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First thoughts after watching Re:Zero Season 4 Episode 19

This note includes a spoiler, and not only about this episode.

I watched Re:Zero season 4 episode 19 twice.

I thought Shaula was going to be saved, so it was a little surprising to me (not very surprising) that she died. Was she the first person in this series who died and had an impact on Subaru? Rem was surely the first person but she was still alive. But was she reborn? Maybe this is "Re: Zero starting from the another world." for her. Originally, I thought cutting off the scorpion's tail or arms would hurt her, and I was kinda worried about it, and it caused her death. When Subaru went to a world where only Shaula and him were in the space, I prepared myself for her death. But the master she respected wasn't really Subaru, or at least that's what I felt, so it might not be good that she would stay alive forever adoring someone else.

Ram finished off Lye, but Julius captured Roy, and Subaru wanted him to be dead. He didn't hesitate at all about killing someone, which surprised me. Was he that kinda person? I must've completely forgotten if he is. So, what Anastasia said, that she likes a person who cried out for Shaula more than a person who wants to kill Roy, was a good point. She isn't a fighter, so she can see things from a normal person's(?) point of view. Also, Julius thought about the risk of not getting the memories back even if Roy was dead, and that was right after the exam was passed, when Shaula's curse still wasn't broken. And that decision came from Julius, who was forgotten by everyone, so it carries more weight than a decision made by someone unaffected by Gluttony. Anyhow, because Roy was only captured and Rui also somehow came out of the Corridor of Memories, I felt it was still going to take a long time to get back the memories and the people stolen by Gluttony.

Volcanica was, what was that? His voice was good, but he was full of nonsense. I felt Emilia got strong enough to fight against him and I wondered when she became this strong. Maybe I just forgot a lot. Anyhow, after hearing what Emilia said and what Volcanica said, I was wondering whether 400 years ago, a few people from this era were there too, like Patrasche and Emilia, or Satella. Also, Patrasche loved Subaru, and Shaula also loved him, so I wondered if Subaru was actually there too at that time. Not sure he was Flugel or not, though. There was another handprint besides Emilia's. Well, but if that's the case, that master was a scumbag to curse Shaula in the tower. Also, I didn't understand what actually happened when Emilia touched the stone slab. It seemed Volcanica's consciousness was back and he made her wish come true? And because they passed the exam, the sandstorm to protect the tower was also gone. About the Royal Selection in Lugunica for Emilia, this guy is an important dragon so does this mean she moved one step ahead?

And I guess, the reward for the exam was what Volcanica did when Satella came. But what was that? Move to a different place, or even another world? Before moving, Rem, Satella and Rui were around Subaru, but only Rem was there around him in the grassy field afterward. Was the reason Volcanica did it to them that Emilia's wish was for everyone to get along, so they're forced not to fight or kill each other? But Shaula was not saved even though they fought, because she was already a scorpion?

Anyhow, Rem woke up. I had regrettably seen that she woke up in this episode somewhere beforehand, so I knew about it. But watching the episode, it was kinda not good behavior that she just held his leg at first instead of talking. So, I wanted to see her wake up and adore him like she used to. It was kinda sad that she didn't know him. Subaru was so shocked, but it was good that he tried to pull himself together by hitting his chest a couple of times. Then he did his best to tell her what she had said to him in the past to impress her. Come to think of it, it was a good man's move. Anyhow, I was kinda sad and glad at the same time about Rem, but at least she can talk from now on. We'd like to see more interactions between them. But I'm honestly not sure she will come back. Rem's last words were "Who are you?", so there is a chance she has most of her memory but not of Subaru. Or maybe she doesn't remember a thing. Did Roy have her memory? It seemed that Rui also did but she had already thrown it away in the Corridor of Memories. Actually, because Rem was hit by more than one Gluttony, maybe all of Gluttony need to be gone to get her back. Because Lye was defeated, she remembered herself, but everyone has still forgotten her, and she has forgotten everyone too?

The animation was very detailed and I liked it.

When Rem couldn't recognize Subaru, his face wasn't shown directly, only through Rem's eyes. So, we didn't see directly how sad he was. Also, when anime uses light after all the bad things happen, it often uses sunshine right after rain to show the contrast between dark places and light. In this episode, when Rem started talking, just clouds were used when they covered the sun, and when the clouds were gone, it got very bright. Honestly, it was so bright that the upper half of the screen was just light. But because of that light, Rem was so beautiful and Subaru looked somewhat cool.

Also, in the fight scenes, the cameras were like in front of or behind the characters, instead of at their sides, and we could feel dynamics and more movement in each frame. For Emilia's fight against Volcanica, she was moving almost entirely in the sky, and she used her ice magic, or her ice Subarus, to rotate herself in the sky to dodge his attack. It was creative. While Beako was holding the whip and flying, her face was comical and cute, unlike any other character's. When the scorpion's shell was ripped off and showed Shaula in her real form, her skin also came off and showed the skin of the scorpion. One thing it should have improved was when Foxidna spoke, her mouth didn't move at all. It should have moved at least a little because her line was long.

So, now season 4 ended with this episode. I again felt Re:Zero was a really great anime. Especially when Subaru lost his memory and needed to overcome 5 obstacles for a few episodes, those episodes were some of the best in the whole series. Ram's episode where she fought Lye was also great for feeling her strength. Also, what happened to the Subaru who looked like the Sin Archbishop when the other Subaru lost consciousness? He killed Meili in another loop, but did he disappear when he remembered everything?

Anyhow, one thing that was hard for me in this series was that there were so many characters and so many places, so I honestly don't know what the main plot is. I feel currently, it's to defeat the Sin Archbishops and get Rem back. Anyhow, I'll be waiting for season 5.

Scores

  • Episode: 9/10
  • Subaru: 7/10
  • Emilia: 7/10
  • Ram: 8/10
    • I really like the interaction between her and Subaru. And she's responsible for many things too.
  • Julius: 9/10
    • I liked him going down from the tower for Subaru instead of climbing up to the tower for Emilia. He likes Subaru
    • He also looks chill as always
  • Anastasia: 8/10
    • I liked what she said to Subaru
  • Shaula: 7/10
    • She didn't feel like 400 years was that long, and that was good. She was a lovely girl
    • I wanted more of her background. Maybe it will come later?
  • Volcanica: 3/10
    • I have no idea what this guy is