Introduction: High Density Goodness
Irina, do you remember Planet With? This isn’t a random question, though it looks that way! I ask because one of the things that struck me about the series is how much it was able to pack into a single episode. I’d never seen a series be so plot-rich. Not only that, but it felt right. It never felt overwhelming. I thought it was unique in this regard. After watching I Know Hell, Re:ZERO Season 2 Episode 35 (a.k.a. episode 10) in particular and this season in general, I think Planet With has met its match. I usually take about 400 words of notes about an episode. I’d taken about that much in the first four minutes of this episode.
Before we dive in, how was your week, Irina?
So far so good. That long weekend really came at a good time. I’m looking forward to the next one. Who should I be petitioning to just have 3 day weekends from now on? Or maybe I should just stop working during my usual weekends and that would make everything better.
I’ve never watched Planet With, but you have piqued my curiosity. I’m adding it to the queue.
In Re:ZERO Season 2 Episode 35…
At the end of the previous episode, Satella, the Witch of Envy, had consumed everyone except Subaru and Garfiel. She was on her way to wreck havoc at the mansion, and when Subaru and Garfiel tried to stop her, she ripped Garfiel to shreds and pulled Subaru into her shroud of darkness, which exposed him to all sort of different memories — and her please to “Love me!” When it looked like he would be trapped there forever, Echidna’s magic let him turn Petra’s handkerchief into a dagger that he plunged into his throat.
After coming back to life, he struck up an alliance with Ryuuzu, who told him that because he had consumed some of Echidna’s “bodily fluids,” she now considers him the Apostle of Greed and can order Ryuuzu and her dozens of clones around. Subaru, more determined than ever to protect Frederica, Petra, and Rem, decides to push Garfiel to see not only be sure he can trust him — but to show that Garfiel can trust him, too. After refuting Garfiel’s accusation that Subaru had “no idea what pain or suffering even are,” Subaru makes it to the mansion and convinces Frederica and Petra to escape with Rem. He then has an apocalyptic conversation with Beatrice.
Irina, do you think that captured the major points?
Keep a Good Handle on Your Harem!
Subaru is in sort of a tough spot. Well then again, when isn’t he? Am I right??? Anyways, on the one hand he desperately wants to protect the ladies that are back at the mansion, but on the other hand, he’s seen the village completely wiped out in very gruesome ways recently. Killer rabbits and killer ex-girlfriends, well not really ex-girlfriends — it’s more on her side, although she is cute… it’s complicated!
And that’s why you don’t split your harem up, kids. You gotta keep all your adorable devoted fans in the same general geographical location for convenience. See, this is an educational show.
I’m taking some notes here…
I noticed that Subaru wasn’t all that worried for Roswaal. After that ending sequence last episode, I was hoping we would get some answers. I guess I should really know better by now than to expect answers from Roswaal. Still, I didn’t expect him to simply disappear this week.
The Two Big Events in Re:ZERO Season 2 Episode 35
I want to focus on two momentous events: Satella’s blood-smeared tears and Emilia’s reaction to Subaru’s breakdown.
OK! Sounds good. I want to go off on weird tangents regarding the Ryuzu clones. I have questions! Well then again, when don’t I? (Let’s see how long I can keep this going).
If you were to confront me with what I’m about to say after watching last week’s episode, I would have done the “look askance” thing. But here goes:
First: Satella… Sympathetic?!
I felt sorry for Satella. To the point that when Subaru tried to brush away her tears, I had completely forgotten to breath.
He put his bloody finger right up to her eye, and she didn’t pull away from him. Wow. She must really trust him. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
As I discussed with some of our readers last week, I have this vague, half-baked, idea that Satella and Emilia are the same in some way. Now, re:Zero is sort of a fuzzy existence in my brain in the best of time, so don’t ask me for too many details, but I always had this idea that maybe they were one soul split asunder or maybe linked existences where one cannot be without the other. Or maybe even that Satella is a representation of all the pain and grief Emilia has suffered that was somehow given life and now is running amuck, eternally in pain and not entirely capable of understanding the situation or even her own existence.
