin he over came, way back in episode 3(?) when he screamed like a girl to ask the guards for help. He literally said out loud "I've learned my lesson" and cried for help. This let him meet Reinhard (a literal demi-god in this world) and is what set him on the path he's currently on. Self-hatred, or maybe self-absorbed self-doubt and vilification is actually another form of Pride. Because pride is not the same as arrogance. Pride is narcicissm, it's self-obsession, putting thoughts of yourself before thoughts of reality(God, in the Christian sense) and of others' well-being is what truly constitutes Pride. Subaru isn't wrong in that he loves others, he's wrong in that he doesn't care about(or cannot recognize) how much others love him. He's throwing their feelings for him away and only considering how he feels about them. That's is the most interesting conceptualization of Pride i've ever seen. Various interpretations of what it means to hold these "Sins" is part of what makes Re:Zero's writing and magic system interesting. Echinda is the which of Greed, but instead of money, she wants as much observed knowledge and experience as possible, even if it's bad. It is greedy in the extreme, but different than what you'd think. It asks the question "what is true greed?", and answered "the unending desire for anything that supersedes the desires of others". It asks the question "what is true pride?", and answered "thinking and acting purely for one's own perspective and desire" That's why Betelgeuse thought he was a candidate for Pride. That's why Typhon, the Witch of Pride, took an interest in evaluating him. Pride was his first challenge; It is the root of his character. I think learning of Subaru's Pride being interpreted as his self-absorbed self-doubt, and having it challenged and referenced as a major aspect of his character so often is an incredible way to write a character study. I love this show. His self-doubt and self-worth is something Subaru is going to have to CONSTANTLY face in this story. This is nowhere close to the last time he's going to lapse into a state of desperation due to his own selfish, self-absorbed thoughts and behavior, but he will overcome it, and I LOVE watching and reading him do it.
I haven't read the LN but Subaru biting his tongue is the darkest moment in the anime so far, he has zero expectation of being able to return in the Dream Castle and it's the first time he just offed himself for no other reason than wanting to end it all. The man was at the precipice of hopelessness and jumped anyway
I have read the light novels up to volume 15, and in them Subaru's suicide in arc 2/ep 7 is not all that different except he puts on the front that he's taking control of his life etc. At that time he frames it as if he wants to get to know them, if Rem and Ram really are these people who held his hand while he was having nightmares and perhaps not everything was a pretence after all, they didn't simply hate him and lie. ... But his actual mindset is closer to thinking, if that's the sort of person she is and she died in place of me when I finally survived the loop, and now I've lost my place in this mansion I was coming to love, I don't want to continue living in this world. He could jump because he really did feel ready to kill himself, whether or not he'd be brought back. So this is actually the second time he's settled on suicide to that extent with that meaning. The first time he's bluffing, the second he's just full on despairing.
I love that this episode shows Roswaal has been on of the main antagonists all the show. Arc 1 he sent Elsa at Emilia Arc 2 he sent Maylee to the village. Arc 3 he dipped out before the cults attack and left it unguarded so Subaru would have to deal with it. Arc 4 he left for the sanctuary as bait and set Elsa and maylee on the mansion. The entire series he has been following his gospel which supposedly tells him the actions he must take to see the future he desires.
you can tell how invested ben is, he’s barely speaking for the episode now lmaooo. i think its okay tho, their discussions at the end are really nice also another parallel to point is the comparison with subarus parents and what roswaal and echidna want from subaru. remember subaru had a lot of expectations on himself because of his dad. but his dad never forced him to do anything, they waited until he was ready. until he made a choice. roswaal is forcing subaru to be like him. hes a paternal authority figure forcing these expectations onto subaru. which juxtapose his relationship with his dad. echidna on the other hand represents a maternal figure for subaru (not in a weird way). she just parallels his relationship with his mom. subarus mom was always watching him, just like echidna is now. but she does it out of genuine worry while echidna does i to manipulate subaru. his mom also told him not to worry about the beginning or middle, but the end. that as long as he can smile when its over, everything will be okay. echidna on the other hand creates a bastardization of his moms advice. echidna also cares about the end in the same way, but she also doesn’t care what happens in the middle or what she has to do to achieve it. she’s willing to sacrifice anything. and doesnt care how subaru will feel, only what results are. subaru overcame his struggle against echidna. choosing to care about others, and to care about himself. but hes yet to overcome his struggle against roswaal, who’s expectations are being forced on him. removing subarus autonomy by forcing him into 2 choices. all these themes kinda come around to someone’s autonomy and ability to choose. especially when beatrice is so important to the story. beatrice was never given a choice. and the other characters in this arc were also removed from their choices, which we’ll see later on. being able to choose for yourself, self love, and toxic expectations are huge themes of this arc.
Back to back banger episodes. The show had JUST convinced Subaru and the viewer to have the resolve to die and restart as many times as needed to gather info to save everyone. That only Subaru needs to know hell and suffering. We cheered him on. And then as soon as he makes that powerful declaration shatters it with the possibility of multiverse theory and the exact opposite conviction of saving himself and never throwing his lives away. It can feel like going in circles, but there's so much growth and re-evaluating. So good.
The conversation around comfort characters at 22:17 is really interesting, because I had a really uncomfortable “this character is a lot like me” moment with the first season of Re:Zero. In season 1, when Rem was talking about all the ways she feels inferior and unworthy, it hit me really hard because I have a similar mindset about a lot of the people I look up to in my own life. So Rem is my favorite character because she’s sort of a “discomfort character” to me, and that forces me to take the narrative more seriously.
Part II Echidna: "Typhon seems to be very angry" Echidna remarks, Typhon: "It is because Dona is not honest. Isn't not being honest the same as being a liar? Liars are bad, right? Is Dona bad?" Echidna: "I am acting honestly in accordance with what I desire. I don't remember lying, at least not yet" Echidna answered without hesitation to Typhon's straightforward statement. Echidna's clever wordplay was able to fool the young Typhon. Echidna knows that if she angers her, it will put the lives of everyone in the room at risk. Punishing the guilty and judging the sinner are just a part of Typhon's authority of “Pride”. But seeing Typhon satisfied as if she had been convinced by Echidna's words, the next to speak in a low voice is the witch buried in a ball of fur. Sekhmet: "Talking with a hidden intention is, well. It's not a lie, but it's a convenient thing, isn't it, huh?" Carmilla: "E-kidona-chan is really...m, troublesome, child, isn't she..." Echidna: "You guys..." As Echidna, who is under fire, frowns, the other witches relax their lips when they see her. The only one who is raising her eyebrows at the situation is Minerva. Sekhmet: "Minerva, how long are you going to sulk, huh? We all agreed on this after a discussion, huh... We knew this would happen when the sage candidate arrived... huh" Minerva: “Will you just shut up? I get it already. I agreed to the discussion just fine. It's just that I'm not in the same position as you guys to just let it go. I hope you understand that too” Daphne: " For Met-Met who hangs out all the time with Ty-Ty, it is natural she wouldn't understand. Don't you think everyone spends too much of their lives on things other than eating to live?” In response to Daphne's interruption, Minerva and Sekhmet both snorted in dissatisfaction. Although the tea party between the witches is relatively balanced, they are originally a group of beings with strong egos. It is more common for their opinions to clash, and it is not uncommon for them to argue in this way. Especially Minerva, who would poke anyone, and Sekhmet, who disliked conflict, would often have small skirmishes. Every time, Daphne, who would interrupt without reading the air and get to the heart of the matter, would interfere. It was also always the case that the argument would end in a stalemate. Minerva is angry, Sekhmet is taking her on, Daphne is adding fuel to the fire, Carmilla is trying to keep Typhon from exploding, Echidna is watching them with amusement, and Satella is smiling as she watches the six of them, safe and sound. That was something that happened four hundred years ago, and it will never happen again. Satella went insane due to her witch factor, Minerva went mad and died in a trap, Carmilla was burned to ashes in a fire, Daphne died of dehydration in a sea of sand, Typhon was drowned in the water, Sekhmet killed a dragon and fell into a waterfall, and Echidna collected only their souls and herself was also bound to the present world with only her soul. This is an incomplete reproduction of those days that will never come back. Carmilla: "Ekidona-chan... are you sad? You look sad, don't you?" Echidna: "Why? There's no reason for me to be sad. You're all here, and I have opportunities to interact with the outside world to some extent. There Is nothing else I need" Echidna replied, Carmilla: "Is that okay? We're... just souls, so we're not the real us, right? We're... already dead. No one can really be with Echidna-chan... right...?" Carmilla said, her voice breaking intermittently, In the intermittent words of Carmilla, Echidna stammered for a moment. Echidna’s power allows these women, who have lost their bodies and become beings of only souls, to have a temporary body in the form of a spiritual construct. Echidna has prepared vessels and placed the souls within them. However, the souls are frozen in time at the moment of their deaths, and they