The Value of Life

Well then, one week has passed, so it's time for Re:Zero. Betrayed by Ryuzu-san and Garfiel, saved by Otto, and smugly shown up by Ram, where will Subaru's tomorrow lead him!?

"Cooperator" -> "User"

Hiding with the branch wasn't just messing around, he was actually hidden pretty well. Ram only noticed because she's so sharp-eyed. Otto had probably even masked his scent so Garfiel wouldn't find him.

The OP! You're the OP, aren't you! Have you been well, OP!? The OP is finally here!!

In Subaru time, three days have passed while he was imprisoned, so it's basically about the same amount of time that's passed as in the first run. The situation should be that Emilia has challenged the "Trial" in order to search for the missing Subaru, and Garfiel is supposed to be in front of the tomb accompanying her and keeping watch.

By "unfinished business," Subaru meant that he needed to confirm with Roswaal what happened at the mansion. Garfiel cut in before he could do that, so he came here while he had the chance.

Because he saw the black book Beatrice possessed, the "Gospel," he's asking Roswaal, who should know Beatrice better than anyone, to confirm the facts.

"He's going to become our enemy" is Subaru steeling himself, but because of what she did for him back in Arc 2, Subaru absolutely hates the idea of turning against one of his own.

"Gospel" -> "Book of Wisdom."

"Roswaal told me to ask questions" was a line we'd heard before, but at least he never used it directly on Beatrice. What's even stronger is the comment that "I am that person." Roswaal is moving the conversation forward honestly.

"You're not our enemy, right?" "You all are on my side."

If there's a chance the mansion is in serious trouble, he wants to go back with fighting strength. Subaru knows it's about time for Elsa and the others to attack the mansion, so that's why he's making that call. Last time, Ram tried to abandon Rem, so Subaru was also torn over whether he should take Ram with him.

Garfiel joins up. "The brighter it shines, the farther Magrittsa recedes" is one of the rare proverbs in the Re:Zero world that actually properly exists, tied to a historical event that even became the play "Magrittsa's Guillotine."

Ram and Otto stepping up to stand in front of Subaru shows the difference in learning when that proverb didn't work. Also, the Hoshin in "Hoshin's Setting Banana Sun" is the famous figure known as "Hoshin of the Wasteland," and the royal selection candidate Anastasia took her family name from that great person.

Ram and Otto work together so smoothly probably because, at heart, the two of them have very similar judgment.

The part where Otto goes to save Subaru was something everyone in Arlam Village knew about. That's why the villagers volunteer to buy time, but the opponent is just too much.

Normally, demi-humans don't get this huge when they beastify, but Garfiel is pretty exceptional. I think part of it is also that, from an image standpoint, Subaru being so intimidated by Garfiel makes him look even bigger.

Otto split clean in two, the injured villagers, even battered Patrasche, all being sacrificed to save Subaru. For Subaru, who should be able to go back if he dies, there's no question this is the most terrifying situation possible.

The crystal hanging from his neck shines brightly, and Subaru is suddenly sent flying away. What happened is close to when he was warped near the tomb right after entering the "Sanctuary," but the timing could hardly have been worse.

And outside the building, snow. Basically, in Re:Zero, aside from Memory Snow, I don't think anything good ever happens when it snows...

Subaru's true feelings are that he's lost everything and wants to disappear, that he almost wants to die, but the one thing he absolutely cannot do is let it end without knowing what happened.

Before, when something similar happened, it was because Subaru wanted to deny reality and refused to look at what was right in front of him, but this time there really is no one there.

Wow, little bunnies on the snow! So cute!

Rabbits appearing one after another. Subaru was a little careless, but in this world, you should never go near living things with horns growing from their foreheads.

Natsuki Subaru cause-of-death rankings, undisputed number one. He has now achieved: "Being eaten by small creatures."

Right after "Return by Death," Subaru was violently slamming his head against the ground, asking "Why?" because being eaten alive had driven him into a complete mental frenzy. To die by being eaten is just that horrific. At least for the author, the scariest way to die is "being eaten by small creatures."

The condition for being invited to Echidna's tea party was to ask "why?" intensely. The second time requires an even stronger question than the first, but this time—including the horrible way he died—he has reached the necessary threshold of "why?"

Compared to what happened just before, the exchange with Echidna is so calm it almost feels like a dream. The fact that she doesn't press him for details raises the possibility that she knows the one thing most important to Subaru.

Before, when he feared a dead end and tried to reveal everything, Subaru saw the heart of a precious girl crushed right in front of him. That's why Subaru had never tried doing the same thing with anyone else after that.

By the way, some people sometimes think that if Subaru reveals "Return by Death" and crushes the other person's heart, it would be an instant-kill move, but if you consider whether it would really defeat the other person, or whether the penalty might instead target someone precious to him, there's no way Subaru could bring himself to test that.

Once he confesses "Return by Death" and sees that it doesn't bring about anything, it spills out of Subaru as if a stopper has been cut loose. Kobayashi-san's performance here, with Subaru confessing the thing he could never tell anyone, is wonderful.

"The Witch of Greed who desires to know everything in this world" "So I want you to tell me all of your suffering" A special ED.

Considering how horrific what happened was, the impression may feel completely different, but you could also call this an ending a lot like episode 15 of season one. It's just that one ends with hope and despair, and the way they close is the opposite.

Still, how did they manage to get this on air while slipping past all those regulations...?

That's right! This week's Re:Zero might be a little graphic, so if you're not good with that kind of thing, please be careful!!

Last time it was Otto, this time it's Echidna. Arc 4, of course, is too difficult for Subaru to break through on his own, so the only way forward is for him to be saved in body and heart by the people around him while inching ahead one step at a time. That said, what he gained this time is something enormous for Subaru.

One of the biggest points of Natsuki Subaru's suffering has always been that he walks the lonely road of "Return by Death," but just having someone there who knows about it is such a tremendous relief. That aspect of Subaru's feelings was overflowing in "I've been returning by death...!" Wonderful.

So with that, thank you again this week! That was a horrific way to die, but in Re:Zero there really aren't many deaths even worse than that! So rest easy! Well then, see you next week! We'll be starting right after he bawls his eyes out in front of Echidna!

That's strange—why is the gore warning appearing at this hour...? Could Twitter be acting up, perhaps?

Echidna looks incredibly good here, but that girl cannot do even a single push-up.

Echidna lies face-down to do a push-up → can't get up. Since she couldn't get up, she lies on her back and tries to sit up with her abs → can't get up. She crawls to grab onto something → as slow as a turtle. She clings to a chair or something and stands up → as pathetic as a slug. She barely manages to sit in the chair → smug face.

By the way, the original scene that made me think being eaten by small creatures is terrifying was that guy in Jurassic Park who leaves his companions to take a leak, gets chased upstream by little raptor-like things, and later only his blood flows downstream! If that guy hadn't existed, this scene wouldn't have existed either!

Come to think of it, I'll say just this before bed: Otto has shoved Subaru twice so far, but the first time was toward the White Whale so Otto himself could survive, and the second time was toward danger so he could save Subaru. This too is part of the appeal of how encounters and relationships change through "Return by Death."