Re: Zero 2x15 Reaction Extended (YT link below)
Added 2025-02-08 03:46:33 +0000 UTCIn Re: Zero 2x15, Otto Suwen & A Reason to Believe, Otto risks his life so Subaru can try and convince Emilia that him loving her solves all her emotional problems.
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😂
Alex G
2025-02-20 02:12:59 +0000 UTCI don't think he said or atleast meant "What you do is irrelevant" nor "You should be sufficient and self-sustaining from my love alone"
Baddy
2025-02-09 03:11:35 +0000 UTCI'd argue that in Emilias specific case, talking about her silver hair and pointed ears — Things that caused her so much pain over the years and which basically everyone just looks at with disgust — and how he likes them is also imprtant for her to hear. In addition to the non-physical attributes of course.
Baddy
2025-02-09 02:49:52 +0000 UTCOttos run-in with the Witch Cult was the day were they fought them and the White Whale — Same day just from his perspective, until they converged
Baddy
2025-02-09 02:47:13 +0000 UTCDid ya see the Goodwin cat? You guys have the same haircut!
Anders Pike
2025-02-08 16:11:28 +0000 UTCWith the reoccurring themes of perverted love in the show, I have to believe that the author's intent is to give incremental character growth to Subaru and Emilia while maintaining an element of flawed realism in their relationship. I don't think this is some fully realized approach to love that Subaru is expressing. It's a step forward from season 1's confession, while retaining certain selfish and obsessive elements. I'm sure they will both continue to self reflect on these flawed ways of thinking and become better for each other.
Daniel Kurtz
2025-02-08 08:18:26 +0000 UTCFun fact: the author tweeted before that Zodda bugs are the Cockroaches of the ReZero World. That’s why people hated Otto for his association with them hahaha During the Otta vs Garfiel scene when the opening plays in the background, the series of flashbacks that Otto had was meant to kinda serve as an adaptation for all the inner monologue that the anime cut out for Otto. Basically, as he stopped to catch a breath from his nosebleed, he was contemplating why he would go to such lengths to help Subaru — both taking a bet with him without considering the chances of success, and risking his life against Garfiel. Otto thought back to his childhood, and realized that he simply sees himself in Subaru. This manifests in multiple forms, he sees Subaru as a similar mundane young adult as him — weak and lacking in any exotic talent or strength, but is kind at heart and full of determination. He also finds Subaru’s frequent lack of confidence and humbleness to be endearing, and that feeling of empathy also hit a peak when he witnessed Subaru mumbling deliriously to himself in the forest. Growing up, Otto suffered greatly from being isolated and misunderstood. That’s why he was extremely grateful to his brother, who didn’t leave him alone — even though Otto still ended up having a rough childhood. And when he sees Subaru, he sees his young self that yearned for a friend for support back then. This is the primary reason as to why Otto, under the disguise of “Oh I’m just here to try to sell my oil to the Margrave”, went more than out of his way and risked his life — all just to help Subaru. An anomaly helping another anomaly, outsider helping outsider — that type of deal. Ram is an oni prodigy, the author once listed the top 5 strongest characters up to Arc 6 (we’re on 4), and stayed that Ram, if she had her horn, is only below Reinhard. Her biggest problem is the constant fatigue that plagues her due to her lack of a horn, and her basically having zero stamina since she’s battling cancer all the time. But before reaching her limits, you can see how crazy even just her physicality was in her punch-out against Garf. Lastly, I’ve not much to say about the Subaru Emilia conversation that wasn’t already said. But I will jog your memory on one thing and make a comparison — Subaru’s conversation here is an attempt at replicating what Rem did for him during the From Zero episode. Just like Rem, he wanted to let Emilia know that she was appreciated, even at a time when she hated herself for being worthless. And following what Rem did, he decided to lead with the small and inconsequential stuff first (physical looks) before diving into actual qualities. The goal of the conversation was to give her the same unconditional love that Rem gave him, and let her know that she can take her time to work things out — because he’ll be here alongside her to lend her a shoulder to lean on, regardless of her flaws or failures. Now obviously, the conversation ended up becoming pretty messy as I think it’s like what you said — Emilia had fundamental problems that made this approach not that effective nor perhaps even healthy for her. But I do like the fact that the author explicated explained before that while Rem’s speech was a redemption straight out of a fairytale — he made sure that it won’t work a second time because that miracle was born out of the stars aligning for Subaru’s past and how it ties to his dynamic with Rem. Tappei wanted Subaru’s little attempt here of recreating that with Emilia to end up messy (but grounded, in contrast to Rem’s “perfect” speech), as it ultimately doesn’t pair well with Emilia’s own needs and problems — but for good to still come out of it as it still IS encouraging, at the end of the day. Subaru and Emilia might not be on the complete same page right now, but his message of being on her side to help her face whatever memories that resurface — definitely got through, and honestly is a huge thing to set straight at this stage. The message of “I don’t love you because I believe in you, but I believe in you because I love you” is that of unconditional love. And while yes, coming from a flawed individual like Subaru means it’ll have its reservations — I’d still say there is merit and comfort to that, it’s just too bad that Emilia’s search for agency meant she’s not very compatible with receiving unconditional love atm as it’s not something that’s technically even healthy for her. Subaru did want to convince her, though, that he’s not viewing her as this child that should stay in her room and has no agency whatsoever — but that he chooses to believe in her precisely because he loves her and have seen her qualities/character that he fell for, and so wants to be by her side to weather the storm together. I dunno, I feel like although on paper he’s doing the same thing as Puck — he’s genuinely coming from a different perspective in his support and trying to convey to Emilia that specifically. But other than this point I’d say I completely agree with just about every other potential pitfall you noticed (Subaru’s selfishness, etc) in their conversation, and at the same time — the grounded messiness of it is precisely why I think it’s well done.