have not changed since then. So, is the Carmilla who is looking at Echidna now truly Carmilla? Is Echidna manipulating the bodies by eliciting the reactions from the souls inherent to them during their lifetime and having it play like a puppet show guided by her own desires? In fact, they share Echidna’s knowledge. How can it be said that their existence does not arise from within Echidna? - This is already a discussion that has been thought through many times. Echidna: " You, who are a bundle of narcissism, it's rare for you to worry about me, even if you're a friend. Have you been influenced by his noisiness and kindness?" Carmilla: "I-I don't... know... you're... stupid, Echidna-chan." Carmilla said with a disappointed look on her face in response to Echidna's answer, which was a deception of her true feelings. Echidna couldn't help but laugh at her answer, which made her throat rumble. When the other witches noticed Echidna's reaction, they turned their gazes to her. Bathed in their gaze, Echidna spread her arms and said, Echidna: "Well, the tea party will be for the witches only for a while. He, Natsuki Subaru, will probably never set foot here again" Minerva: "Are you okay with that? I don't care if you're lonely or anything like that, but you said something at the end, right? About the compensation and things like that, aren't you supposed to be noisy about that?" Echidna: " Compensation... oh, that too. A farewell gift for him, who is expected to face hardship - would you laugh at me if I said that?" The witches exchanged glances as Echidna, her chin in her hand, pondered. Then they nodded and spoke in unison, Witches: "――Of course not" Echidna: " Hmm, I was more highly regarded than I thought..." Minerva: "Because it's impossible for you to just lend a helping hand without getting any compensation." Minerva, who had her arms crossed, said firmly, and the witches nodded in agreement. Echidna closed her eyes and then cleared her throat. Echidna: "I think there are many things I need to talk to you about. Truly, what is that you think of me?" Witches: "――――" Echidna: "However, well..." In front of the silent witches, Echidna drank the contents of her cup, licked her lips seductively with her red tongue, and said, Echidna: “Well, you're not entirely wrong"
I know why you're both thinking that it's looking at a person as if they're not equal to you - it's how the majority of people see this sort of problem and it's the most normal of responses, after all it feels like Subaru isn't looking at others as if they're equal to him. But it's not, it's Subaru seeing himself as being worthless - this is very different than "hating" himself, he does but it's a separate thing to the worthlessness he feels for himself - everything Subaru does is in his view never good enough, from his helping Emilia, Rem and Ram, Crusch and now the Sanctuary, all of it is in his mind falling short of the mark of being minimally enough. He showed Rem that her same mindset of thinking nothing of herself isn't right and he fought and brought her to the point of wanting to live her life fully, but he'll argue he's not doing enough. And again it's not got anything to do with him thinking he is "better" than others, but that he's "nothing" compared to them, because Subaru sees the things he does as being barely enough if that and placing roles and responsibilities on his shoulders endlessly because he should take it. it's a spiral mindset of self-destruction that invariably leads to what he nearly did at the tea party. And I know this sounds insane, a rational person looking at this will not understand how this works, but this is suicidal depression and just for the record with it... Subaru blames himself for wanting to kill himself because he blames himself for not being good enough to save Rem and is sure that he'll fail others and lose them because Subaru is a failure at life because he doesn't do things good enough and it will end up losing everyone around him because eventually they'll hate him for not being good enough so why not kill himself... And then the cycle begins again. That's how his mind works in this situation and it's how a lot of people with this type of depression think.
Someone who gets the meaning of Realise 😭 also, noone can ever talk Subaru out of it because only he knows the real Subaru, they don't know his failures so how can their words mean anything? They only like him because they were tricked into it because he died and reset and now they don't know how much they suffered because of him because he died but he shouldn't have allowed himself to die as those people suffered for it so now he can't ever make up for it and all he's given them is suffering... Rem's speech was supposed to show him that's wrong but now she's gone and he's caved into it without her there. And she's the only one who knew he was lying about so many things yet fully trusted him and didn't need the full truth, now the one who trusted him most is gone he blames himself so much. This is why I hate Subaru haters. He's just all the suffering and mental spiralling and even his worst actions aren't blameless but are definitely linked to the story as well as his actual personality.
There is an IF story written by the author about what would happen if Subaru took Echidna's contract. It is very recommanded to react to AFTER FINISHING THIS SEASON. Besides, there is a very interesting feature about the interaction between Garfiel and Subaru. The author keeps showing that Garfiel's attitude to Subaru are very different in each loop. It is an implication about that all Subaru focusing on was the "information and puzzles" and he ignores his ownself, and Garfiel reacts to Subaru's attitude and behavior which includes what he said, acted, and reacted.
Specially for Ben, since you have an Echidna pillow :) There is a short interlude chapter that takes place right after Subaru and Satella left Echidna's Tea Party, but it has been omitted and will almost certainly not be mentioned ever again. This is a chapter from the witche's perspective exclusively at Echidna's tea party, where they discuss what just happened there. It is a short chapter filled with extremely valuable information about all the witches and especially about Echidna and her motives. It will raise a lot of questions for you and make you reconsider some things you've already seen/learned. If you want to read it, here is the chapter (the commentary will be in 2 parts) : Arc 4 Interlude II: "The Guests have left" Sekhmet: "Letting him go like that, huh. Was it okay, huh?" Echidna: "It was his decision, his choice. I want to respect that. But I can't help feeling conflicted about him taking her hand and leaving holding that Thing’s hand" In response to Sekhmet's languid voice, Echidna shrugs her shoulders on the spot. They are still in the Castle of Dreams, with no change in the grassy fields and blue sky. The cool breeze blew through, gently stroking the witches' hair. The fractured world swallowed Subaru and Satella, and released them from the dream. Soon after, the world was repaired again. Naturally. The space connected to Echidna's soul, which cannot be destroyed, will maintain this state as long as Echidna exists. It was only an extravagant performance to drive away the departing guests. Echidna: “However, I can't help but feel tired when you use it so much. It would be helpful if you could run around treating people with a little more moderation” Minerva: “I only heal wounds that are within my reach, according to my own way of doing things. I don't discriminate between humans, witches, animals, birds, fish, insects, or magical beasts. The wounds of living things are my enemies!" Echidna: "Even so, the burden of your actions here comes to me, unlike when you were alive. When you were alive, the World was shouldering the burden, so can't you imagine how hard it is when such a burden falls on me alone?" Minerva: "I don't care about fatigue or things that can't be seen. I heal wounds. I don't care if the world's lifespan shortens or not” The witches sighed as Minerva crossed her arms and emphasized her voluptuous chest with her declaration. Minerva, the Witch of Wrath, is often seen as the most approachable, or even harmless of the seven witches who bear the names of the seven deadly sins. In fact, all of her actions are nothing but healing, and it is likely that the number of lives saved by her hand in the world at that time would not be contained in the five digits. However, it was also Minerva who indirectly caused the same amount of damage. All destructive energy, such as punching, kicking, and biting, is converted into healing energy if it is emitted from her hand. This ritual is not something that anyone other than her can imitate, because it is the authority of [Wrath]. Even Echidna cannot reproduce it, even if she understands the structure. Minerva's healing blows keep all living things away from threats that threaten their lives. It seems like a kind of omnipotent authority, but it is a mistake. The healing power of her fist is the result of a powerful ritual that twists causality, and it consumes a tremendous amount of mana every time it is activated. It is a quantity that is not possible for a single human to afford, and even with Minerva's magical aptitude as a witch, it is impossible. Then, where does her blow takes mana from? The answer is simple: it takes it from the core of the world. Normally, when humans use magic, they absorb mana from the atmosphere through a gate, convert it into magical energy, and then release it from the gate again. In Minerva's case, the gate is not connected to the atmosphere, but directly to the core of the world. It's hard to express what the core of the world is, but it is essentially a huge collection of supernatural mana, or in other words, the place where mana is born. Minerva's blows extract mana from it and convert it into healing blows. However, repeating this process can lead to an event where the mana that should be supplied to the original location is not distributed, causing a dangerous depletion of mana, which is a vital component of the world, in areas that are not reached. This can trigger disasters and natural calamities. The number of people she directly healed by punching is over five digits. However, the number of people who died in the natural disasters she indirectly caused is also comparable. Therefore, the Witch of Wrath, Minerva, was considered the most dangerous of the seven witches with the names of the seven deadly sins, and is regarded with hostility by all nations. Minerva: “Here, the mana I can draw out is only the amount that Echidna has. You can't heal or cure more than what's needed before you become parched, so I'm not satisfied" Echidna: "In the first place, there should be no reason for injuries to occur here. It's just that it was too