Continue reading “Shiro no Koukoku Monogatari – Chapters 1-40 Review”
Shiro no Koukoku Monogatari – Chapters 1-40 Review
91 Days – 08
I will admit that I was losing interest in this series as of late and the recap episode aired last episode had me not very concerned with checking out the new episode. However upon watching this you can sign me right back up for whatever you got planned 91 Days because this episode was marvelous. What we have this week is the slow breakdown of Corteo who looks to have seen just how dangerous the path he followed Avilio onto really is. With Avilio becoming closer to Nero and more distant from Corteo, Corteo was slowly getting driven into a corner. Much like we have no real idea as to what Avolio’s agenda is, Corteo is also clueless on just what his friend is planning. From his perspective it’s very easy to see his actions as him warming up to mafia life and changing in a man very different from the one Corteo used to know.
The big turning point was Nero’s decision to kill the inspectors family which Avilio didn’t oppose in the slightest. It certainly is odd for Avilio to commit to such an action when you consider just what drove him to revenge in the first place. Though perhaps he should have put more faith in Avilio as it looks like he never intended the family to die in the car explosion. The was smart as well considering that actually killing his family would have been a boneheaded move to make. Avilio is well aware of the draw of revenge and if they took out the inspectors family then he would truly be a man with nothing to lose. Instead Avilio tricked him by making him think his family died in the car bomb and gave him a taste of just what he could lose. After that it’s no wonder he canceled the investigation much to the dismay of the residents cheering him on.
I like to think of the inspector as a kind of metaphor. Namely that the one who have the power to change things for the greater good are often those with the most to lose. Still this move was enough to encourage Corteo to betray the Vanettis and help Fango attempt to kill Nero. A very unwise move as now he has Fango to deal with along with the Vanettis and Fango is hardly the most trustworthy. Corteo is enraged by Avilio’s attempt to give him an out from the mafia life and quite frankly he has every right to be. Avilio dragged him into this, used him and now is sending him home. Even if those are not his intentions, it’s sadly what it feels like. With the Vanettis suspecting him of being a traitor and Fango pushing him for more info on the Vanettis, it really was only a matter of time before he snapped. And damn, it was glorious. Out of all the cast I never suspected that the one to kill Fango would be Corteo. In fact Fango never suspected that either which ultimately lead to his downfall. But that’s what happens when you back a dog into a corner, they lash out. In this case Fango gave Corteo no other option and he made it clear that with the formula to make Lawless heaven he no longer had any need of Corteo.
Fango was about to inform the Vanettis of his actions and the only thing awaiting him was death. The stress of being under surveillance, the abandonment by his only friend, the constant threat of death, his own drunken state and now all his options gone. The moment he just let out all his rage and frustration on Fango was a damn fine anime moment. The skipping of the record as Corteo violently smashed his head in with each sickening thud felt so visceral and real. With Fango gone this feels like a turning point in the series, where everything is going to burn. There are two Mafia families left and with Fango removed you can bet they will be itching to grab his territory. With the end of prohibition coming I think it would be quite a finale for the Vanettis and the Galassias to go to all out war and destroy each other. Then with all three families destroyed, Avilio will take his revenge.
I know this is odd coming from me but I actually will miss Fango. I have always hated his presence in the series as he often was just too crazy for the sombre tone. However since becoming Don, Fango has dialed back on his crazy and as a character he really started to work. Perhaps he realised that no one was willing to do business with someone who shot crazy eyes in their direction. He was calmer and more calculating while saving his beastly nature for the moments he decides to just let loose. A Fango who puts on an act of civility only to outright kill someone who dares to undermine him is a much more interesting character than a hyperactive psychopath. Nero also looks to be taking the death of his brother hard as he develops the same tired eyes his brother had at the end. Perhaps this is a hint that he has picked up a drug habit or may it’s just hard for him to sleep but his easygoing personality appears to have morphed into a cold murderer. Avilio appears to be trying to cheer him up but as to why is still a mystery. He has his full confidence and could kill him at any time. But what is he really waiting for? A chance to kill the Don of the Vanettis? I am beginning to think that Avilio’s plan isn’t to get revenge on those who killed his family but instead to destroy the very mafia itself.
Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World – 23
With another week gone I get my fix of Re:Zero and yet again I have to wait a week to sate my need. The cliffhangers really kill me on this matter as I am leave hanging till the buzz from the last episode runs out and then it gets me again. To future anime viewers, know that you did not have to suffer as an ongoing watcher of this series has and the joy of being able to marathon a show without the wait in between weeks. Quite honestly I don’t know what I will do when this show ends two episodes from now as I cannot binge on the source material and it appears the anime has finally caught up with the light novels. Looks like production of the light novel has sped up with volumes coming out monthly but to gain the amount of material needed for a second second would take a year at the least. I am concerned over just how this series will conclude if there’s another volume of material but I think White Fox won’t trip up at the finish line.
Anyway it appeared the cliffhanger of the previous episode has been defused pretty fast as Ram mistakenly though Subaru betrayed them only to be convinced otherwise within a minute. The letter Subaru sent them which was supposed to explain the situation was just a blank piece of paper which makes me question if Subaru made the boneheaded mistake of misplacing the letter or if someone in the mansion intercepted it. Both scenarios are equally plausible though it is an unfortunate coincidence that a blank letter in this country is a symbol of the messenger deciding to cut off communications. This tradition seems like it could give rise to a lot of misunderstandings as I see it but well the mistake of sending a blank message is rather rare. The village looks to be pointing the finger of blame directly at Emilia for the witches cult coming to attack and what makes this interesting is that despite it being blatant racism, they are not wrong. Emilia really is the reason that the village is going to be attacked by the witches cult. It’s not her fault, that is for certain but it’s hard to deny that if she wasn’t there then no one would be in danger at all. As a matter of fact, the main cause of all of these events that have lead to everyone dying is Emilia herself. The mabeast incident of the village is a matter for debate but Emilia really is the one drawing these events. Which points the direct origin of all of Subaru’s suffering being Emilia herself and perhaps the very reason Sattella has brought Subaru here is to keep Emilia alive till the time she can serve Sattella’s purpose
Ferris and Julius got a bulk of the screentime this episode which is reasonable considering how the episode ends. Ferris is still leaving people in doubt about whether his claims to be a boy is really true but I like that they made it that there is more to him than his trap gimmick. For you information I will let you know that when the merchant witch’s cult member blows up his cart, he did technically kill Ferris with the blast. However Ferris’s healing magic is so overpowered that he can reconstruct his body even if it’s destroyed. Yep, in Re:Zero even the white mage is twenty times more powerful than our protagonist. Still to give Subaru due credit, it was very smart of him to use the Mabeast’s of the forest to take out one of the fingers. At times I really can’t tell if Subaru is smart or stupid but maybe he works better in the moment. It’s nice to see him almost make old mistakes only to have someone give him a push in the right direction. That was a problem with Rem in general. She stood by Subaru’s side but she always went along with whatever he did, rather than provide the kind of support Wilhelm and Ferris have been giving him. But it’s likely the Subaru of those episodes wouldn’t have taken the hint like he does now. Julius also reveals that he is the one who saved Subaru twice by putting him under the protection of one of his spirits and does point out that Subaru does seem to have a high affinity with them. Despite his introduction being typical of the kind of villain in a Light novel, he proves that he is actually a good guy. I applaud that as I find those one shot weak villains to be a poor excuse of empowering the protagonist.
My theory from last episode looks all but confirmed as a number of Betelgeuse’s pop up to attack Subaru and co. I really have to give credit to the number of voice actresses who act out his mannerisms to a great degree. I may not know Japanese but there does seem to be a lot of talent in this series. The end of the episode was brutal in that just when you think everything is fine and maybe this week won’t have a cliffhanger, we have the series throw a gut punch. I was well on my way to believing this was Subaru’s successful run and then this comes out of nowhere to prove that no matter how much Subaru accomplishes, he can still have it all undone at any moment. Well I do think that the remaining episodes are not enough to do a run through of the White Whale again and I think two possibilities exist here. One is that Ferris will find some way of reviving Subaru without Betelgeuse coming with him and the other is Subaru’s save point being moved up to after the White Whale is defeated. Number two seems the most likely as undoing the events of the White Whale and Rem’s confession would be a bad move.