Hailan
2025-02-08 07:15:17 +0000 UTCSo one thing that wasn't mentioned here before is that Subaru can't really explain to Emilia why he loves her for who she is, because most of the things she did for him that showed Subaru why Emilia is a great and lovable person never even happened because he died in those timelines. For example the first time Subaru met Emilia, when she saved him from the thugs and later brought back the girl to the apple salesman, and even telling Subaru that her name was Satella to push him away to protect him from involving himself with danger, that whole day never even happened. In their first argument after the fight with Julius, Subaru tried to tell her as much as possible with his restrictions, to give her reasons, why he hurts himself for Emilia but it just drifted them further apart, because Emilia has no recollection of doing much for Subaru, which comes off as Subaru being way too invested in her given that she talked to him for a few hours at best. So all he can do is try to reaffirm his feelings for her and telling her he'll love her even if she's at her worst, because he's seen Emilia hurt herself for the sake of others many times. One more thing is that Emilia has only known Subaru for a few days in which they even were apart for multiple of them, but Subaru on the other hand, has known her for more than a month after all his deaths. So with their difference in understanding each other, all he can do is reaffirm her and give her time to think about their relationship while being open and telling her all his ulterior motives, like wanting her love in return for saving her and getting himself hurt. Even if it is harsh, telling Emilia about his feelings honestly is a change for Emilia, because although his motives for loving and trusting her are selfish, he is the first person to be honest to her in regards of their motives. Even if that is not what Emilia wants to hear in this moment, Subaru thinks it is what she needs to hear to forge her first real bond after coming out of the ice. Honesty is one of the big virtues that Subaru acquires this season along with his honesty of not wanting to die and taking the words of others to his heart, like believing Otto that he really wants to be Subaru's friend, again outside of ulterior motives like trading with Roswaal. One thing that feels so real about this conversation is that even in real life we expect our partners love in return for our effort, so i believe that you can't really get much more selfless in regards to love than what Subaru is trying to do. Although of course Subaru could have chosen his words and approach more delicate, knowing in which state Emilia is currently in, but then again the last thing Subaru is, is perfect. I don't think that humans are capable of true altruism, even outside of love, because even gifting money or food to a homeless person has the objective of reaffirming our morale and for a lot of people the feeling of someone else being thankful to them, which is also something benefitting yourself and not the receiver. So of course most people want their love and effort reaffirmed like Subaru.
Micx
2025-02-08 06:07:35 +0000 UTCBrief language comment. I think this was clear, but just in case. At 19:36 and a few times after that, the way Emilia phrases "getting angry" makes it explicit that it's something she would have been grateful for. I'm having trouble explaining this, but yeah it's what Alex was saying. Getting angry would at least be a sign that her actions matter. So when she asks at 19:40 "Why won't you get angry?" in Japanese (どうして怒ってくれないの, 'doushite okotte-kurenai no') you could be way, way too literal and translate it as, "why won't you give me (the decency of) the act of getting angry?" For what it's worth, I 100% shared Alex's reaction, from the "eugh I don't like this," to "well.... there's some good in this, right?" to "I still think a lot of this is icky" to "actually, thinking about it, I've said this before, and it was probably even cringier in real life..." The whole thing.
Ryan
2025-02-08 06:04:40 +0000 UTCTotally. Honestly there’s just so much to say about this episode, and most of the episodes in this show. It’s hard to fully get across in a comment section. But, like you said, they’re both coming from different frameworks, both of their perspectives are “true” to their lives, and yet, like you said, I do have faith that they can become something really beautiful together. They’ll stumble upwards in search of the truth, and like Subaru said “that most precious feeling.”
