13/25 episodes
Before we get to the obvious reason of why I’m dropping this show, I want to give a little attention to the flaws aside from Re:Zero’s completely unlikeable, loudmouth, brain-dead moron of a protagonist. The basic idea for this show’s plot is interesting, albeit unoriginal. Just like a video game, Subaru can respawn back to a certain place and time. There’s a lot of potential in this narrative structure, as it allows the hero and by extension the audience to see multiple paths within the same story. This could’ve been used in a very deliberate way to hold information and present it in a timely fashion, a safe and sensible way to create a world by seeing it in a variety of ways. Instead, Re:Zero just wastes it by keeping us in a boring, lifeless mansion for the majority of the first half of the 25 episode run. There was a sexy, murderous, blade-wielding demon lady in the first arc, and damn was she cool. Sadly, we have to abandon her for some cute maids and evil forest dogs. We’re forced to learn about these maids, their character dynamics and backstories shoved down our throats, all without even hinting at why these characters might important in the grand scheme of things. Why should I care about a couple of maids? What about them is going to be integral to this overarching story? Rem and Ram are nice characters, but I don’t need to know this much about them. At least at this point, I feel the less I know about them, the better.
Now onto the main reason as to why I’m dropping this show: Subaru. Holy hell, is this main protagonist is fucking atrocious. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so much hatred for a character in all my history of watching anime. Hyperbolic? Not this time. I do not like stupid characters, and this guy is an imbecile to his very core. He doesn’t learn anything from his past experiences. He is brash and overbearing. His sense of confidence is utterly misplaced. His corniness knows no bounds, be it his idiotic poses or his glutton for punishment attitude. I like nerdy video game references, but whenever he does it, it only manages to piss me off. There is absolutely nothing about him that I like, not one damn thing, and this latest episode (13) finally managed to push me over the edge. I absolutely hate big, dramatic, PUBLIC displays. To make a melodramatic fool out of yourself is one thing, but to interrupt the peace and everyone around you is a whole new level of assholery. Nothing makes me more uncomfortable than moments like these, because when you get right down to it, you’re just being a dick. Subaru is a dick. And the way he acts here is completely ridiculous/insensible. I would liken it to the blindly passionate fanboys that feel the need to defend the things they like and attack anyone who dares to disagree with them. Subaru isn’t mature enough to handle someone dissing his girl, and so picks a fight with everyone around him. He’s overcome by this extremely shorted sighted rage, so he completely neglects how Emilia feels, something that should be blatantly obvious to him, because she told him exactly what she wanted right before the ceremony. It’s stupid. His is face throughout it is stupid. And that’s why I’m dropping this show.
I didn’t think a single character could ruin a whole show…and yet, here we are #rezero pic.twitter.com/l4LYbuOwPR
— crispyn64 (@crispyn64) June 27, 2016
There Goes My Kokoro 
I think this latest episode might take the show to a new direction. the things that happened were extremely cringy and hard to watch but at the end of the day, I don’t really mind because I am sure the show, like I said in my latest tweet, acknowledges his foolishness.
And for the new direction I was talking about, I meant for Subaru to maybe get killed again and be reset before he said all those crazy things which would make him re-think the things he’s said and done. I’d say he simply lost his sanity in the latest episode and I hope ( and think ) he will regain it.though, if he won’t better himself and won’t stop clinging to his stupid ideas, I’ll be forced to drop the show also.
All that being said, I do have hope still for Subaru to shine as the main character.
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I wish you the best in that this protagonist someone how turns around to become actually enjoyable. Right now I feel like this last episode is just the culmination of everything wrong with this character. Someone so utterly stupid and immature is not a person I want to follow a story through. I don’t typically refer to things as “cringe-worthy”, as there are only a small handful of things in storytelling that can make me uncomfortable. That being said, Subaru is cringe incarnate. And I never understood the whole “characters you love to hate” thing either. I don’t “love to hate” anything, and I don’t see any value in making a shitty, awful, moron person.
But I digress. And I hope it gets good for those like you who haven’t given up on it yet.
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”Someone so utterly stupid and immature is not a person I want to follow a story through.”
That’s understandable. it’s just me that wants to see Subaru become something to look up to. Or at the very fucking least have Subaru consider others’ feelings when saying dumb stuff.