noisy here for a while, and it almost caused a misunderstanding" Minerva: "Yes... It's been noisy for a while, hasn't it?" Minerva's momentum is dampened by Echidna's words. She has an understandable look of discouragement on her cute face as she looks up at the blue sky with her blonde hair and said, Minerva: " Do you think he can handle it? I'm really worried” Echidna: “My hands, which should have been able to handle it without a doubt, were rejected. In any case, he should be scrambling to make it work. It seems that he hasn't found the answer yet, though" Minerva: "What's with that way of saying it? You led him to brush off your hand yourself, and you're trying to hide your true intentions from us, even though we know the truth? It doesn't make any sense!" Echidna: "I didn't mean to be rejected. It's just that I would have been fine either way, whether he rejected me or accepted me." In response to Minerva, who was scowling, Echidna sat down at the table she had re-created. Then, she snapped her fingers to create a teacup and tilted it to her lips. Echidna: "I affirm choices and the results of choices. I don't think the results matter much. The fact that he chose, or the fact that he didn't choose, either one is important. I am proud to say that I am a person who can enjoy either outcome, good or bad" Daphne: "But... that doesn't mean you don't have any preference, does it? " A black-painted coffin slowly lined up next to Echidna, who was sipping her tea. Daphne, who had somehow returned to the coffin, was greedily devouring the tea cakes on the table like a dog. Daphne: "You say you respect the results, but you don't hesitate to lead to the results you want, don't you, Dona-Dona? It is true that it was okay either way, but isn't it also true that you were glad that it turned out this way?" Echidna: "You're a child who doesn't care about others, but you always hit the nail on the head, Daphne" Daphne: "It's just that compared to the hunger that has been bothering Daphne all the time, it's not worth thinking about. Haa haa, fumofumo" As Daphne ate past the tea cakes and started chewing on the plates, Echidna sighed and looked at the other witches who began to sit down at the remaining seats. Lazily, with undisguised anger, and with a look of trepidation on their face――and with a particularly stern look in their eyes, she was the only one
It’s a bit unfortunate so many ppl take this as proof that Echidna was actually just trying to make him not take her deal and whatever, but that’s so wrong. It reminds me of ppl’s obsession with Rem, the aspect of her that makes her obsess over caring for Subaru and ignore the other aspects of her character. It’s indicative of that desire to only like a female character if she’s “of use” to a man and cares for them. Rather than focus on the fact that was being genuine, even if manipulative, and didn’t mind the rejection, she still wanted the contract. This isn’t some 4D chess to teach Subaru a lesson, she wanted something but accepted she was turned down. She respects consent in making choices.
I just want to remind people that Subaru stopped relying on others for many reasons: 1) first thing happening is he loses Rem after having relied on her so much. And he watches others die similarly over and over afterwards. Even has the trials tell him they might have died PERMANENTLY multiple times. To save him. 2) he still can't tell them about return by death, meanwhile what is essentially "the enemy" or at least antagonists of Echidna and Roswaal both know so much more than anyone else is allowed to, and he tried to rely on them only to be manipulated far more than he ever managed. 3) Roswaal has been behind the scenes turning him against all of them at some point. He is the one ordering both Frederica and Ram especially, but has also had an influence on Garfiel's actions, Frederica and Ram are both contracted whereas Garfiel along with Sanctuary generally have him as their lord, remember in arc 2 he headed somewhere to meet someone? That was Garfiel, he had Emilia being trapped and Subaru taking the trials planned all the way back then. To Subaru, Frederica was once someone who betrayed them and invited Elsa to kill them, Ram works for Roswaal and has forgotten her sister, Beatrice was once a witch cultist, Garfiel killed the villagers, Echidna betrayed him, Ryuzu imprisoned him, and Petra Emilia and Otto are being dragged into suffering for him. He's had it in him to forgive and change his impressions of them, but definitely not to trust and work with them, and anyway Otto is the only one really approachable for that (and Subaru thinks of him as someone who is just... Randomly there, the most out of place of them all who didn't even ask for a job like Petra but was handed over from Ricardo after being freed).
I remember some of your earlier reactions you acted very angry towards Satella because what kind of a monster would subject Subaru to all of this and all I could think of was this episode and what you'd think of this revelation because it completely recontextualizes the nature of Satella and Return by Death. Her intention was never to deliberately put him in horrible situations that forced him to constantly die, all Return by Death is "meant" for is she just wants him to live so when he dies she brings him back, that's it, if she had her way he would never actually have to use Return by Death at all.
One important information you get from the conversation between Subaru and Roswaal is that he is the main "villain" since ep. 1. He contracted Elsa to get the insignia and is literally the reason Subaru got into his situation now.
In Season 1, Subaru had to come to terms that he had been selfish in terms of helping Emilia just to get her attention and praise. He wanted to be the center of her world; he wasn't doing it for _her_ benefit, he was helping her for *his own* benefit. But now, he's swung too far in the opposite direction. He overcorrected and, while he's genuinely trying to act for the benefit of others, instead of selfishly hogging praise, he's selfishly hogging the burden and suffering for it. He's treating it as if he, alone, is the *only* one capable of solving anything. Which means as the single pillar of support that is Subaru keeps failing, nothing can ever be saved. He won't allow them to be saved except by his own sacrifices because he can go back and undo any big problems, except his own. It's just another kind of selfishness. It comes down to moderation. You can't help people if you destroy yourself in the process. Not only will you fail, you'll drag them down with you. And even if you succeed, everyone who cares about you is hurt that you're so hurt in the process. "You don't have to set yourself on fire to keep others warm."
This episode really changes your perspective on a lot of things involving Satella. . . . Theory time. if you think I am wrong because of some thing that happened way ahead in the LN or Web Novel, please don't correct me. This is a theory based only on anime content. . . . . "I swear I'll save you". If I remember right, Subaru has only said this dialogue 3 times in the whole anime. First was in ep1, where he was holding the hands of a dying woman who looked like Satella and called herself Satella. For Subaru, she was Satella at that moment. The second time was in Season 2, when Satella possesses Emilia's body to come into the Sanctuary and engulf everyone. When Subaru stabs himself with the handkerchief, she looks at him and starts crying. Subaru gently wipes her tears and says it. The third time was this episode, when the castle of dreams cracks and he holds her hand and promises once again. It's like a part of him remembers that promise everytime he sees her. I am starting to think that maybe the reason he was obsessively in love with Emilia in the first season was because she looked like Satella. Like he is subconsciously drawn to her because he once loved Satella in a now forgotten reality. I am really excited to see if this is something intentional or I am just grasping at made up straws here. Eitherway, I know I will be thoroughly entertained.
Satella is most likely the future Emilia, and Flugel is most likely the future Subaru. That would explain why Subaru likes Emilia so much and why Satella likes Subaru so much, also the season 1 ending in Flugel's tree is really interesting...
something from the LN that was skipped Satella has a condition of personality disorder the witch of envy and satella are two different ppl what happened in the tea party that was skipped is when she arrives minerva goes to ask who she is satella or the witch if i remember correctly
@@xxGachaholic I'm not sure about this fun fact either LOL but as I remember, If the veil does exist or not, it's see through and Subaru is the only one who can't see her face.
@@lucy5948 I know you’re referring to the LN, but the anime and LN have slight deviations. I’m not disagreeing with you lol but yeah that’s interesting. They cut Satella out of the anime a lot. Like for example, arc 1 she’s next to Subaru whispering “I love you I love you I love you” every time he dies, though you don’t know it’s her yet it’s implied when later he starts accumulating the witches scent. In the anime that whole beginning arc is way more confusing cuz you have nothing but the heart grabbing scene to go off…
I'm not sure if you guys actually grasped what Echidnas contract actually was to get Subaru to his goal. In the light novel it is explained more at the time. She promises that she will lead him to the outcome he desires but she is greedy and must know every outcome and possibilities. She was going to have go through every scenario possible so she can experience and learn all that she can because of every outcome and death Subaru have to learn through his experiences. They have alternative light novels if Subaru did things a bit different and he becomes numb to death, even going so far as killing himself to tell someone what the weather will be the next day.
Subaru likes to blame other people for his own choices, Satella never ordered him to take the hardest path, he's the one that keeps getting back up and moving in that direction, all she did was give him return by death so he wouldn't ever get check mated, and stopped him from telling other people about it because if his enemy's found out about it they could counter it by doing something like using a sealing spell on him to prevent him from dying. He could have just left Emilia to her fate and went off by himself..
as you get closer and closer to the end of season 2, with 3 on the way some time this year, would you consider watching the "re:zero break time" shorts and "Otto diaries" shorts? They're a collection of chibi shorts that released along with each episode that are sometimes fun and sometimes cover extra lore tidbits, which I think you'd enjoy!