There is just far too much character development there to just do away with. Likely the save point will be before the first attack on the witches cult as that is the point Subaru could make the most use of his knowledge. Still this does put him in a bad spot as simply killing Betelgeuse isn’t going to stop him from possessing his body again. There could be other factors that allow Betelgeuse to take control of someone, with the gospel being a big factor. However if what allows Betelgeuse to take control of Subaru is just the smell of the witch then I don’t see how Subaru can beat him without getting possessed. There are likely more conditions for Betelgeuse to meet before he can possess someone as it is odd that he didn’t choose to take over Subaru on his first death. Perhaps the choice of who he can take over is not up to him and he simply goes into a random person who happens to have the smell of the witch. Though one thing that seems apparent here is that the witches cult is not operating under Satella’s instructions and seem to be acting in what they believe to be what she desires of them in order to earn her love. What is in store for the climax of this series is still a mystery to me but while I doubt it will be completely conclusive, I at least hope it ties up the particulars of this arc and doesn’t leave a cliffhanger for a next season. A week is something I can put up with but making me wait over a year for a continuation of the story would truly be slothful.
Thunderbolt Fantasy – 09
“Three to test, five to press, and the final ninth strike”
That’s the number of moves Mie Tian Hai will put Sha Wu Sheng to eternal rest. Sha Wu Sheng, never loses his cool, attacks him anyway despite knowing full well the outcomes. I suspect that this fight is some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy in play, the way he still leaves his back exposed after that eighth move. Or I think he would be sensible enough to kill Gui Niao BEFORE propose to fight with Mie Tian Hai. He tags along all the way just for the sake of Gui Niao’s head, and now he misses the chance and vows to wait for the guy in the afterlife. Oh well. I can sense the master thief’s chuckle there.
But before all that happens, the trio of legendary anti-foes (that would be Xing Hai the necromancer, Shou Yun Xiao the archer, Sha Wu Sheng the Screaming Phoenix Killer) reveal the initial plan of Gui Niao: the letters he sent to them explicitly said that he requires assistance to swindle the legendary sword from a helpless girl. They then proceed to actually LEAVE the two good-heart comrades behind to pursue for their shares. At the same time inside the tower, Gui Niao is trading with Mie Tian Hai. The sword handle turns out to be fake (with his “10-second look, 5-second touch” technique), and Gui Niao intends to sale the real thing with big golds. But for me this isn’t a simple trade-off. As he said so himself he always aims for more challenging goals, so this trade could simply be his front for something more ambiguous. And I know that I might so boring here but things might go EXACTLY like what he had planned, yes including the Phoenix Killer sudden appearing and Shang Bu Shuan’s jailbreak (literally!). In the next episode I’m pretty sure we will get to know Gui Niao true intention on keeping our main guy and his main goal from all of this.
If there is any specific theme this episode is going for, it is how they explore the ego of many characters. Juan Can Yun the spear wielder learns a hard truth for his mentor Shou Yun Xiao, as being a hero means you have to sacrifice and moreover hide the mistake/ dirty stuffs that you made. I understand that it’s mind-blowing, dear Mister Spear Wielder. I feel for ya. The Screaming Phoenix Killer still tries to push forward despite knowing that the duel will end up in defeat, he still does it because his ego won’t allow him to back down. Even the big boss’s hobby of collecting swords makes him feel invincible whenever he’s taking hold of the power of destruction itself. As I mentioned above, Gui Niao admits that he enjoys stealing because of “ethos of a champion” – the feeling of superior when you steal something considered invaluable. Also, our poor Dan Fei’s ego is shattered when she learned the truth about the identity of Gui Niao, as well as feeling guilty for dragging Shang Bu Shuan into the whole mess. That emphasis on ego furthers demonstrate the rationale and the way of thinking from each characters, and I say this is a successful approach to this story, especially when the characters in Thunderbolt Fantasy are already too over-the-top and often act like they’re performing a play. Letting them stick to their ego and their roles till the very end is of course the most appropriate course of action.
Announcement Time – User registration
Hello one and all. As I am sure you have noticed, there have been changes going on around the site as of late and I understand that change is scary. Please take heed to not suffer three simultaneous heart attacks upon seeing the banner up there change for the first time in several years.