In any case, it has on some level always made me interpret Satella as a tragic character rather than one to be hated or feared. This reading has no real basis that I can explain, beyond the already established connection between the characters. Still, if you had told me last week I would feel sorry for Satella, I would have said, well then again, when don’t I?
Satella’s eyes look just like Emilia’s…
Subaru, Playing with Fire
That moment probably needs a bit of description. Satella’s continued “I love you” barrage had pushed Subaru to the edge of what was left of his sanity. That was before she destroyed Garfiel. Throwing caution to the wind, Subaru said the unthinkable, especially to the Witch of Envy. He told her that the number one and two spots in his heart were already taken. Even worse, he said that he had a better chance of loving Echidna or the other witches than her.
As soon as the words were out of Subaru’s mouth, I thought, “Well, nice knowing ya, dude!” And was Re:ZERO Season 2 Episode 35 dark, or what?Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
As much of an emotional cinder block as I am, even I gasped at that point. I thought she would rip him apart. What did you think, Irina?
I told Subaru that he had zero game. That is not how you talk to a lady, dude. He may not have heard me through the TV. To be fair, he had a few things going on at the time. And yeah, I thought she would explode him. Although I would have loved a simple slap on the cheek that didn’t even hurt him that much cause it was all she could even manage in the situation.
Yeah, he was really busy!
Instead of killing him, she “embraced” him in her dark cloak of energy. And for the first time, in addition to telling him that she loved him, she also pleaded, “Love me.”
Echidna Helps from Beyond the Grave
Couple of quick notes before I go on. First, Subaru’s voice actor, Yuusuke Kobayashi, turned in a stellar performance. Second, so did Satella’s voice actor, Rie Takahashi. Her voice was so lyrical, so ethereal, and so utterly insane that I couldn’t help but be drawn in. When Subaru jammed the weaponized handkerchief into his throat, her pitiful gasp almost broke my heart.
Then Subaru, this poor guy who has been through death after death after death, saw her pain, and something in his heart was moved. I do not think he was being ironic when he tried to brush away her tears, leaving only a bloody smear, and said, “I… swear… I’m going… to save you.”
In spite of everything she’d done to him and practically everyone he knew, he still told Satella that he would save her. The animation effects gave this sequence an unsettling, eerie feel. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
I think anime has broken my idea of romance, because that was the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.
What’d you think, Irina?
I think it’s a standard harem hero trope. I’m pretty sure I have seen this in a lot of other anime. I also don’t know if it comes from a romantic impulse.
To me, seeing how devastated Satella was when she frantically realized she couldn’t save Subaru, was much more touching and felt more altruistic to me. Maybe I’ve just seen so many shows where the hero is compelled to save everyone that I find it more special when someone allows themselves to be vulnerable or accepts to be saved.
Then again, I am very romantically challenged. You really shouldn’t take my word for these types of things.
Second: Emilia Empowered
Remember in previous passes through this timeline, how Subaru offered to take on the trials to spare Emilia, and she thought he was saying she was too weak? OMG I DO remember that! Crow, I remembered something!!! Well, after Returning by Death, Subaru saw that — thankfully! — he was back on the marble floor beside Emilia, who was muttering fearfully in her sleep. When he reached out to comfort her, he saw that his hands were shaking. He hadn’t recovered from his ordeal with Satella. Can’t say that I blame him, either.
This is significant because when Emilia came to, she started to give voice to hear fears, as she had before. Then she saw Subaru trembling uncontrollably, and she went into sympathy/support mode. Completely forgetting her own pain, she rushed to comfort Subaru. That did two very important things.
As soon as she saw the anguish on Subaru’s face, Emilia forgot her own fears. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
First, it reminded Emilia that she can be the strong one. With Subaru dissolving into sobs, she forced herself to be strong for him, but her strength still came from within. She didn’t need help. She was the pillar of strength. That permeated her attitude for the rest of the episode.
