I've been hoping and praying for Styx Helix since I read the novels, but I wasn't expecting to get both that and a new rendition of Stay Alive, and executed to perfection - totally surpassed all expectations!
in light of recent season 4 misinterpretations: i think skipping the "subaru stabbing his hand with a pen" scene from arc 2 is one of the anime's biggest missteps when it comes to telegraphing his self-harming tendencies to the audience.
like: the anime adaptation still has him repeatedly overworking until collapse, biting into his lip until it bleeds, smashing his head against surfaces - but that first impression and introduction to the topic from arc 2 really shines a harrowing spotlight on subaru's character.
my commentary includes some web novel spoilers, so beware:
sorry Subaru and Julius, but this is the only W Al is ever gonna get lol
Witch of Melancholy my beloved. It was close between Petra and Echidna, though
no amount of praise will ever be high enough for Natsumi Schwartz, our finest lady
I feel bad putting Felix here, but I think anime Arc 3 glossing over a lot of his nuances and complexities really did a number on public perception of him, and the pervasiveness of that shallow fetishization content is pretty annoying. Nothing compared to Rem oversaturation of course, but that's a part of why she's the Guilty Favorite
I weirdly kinda relate to Sphinx: has trouble recognizing emotions, major vindictive streak, aspires to emulate her mother, takes forever to come up with grandiose plots only to fumble and fail and flop miserably anyway, cringe-ass when it comes to social interaction and relationships - waow, she's literally me fr fr
decided to take this test i saw from another post by @tranquil-tulips though, and I scored a startlingly high affinity with Emilia that I didn't expect. I am very fond of Emilia though, so that's nice
Beatrice is an adorable grumpy teddy bear android daughter made of sparkles who was built by the Devil. She starts the story as a doomscrolling iPad baby, and grows into the MVP of Subaru's life. Betty making Subaru "her number one" gives off similar vibes as "the daughter of an abusive mother becoming a better mother herself," and I really like that element of their relationship. As she describes herself: Betty really is built perfect. :)
Sloth IF was too tragic a fate for her. While I have assurances that characters like Reinhard and Heinkel will be explored further, the same can't be said for Reize. I want her to actually meet her only remaining oni brethren, and get revenge on Capella!
I love the Pleiades Watchtower. It's easily my favorite setting in all of Re:Zero.
The idea of combining concepts from the Tower of Babel and Borges' Library of Babel is seemingly so simple, but executed immaculately. There are so many layers of fascinating thematic depth added to the narrative through these influences, which only become more apparent as the story unfolds.
I love how the direction of the anime has placed so much emphasis on all the circular/looping/spiral imagery during its recent setup episodes. It goes above and beyond in capturing how I envisioned the Tower while reading the novels. Having the location which shares its name with Subaru also reflect his most iconic ability through its very structure is so cool.
Thinkin bout how "Satella" is just the coolest name I ever did hear.
Oh sure, it's got all this story relevance:
"Satella" is highly likely in reference to the word "satellite," as in the Moon which is the Earth's natural satellite
Satella is closely associated with moon imagery in the narrative, ever since Arc 1
the word "satellite" is itself derived from the word "satelles," which means attendant, follower, guard, bodyguard, or "one who escorts or follows after an important person"
this is what Satella does for Subaru, and what Subaru does for Emilia, and what so many characters do for each other across the whole dang series
I FUCKIN LOVE ETYMOLOGY AND HOW IT CAN ENRICH A NARRATIVE RAHHHH
But even putting all that to the side: Satella just sounds nice to say. Sometimes I'll look up at the moon in real life and just think "Satella," and it makes me happy. It's the kind of name I wanna give to a cat or something.
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