Alright, to get serious for now. Things have been going on around the site as we have been basically fixing up the site to be more efficient as how it was previously configured was hardly ideal. We also have had to deal with problems with our server as it seems it can barely handle the slightest bit of hard labor and has caused us to compromise on a few things. Likely our biggest change is the new chatbox which I understand some have grievances with. However it does have several advantages over the old chatbox and what I have to say here will address the biggest issue with it so far. As it is currently, users can only keep their name for a day. If you leave psgels and come back you cannot assume your old nickname until 24 hours pass. To fix this we have added that little register box over on the right side. With it you can register with the site and keep your username in the chatbox as well as use it for commenting. For now those are it’s main uses but we may add new features to make use of it in the future. No promises on that as we do want to keep this Anime Blog as an Anime Blog
You may notice that if you attempt to register you get a popup asking for another username and password. This is a security measure added by our host to prevent the thousands of bots desperate to sell you Viagra and prevent them from overloading the server. To get past this, just put in the username and password as “wordpress“. Check remember me to make it you only need to press ok if it pops up again in the future. Then you will be able to register with the site and log in to post in the chatbox or likewise. This may be inconvenient to some but remember you can save the login information when prompted by your browser and make it a painless 2 click process.
I would like to thank K-Off and afgm for their efforts to help the site. Well I say efforts but quite frankly they did all the work while I sat twiddling my thumbs. Lastly I would like to say that while changes are taking place, we do not intend to change this site from what Psgels intends it to be. In fact we make sure to inform him of what we are doing and ensure we have his consent on all important matters. We hope we can bring bring this site back to it’s former glory and beyond. As well as provide you lot with the best anime coverage possible.
I will try to get the next season preview your way soon and thank you for your patience.
Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 3rei – 08-09
Due to the pace of the series slowing to a crawl I decided to delay covering episode 8 but even having done that I find that not a lot has happened in these two episodes. Illya managed to escape doll form and regain her body but in the process picked a fight with one of the most dangerous Ainsworths, Angelica. Coupled with Gilgamesh’s Gate of Babylon and her own displacement magic, she makes for a difficult fight. While there is a good bit of action in these two episodes, the main topic is a moral dilemma. The Ainworths have made their goal clear and as it turns out they are actually trying to save the world. Due to a mysterious cause the world is slowly dying and taking everything with it. While saving the world by helping it regain it’s mana looks to be an impossibility, the Ainsworths wish to transform humanity into a form that can survive the world’s decay. In order to do that they plan to sacrifice Miyu as a holy grail and wish for humanity’s salvation. This does make Illya’s job a lot harder as saving Miyu means damning an entire world to extinction which has naturally cause her to lose her nerve. Though to the viewer this choice may not be as grey as the series tries to make it.
My line of thinking matches that of Chloe who deems that Miyu is worth sacrificing the world for namely for a few reasons. One is that the decay of the world looks to be too far gone and the Ainsworths didn’t really take into account just how humanity is going to live in a dead world. Even if they save humanity, the world will still be a dead husk which is likely not going to be pleasant to live it. Two is that despite all their good intentions the Ainsworths are still being massive assholes in how they go about things. It’s hard to really empathise with their situation when they are being so blatantly antagonistic. You can argue that Illya and crew are the invaders here but it doesn’t justify the Ainsworths picking fights with them and attempting to kill them without even remotely trying reason. As an outsider you can’t really see anything this group of people accomplish as being a good thing. The third thing is that it’s likely the Ainsworths were the ones who damned the planet in the first place as their house does reside in a giant crater no one can quite explain. So this tale becomes less a matter of heroes making sacrifices for the greater good and more about the Ainsworths killing Miyu to fix a problem they themselves created. Which isn’t justified in the slightest and makes Angelica’s spiel immensely hypocritical.
Though the intent appears to be to mirror that of Kiritsugu’s ideals as well as a particular aspect of Heaven’s Feel. Chloe does mention something quite interesting in that in the prismaverse Kerry decided to put Illya over the world and saved her as opposed to following through with the events of Fate/Zero. I also have a theory that they reverted Illya to childhood in order to prolong her life as in the normal Fate timeline Illya unfortunately doesn’t have very long to live. As a result Illya has two personalities. One is Chloe, the original Illya and the other is the illya who grew up with Shirou and the rest to become this shows heroine. Though doing something so cold to the original Illya does seem out of character for Kerry and Irisviel. Angelica does give a small explanation regarding mana but I always did find it rather pointless to designate magic within humans and magic within the atmosphere by two different titles. For one magic is almost always referred to as Mana and od is very rarely ever brought up. Though Od is what mages mainly use to perform magic but once converted by magic circuits in the body it’s then referred to as magical energy. So yeah, what’s the point of designating magic within humans as od? Nasu writing 101, telling you everything but never in terms you can actually understand. Otherwise we got some well animated action and Illya ultimately told Angelica to screw off because she was going to Gurren Lagann through problems and save everything. Next week looks to be the start of the final battle and is getting close to the moment I have been waiting for since the season started.
