Review: #848
Title: Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World Vol. 2
Series: Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World - 2nd volume
Author: Tappei Nagatsuki
Comments: The second volume arguably introduces the best characters within the series, the twins Rem and Ram! Their particular sense of attitude and choice of words makes them very likable. As Subaru had managed to pass his first hurdle upon coming to this world, his “save point” has moved forward and he now has a much larger problem to deal with. The volume sets up a mystery where Subaru is mysteriously killed. As Subaru deals with dying again and again, he resolves to try to find out what is happening and just wanting to get through the night of his death alive. However, the twist here is that each round, no matter how hard Subaru tries, things go about differently. It is an interesting take on the whole genre. The other area that Re:Zero shines in is how it portrays the toll that dying and restarting is taking on Subaru. On paper, it sounds great, being able to redo events and correct your mistakes. However, as Subaru’s experiences show, it is despairing to wake up realizing that all the progress you’ve made on gaining the trust of who were initially strangers, the memories of fun that you’ve made of them, are only remembered by you and you alone, is very real. The fact that you have to start things from scratch and the memory of the painful deaths from before is the stuff of nightmares. To be fair, the plot is messy and uncoordinated at times. Character motivations are hard to decipher, especially when it changes in each round. The good parts outweigh the confusing parts though, and the story shows potential.
Rating: 6.5/10