My current experience with Re:Zero is akin to a book that I am allowed to read once a week. Once I begin reading I am locked in and ready to charge through the full story. But then the book is yanked away and I am told to wait another week to get reading again. As such when I am reading that book I have less patience for the times the book decides to unload exposition or cut away from the most interesting situation to focus on the far less interesting one. Indeed I am a little annoyed that we have several high stakes fights going on and instead we cut away to Emilia taking a trial that was already confirmed to be easy for her for relatively low stakes. I mean yeah it’s not the worst thing in the world but I really think we didn’t need half a thirty minute episode for that. Made all the more intrusive when we thought we were finally done with these characters only for them to show up again to hog screentime.
Things at the mansion are heating up with Garfiel and Elsa proving each others resilience and Maylee is riding in on the most dangerous animal known to man…the hippo. Actually the funny thing about that statement is that it’s actually true, the hippo is known to be the most dangerous large land mammal. So as silly as it may look, Maylee choosing to bring that along might actually be a wise choice and well apparently she named it Boulderpork(Crunchyroll translated this as rock piggy cause they hate fun) a name which is genius. Beatrix’s pity party seems to be even wearing Subaru out but it’s still rather amusing that he’s once again given the opportunity to claim to be “That person” and once again throws it away. I can understand it though, claiming to be that person is likely the easiest option to get her out of there but it’s also the option Roswaal wants him to take. It’s most likely that Beatrix wouldn’t be saved that way and that it would only result in removing her contract. I am still wondering why Subaru just doesn’t mention that he talked with Echidna as I feel like he could resolve a number of things if he did as well as justify to Beatrix just why he’s telling her to just forget her mothers contract or intentions. Either way the situation at the mansion had me on the edge of my seat which makes it all the more disappointing when the rest of the episode is spent elsewhere.
I would say this is another time I would really question the placement of this scene at this point in time where we transition from the tense high octane mansion to Emilia chilling with her foster family. The nature of these trials are a strange thing as they are based on past, present and future constructed from the individual’s mind. The passing requirement being a kind of emotional resolution though in the case of Emilia here that resolution wasn’t all that difficult. She just got shown a world that she wanted and asked if she wanted to stay there and considering that the individual is already aware of the artificiality of that world it basically is a pointless question. Echidna basically pointed out that she wouldn’t have any trouble with the remaining trials but it does have me wonder if the trials are not designed with the intent of all three posing an obstacle but rather the idea that one would prove insurmountable for different people. To Emilia, facing her past was her greatest challenge and for Subaru’s two trials, the first wasn’t much of a challenge while the second was utterly brutal. You could say that if Subaru didn’t go through the development of the first season he would have failed the first trial but I am not quite so certain. The past trial seems to be designed for those with traumatic backstories so I would say that Subaru’s past while unfortunate, wasn’t truly that extreme. Whereas his present is most certainly a living nightmare when the situation turns against him.
Emilia’s trial, unlike the first, didn’t really show any new light on anything besides her desire to be with her family which is what annoys me in regards to how much time is devoted to it. The most interesting part of it would be Echidna’s rather extreme reaction at the trials end. We already know her to be manipulative and cold but this would be the most genuine emotional reaction she has had throughout the series. The question as to what caused it though feels like something that would be answered later in the series though if I was to make a wild guess, I would say something about what Emilia said reminded her of Satella. Satella seems to bring out Echidna’s emotions harder than anything else and I am willing to bet that there is more to that old fairytale of Envy eating the witches that meets the eye. Other than that I just really like the visual shot of Emilia diving into the water and locking eyes with her reflection, it’s a bit over dramatic admittedly but I just like the ambiance of the shot. So we have the trial of the “Disaster that’s yet to come” which seems like a perfect time to foreshadow the next arc or a much later arc. At least this next trial might provide more food for thought than this one.
It’s something I haven’t thought about for long, but it seems that Emilia has a sixth sense of sorts.
In episode 28, Emilia asks Roswaal, “What is this place?” in reference to the Sanctuary. She said that ever since they made contact with the Sanctuary barrier that she’s had this anxious feeling in her chest that keeps her from being able to relax. She said it didn’t feel like a Sanctuary but more like a… …Witch’s Graveyard as Roswaal attempted to complete her thought.
This season, it is revealed that Emilia knew Petelgeuse when she was younger, and it shines a light on some of the things that happened in Season 1.
When Emilia killed the final finger after staring at him for a while, she started crying. Even though her memories had been sealed, she might have subconsciously had a reaction to ending Petelgeuse’s life in that particular finger.
Then after Julius killed Subaru/Petelgeuse after Petelgeuse had taken control of Subaru’s body, Emilia looked in the direction of where Subaru had been even though she should have no idea where in the forest Subaru had gone to. I believe that instance showed that Emilia felt Subaru and Petelgeuse passing away from the world since they had been slain.
I think Emilia feeling uneasy about the Sanctuary shows that she can subconsciously feel that the Sanctuary serves as the resting place of multiple dead Witches of Sin whose souls are trapped there.
Whether this quality of Emilia’s, provided that she does indeed possess such a quality, will have more story relevance remains to be seen, but I personally believe it’s a safe bet that it will.