Mob Psycho 100 – 08
Well to no one’s surprise this episode was filled with action. Though contrary to what the previous episode suggested, the person Mob is fighting is not his brother but instead a mysterious hooded figure. The matter of Ritsu’s power trip seems to be resolved for the most part as his brothers reaction is nothing like he expected. While Ritsu looked to be provoking Mob to deplore him or hate him, Mob merely brushes off his self deprecation and congratulates him on obtaining psychic power. As well as degrading himself on his brother’s behalf to apologize to the people he attacked. This approach to the problem is rather new to me and I rather like that Ritsu’s power trip looks to be a product of teenager emotional angst as his true feelings come out when his brother suffers on his behalf. That is only the first part of the episode however as after is a long battle scene against a member of Claw who came to abduct Ritsu while mistaking him for Mob. They may be the antagonists for the finale of the series as next episode looks to be an assault on their base. The fight that ensues is quite the spectacle.
The fight of this episode was rough and you could feel the impact of every blow with the sound design. What made this fight particularly noteworthy compared to the ones before is that this wasn’t easy for Mob. Finally the distinction between him and Saitama is made, in that Mob can in fact be beaten. In this case his greatest weakness is his heavy reliance on psychic power as his foe makes use of his physical strength and trickery. In the end, Mob with his near infinite psychic power was completely knocked out by a villain spraying a chemical in his face. Kamijou Touma’s villains should take notes from this guy, as when someone can completely negate your powers, maybe it’s a good idea to change strategy instead of throwing more fireballs like an idiot. I really like that Mob’s explosion meter didn’t move an inch after Ritsu’s attempts to egg him into a fight. But when the hooded fellow punched Ritsu it shot up to 100% immediately. Though Mob didn’t reach ??? level which looks to be reserved for special occasions. Claw looks to be the first thing to give Mob real drive to use his powers and Mob almost feels dangerously motivated. His claim to be able to take down claw singlehandedly does hold weight but the problem is that Mob is not accustomed to fighting other espers when Claw most certainly is. They are not going to simply fight Mob with psychic power but instead use anything to counter it. Well assuming they are clever.
I will admit to not haven’t much to add to this episode this week due to the heavy focus on the battle. Quite honestly I find it difficult to truly come up with something to talk about in regards to this and some of the other shows this season. Hence why my posts have sounded a bit too much like an episode summary as of late. On top of being actually late. I have no real excuses in regards to this as I find lately that my time seems to go far too fast, leaving me with not much room for intellectual musing about an anime episode. Or in many a case I really have nothing to add to what’s happening on screen.I am a bit worried I am experiencing anime burnout but perhaps it’s just a lack of enthusiasm for this current season as Re:Zero gets me writing paragraphs. I did express that this season felt weak to me in the preview and while there are shows with merit that none of the shows in the current season has grabbed me quite like Re:Zero…ah perhaps that is it. In face of a strong anime of the year contender, other shows pale in comparison thus my interest is fleeting. For I pine for the sweet reward of an continuation to the show I really want to see. No offense to Mob Psycho of course as I do think it does have greatness, just that it doesn’t quite catch me for reasons I can’t seem to put into words.
orange – 09
Unfortunately for us, this is not a good orange episode. Hell, I could say this is one of its worst episode. orange has always relied on the regrets of the main cast, and the foreshadowing suicide of Kakeru as their main emotional impacts. When they steer away from those, this episode just loose its punch. While the character’s interactions are still there and those moments are one of the only high points of this week’s viewing, there is an issue with it as well. You see, there is no damn fun when everything goes entirely according to plan, when all the moments are just too perfect. I have no problem if this was about making Kakeru talk honestly about his suicide thoughts couple of weeks ago, but creating every moment with Kakeru too flawlessly (like the umbrella incidents this week, the “good morning” exchanges) make the whole situation feels rather forced, and to make it worse I feel Kakeru was manipulated by the group here, even if the intention comes from a good place.