Second, it gave Ram a chance to unload some high-quality snark, like “You were supposed to help Emilia-sama, but you only caused trouble for her. Why are you even alive?”
Irina, what did you think of that scene?
I liked it a lot. Finally, this is the Emilia I remember. Much more interesting. This is actually what I was trying to explain in my previous paragraph. Not sure if I did well.
Emilia and Beatrice… and Bunnies
One random thought. My god, Emilia looks pretty in moonlight! And Beatrice can be ridiculously cryptic.
Beatrice is the best. Simple people like us cannot hope to understand her.
Every time we see Beatrice, I feel like the universe expands just a little more… Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
I made a joke about the Emilia night light in my gallery post.
So quick question. If all the Ryuzu clones are made out of mana, why haven’t the rabbits attacked way sooner? They must be a very tasty snack to them, no? Or do random Ryuzu clones become rabbit food every other day and we just don’t hear about it?
I wondered why the bunnies were able to enter Sanctuary. Are they usually not able to, and that keeps the clones from being snacks? But if that’s the case, what damaged the barrier in the last episode? And if it’s not the case, why haven’t everyone become bunny snacks before now?
The Sad Clones
Re:Zero has always been full of fridge horror, however there is something very unsettling to me about the clones. Something wistful and a little sad about their quest for identity through the smallest things like a name or a hobby. And something so lonely about having no needs.
Then again, I’m kinda into clones as a narrative device. I know, I’m basic.
The clones were sad. I’m really curious why Ryuuzu wanted Subaru to ask her about her last name again the next day? That’s the kind of detail this show throws at us constantly!
I hope we get to find out more about Ryuzu and catch back up with Roswaal next week!
Let’s hope! That wraps up our review of Re:ZERO Season 2 Episode 35. Now the wait begins!
Reviews of the Other Episodes
- Re:Zero 2 episode 1 – Like Dejà Vu All Over Again
- Re:ZERO 2 episode 2 (ep 27) – The Lost Forest of Clemaldy
- Re:ZERO 2 episode 3 (ep 28) – The Long-Awaited Reunion
- Re:ZERO 2 episode 4 (ep 29) – That Should Not Have Worked
- Re:ZERO 2 episode 5 (ep 30) – Once More Unto the Breach
- Re:ZERO 2 episode 6 (ep 31) – Knifey and the Three Maids
- Re:ZERO 2 episode 7 (ep 32) – Beatrice’s Reasons
- Re:ZERO 2 Episode 8 (or 33) – Before I Heard You, I Saw You
- Re:ZERO 2 Episode 9 (or 34) – Natsuki Subaru and the Magical Maniacal Menagerie
- Re:ZERO 2 Episode 10 (or 35) – The Witch’s Tears and the Apostle of Greed
- Re:ZERO 2 Episode 11 (or 36) – Fridge Horror
- Re:ZERO 2 Episode 12 (or 37) – Evil Rem and the Uninvited Guest
- Re:ZERO 2 Episode 13 (or 38) – What is Taken Shall Be Returned
Still think Satella is really Emilia’s dark side. Remember the movie,”Frozen Bonds?” It explains how she could have been thought so evil by the people and why her experience in the test was so horrible. Roswaal was talking to Satella/Emilia when he said he’d “walk through hell with you.” The movie might also offer a hint as to why Puck isn’t around.
***Finally*** Subaru gets out to the mansion before knifey lady and sends the maids away. Every other time he delayed for this or that before taking off, so Knifey was already there. That saves them and Rem. He’s alone with Beatrice, so why isn’t “the question” the first words out of his mouth? The boy has no sense of urgency. I’d want to be out of there with great haste.
We haven’t seen Beatrice’s abilities yet. If he “uncorks” her so to speak, she might be quite formidable. Or not. But he would be building up a force of “loli hags” loyal only to him.
“The boy has no sense of urgency. I’d want to be out of there with great haste.”
You know, I wonder at what point the horrors of dying over and over just start to feel mundane? Like, well, I might be killed again any moment, but hey, Beatrice, your hair looks nice today.