I'm torn on who to pick for craziest Witch, is it Typhon for her child-like view of the world or is it Satella for her creepy obsession with Subaru? It's definitely not the adorable Tsundere Minerva (even though her past shows just how crazy she is shh no spoilers)
It was left out for some reason but Satella and witch of envy arentwo separate personalities. Both love Subaru but Satella is the kinder yet sadder one. And The Witch of envy is the crazy possessive one.
The crazy part is, Satella is the one who killed the witches not WoE. But still, the witches likes Satella than the WoE... I can't even imagine how terrifying the WoE is...
At the beginning of the series, Subaru basically had a very poor opinion of himself to the point where he wanted his parents to hate him just as much as he hated himself and he projected all of his value as a person towards the first person that showed him any kind of kindness towards him (Emilia). Which meant that any insult directed towards Emilia he perceived it as an insult towards himself. And that's why he ended up acting in a very inappropriate way during the beginning of the royal selection. I think it's important to mention this to understand just how important is for him to realize that he does worth something in this episode and that his life isn't only for him. It's for everyone who genuinely cares about him as well. And that he should be aware of the fact that if there's people that cares and would cry for him if he dies it's because he's important to them and because they see that he does has value beyond what he thought of himself and of what he believed to be the only thing he could do for them. He needed to realize that he indeed was worth something and that he doesn't need to carry his burdens alone because there's people around him that care about him and would want to help him.
No exaggeration, this episode affected me so much personally. It's the main reason that Re:Zero became my favorite series of all time. This may be a bit personal, but I watched this episode during the time in my life when I had a few problems that were affecting me, but didn't make me feel anything but resignation. I was actually really worried about the fact that so many things around me during that time weren't making me feel anything. I genuinely thought I somehow lost my ability to feel. Even food didn't taste as good for a time. Then I watched this episode, glued to my screen and cried my eyes out, ate my favourite meal that suddenly tasted amazing again, and talked with my mother who made me feel a lot better about the bad stuff, and made me more aware of the positive emotions I felt towards other stuff. That is why I will always recommend this anime to people who I know will appreciate a good piece of character writing. Nothing tops Re:Zero when it comes to true human emotion.
I had a really similar experience with season 1 episode 11, when Rem is telling Subaru all of her insecurities and feelings of guilt and inferiority. I had a big moment realizing “holy crap, I feel almost the exact same way about myself as she does”, and it prompted me to reflect on myself and reach out for help. I honestly owe the author (and Rem as a character) a lot for how much that helped me.
Much as I like this season, this episode in particular really frustrates me because of all the stuff left on the cutting room floor. The nature of Satella/Witch of Envy, hints at Subaru's grander role in this world, the characterizations and relationships of the Witches, Daphne strutting around, etc. I cannot comprehend why they decided to do it this way. Unlike season 1 where they cut off the end of the arc to end on a happy note, there is no good place for this stuff to be reinserted. I implore everyone to check out AniNews's cut content vid for this episode, if not reading the series yourself.
probably because the point of this scene is about subaru loving himself. the distinction between the woe and satella, while important for the grander story, arent really important for the emotions of this scene. in fact, that’s distinction, while important to us, is not at all important for subaru. same with mentioning subaru was a sage candidate, although im fairly certain this line was removed from the LN. the one scene im actually upset about them cutting was the one after subarus talk with roswaal. the anime makes it seem thats what caused him to run away in despair. but in the novel, its because emilia told him she doesn’t need to protect her anymore. that she wants to look out for herself and that she doesn’t subaru to constantly save her. thats what breaks subaru, because thats exactly the main thing keeping him going here. his main pillar of support was taken down. and he hadnt been treating emilia like she has any choice in the matter. which is extremely important cuz choice and autonomy are a major theme in this arc. it also explains why subaru was so ready to let emilia clear the trial. in the anime, he talks to roswaal because he DOESNT want emilia to do it. but then he’s suddenly okay with it after this episode. it also completely recontextualizes their relationship. which is built on trust and mutual understanding. its no coincidence that when subaru has this conversation with roswaal that takes away his OWN choice, his OWN autonomy, and is being forced by someone elses expectations of him that he talks to emilia. it’s entirely important because subaru, while not on purpose, was doing this to emilia.
Probably cuz they had to cut out a lot in general (skipping commercial ad revenue to fit 29 mins of story with intros most of the time) they probably had to make many tuff decisions. Not to mention not knowing if they'd be able to animate s3 or if it'd drop
Author also confirmed they are separate entities........and they cut some content from the novel *SPOILERS* THE witch of Envy and Satella are 2 separate personalities/entities. That apparently started due to satellas bad match up with her witch factor(forget the literal name for what I'm thinking of)
@edsonaugusto3552 nah, author in an interview stated they are separate beings......so even if time travel was the case, they'd still be considered the same person per se I think
@@TrinitytheApostle Even so, he could be lying... Anyway, I only saw the anime, I have two theories about Subaru and the Witch's relationship. One that Satella is Emília from another timeline or multiverse perhaps, and the other that Subaru is the reincarnation of some witch's lover in the past. Again, I haven't read the light novel so I don't know if these theories already have holes.
![[V3] Aglaea E0S1 | MOC 12 Phase 1 and 2 | Hsr 3.0](/img/n.gif)
This episode literally turns the trajectory of the show in its entirety. Satella being portrayed as not the scary monster we thought of her as, but as someone who is trying to help is groundbreaking. We have been taught to fear her for so long. Also, ReZero has mid season breaks. After this episode, it was MONTHS before the next one came out. Happy you guys don’t have to wait.
Not spoiler but something stated in LN but skipped in anime:
Apparently Satella has a condition of personality disorder which causes there will be two personalities:Satella and witch of envy. The times we see her shadow tormenting and hunting subaru it was the witch of envy persona thats why there is a major difference between what we see this episode and what we saw on previous occasions spooking subaru. Hopefully anime will address this on later seasons
Satella best girl stocks went off the charts this episode
@@behshads1505it's cause the witch factor
Only in season 2, season 1 aired consecutively
@@ShinNagatsuki And season 3 now too😭got a bad timing to start watching re:zero
Oh, the Echidona pillow is gone😂
bro recovered 😂
Haha😂😂
So sad 😂
One of my favorite moments is hearing Satella and Subaru talk. Excerpt from the web novel about it if anyone is interested. I dont think there is any spoilers but lowering it just incase.
[Satella: I, love you. ――Because you gave me light. It was you who took me by the hand, and showed me the world outside. In the nights when I was lonely and afraid, you held my hand. And when I was all alone, you kissed me on the lips and told me that I wasn’t. You’ve given me so, so much. ……That’s why, I love you. Because you… _you gave me everything_
[Subaru: ――――]
Subaru couldn’t recall doing a single thing that Satella had whispered.
He had no part in it, it had nothing to do with him. Whether it was meeting Satella, trading words with her, or sharing a single feeling of warmth. Everything she said had been the product of her delusions. The arrayed, empty fantasies of a woman crazed with longing.
That was how it should be. And yet, “Natsuki Subaru” remembered.
[Subaru: Why is this…… inside me, what is this? I don’t want this feeling. Don’t try to bind me… with memories that can’t exist…… you… you… I…… tk]
“I hate you”, was all he needed to say.
All he had to do was stab the girl who offered him these feelings with the fact that he didn’t have the slightest affection for her. Once he does, he would be able to see the look on the face of the one who had selfishly sought to warp his heart. Surely, it would be an expression magnificently twisted by heartbreak.
―― _But, how could you do that to her?_
I feel like there has to be time travel fuckery going on.
Or reincarnation or linked lives/universes
The things Satella says sound a LOT like what Subaru says when he's trying to explain what Emilia and the others have done for him in worlds they never experienced. It's entirely possible that Subaru and Satella have a shared history that was erased by her Authority, and she's the only one who got to keep the memories.
Does this have to do with the Shadow Garden thing?
It's most likely about Flugel and 400 years ago.
It sounds like what he did for Emilia. My pet theory (not having seen any spoilers) is that she’s just Emilia from the future, and that’s why she asks him to kill her at some point. Might also be Emilia from a lost timeline.
I believe we can now name Patrasche as the best girl and Otto as the best boy.
Otto will always be best waifu though
Satella Will aways be the best girl
You are all wrong, Priscilla is the best girl 🔥
@@koboi491 lmao ok aldebaran
One of the very early, and most important Lessons Subaru touched on when he first got in this world was learning that he is powerless and needs to rely on others for some assistance, but that he can still get great things done if he relinquishes his "Pride".
