With the GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH finishing its last chapter, many have asked "Is it really the end? Will you cover another show? Are you going to watch Shippuden?" My dear readers, the answer to those questions are yes, yes, and yes, but we need a little break from all the Naruto watching! We'll dive right back into the ninja action, but we need a bit of a palette cleanser. We're going from ninjas to an Isekai show, and the show we've chosen for our latest rewatch is the popular Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-!
Natsuki Subaru, an ordinary high school student, is on his way home from the convenience store when he finds himself transported to another world. As he's lost and confused in a new world where he doesn't even know left from right, the only person to reach out to him was a beautiful girl with silver hair. Determined to repay her somehow for saving him from his own despair, Subaru agrees to help the girl find something she's looking for...
I wonder what she's looking for... and if she'll find it. I myself haven't watched the show yet, so I have no idea what's going to happen! The only thing I know is that there are twins, and people really seem to like one of them a great deal... and that there's a lot of death? Oh geez, what have we signed up for here?
So here's how it's going to work: starting on September 20th, we'll be discussing 5 episodes of Re:ZERO until we're done watching the show. Each episodes' host will have a few questions for the Features team, and you're also welcome to answer the in the comments! You can also ask us your own questions, which we'll answer in the following week's installment.
Some of our Features team members will be talking about their great journey through Re:ZERO on their Twitter accounts, using the hashtag #CrunchyRewatch. Make sure to keep an eye out for our thoughts as we watch on, and please do join in the commentary on Twitter as well!
Before we embark in our journey, I prepared some preliminary questions for our Features team to answer, and to give y'all a taste of how our discussions will look like! Here's what they had to say:
Do you like or dislike Isekai shows? Do you think the genre gets a bad rap for being overplayed?
Joshua: I don’t think comments about there being too many Isekai shows lately are unfair, and the fact we’re starting to get more parodies probably means there is too much? I still find myself enjoying some of them though, so maybe I’m part of the problem?! For me, it comes down to each individual show. Some are definitely too generic, but others can have fascinating, original set-ups, or nail a simple premise with their execution. There’s some great Isekai shows out there, and hopefully we can introduce you to one of them!
Kevin: In general, I tend to like Isekais. I’ve always loved RPGs, fantasy games and the like (heck, I’m a Dungeon Master for a D&D campaign), so an anime set in basically an RPG video game world is something I’m predisposed to like. There’s almost certainly way too many of them at this point, but I can’t bring myself to hate the trend as a whole.
Noelle: Admittedly, I think I like Isekai more on paper than in practice. As much as I enjoy the fantasy genre as a whole, and find people being thrown into wild situations really interesting, Isekai more often than not doesn’t really have much to say, I feel. It more often than not ends up feeling like a power fantasy and sure, that’s fine, but I think I’d like my power fantasies to say something meaningful. As of now, the genre is absolutely oversaturated.
Carolyn: I couldn’t really say. According to top Isekai anime lists, I haven’t seen much isekai. I’m drawn to darker storylines so maybe that’s why? I have nothing against it in theory, but apparently I’ve never been tempted to really check it out.
Kara: I remember once a light novel publisher was running their annual contest and put a nix on Isekai entries because the market was genuinely saturated. I think we’re not getting nearly as many Isekai anime as we are light novels, but if they can make a chibi crossover series like Isekai Quartet, that kind of says something. To be fair, the general concept behind Isekai is much older than anime. That’s literally what The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland are (not accounting for modern modifications to the trope, of course). So I don’t dislike the genre, but there are a couple routes I don’t like seeing it go down that it… tends to go down.
Paul: I have no strong feelings about the Isekai subgenre. I think it's over-saturated at the moment and some series don't deal with thorny thematic concepts (like slavery, racism, misogyny, etc.) in a very graceful manner.
David: I usually dislike Isekai. Even back when it was oriented differently, like InuYasha, I wasn’t a fan. Getting a bad rap for being overplayed though? Absolutely. It has a ton of potential and people shouldn’t write it off as just being a failed genre.
Danni: I’ve honestly had a hard time sincerely getting into the Isekai genre. I do think it gets a bit of a bad rap, though. The same way every genre that rockets to sudden popularity does. In a few years anime fans will look back fondly at the good ones while rolling their eyes at whatever the new genre fad is. It happens every time.