“Or not. But he would be building up a force of “loli hags” loyal only to him.”
That has huge spin off potential! Subaru and the Legion of Loli Hags!
I’m posting my own take on that Garfiel scene at the end of the episode. It feels like a lot of people are iffy on why Garfiel let Subaru go, so I want to offer what I believe to be a plausible interpretation.
What I think is happening is that Garfiel gets suspicious of Subaru whenever Subaru does something suspicious such as volunteering to take the trial in Emilia’s place because Garfiel can smell the scent of the Witch on him. Garfiel said this episode that he wasn’t sure what was going to happen for a minute, and that is probably because Subaru had just died and come back to life, leading to Subaru smelling very very strongly of the Witch in the tomb, which is what Garfiel mentioned during the third loop at the Sanctuary as being the reason he was convinced that Subaru was a Witch cultist. This time, it was likely just implied that Garfiel had picked up on the scent again, but since Subaru didn’t do anything actually suspicious, Garfiel let it slide. However, trying to leave the Sanctuary with no explanation whatsoever is something Garfiel views as very suspicious. As for why Garfiel let Subaru go, I can’t say with complete confidence that my interpretation is right, but I’ll elaborate on what I believe to be the case.
Remember when Wilhelm said to Felix in episode 12 of Season 1 that Subaru has the eyes of a man who has seen death many times? I reckon that Garfiel might have seen the same thing in Subaru’s eyes when Subaru says he knows hell, and nobody else needs to know it besides himself. That coupled with Subaru recklessly testing Garfiel’s reaction to Subaru needling him for information probably made Garfiel realize that Subaru is someone who is not afraid of death even though Subaru appears to be weak, which along with Subaru’s repeated assurances that he will not do harm to the Sanctuary, may have made Garfiel relax a bit on the possibility of Subaru being a Witch cultist because a hardcore follower of the Witch Cult would probably want to serve Satella as best as possible and as long as possible instead of having a death wish like Subaru appears to have. Subaru is not even attempting to solve all the problems in his way in this current loop but is using it as a test run to learn more about the problems at the mansion, saying he will go through as many tests as possible to solve everything.
I think both your explanations are plausible!
I’m not completely willing to endorse them not because I don’t think they make sense, but because this show has gone in some wonderfully imaginative directions before, and they’ve been internally consistent. They often link clues I missed. So, I’m just enjoying the conversations!
In your last explanation, I like how you bring up what Subaru’s intentions might look like to someone who doesn’t know about RBD. He’s gotta be sending some really confusing signals! I think his complete lack of guile works in his favor in those situations.
Planet With is definitely a show to watch.
I, too, think Satella is much more connected to Emilia that she thinks. For example, the sort of thing Subaru said this episode? I didn’t think she’d blow *him* up; she’s the Witch of Envy, no? Wouldn’t that suggest she’d rather get rid of all the opposition. Like, say, all the witches who he said would come before her… I mean, that’s way too straightforward, but she does rewind time, doesn’t she?
And once we’re done with Envy, how about Greed? It struck me this week that what Echidna is greedy for is knowledge. Doesn’t that mean that Subaru is a rare windfall? She gets to observe alternate outcomes. Come, Subaru, die for me, again and again and again. It’s just so interesting! (And that would make her an audience surrogate, wouldn’t it? I mean why are we watching the show?)
So next episode is Subaru and Beatrice and their written down fate in an abandoned mansion with a serial killer/Assassin?
“Like, say, all the witches who he said would come before her… I mean, that’s way too straightforward, but she does rewind time, doesn’t she?”
That’s along the lines I was thinking. In fact, and I shudder to even think this, but the fact that she didn’t fly into a rage and let Subaru stay dead speaks volumes about how she feels about him.
She might actually love him. And that begs the question of why. I’m not saying he’s unworthy. I’m saying she pulled him from Earth, so what about him is so interesting to her?
