Anime Lovers

Re:Zero Season 3 episode 2 brought back everything we could possibly love, or turn our heads away from depending on the viewer. Subaru meeting ends that would even make the most sadistic people wince in pain to Emilia launching ice cycles into historic structures without hesitation, it’s safe to say that Re:Zero is truly back in all its violent fantasy glory. On top of the gorgeous opening and ending videos, Re:Zero delivered another potential chart-topping episode.

Emilia – The Real MVP

My brain can’t wrap itself around the simple thought of disliking Emilia in any capacity at this point. She’s now proving herself to be a competent fighter yet the room for improvement is evident in the best ways possible. I think we all need someone by our sides who will attack our enemies without even asking if they should or not.

Of course, Subaru being her knight and keeping her out of harm’s way, no matter how head-turning that harm was, is his duty after all. But even after his first “attempt” at stopping Sirius, I was immediately hoping for Beatrice and Emilia to join in on the fight—consider the fan service satisfied (even though it was obvious from the episode preview that it was going to happen).

I think what I loved above all was the contrast between Beatrice and Emilia in the town square before the showdown against Sirius. While Beatrice was highly calculating and trying to figure out what to do after realizing Samac wouldn’t work, Emilia just yeets a gigantic ice cycle out of nowhere as if Boreas sneezed. Her attitude of “Wait, should I have not done that?” was like the cherry on top of the most well-crafted sundae. When an airhead personality collides with maturity that evolves into a warrior, it always seems to produce a lovable character.

Script aside, the choreography during Emilia and Sirius’ fight was honestly impressive. Of course, Re:Zero fans are no strangers to impressive fights, especially when we look back to Season 1. But Emilia’s with Sirius had a clean feel to it. The bright sun of Venice, I mean Priestella, shining in an open town square seemed to mix well with Emilia’s white and blue as Sirius’ purple, red, and black engulfed everything around it.

It may be a little challenging at first to notice all the different weapons that Emilia conjured up in her fight, but what impressed me more was that she knew how to use them and when. The moment she turned some shattered ice into two daggers showcased just how far she has come in honing her fighting skiSeeingeeing Reinhard making quick work of Sirius presented the vast skill level between the two. But it shouldn’t take away from Emilia gaining ground on Sirius until Tina was being held as a hostage.

Even Subaru at one point noticed that Emilia was becoming a problem for Sirius. But one thing I noticed during their fight was that Emilia never once let up and went on the defensive until near the very end. The onslaught of attacks had me cheering for Emilia as if my favorite sports teams were on the verge of winning a big game.

Subaru’s Support System

Subaru is a topic of conversation among anime fans for better or worse. But for us fans of the series, we know how incredible his development is. The ability to keep his cool for as long as he did after enduring what was undoubtedly one of the most brutal onslaughts of death since the series began was genuinely impressive. It’s a brutal reminder that Subaru, in the end, is a regular person in a land of very powerful people.

He panicked and almost fainted, yes. But when we consider he was being hung while experiencing someone else’s fear and his own too, that’s a level of psychological torture that should break someone completely. Yet, he kept a level head (for the most part) and turned to his support system.

He got Reinhard’s help, but it failed. Then he turned to Beatrice for help, she couldn’t do anything. Yet, the one person he was refusing to let them get involved, Emilia, was the one who snatched the bat from Subaru himself and went up to bat. So going forward, I hope Subaru relies on Emilia’s strength more, especially when we consider she should be the person he trusts the most.

Seeing how the visuals for Re:Zero Season 3 stack up, along with the opening and ending, they reinforce that Subaru isn’t alone in all of this, even with Priscilla on his side. Hell, if it wasn’t for her, Emilia more than likely wouldn’t have gone to meet with Subaru and Beatrice in the first place.

So in a way, she could be seen as the MVP by some. But the theme of supporting the ones you love is apparent either way and that, sometimes, being stubborn can save them as well, to a certain extent anyway. In the end, Emilia was taken, which was exactly what Subaru didn’t want. But she also saved him like she set out to do. Some irony in the mix of all that, but that’s just how deep the writing for this series goes.

Corneas and The Crazies

I think 79 wives is a little much, no? Relax, I know the story runs deeper than that, Re:Zero fans. I think Corneas’ interruption during the fight was, in a way, disappointing. Yet, on the flip side, it was perfect.

I can understand the argument that this should’ve been his introduction in the season rather than the run-in he had with Emilia and Subaru from the season premiere. But, in a way, it was a good little teaser for when it was perfect for him to kidnap Emilia in this episode too. Now, it’s full-send with Mr. Womanizer and the rest of his merciless gang of crazies.

I love it when an antagonist is introduced at the beginning of a season, series, or any story in general. This, again, goes back to what I mentioned about the season premiere being long as a good thing. If it wasn’t, we would’ve waited five weeks for this episode to happen. So Corneas established as an external threat, especially now that he has taken Emilia, was right on the money from a writing perspective.

Again, of course, the moment was slightly spoiled in the opening, anime-only fans just didn’t know when it was going to happen. But I don’t think that took anything away from the moment, at least for me. Goosebumps were still there after the episode ended, reassuring me that Re:Zero Season 3 is going to be one hell of a ride.

Re:Zero Season 3 Episode 2 Wrap-Up

While Subaru learned what it’s like to eat a Popeye’s biscuit without anything to drink for the first time, this episode had layers upon layers of greatness to it, including the opening and ending videos. Scrolling through social media and seeing fans divided on which one they love more goes to show the production really nailed both. From top to bottom, Re:Zero Season 3 episode 2 showed that this series will compete with Bleach week-to-week for the number one spot in the polls.

Episode 2 rating: 10/10

If you enjoyed Re:Zero Season 3 episode 2 then be sure to vote for it in the weekly poll! Re:Zero Season 3 episode 3 will be released on Wednesday, October 16.

Images from Crunchyroll
©Tappei Nagatsuki, KADOKAWA/Re:ZERO3 PARTNERS