Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3

Episode 66

It's funny. Re:Zero is a show that does action, romance, ultra-violence, and comedy all in one package. Yet, despite this, it has a consistent tone—a tone that this episode goes largely against to great success.

This season was a complete win for our heroes. One Archbishop of Sin was killed, one was captured, and the remaining four were basically driven off—and none managed to accomplish even one of their stated goals. Garfiel overcame his trauma and Theresia was finally laid to rest. Subaru's team even got the crystal they need to bring back Puck.

Moreover, no one died (at least, no one in the main or supporting cast) and while there are some major injuries—i.e., Crusch, Subaru, and Otto—there is at the very least hope for a full recovery. Heck, even the people reshaped into monsters by Capella are being put on ice (pun intended) in the hope that they can be saved at some future time. Everything has turned out far better than anyone could have expected—and it feels so wrong.

While Re:Zero has it's “happy moments” (if not “happy endings”), things never go quite this well. Each new happy scene feels increasingly unnatural for the tone and world the series has established. The whole episode, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop—especially as we were seemingly ignoring Julius and Ricardo's battle with their third of the Gluttony trio. I honestly thought for most of the episode that both Julius and Ricardo had been killed and erased—both names and memories taken and subsequently murdered. But no, all Ricardo lost was a hand—and Julius his name.

Narratively, this is a great choice. While we've seen people with only their memories eaten (Crusch) and both their memories and name eaten (Rem), now we have a supporting character who has had only their name eaten. This mean while Julius still remembers his life, it's like he never existed until this moment as far as the rest of the world is concerned.

How utterly devastating this must be. Friends, family, the person you've sworn your life to—all have no idea who you are. Moreover, in the afterglow of a supposedly great victory, they have no idea what you've sacrificed for them. It's no surprise Julius is just standing aimlessly in the shadows—what else is he supposed to do? If he tried to rejoin Anastasia's camp, would anyone believe him?

Imagine being in this position—and then imagine that someone shouts out to you by name. Someone knows who you are! Not one of your close friends but at least someone you've come to respect. Suddenly there is hope. Maybe it was temporary. Maybe they'll all remember you now and it was just a bad dream. But then your hopes are dashed. While one person remembers you, it's clear seconds later that no one else does. You're technically better off than before... but it feels worse.

Leaving the season on this somber, empathetically devastating note is the perfect kind of cliffhanger. While our heroes are out of danger, we still want to see the fallout from what happened to Julius—how Subaru will try to help the man (even though he dislikes him) and how the rest of the heroes will react to a “stranger” in their midst. Will they even believe Subaru? Or will they think he's been tricked somehow? It certainly gives you things to think about—and a reason to come back next season for more Re:Zero.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• Given that Al has hinted he has at least something similar to Return by Death, I really would have liked to see if he recognized Julius as well.

• Is this really the first time we learn that Petelgeuse was not necessarily representative of the Archbishops and their goals? Like, I assumed it was obvious by now as none of them seem even slightly interested in the Witch of Envy or freeing her.

• It looks like Rui, the third of the Gluttony trio, can take the form of the people she's eaten. If the other two can do the same, that sets up some sad stuff in the future for sure.

• So... what happened to Regulus' witch factor? Did it go into Subaru like Petelgeuse's did? Is it buried underground with his body? Or has it already transferred to someone else?

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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