Jared: I can’t say I really have a strong opinion one way or another. Although I didn’t find a show in the genre I actually enjoyed until this year as some of the more modern shows I tried watching,I didn’t get too far into. I think it does get a bad rap because it seems like one of the more popular genres out there currently, which leads to an influx of series that might not be at the highest of quality.
Austin: Generally, I really like Isekai shows. I tend to get really excited each time a new Isekai anime gets announced and look forward to them as they come around to airing. That said, I do think genre is extremely overplayed and it definitely gets a bad rap for that, it's just an overplayed genre I really like!
Have you watched Re:ZERO before? If not, do you know anything about the series?
Joshua: I watched and loved Re:ZERO while it was being simulcast, and even bought a Rem plush that sits at the end of my bed! I envy those of you who get to watch it for the first time!
Kevin: I have indeed seen it before! In fact, I watched each episode as they came out, and it is one of the shows that I watched with my mom when I was trying to expose her to a bunch of different kinds of anime, watching it myself for a second or third time in the process. You can make the judgement for yourself whether that was a good idea or not.
Noelle: I haven’t watched Re:ZERO at all. I pretty much don’t know anything about the series… except that people seem to like the twins?
Carolyn: I have not seen the show before and I don’t know very much about. I understand there’s lots of dying?
Kara: I’ve never watched Re:ZERO before. All I know is the jokes I’ve seen in Isekai Quartet and that Rem and Ram are really popular. You can’t really go two days in the newsroom without seeing a new Rem figure go on sale.
Paul: I haven't seen Re:ZERO before. What little I know I've picked up from cultural osmosis. I know the general premise and I can identify most of the main characters, but other than that, I know almost nothing of the actual story.
David: Yes! And... no comment.
Danni: I haven’t actually. All I know is that the protagonist wears a tracksuit and that everyone adores the wrong maid.
Jared: I haven’t watched Re:ZERO at all. I know it was relatively big when it came out and that people have differing opinions on the girls and what not. Other than that, I don’t really have a clue.
Austin: Yes! I watched it as it aired and loved it a lot.
Anything you're looking forward to watching Re:ZERO as a group as opposed to on your own?
Joshua: Back when the show was airing, the anticipation in the days between each new episode was painful. Now, I’m looking forward to sharing things we may not have noticed before, and watching with twisted glee as new viewers react to things for the very first time!
Kevin: I’m really interested to see how a small group of people react to the more memorable scenes of the show, and how the semi-binge watch style of the Rewatch changes how we feel. As I mentioned, I followed the show each week on Reddit for a while, but the Rewatch will get more of people’s real time reactions, while also allowing for more measured discussion since people will be consuming five episodes per week, instead of one.
Noelle: I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s opinions! I think it’s really fun seeing what other people manage to pick up that I didn’t, and I’m down for more of that.
Carolyn: Group discussion for new forms of entertainment is always fun! Seeing how others form their opinions while consuming the same product is always interesting to me.
Kara: I always prefer to watch things in a group. A lot of times it actually changes my conception of what I’m watching. People’s input and enthusiasm has a way of seasoning things. Also, I learned from the Naruto rewatch that the best way to get me through a series is to set a schedule and have “accountability partners.” Which makes it sounds like going to the gym, but there you are.
Paul: Emotional support. I haven't watched Re:ZERO before, because I've heard it's a sad show, and I can't watch sad anime unless I'm braced for it in advance. Hopefully the other viewers will help prevent me from slipping into a media-based depression.
David: Yes! When it originally aired, I showed the first episode to as many people as I could force to sit in front of a TV. I was extremely excited to share it with people, and I’m glad even more new people will be seeing it here.
Danni: Like with Naruto I’m looking forward to having other people to talk with about a show that has kind of fallen out of the spotlight since its heyday.
Jared: Watching it as a group makes it easier to just start and watch it in general. If I was by myself, I might not try and stay with it if I wasn’t really feeling the first few episodes or so. Plus, it’s much more fun to watch stuff with other people.