Errr, I just see him as a damaged and confused character, who does and says a lot of stupid immature shit. Which, again, makes it interesting *for me*.
Just wanted to quickly clarify my opinion cause my last comment wasn’t that well-written. And btw, I’ll give you a heads-up once the show does get better again, in case you’d fancy one.
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Hoo boy it gets worse. Granted nothing tops the ‘public display’ scene, the everything in general goes downhill even more from there. Edgy edgelord enemies are introduced that do edgy things, Subaru acts like the world is ending each time something unfortunate happens (even though HE CAN GO BACK IN TIME), and (most painful for me) everyone starts treating Subaru like royalty. Why everyone acts like Subaru is ‘special’ when all he does is flaunt his incompetence, is totally beyond me. Maximum cringe when Subaru fails, and they still back him up.
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What pains me the most, is that, at the first few episode it would seem like he will bank on his ability to reverse time, albeit painfully. Like how he read the assassin’s moves after a couple of deaths. It’s like whoever wrote Re:Zero had no real knowledge of what a gamer otaku would actually do given such an amazing ability. Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow made better sense/use of such, and he started as a real wimp.
Then another episode that gave me hope for his growth, was towards the end of the maid arc, that one time he got the resolve to fix things by using his ability to re-spawn. Whatever happened to that resolve?
Still completed the show though, I don’t drop shows. I just cringe with disgust until the very end.
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I used to not drop shows ever as well. Then one day I decided life was too short to spend on shitty anime. I’m still super reluctant about it though, and if I ever REALLY feel the need to drop a show, I at least force myself to write a blog post as to why.
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He kinda redeem himself in the last arc, if that is any consolation.
Let’s say, less of an awkward, arrogant, self righteous asshole and more of what he should be as a protagonist, which I feel was the writer’s intention all along
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I won’t question whether or not what Subaru is was indeed the author’s intention. I just don’t find any value in him as a character regardless. I was thinking of going back to finish the series at some point though
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Just curious. Did you ever go back to watch it?
Found this blog as during the rewatch of the Director’s cut, reached this super-cringy part and I just could not get through it in one sitting.
SO CRINGY.
I’m glad I got through the the cringe though. That was definitely the nadir.
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I did go back and finish the series. I still do not like Subaru and don’t really see the appeal of the series outside of “cute maids”. There’s just so many better fantasy anime out there, it’s honestly still really surprising to me that this one is one of the few that really caught on.
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It’s obvious the author wants to give a message in every arc but the way he handles it is so forced and ham-fisted you couldn’t care less what happens. People have been arguing about Subaru’s past which led to his actions, but after seeing his lacklustre backstory I just felt he’s a worse person than I thought. A lot of his issues are just overblown if it warranted him to act this way. It seems the author just forces Subaru to ignore making obvious decisions and lose common sense when it matters just to let him die for that shock value and pseudo-growth.
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It’s obvious the author wants to give a message in every arc but the way he handles it is so forced and ham-fisted you couldn’t care less what happens. People have been arguing about Subaru’s past which led to his actions, but after seeing his lacklustre backstory I just felt he’s a worse person than I thought. A lot of his issues are just overblown if it warranted him to act this way.
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pls delete this comment. The site bugged that’s why I posted twice.
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I’m trying to finish season 2 episode 13 but holy s**t subaru is cringe as f**k. The one single thing that pisses me off the most is the fact that he says “I’ll save you all, no matter how many times I have to die”, and so ok clearly he got his s**t together, then a couple episodes later, breaks down and cries, again, for the umpteenth time, AS IF NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT HAPPENED WHATSOEVER.
The show then attempts, forcefully and horribly, to present philosophical questions to the viewer, “am I worthy to be saved?” Huh??? This show is too aware of itself, pretentious and cliched.
The only other anime that made me cringe this way was My Hero Academia, I dropped it after episode 3.
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Yeah. I am so tired of seeing MCs like this. I don’t know if this is actually how boys in asia are, or shows where the MC is an idiotic pervert was an insult to asian boys the entire time, because I am an asian guy, and as a teenager younger then the main moron of re:zero, i somehow still know how to do and act better then this crackhead retard. Maybe the MC of re:zero actually was on crack the entire time, maybe that would have been the excuse to his retarded personality, other then that he is a stupid simp because he is just a stupid simp from the beginning.
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