Pride was the first Sin he over came, way back in episode 3(?) when he screamed like a girl to ask the guards for help. He literally said out loud "I've learned my lesson" and cried for help. This let him meet Reinhard (a literal demi-god in this world) and is what set him on the path he's currently on.
Self-hatred, or maybe self-absorbed self-doubt and vilification is actually another form of Pride. Because pride is not the same as arrogance. Pride is narcicissm, it's self-obsession, putting thoughts of yourself before thoughts of reality(God, in the Christian sense) and of others' well-being is what truly constitutes Pride.
Subaru isn't wrong in that he loves others, he's wrong in that he doesn't care about(or cannot recognize) how much others love him. He's throwing their feelings for him away and only considering how he feels about them. That's is the most interesting conceptualization of Pride i've ever seen.
Various interpretations of what it means to hold these "Sins" is part of what makes Re:Zero's writing and magic system interesting.
Echinda is the which of Greed, but instead of money, she wants as much observed knowledge and experience as possible, even if it's bad. It is greedy in the extreme, but different than what you'd think.
It asks the question "what is true greed?", and answered "the unending desire for anything that supersedes the desires of others".
It asks the question "what is true pride?", and answered "thinking and acting purely for one's own perspective and desire"
That's why Betelgeuse thought he was a candidate for Pride. That's why Typhon, the Witch of Pride, took an interest in evaluating him.
Pride was his first challenge; It is the root of his character.
I think learning of Subaru's Pride being interpreted as his self-absorbed self-doubt, and having it challenged and referenced as a major aspect of his character so often is an incredible way to write a character study. I love this show.
His self-doubt and self-worth is something Subaru is going to have to CONSTANTLY face in this story. This is nowhere close to the last time he's going to lapse into a state of desperation due to his own selfish, self-absorbed thoughts and behavior, but he will overcome it, and I LOVE watching and reading him do it.
I haven't read the LN but Subaru biting his tongue is the darkest moment in the anime so far, he has zero expectation of being able to return in the Dream Castle and it's the first time he just offed himself for no other reason than wanting to end it all. The man was at the precipice of hopelessness and jumped anyway
I have read the light novels up to volume 15, and in them Subaru's suicide in arc 2/ep 7 is not all that different except he puts on the front that he's taking control of his life etc. At that time he frames it as if he wants to get to know them, if Rem and Ram really are these people who held his hand while he was having nightmares and perhaps not everything was a pretence after all, they didn't simply hate him and lie.
... But his actual mindset is closer to thinking, if that's the sort of person she is and she died in place of me when I finally survived the loop, and now I've lost my place in this mansion I was coming to love, I don't want to continue living in this world. He could jump because he really did feel ready to kill himself, whether or not he'd be brought back. So this is actually the second time he's settled on suicide to that extent with that meaning. The first time he's bluffing, the second he's just full on despairing.
This is like Ben's dream come true arc haha. Otto's reaching out! I love how lore heavy and well-done the character arcs are in this show.
I love that this episode shows Roswaal has been on of the main antagonists all the show. Arc 1 he sent Elsa at Emilia Arc 2 he sent Maylee to the village. Arc 3 he dipped out before the cults attack and left it unguarded so Subaru would have to deal with it. Arc 4 he left for the sanctuary as bait and set Elsa and maylee on the mansion. The entire series he has been following his gospel which supposedly tells him the actions he must take to see the future he desires.
Fun fact and *SPOILER* He actually only hired Elsa, and tells Subaru that someone else hired Maylee to go with her in this current arc
you can tell how invested ben is, he’s barely speaking for the episode now lmaooo. i think its okay tho, their discussions at the end are really nice
also another parallel to point is the comparison with subarus parents and what roswaal and echidna want from subaru. remember subaru had a lot of expectations on himself because of his dad. but his dad never forced him to do anything, they waited until he was ready. until he made a choice. roswaal is forcing subaru to be like him. hes a paternal authority figure forcing these expectations onto subaru. which juxtapose his relationship with his dad.
echidna on the other hand represents a maternal figure for subaru (not in a weird way). she just parallels his relationship with his mom. subarus mom was always watching him, just like echidna is now. but she does it out of genuine worry while echidna does i to manipulate subaru. his mom also told him not to worry about the beginning or middle, but the end. that as long as he can smile when its over, everything will be okay. echidna on the other hand creates a bastardization of his moms advice. echidna also cares about the end in the same way, but she also doesn’t care what happens in the middle or what she has to do to achieve it. she’s willing to sacrifice anything. and doesnt care how subaru will feel, only what results are.
subaru overcame his struggle against echidna. choosing to care about others, and to care about himself. but hes yet to overcome his struggle against roswaal, who’s expectations are being forced on him. removing subarus autonomy by forcing him into 2 choices.
all these themes kinda come around to someone’s autonomy and ability to choose. especially when beatrice is so important to the story. beatrice was never given a choice. and the other characters in this arc were also removed from their choices, which we’ll see later on. being able to choose for yourself, self love, and toxic expectations are huge themes of this arc.
Back to back banger episodes. The show had JUST convinced Subaru and the viewer to have the resolve to die and restart as many times as needed to gather info to save everyone. That only Subaru needs to know hell and suffering. We cheered him on. And then as soon as he makes that powerful declaration shatters it with the possibility of multiverse theory and the exact opposite conviction of saving himself and never throwing his lives away. It can feel like going in circles, but there's so much growth and re-evaluating. So good.
The conversation around comfort characters at 22:17 is really interesting, because I had a really uncomfortable “this character is a lot like me” moment with the first season of Re:Zero.
In season 1, when Rem was talking about all the ways she feels inferior and unworthy, it hit me really hard because I have a similar mindset about a lot of the people I look up to in my own life. So Rem is my favorite character because she’s sort of a “discomfort character” to me, and that forces me to take the narrative more seriously.
Part II
Echidna: "Typhon seems to be very angry" Echidna remarks,
Typhon: "It is because Dona is not honest. Isn't not being honest the same as being a liar? Liars are bad, right? Is Dona bad?"
Echidna: "I am acting honestly in accordance with what I desire. I don't remember lying, at least not yet"
Echidna answered without hesitation to Typhon's straightforward statement.
Echidna's clever wordplay was able to fool the young Typhon. Echidna knows that if she angers her, it will put the lives of everyone in the room at risk.
Punishing the guilty and judging the sinner are just a part of Typhon's authority of “Pride”. But seeing Typhon satisfied as if she had been convinced by Echidna's words, the next to speak in a low voice is the witch buried in a ball of fur.
Sekhmet: "Talking with a hidden intention is, well. It's not a lie, but it's a convenient thing, isn't it, huh?"
Carmilla: "E-kidona-chan is really...m, troublesome, child, isn't she..."
Echidna: "You guys..."
As Echidna, who is under fire, frowns, the other witches relax their lips when they see her.
The only one who is raising her eyebrows at the situation is Minerva.
Sekhmet: "Minerva, how long are you going to sulk, huh? We all agreed on this after a discussion, huh... We knew this would happen when the sage candidate arrived... huh"
Minerva: “Will you just shut up? I get it already. I agreed to the discussion just fine. It's just that I'm not in the same position as you guys to just let it go. I hope you understand that too”
Daphne: " For Met-Met who hangs out all the time with Ty-Ty, it is natural she wouldn't understand. Don't you think everyone spends too much of their lives on things other than eating to live?”
In response to Daphne's interruption, Minerva and Sekhmet both snorted in dissatisfaction.
Although the tea party between the witches is relatively balanced, they are originally a group of beings with strong egos. It is more common for their opinions to clash, and it is not uncommon for them to argue in this way.
Especially Minerva, who would poke anyone, and Sekhmet, who disliked conflict, would often have small skirmishes. Every time, Daphne, who would interrupt without reading the air and get to the heart of the matter, would interfere. It was also always the case that the argument would end in a stalemate.
Minerva is angry, Sekhmet is taking her on, Daphne is adding fuel to the fire, Carmilla is trying to keep Typhon from exploding, Echidna is watching them with amusement, and Satella is smiling as she watches the six of them, safe and sound. That was something that happened four hundred years ago, and it will never happen again.
Satella went insane due to her witch factor, Minerva went mad and died in a trap, Carmilla was burned to ashes in a fire, Daphne died of dehydration in a sea of sand, Typhon was drowned in the water, Sekhmet killed a dragon and fell into a waterfall, and Echidna collected only their souls and herself was also bound to the present world with only her soul.
This is an incomplete reproduction of those days that will never come back.