“Doesn’t that mean that Subaru is a rare windfall? She gets to observe alternate outcomes. Come, Subaru, die for me, again and again and again. It’s just so interesting! ”
Absolutely! Heck, from the perspective of psychology alone, he’s a boon. So many psychological experiments are impossible because we can’t process human interactions with a control group, placebo, and affected group (I butchered that, I know – it’s late!). But with RBD, he’s a walking field laboratory!
“So next episode is Subaru and Beatrice and their written down fate in an abandoned mansion with a serial killer/Assassin?”
I have no idea why, but my money’s on Beatrice. I think she has capabilities we haven’t seen.
But Knifey is awfully proficient!
Ah, Planet With! I watched that last year but I don’t think I really “got” parts of it. I’m thinking it may be due for a rewatch soon 😛
“I’m thinking it may be due for a rewatch soon 😛”
That’s a great idea! I’d love to read your thoughts about it.
Remember to give peas a chance!
I think Subaru was talking to Emilia when he said he will save her. He(and I) assume that in this timeline, Satella must have possessed Emilia and thus he swore to himself that he will protect her (Emilia). BTW, I love that he started trembling when he got near Emilia because his subconscious has started linking Emilia to Satella and thus made him almost as afraid of her as he is of Satella.
BTW, the enchanting of Petra’s handkerchief made last week’s episode more interesting when Echidna she was meddling a bit when she touched Petra’s handkerchief. I love that Subaru saw this timeline as a disposable one and has decided to waste it so as to gain as much info. It shows that he is getting more desensitized by his deaths and has become more willing to waste a life just for a bit of information.
One thing that I notice that I love about Re;Zero’s mechanic is that through each death, you are able to see the different ways a character can react in varying circumstances. For example, Garfiel can be a lovable rough ally in one timeline or a dangerous enemy in another. 2 episodes before this, we saw him killing Otto and Ram with the intent to also kill Subaru and then in this episode, we see him showing guilt for not being able to save anyone. We also see him willing to risk his life to protect Subaru and even scold Subaru for planning to use himself(Subaru) as bait and that is all in the first 5 minutes. In this current timeline, he wasn’t pushed on the offensive so he remained neutral until Subaru showed any suspicious behaviors. It is just interesting and makes all the characters more defined and 3-Dimensional
I think what happened with Subaru declaring that he’d save Satella is that he mistakenly thought that Satella had possessed Emilia’s body solely because of the similarities of their faces.
But Subaru is wrong about that because Emilia was not wearing a veil over a head, was not wearing a strange thing on her neck like Satella does, and was not wearing an 8-petal hairpin on the right side of her head like Satella does. For reference, Emilia wears a 4-petal hairpin on the left side of her head. Emilia also wears a ribbon on the right side of her head that Satella doesn’t.
Remember when Subaru thought that Emilia didn’t want to be a part of the Royal Selection after a conversation with Beatrice in Season 1? It was blatantly incorrect, and Subaru is often working with very limited knowledge of the world, which can lead to him jumping to conclusions.
“I think what happened with Subaru declaring that he’d save Satella is that he mistakenly thought that Satella had possessed Emilia’s body solely because of the similarities of their faces.”
Maybe. But I’m not 100% convinced. Plus, I’m buying into Irina’s idea that Satella and Emilia are linked in some way. I know there’s evidence to the contrary, but that evidence only holds under certain assumptions. I felt like in this episode, Subaru responded to Satella as Satella — whatever that means!
“For reference, Emilia wears a 4-petal hairpin on the left side of her head. Emilia also wears a ribbon on the right side of her head that Satella doesn’t.”
In their current incarnations, you’re absolutely right! But what if Emilia is a pre-incarnation of Satella — indicated precisely because she has 4 petals and not 8?
” Subaru is often working with very limited knowledge of the world, which can lead to him jumping to conclusions.”
I have to say that I have a lot of sympathy for Subaru in those situations! I’m right there with him!
I also believe that Emilia and Satella are linked in some way as well given that Emilia sensed Subaru’s death when Julius killed Subaru in episode 23, and if Subaru is linked to Satella, that means Emilia is probably is too somehow, but I do not believe that Emilia and Satella are the same person. I have a theory of souls that I came up up with ever since episode 17 of Re:zero in Season 1. I’ll post about it now.