But my biggest problems with this episode lie in its pacing. Last week we dedicated half of its episode for joining up team for the upcoming relay events, and this week the episode strangely drops any of the preparation phase, instead focuses on the revelation that all the cast has their own letters, worries about Azusa’s birthday, cares so much about the weather, and concerns about whether or not Naho and Kakeru should hold hands. Then they jump STRAIGHT to the events. The inconsistency of plotline occurred before in one of the episode when Naho pushed Kakeru to talk about his mother for the first time. After that Kakeru and Naho had a rather uneasy tension until it was revealed that Suwa had received the letters himself, then suddenly Naho and Kakeru again talked to each other normally like nothing happened. Well, I understand that they have to jam in many plot details to both heighten the relationship and carry the emotional weight, but I am not quite fond of letting the story just moving on its own like that.
As I mentioned in my last episode, orange is a weird shoujo production, and I will say in more details this time. For a shoujo romance-drama anime such as orange, they have an unusually high quality director and an equally unusual below-the-standard budget. So what we have here is a show that stands out in its artistic merits, as many of the director’s choices shine through this week. For example, the sequence from Asuza’s point of view is nicely displayed, as the characters are more colorful, childlike and whimsical than Naho’s point of view. In another case, the director displays Kakeru’s feeling of detachment from the rest of the events by showing him standing awkwardly among a disappearing crowd, with the wash-out color background and a slightly disorientated sound designs. Those are great moments because we really know more about these characters just by experiencing the same thing they do. The art designs of other background characters though, are just too rough and inconsistent. As a result, what we have in the end is the episode that glorious at certain important scenes, but meh and below quality in general. The sport events haven’t concluded yet, as we still have that relay to look for. Here’s hoping for a rewarding relay (and episode) ahead.
Thunderbolt Fantasy – 08
This is yet another typical Thunderbolt Fantasy episode, in which our MC Shang Bu Shuan just had enough with these guys and headed to the evil tower alone, but somehow still find himself tricked by Gui Niao and then gets captured near the end of the episode. Maybe the main reason Gui Niao needs him to stay so desperately is just for the sake of bullying the poor guy. There’s one interesting bit about Shang Bu Shuan that other members of the group figure out and that is while he’s a skilled swordsman, he’s not really confident with his skills; in a way he’s more natural with defensive skills than attacking. Still, leaving our main character literally to fight those monsters alone just to test him out is way too hilariously cruel; and I can see his frustration towards the group that he just heads off by himself. But as fate would have it, Dan Fei and Gui Niao just won’t leave him alone, and the three immediate find a shortcut to get through the tower without passing the magical labyrinth, just to find themselves heading directly to a trap.
Gui Niao’s true identity has finally been revealed to be a master thief. It’s about a goddamn time if you ask me. Master thief is also a common character’s trope in wuxia, but as far as I see he’s no Saito Kid or Robin Hood. Gui Niao is sneaky as hell and he’s also a master of manipulation. In order to advance his plan, he tricked the emotional outburst Dan Fei into having a fight with Shang Bu Shuan (by using hallucination smoke or whatever it’s called) and thus single-handed assist the enemy to put them in cage. At first, I find myself hard to believe that Mie Tian Hai would be stupid enough to trust this guy, but upon a closer look, it’s apparent that Gui Niao already gets a hold of the legendary sword’s handle and it’s a matter of time for him to negotiate with Mie Tian Hai. But there is a plot hole regarding all this ‘masterplan’ though as I find it hard to believe Mie Tian Hai actually forgets about the other members and keeps his guard down like that.
For next week, we will have two main developments: on the one hand there will be a negotiation between Gui Niao and the big boss and until then we can find Gui Niao’s true motive and whatever relation between those two guys. The 200-year history is a good starting point to keep delving into and I believe the main development for its last arc will be around the sacred sword, the War of the Fading Dust, and that cursed wasteland that split the two countries. It will be no surprise for me if Shang Bu Shuan might be ‘the one’ who can control the legendary sword. On the other hand, our main character and the rest of the group will keep heading to the main tower to catch up with whatever results that caused by Gui Niao. It still remains a big question regarding Gui Niao’s true intention: Is he friend or foe? Or is he just a league of his own? Time will tell, my friends.
Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World – 22
Well the battle against the witches cult has started and…ended. I didn’t quite expect my words in the last episode review to turn out prophetic as Betelgeuse and his minions are taken out so quickly and anticlimactically considering how much this arc has built them up to be the main villain. Through Subaru seems to share my concerns as things go too smoothly that even he is suspicious. This feeling is throughout the first half of the episode as the white whale taught us that when things are going too well then there is a gut punch coming up. I commend Subaru from learning from horror movie tropes and inquiring as to whether Betelgeuse is really dead after Wilhelm chopped him in half. Prompting the little animal girls to incinerate his body to ashes. Despite this it seems Betelgeuse comes back in the form of his follower which is a girl who has his unseen hands and his rather eccentric mannerisms. However it isn’t long before he’s cut down by Wilhelm yet again and props to the clever idea of using falling water to allow Wilhelm to see the hands. Subaru and Co dismissed this as this girl being the true sloth archbishop and the first man was a proxy or the possibly that all members are the archbishop.
I however have my own theory that Betelgeuse doesn’t actually take to the field himself and instead sends his followers and has the ability to possess one of them. It fits with the sloth theme in that the sloth archbishop stay home while controlling others from afar and it leads me to have an interesting thought. When Betelgeuse number 1 got immensely aggravated with Subaru, he started convulsing and blood came out of his eyes which suggests that his body is breaking down. I think it’s possible that all of Betelgeuse’s spasms and erratic moments may actually not be because of his personal insanity but rather because Betelgeuse’s control of the body lessens as he gets more emotional. Thus in these moments the original owner wrestles to gain control of their body. So the biting fingernails, the arching of his back, the self inflicted harm is all the screams of someone trying to remove Betelgeuse’s dominance. There is a question of whether Betelgeuse himself has an original body or is some kind of spirit jumping between bodies. Though this is all just purely speculation.
So it seems that the cult of the witch recruits people by sending out a gospel to those suitable and it’s uncertain as whether this gospel brainwashes people into joining or it contains information that encourages people to. Betelgeuse made a particular interesting comment when he said that the gospel did not mention Subaru at all which seems to suggest it’s some sort of book foretelling future events. Which might explain as to how it could get people to join, after all if it states that the Jealous witch will take over the world or enact some sort of judgement day then people would prefer to join the side that doesn’t get slaughtered in the future. He also insinuates that Subaru is Pride once again and considering that Subaru picks up the gospel it may very well be something to come into play in later arcs. It’s nice that despite apologizing for fighting Julius, Subaru still has a petty grudge against him. As I said before you don’t put a bandaid on trauma and call him cured.
Subaru came close to falling back into a stupor after getting four people killed in the cult attack but Wilhelm managed to keep him focused by telling him to fight and be strong. This speech will likely act as determination for later and I like how when Subaru said he needed to get stronger WIlhelm interrupted to say that he doesn’t need to get stronger but instead be strong. This seems to suggest that what Subaru needs is not physical strength but instead mental strength. This is true as it’s is not Subaru’s job to beat the bad guys but instead to lead the right players to the right places to get the job done. In this the only thing stopping him is his own mental fortitude. When you have the power to try again infinitely then victory is certain. It’s just a matter of how many times you can bring yourself to try.
Our episode ends with Subaru separated from his group with a grim looking Ram looking down on him. The nature of this twist confused me on first seeing it as it seems to suggest that Ram was betraying him. Though considering previous loops and Ram’s history with the cult this is a nigh impossibility. However whether Roswell is a member of the cult is another matter entirely and Ram would obey his orders, regardless of what they were. In fact it is odd that he tends to disappear when the witches cult is about to make a move. He didn’t seem to be present when Puck froze the manor and if he was then taking out the cult members would have been an easy task. In fact taking into account the combat potential of Emilia, Beatrix and Ram it is rather odd that they lost to the cultists. Possibly because Subaru caught them off guard that they didn’t have time to put up a real fight but I still think that with how easily they were killed by Wilhelm and the others that they is likely something else at play here. Perhaps Betelgeuse was only one part of the group coming to attack the manor or there is another enemy to deal with in this arc. WIth three episodes left I think Re:Zero has something entirely different planned for it’s season finale.