Carmilla: "Ekidona-chan... are you sad? You look sad, don't you?"
Echidna: "Why? There's no reason for me to be sad. You're all here, and I have opportunities to interact with the outside world to some extent. There Is nothing else I need" Echidna replied,
Carmilla: "Is that okay? We're... just souls, so we're not the real us, right? We're... already dead. No one can really be with Echidna-chan... right...?" Carmilla said, her voice breaking intermittently,
In the intermittent words of Carmilla, Echidna stammered for a moment.
Echidna’s power allows these women, who have lost their bodies and become beings of only souls, to have a temporary body in the form of a spiritual construct.
Echidna has prepared vessels and placed the souls within them.
However, the souls are frozen in time at the moment of their deaths, and they have not changed since then. So, is the Carmilla who is looking at Echidna now truly Carmilla?
Is Echidna manipulating the bodies by eliciting the reactions from the souls inherent to them during their lifetime and having it play like a puppet show guided by her own desires?
In fact, they share Echidna’s knowledge.
How can it be said that their existence does not arise from within Echidna? - This is already a discussion that has been thought through many times.
Echidna: " You, who are a bundle of narcissism, it's rare for you to worry about me, even if you're a friend. Have you been influenced by his noisiness and kindness?"
Carmilla: "I-I don't... know... you're... stupid, Echidna-chan."
Carmilla said with a disappointed look on her face in response to Echidna's answer, which was a deception of her true feelings.
Echidna couldn't help but laugh at her answer, which made her throat rumble.
When the other witches noticed Echidna's reaction, they turned their gazes to her.
Bathed in their gaze, Echidna spread her arms and said,
Echidna: "Well, the tea party will be for the witches only for a while. He, Natsuki Subaru, will probably never set foot here again"
Minerva: "Are you okay with that? I don't care if you're lonely or anything like that, but you said something at the end, right? About the compensation and things like that, aren't you supposed to be noisy about that?"
Echidna: " Compensation... oh, that too. A farewell gift for him, who is expected to face hardship - would you laugh at me if I said that?"
The witches exchanged glances as Echidna, her chin in her hand, pondered.
Then they nodded and spoke in unison,
Witches: "――Of course not"
Echidna: " Hmm, I was more highly regarded than I thought..."
Minerva: "Because it's impossible for you to just lend a helping hand without getting any compensation."
Minerva, who had her arms crossed, said firmly, and the witches nodded in agreement.
Echidna closed her eyes and then cleared her throat.
Echidna: "I think there are many things I need to talk to you about. Truly, what is that you think of me?"
Witches: "――――"
Echidna: "However, well..."
In front of the silent witches, Echidna drank the contents of her cup, licked her lips seductively with her red tongue, and said,
Echidna: “Well, you're not entirely wrong"
I know why you're both thinking that it's looking at a person as if they're not equal to you - it's how the majority of people see this sort of problem and it's the most normal of responses, after all it feels like Subaru isn't looking at others as if they're equal to him.
But it's not, it's Subaru seeing himself as being worthless - this is very different than "hating" himself, he does but it's a separate thing to the worthlessness he feels for himself - everything Subaru does is in his view never good enough, from his helping Emilia, Rem and Ram, Crusch and now the Sanctuary, all of it is in his mind falling short of the mark of being minimally enough.
He showed Rem that her same mindset of thinking nothing of herself isn't right and he fought and brought her to the point of wanting to live her life fully, but he'll argue he's not doing enough. And again it's not got anything to do with him thinking he is "better" than others, but that he's "nothing" compared to them, because Subaru sees the things he does as being barely enough if that and placing roles and responsibilities on his shoulders endlessly because he should take it.
it's a spiral mindset of self-destruction that invariably leads to what he nearly did at the tea party.
And I know this sounds insane, a rational person looking at this will not understand how this works, but this is suicidal depression and just for the record with it...
Subaru blames himself for wanting to kill himself because he blames himself for not being good enough to save Rem and is sure that he'll fail others and lose them because Subaru is a failure at life because he doesn't do things good enough and it will end up losing everyone around him because eventually they'll hate him for not being good enough so why not kill himself...
And then the cycle begins again. That's how his mind works in this situation and it's how a lot of people with this type of depression think.
Someone who gets the meaning of Realise 😭 also, noone can ever talk Subaru out of it because only he knows the real Subaru, they don't know his failures so how can their words mean anything? They only like him because they were tricked into it because he died and reset and now they don't know how much they suffered because of him because he died but he shouldn't have allowed himself to die as those people suffered for it so now he can't ever make up for it and all he's given them is suffering...
Rem's speech was supposed to show him that's wrong but now she's gone and he's caved into it without her there. And she's the only one who knew he was lying about so many things yet fully trusted him and didn't need the full truth, now the one who trusted him most is gone he blames himself so much.
This is why I hate Subaru haters. He's just all the suffering and mental spiralling and even his worst actions aren't blameless but are definitely linked to the story as well as his actual personality.
There is an IF story written by the author about what would happen if Subaru took Echidna's contract. It is very recommanded to react to AFTER FINISHING THIS SEASON.
Besides, there is a very interesting feature about the interaction between Garfiel and Subaru. The author keeps showing that Garfiel's attitude to Subaru are very different in each loop. It is an implication about that all Subaru focusing on was the "information and puzzles" and he ignores his ownself, and Garfiel reacts to Subaru's attitude and behavior which includes what he said, acted, and reacted.
After the Roswall scene in this episode SO MUCH of season one looks different.
Specially for Ben, since you have an Echidna pillow :) There is a short interlude chapter that takes place right after Subaru and Satella left Echidna's Tea Party, but it has been omitted and will almost certainly not be mentioned ever again. This is a chapter from the witche's perspective exclusively at Echidna's tea party, where they discuss what just happened there. It is a short chapter filled with extremely valuable information about all the witches and especially about Echidna and her motives. It will raise a lot of questions for you and make you reconsider some things you've already seen/learned. If you want to read it, here is the chapter (the commentary will be in 2 parts) :
Arc 4 Interlude II: "The Guests have left"
Sekhmet: "Letting him go like that, huh. Was it okay, huh?"
Echidna: "It was his decision, his choice. I want to respect that. But I can't help feeling conflicted about him taking her hand and leaving holding that Thing’s hand"
In response to Sekhmet's languid voice, Echidna shrugs her shoulders on the spot.
They are still in the Castle of Dreams, with no change in the grassy fields and blue sky. The cool breeze blew through, gently stroking the witches' hair.
The fractured world swallowed Subaru and Satella, and released them from the dream. Soon after, the world was repaired again.
Naturally. The space connected to Echidna's soul, which cannot be destroyed, will maintain this state as long as Echidna exists. It was only an extravagant performance to drive away the departing guests.
Echidna: “However, I can't help but feel tired when you use it so much. It would be helpful if you could run around treating people with a little more moderation”
Minerva: “I only heal wounds that are within my reach, according to my own way of doing things. I don't discriminate between humans, witches, animals, birds, fish, insects, or magical beasts. The wounds of living things are my enemies!"
Echidna: "Even so, the burden of your actions here comes to me, unlike when you were alive. When you were alive, the World was shouldering the burden, so can't you imagine how hard it is when such a burden falls on me alone?"
Minerva: "I don't care about fatigue or things that can't be seen. I heal wounds. I don't care if the world's lifespan shortens or not”
The witches sighed as Minerva crossed her arms and emphasized her voluptuous chest with her declaration.
Minerva, the Witch of Wrath, is often seen as the most approachable, or even harmless of the seven witches who bear the names of the seven deadly sins.
In fact, all of her actions are nothing but healing, and it is likely that the number of lives saved by her hand in the world at that time would not be contained in the five digits.
However, it was also Minerva who indirectly caused the same amount of damage.
All destructive energy, such as punching, kicking, and biting, is converted into healing energy if it is emitted from her hand. This ritual is not something that anyone other than her can imitate, because it is the authority of [Wrath]. Even Echidna cannot reproduce it, even if she understands the structure.
Minerva's healing blows keep all living things away from threats that threaten their lives. It seems like a kind of omnipotent authority, but it is a mistake.
The healing power of her fist is the result of a powerful ritual that twists causality, and it consumes a tremendous amount of mana every time it is activated. It is a quantity that is not possible for a single human to afford, and even with Minerva's magical aptitude as a witch, it is impossible.
Then, where does her blow takes mana from? The answer is simple: it takes it from the core of the world.
Normally, when humans use magic, they absorb mana from the atmosphere through a gate, convert it into magical energy, and then release it from the gate again.