Austin: Seeing how people react to all of the things that happen in just two cours! This show can be quite an emotional roller coaster at times so I expect a mix of remembering the highs and lows as they happen and seeing others experience them for the first time.
Considering the last show we watched was hundreds of episodes long, what differences do you expect out of a far shorter group watch?
Joshua: While I didn’t participate in the Naruto rewatch, I applaud my friends for their patience and endurance! Hopefully a much shorter show means our enthusiasm stays at its peak until the end!
Kevin: I’m expecting two things: first, that the questions are going to be much more detailed, potentially each question focusing on a completely different aspect of the show or a different episode. And second, I think any show less than 50 episodes is going to feel like it is over almost instantly.
Noelle: Considering Naruto lasted forever, this will really feel like blink and it’s gone! It’ll be a lot more compressed for sure, but also I imagine this functions very differently than a shonen anime from the 2000s.
Carolyn: I’m expecting to be very surprised by how quickly this flies by. Also, less filler and probably a tighter story as a result.
Kara: I expect tons less groaning about filler arcs. It’s also going to feel weirdly speedy, I think.
Paul: Since we have less material to cover, I hope we're still able to tackle some interesting questions. It's a big change going from a 200+ episode series to one that's only 20 episodes.
David: I am mostly hoping we are going to go more in-depth on sets of episodes. Naruto is great, and we talked the heck out of it, but there was so much I felt like we didn’t go super far into anything. Shorter watches hopefully means more thoughts, basically.
Danni: Less filler?
Jared: We won’t be stuck in months of filler, which is a huge plus. The weirdest aspect might be that it’ll go by extremely quick compared to what we did previously. Plus, less episodes to watch each week can allow for a more in-depth discussion each week.
Austin: While I've watched very few shows as long as Naruto, I think this show will go by a lot faster—especially with people to watch it with!
Based on what you know of Re:ZERO going in (no spoilers if you've seen it!) from promo images, any particular characters you think you'll like? Descriptions are fine if you don't know names!
Joshua: Temporarily wiping my brain of future knowledge and looking at the promo art like it’s for the first time, I have an all new appreciation of Beatrice. Everyone else looks good but also rather simple compared to those gold curls, that frilly dress, and the striped stockings! She definitely makes a strong first impression.
Kevin: As someone who has seen the full show multiple times, I opt to not give any answer to this for fear of spoilers.
Noelle: The princess with the white hair seems interesting. Always here for pretty girls in nice outfits.
Carolyn: There’s somebody with blue hair and a David Bowie looking makeup job. That’s pretty neat.
Kara: Not sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion I’m going to like Ram. She seems pretty wild.
Paul: I expect I won't like Subaru very much. Aside from that, I don't know.
David: HARD NO COMMENT!
Danni: When Re:ZERO was airing it felt like I saw it everywhere, but somehow it took me traveling to Japan and seeing a big promotional setup for the new movie to find out it has a rich, twin-drills girl in it. Frankly, I am upset that it took me that long to find out Re:ZERO has its own version of the best type of anime archetype. Where is the justice?
Jared: I think the only characters I actually know of via just social media and what not are Subaru, Rem, Ram, and Emilia (I think that’s their names, that’s how out of the loop I am). No idea which of them I’ll actually enjoy. I’m guessing I won’t like Subaru? That could be just general chatter and what not influencing me at the moment though.
Austin: I really like Emilia! There's honestly a fair bit of bias in that opinion as I'm a big fan of her Japanese voice actress, Rie Takahashi, but if she's anything like I remember I'll probably still end up liking her the most.
And there you have it! Some Features team members seem to be looking forward to the reactions of those of us who haven't seen Re:ZERO yet... Soon we'll know what they know!
Here's our upcoming schedule:
- Next week (Sept. 20th), Jared will be our host, covering the first 5 episodes as we set off on our journey
- The following week (Sept. 27th), Kara will be taking over as the host
We hope you join us on the GREAT Re:ZERO REWATCH! See ya next week!
Have you watched Re:ZERO? If you haven't watch it yet, what are you expecting from this rewatch? Sound off in the comments below, and do send any questions you have for us as we watch on the series!
Nicole is a features writer and editor for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries
Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!
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