There is an afterlife in Re:zero as Echidna has confirmed (when she indicated it was the land of death) in episode 28 when previously, Petelgeuse in episode 17 was all viewers had to go with on the matter when he indicated he’d be reunited with the Witch in death, and there is also reincarnation as Arbiter Melakuera indicated in the Frozen Bonds OVA. We know from Beatrice that the legendary dragon, sage, and hero sealed Satella, the Witch of Envy’s because they could not destroy her body, and I reasoned that Subaru smells more strongly of Satella whenever he comes back from the dead because Satella’s soul is sealed in the afterlife, and Subaru’s soul and her soul come into close proximity after he dies, leading to him smelling more strongly of her after deaths because of increased exposure to her.
In case it wasn’t obvious, I speculate that the foul smell of the Witch is the scent of her soul given that her body is probably sealed and should have no biological function right now, so her foul stench shouldn’t be the smell of her body. And if that is the case, Satella’s soul being confined to the afterlife indicates that it has not gone through the reincarnation cycle, making it impossible for Satella to be Emilia. Of course if Re:zero has a yet-to-be-revealed twist that involves an individual soul being apart of a greater soul, and individual souls of a greater soul can have their own unique attributes, then that pretty much completely invalidates my theory.
But I have a reason to believe that my theory is correct based on your response to Dawnstorm, TCrow. You posed the questions about why Satella loves Subaru and what about him she finds so interesting, and I too have asked those very questions and wondered how Satella could have specifically decided decided Subaru is her lover when she could have chosen from millions of Japanese men. I say Japanese men in particular because Aldebaran, Priscilla’s knight from Season 1 indicated that everyone from Kararagi speaks in the Kansai dialect after Subaru recognized the Kansai dialect, and I believe that this is because Kararagi was either founded by or ruled by a Japanese person in the past. My point is that if people and mabeasts can recognize the scent of Satella’s soul, maybe Satella can recognize the scent of Subaru’s soul, and the only way I can see that being possible is if Satella had met Subaru in the past before she was sealed away. Perhaps Subaru had a life in Re:zero’s fantasy world before dying either of old age or because of some other unknown reason. That would explain how Satella could recognize Subaru across time and space and possibly even a different physical body that looks nothing like he used to 400 years ago. Maybe there have been other people who have been summoned from Japan because the Witch had narrowed down a probable land mass that Subaru’s next life is located in but not the era, and that’s why people in Kararagi speak in the Kansai dialect because for a long time in Japan’s history, most people in Japan spoke in the Kansai dialect.
I also looked at Season 2’s OP visuals and think it also gives some credence (maybe that is arrogant of me) to my theory. Subaru eventually walks over to a dead Emilia and starts bleeding uncontrollably, and he gets pulled into the afterlife where Satella resets the damage to his body and gives him words of encouragement, which leads to him rushing forward to face his memories and the pain associated with them until he finally reaches the light, which I presume to be the next iteration of his life at a save point.
That’s a lot of solid detail to think about. I can’t find any gaps in your theory.
“Perhaps Subaru had a life in Re:zero’s fantasy world before dying either of old age or because of some other unknown reason. ”
That’s an interesting possibility. We don’t know much about the origin of the witches, do we? For all we know, maybe Satella originally came from Japan and knew Subaru’s “predecessor” in the flesh.
I feel like I keep repeating my self on this point, but how awesome is it that we’re watching a show that can generate this kind of speculation? That’s the kind of world building I dream about.
Yeah, I agree, tcrow. I’ve never been this excited to talk about a show in years. Before Re:zero, the last time I went to blogs to post about my interpretation about an anime was Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita in 2012. I thought that it had a lot of interesting ideas.
After watching Humanity has Declined, I will never look at chick again. And don’t get me started on Ave Maria…
Or bread…
Or bananas…
oh my, sad clones made it as a header…
It was such a good line! I couldn’t not include it!