In Minerva's case, the gate is not connected to the atmosphere, but directly to the core of the world. It's hard to express what the core of the world is, but it is essentially a huge collection of supernatural mana, or in other words, the place where mana is born.
Minerva's blows extract mana from it and convert it into healing blows.
However, repeating this process can lead to an event where the mana that should be supplied to the original location is not distributed, causing a dangerous depletion of mana, which is a vital component of the world, in areas that are not reached. This can trigger disasters and natural calamities.
The number of people she directly healed by punching is over five digits.
However, the number of people who died in the natural disasters she indirectly caused is also comparable.
Therefore, the Witch of Wrath, Minerva, was considered the most dangerous of the seven witches with the names of the seven deadly sins, and is regarded with hostility by all nations.
Minerva: “Here, the mana I can draw out is only the amount that Echidna has. You can't heal or cure more than what's needed before you become parched, so I'm not satisfied"
Echidna: "In the first place, there should be no reason for injuries to occur here. It's just that it was too noisy here for a while, and it almost caused a misunderstanding"
Minerva: "Yes... It's been noisy for a while, hasn't it?"
Minerva's momentum is dampened by Echidna's words. She has an understandable look of discouragement on her cute face as she looks up at the blue sky with her blonde hair and said,
Minerva: " Do you think he can handle it? I'm really worried”
Echidna: “My hands, which should have been able to handle it without a doubt, were rejected. In any case, he should be scrambling to make it work. It seems that he hasn't found the answer yet, though"
Minerva: "What's with that way of saying it? You led him to brush off your hand yourself, and you're trying to hide your true intentions from us, even though we know the truth? It doesn't make any sense!"
Echidna: "I didn't mean to be rejected. It's just that I would have been fine either way, whether he rejected me or accepted me."
In response to Minerva, who was scowling, Echidna sat down at the table she had re-created. Then, she snapped her fingers to create a teacup and tilted it to her lips.
Echidna: "I affirm choices and the results of choices. I don't think the results matter much. The fact that he chose, or the fact that he didn't choose, either one is important. I am proud to say that I am a person who can enjoy either outcome, good or bad"
Daphne: "But... that doesn't mean you don't have any preference, does it? "
A black-painted coffin slowly lined up next to Echidna, who was sipping her tea. Daphne, who had somehow returned to the coffin, was greedily devouring the tea cakes on the table like a dog.
Daphne: "You say you respect the results, but you don't hesitate to lead to the results you want, don't you, Dona-Dona? It is true that it was okay either way, but isn't it also true that you were glad that it turned out this way?"
Echidna: "You're a child who doesn't care about others, but you always hit the nail on the head, Daphne"
Daphne: "It's just that compared to the hunger that has been bothering Daphne all the time, it's not worth thinking about. Haa haa, fumofumo"
As Daphne ate past the tea cakes and started chewing on the plates, Echidna sighed and looked at the other witches who began to sit down at the remaining seats.
Lazily, with undisguised anger, and with a look of trepidation on their face――and with a particularly stern look in their eyes, she was the only one
Oh wow, so much effort for writing all of this 👍
@koboi491 probably copy pasted but still a good amount of effort I think😭👍
It’s a bit unfortunate so many ppl take this as proof that Echidna was actually just trying to make him not take her deal and whatever, but that’s so wrong. It reminds me of ppl’s obsession with Rem, the aspect of her that makes her obsess over caring for Subaru and ignore the other aspects of her character. It’s indicative of that desire to only like a female character if she’s “of use” to a man and cares for them.
Rather than focus on the fact that was being genuine, even if manipulative, and didn’t mind the rejection, she still wanted the contract. This isn’t some 4D chess to teach Subaru a lesson, she wanted something but accepted she was turned down. She respects consent in making choices.
I just want to remind people that Subaru stopped relying on others for many reasons:
1) first thing happening is he loses Rem after having relied on her so much. And he watches others die similarly over and over afterwards. Even has the trials tell him they might have died PERMANENTLY multiple times. To save him.
2) he still can't tell them about return by death, meanwhile what is essentially "the enemy" or at least antagonists of Echidna and Roswaal both know so much more than anyone else is allowed to, and he tried to rely on them only to be manipulated far more than he ever managed.
3) Roswaal has been behind the scenes turning him against all of them at some point. He is the one ordering both Frederica and Ram especially, but has also had an influence on Garfiel's actions, Frederica and Ram are both contracted whereas Garfiel along with Sanctuary generally have him as their lord, remember in arc 2 he headed somewhere to meet someone? That was Garfiel, he had Emilia being trapped and Subaru taking the trials planned all the way back then. To Subaru, Frederica was once someone who betrayed them and invited Elsa to kill them, Ram works for Roswaal and has forgotten her sister, Beatrice was once a witch cultist, Garfiel killed the villagers, Echidna betrayed him, Ryuzu imprisoned him, and Petra Emilia and Otto are being dragged into suffering for him.
He's had it in him to forgive and change his impressions of them, but definitely not to trust and work with them, and anyway Otto is the only one really approachable for that (and Subaru thinks of him as someone who is just... Randomly there, the most out of place of them all who didn't even ask for a job like Petra but was handed over from Ricardo after being freed).
I've been waiting for yall's reaction to this to drop since you started season 2, I'm so excited
I remember some of your earlier reactions you acted very angry towards Satella because what kind of a monster would subject Subaru to all of this and all I could think of was this episode and what you'd think of this revelation because it completely recontextualizes the nature of Satella and Return by Death. Her intention was never to deliberately put him in horrible situations that forced him to constantly die, all Return by Death is "meant" for is she just wants him to live so when he dies she brings him back, that's it, if she had her way he would never actually have to use Return by Death at all.
Your discussions are my favorite holy shit
One important information you get from the conversation between Subaru and Roswaal is that he is the main "villain" since ep. 1. He contracted Elsa to get the insignia and is literally the reason Subaru got into his situation now.
In Season 1, Subaru had to come to terms that he had been selfish in terms of helping Emilia just to get her attention and praise. He wanted to be the center of her world; he wasn't doing it for _her_ benefit, he was helping her for *his own* benefit.
But now, he's swung too far in the opposite direction. He overcorrected and, while he's genuinely trying to act for the benefit of others, instead of selfishly hogging praise, he's selfishly hogging the burden and suffering for it. He's treating it as if he, alone, is the *only* one capable of solving anything. Which means as the single pillar of support that is Subaru keeps failing, nothing can ever be saved. He won't allow them to be saved except by his own sacrifices because he can go back and undo any big problems, except his own. It's just another kind of selfishness.
It comes down to moderation. You can't help people if you destroy yourself in the process. Not only will you fail, you'll drag them down with you. And even if you succeed, everyone who cares about you is hurt that you're so hurt in the process. "You don't have to set yourself on fire to keep others warm."
This episode really changes your perspective on a lot of things involving Satella.
.
.
.
Theory time. if you think I am wrong because of some thing that happened way ahead in the LN or Web Novel, please don't correct me. This is a theory based only on anime content.
.
.
.
.
"I swear I'll save you". If I remember right, Subaru has only said this dialogue 3 times in the whole anime.
First was in ep1, where he was holding the hands of a dying woman who looked like Satella and called herself Satella. For Subaru, she was Satella at that moment.
The second time was in Season 2, when Satella possesses Emilia's body to come into the Sanctuary and engulf everyone. When Subaru stabs himself with the handkerchief, she looks at him and starts crying. Subaru gently wipes her tears and says it.
The third time was this episode, when the castle of dreams cracks and he holds her hand and promises once again.
It's like a part of him remembers that promise everytime he sees her. I am starting to think that maybe the reason he was obsessively in love with Emilia in the first season was because she looked like Satella. Like he is subconsciously drawn to her because he once loved Satella in a now forgotten reality. I am really excited to see if this is something intentional or I am just grasping at made up straws here. Eitherway, I know I will be thoroughly entertained.
I think he says it to Beatrice once or twice too
Satella is most likely the future Emilia, and Flugel is most likely the future Subaru. That would explain why Subaru likes Emilia so much and why Satella likes Subaru so much, also the season 1 ending in Flugel's tree is really interesting...
Where's the Echidona pillow Ben?😂
In his bedroom 😏
46:46 holy shiet, someone aaactually goooot iiiit!
something from the LN that was skipped
Satella has a condition of personality disorder
the witch of envy and satella are two different ppl
what happened in the tea party that was skipped is when she arrives minerva goes to ask who she is satella or the witch if i remember correctly
Fun fact : Satella's veil is not real and only Subaru can see it. He's in denial that Emilia is literally looks like Satella.
It’s real in the anime lol you can see it, also subaru takes it off her head in their first interaction
@@xxGachaholic I'm not sure about this fun fact either LOL but as I remember, If the veil does exist or not, it's see through and Subaru is the only one who can't see her face.
@@lucy5948 I know you’re referring to the LN, but the anime and LN have slight deviations. I’m not disagreeing with you lol but yeah that’s interesting. They cut Satella out of the anime a lot. Like for example, arc 1 she’s next to Subaru whispering “I love you I love you I love you” every time he dies, though you don’t know it’s her yet it’s implied when later he starts accumulating the witches scent. In the anime that whole beginning arc is way more confusing cuz you have nothing but the heart grabbing scene to go off…
oooh that's good to know@@xxGachaholic
Patrasche best girl.
I'm not sure if you guys actually grasped what Echidnas contract actually was to get Subaru to his goal. In the light novel it is explained more at the time. She promises that she will lead him to the outcome he desires but she is greedy and must know every outcome and possibilities. She was going to have go through every scenario possible so she can experience and learn all that she can because of every outcome and death Subaru have to learn through his experiences. They have alternative light novels if Subaru did things a bit different and he becomes numb to death, even going so far as killing himself to tell someone what the weather will be the next day.
OTTO THE BEST BOY IS HERE TO DELIVER BABY
Subaru likes to blame other people for his own choices, Satella never ordered him to take the hardest path, he's the one that keeps getting back up and moving in that direction, all she did was give him return by death so he wouldn't ever get check mated, and stopped him from telling other people about it because if his enemy's found out about it they could counter it by doing something like using a sealing spell on him to prevent him from dying. He could have just left Emilia to her fate and went off by himself..
as you get closer and closer to the end of season 2, with 3 on the way some time this year, would you consider watching the "re:zero break time" shorts and "Otto diaries" shorts? They're a collection of chibi shorts that released along with each episode that are sometimes fun and sometimes cover extra lore tidbits, which I think you'd enjoy!
I'm torn on who to pick for craziest Witch, is it Typhon for her child-like view of the world or is it Satella for her creepy obsession with Subaru? It's definitely not the adorable Tsundere Minerva (even though her past shows just how crazy she is shh no spoilers)
Spoiler
Surely they won’t cut out the witches books of the dead *clueless*
Satella can't be judged for now
It was left out for some reason but Satella and witch of envy arentwo separate personalities. Both love Subaru but Satella is the kinder yet sadder one. And The Witch of envy is the crazy possessive one.
Likely left out in case a S3 wasn't Greenlit because for some reason Kadokawa hates money
@@bryangarcia5207 Apparently
The crazy part is, Satella is the one who killed the witches not WoE. But still, the witches likes Satella than the WoE... I can't even imagine how terrifying the WoE is...
@@lucy5948probably a mercy kill if i had to guess
At the beginning of the series, Subaru basically had a very poor opinion of himself to the point where he wanted his parents to hate him just as much as he hated himself and he projected all of his value as a person towards the first person that showed him any kind of kindness towards him (Emilia). Which meant that any insult directed towards Emilia he perceived it as an insult towards himself. And that's why he ended up acting in a very inappropriate way during the beginning of the royal selection.
I think it's important to mention this to understand just how important is for him to realize that he does worth something in this episode and that his life isn't only for him. It's for everyone who genuinely cares about him as well. And that he should be aware of the fact that if there's people that cares and would cry for him if he dies it's because he's important to them and because they see that he does has value beyond what he thought of himself and of what he believed to be the only thing he could do for them. He needed to realize that he indeed was worth something and that he doesn't need to carry his burdens alone because there's people around him that care about him and would want to help him.
Echidna pillow ? 😂
Love yourself 😊
No exaggeration, this episode affected me so much personally. It's the main reason that Re:Zero became my favorite series of all time.
This may be a bit personal, but I watched this episode during the time in my life when I had a few problems that were affecting me, but didn't make me feel anything but resignation. I was actually really worried about the fact that so many things around me during that time weren't making me feel anything. I genuinely thought I somehow lost my ability to feel. Even food didn't taste as good for a time. Then I watched this episode, glued to my screen and cried my eyes out, ate my favourite meal that suddenly tasted amazing again, and talked with my mother who made me feel a lot better about the bad stuff, and made me more aware of the positive emotions I felt towards other stuff.
That is why I will always recommend this anime to people who I know will appreciate a good piece of character writing. Nothing tops Re:Zero when it comes to true human emotion.
The fact you say this and Roswaal actually can't taste anything is so perfect. There's so much meaning in it to find 💖
I had a really similar experience with season 1 episode 11, when Rem is telling Subaru all of her insecurities and feelings of guilt and inferiority. I had a big moment realizing “holy crap, I feel almost the exact same way about myself as she does”, and it prompted me to reflect on myself and reach out for help. I honestly owe the author (and Rem as a character) a lot for how much that helped me.
Insert Jim Carrey "It Was Me!" All along.meme
Patrasche is best girl.
best girl Satella
Much as I like this season, this episode in particular really frustrates me because of all the stuff left on the cutting room floor. The nature of Satella/Witch of Envy, hints at Subaru's grander role in this world, the characterizations and relationships of the Witches, Daphne strutting around, etc. I cannot comprehend why they decided to do it this way. Unlike season 1 where they cut off the end of the arc to end on a happy note, there is no good place for this stuff to be reinserted. I implore everyone to check out AniNews's cut content vid for this episode, if not reading the series yourself.
probably because the point of this scene is about subaru loving himself. the distinction between the woe and satella, while important for the grander story, arent really important for the emotions of this scene. in fact, that’s distinction, while important to us, is not at all important for subaru. same with mentioning subaru was a sage candidate, although im fairly certain this line was removed from the LN.
the one scene im actually upset about them cutting was the one after subarus talk with roswaal. the anime makes it seem thats what caused him to run away in despair. but in the novel, its because emilia told him she doesn’t need to protect her anymore. that she wants to look out for herself and that she doesn’t subaru to constantly save her. thats what breaks subaru, because thats exactly the main thing keeping him going here. his main pillar of support was taken down. and he hadnt been treating emilia like she has any choice in the matter. which is extremely important cuz choice and autonomy are a major theme in this arc. it also explains why subaru was so ready to let emilia clear the trial. in the anime, he talks to roswaal because he DOESNT want emilia to do it. but then he’s suddenly okay with it after this episode.
it also completely recontextualizes their relationship. which is built on trust and mutual understanding. its no coincidence that when subaru has this conversation with roswaal that takes away his OWN choice, his OWN autonomy, and is being forced by someone elses expectations of him that he talks to emilia. it’s entirely important because subaru, while not on purpose, was doing this to emilia.
@chelronin7843 The scene has multiple points. Part of Re:Zero is mystery and you can't have a good one if the clues aren't given.
No good place rhat we see currently. Just because we can't see a place right now doesn't mean it can't later
Probably cuz they had to cut out a lot in general (skipping commercial ad revenue to fit 29 mins of story with intros most of the time) they probably had to make many tuff decisions. Not to mention not knowing if they'd be able to animate s3 or if it'd drop
@@bryangarcia5207 I'm up to date on the LN/WN, there isn't one.
Just remember, Satella can’t be Emilia because she killed Emilia in front of Subaru in season 1 so 🎉
Author also confirmed they are separate entities........and they cut some content from the novel *SPOILERS* THE witch of Envy and Satella are 2 separate personalities/entities. That apparently started due to satellas bad match up with her witch factor(forget the literal name for what I'm thinking of)
Or maybe she is Future Emilia and travel time... PLOT TWIST
@@edsonaugusto3552author already said they aren't the same
@edsonaugusto3552 nah, author in an interview stated they are separate beings......so even if time travel was the case, they'd still be considered the same person per se I think
@@TrinitytheApostle Even so, he could be lying... Anyway, I only saw the anime, I have two theories about Subaru and the Witch's relationship. One that Satella is Emília from another timeline or multiverse perhaps, and the other that Subaru is the reincarnation of some witch's lover in the past. Again, I haven't read the light novel so I don't know if these theories already have holes.
After listening to their discussion in this episode...
I wanna see them watch Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan
There is only one MVP in this arc and I dont need to say his name
Satella best girl
Whoa now. Don't demand the people you love, love the things you love. That's toxic af.
Do you guys remember the blank letter ✉️ I kinda thinking that's was from rosewal .
That was already explained, it’s because Rem sent it and got erased before it arrived
No. It was that the letter was written by Rem so the letter arrived blank when she was erased
Ciao!
I follow you from Italy 😊
I like you and of course I live Rezero
Id like if you react to HunterxHunter
👍👍👍👍
FIRST!
Do you guys remember the blank letter ✉️ I kinda thinking that's was from rosewal .