Vali Sippola
2025-02-08 05:17:57 +0000 UTCAgreed, and this feeds back into Arc 3, where Subaru's love for her was due to genuine traits (namely her kindness, going out of the way to save him when he was first isekai'd and the entire world seemed hostile, and the lap pillow scene where she could see that something was wrong, and even if she couldn't understand it she still comforted him (in the novels, Subaru has an internal monologue later where he talks about how that moment is when his crush blossomed into actual love)), but it became kind of twisted and Emilia couldn't understand it. I think that's part of the reason why she struggles to believe Subaru and his love this episode, he knows the good traits that Emilia has, but due to his own character defects he's coddled her in the past. So even after he's begun changing the dynamics of his love for her, the effects of the early part of their relationship is still there, where she feels like he doesn't trust her and just wants her to do nothing while he handles everything
Kieran
2025-02-08 05:17:51 +0000 UTCYeah as messy as it was, as I was watching I was hit with the feeling that I've had very similar conversations before multiple times, and from both sides, but probably more frequently on Subaru's side. That idea of like... I really like you.... Don't you see? But not realizing it's not the gift that it feels like it is to me.
Alex G
2025-02-08 05:07:34 +0000 UTCLater I realized I forgot to mention the other half of the spectrum. Like you said, a lot of Emilia's experience is on the complete opposite side, being hated for reasons outside of her control. Being loved for reasons outside of her control is more pleasant and definitely feels better, but IMO fundamentally not that different. I think what's missing from all of Emilia's relationships is something like respect. Nobody really seems to be looking at HER, just sort of through her as a vehicle for this or that or Subaru's affections. Some people hate her, some people say they love her, it really doesn't feel like it ever has anything to do with her character or choices or behavior, which is frustrating because it's almost like whatever she does or doesn't do will just have a random effect on whatever myriad range of opinions people have about her. There's nothing to grip on to and nothing to believe in because it's all so arbitrary. So I think Subaru's "I love you no matter what" was well intentioned and I think it's true at least to some extent, but depending on how Emilia reacts it could just as easily exacerbate the feeling she has of irrelevance and worthlessness.
Alex G
2025-02-08 05:03:34 +0000 UTCYeah Otto is 22 at this point in the story. Turned into the goat in 7 years.
Vali Sippola
2025-02-08 04:55:52 +0000 UTCLet’s go. I love this episode a lot. Peak Otto backstory, and a messy, messy ass conversation that as with all really important convos in Re: Zero, has many positives, and many downsides. The Otto stuff is great. His whole backstory is just super heartwarming/breaking and it explains a lot of his prior actions. When he pushed Subaru off the cart? Imagine being a guy who can understand animals, having to hear basically satan whale screaming at you while the guy you just met is punching you and saying you need to go back lmao. Agree on the Garf stuff, you just start to feel bad after a while. He’s less like a monstrous obstacle and more like a bumbling fool. And finally, the conversation. This honestly feels like arguments I’ve had before lmao. It’s portrayed in such a raw and real way. His reason for leaving has not been revealed yet, but he’s gotta talk to Emilia nonetheless. I absolutely love how messy it is. Two people coming from very very different frameworks trying to come to an understanding. But as with most things in Re Zero, there is beauty in all the flawed messiness. You honestly pointed out most of what I can say at the end of the video. This conversation, as with all things, isn’t perfect. It was never going to be. Subaru has changed a lot, but he’s still changing. And Emilia is the same. But, it has to start somewhere. Like you said, both of their hearts are in a good place, they’re both struggling, but they really, truly do try to understand one another when they can. (As an aside, when Subaru is saying he feels sick, he means it literally. He doesn’t have qualification for the trial anymore, so he’s basically under a constant physical strain when he’s talking to her, being constantly rejected by the trial. Probably explains some of his less-than-perfect framing. And he doesn’t really have the time to fully explain the whole echidna situation to her.) But, I do love where it ends up going. He puts himself on the table, his feelings, his motivations, but then, when it’s obvious that’s not the path forward, he says they can work through it together. And, after Emilia is rejecting everything else he’s saying, (which was valid) she accepts these final words from him, as shown in the animation. The entire convo, Emilia is reflected in Subarus eyes. But it isn’t until the final bit, after the kiss, that he reappears in hers. She’s actually, truly seeing him for the first time. Great thoughts as always, honestly just really enjoy hearing you talk about this story. Excited for the next one!
Vali Sippola
2025-02-08 04:52:20 +0000 UTCAnimal communication is one of those job roles that I wanna gloss over at first and not use in my party in RPGs but could be overpowered if used well. You can't really protect yourself from hordes of animals or small insects, all the time anywhere
Alex G
2025-02-08 04:52:18 +0000 UTCI feel like it's important to keep in mind that while it is true that in her relationships with Puck and Subaru there is an element of "Emilia can do no wrong" along with overprotectiveness, pretty much every other relationship aside from that completely different, and that is where her emotional issues are coming from right now. Rem and Ram were simply her servants, and Roswaal seems to only care about using her in order to have Subaru so that they can guarantee that she ascends to the throne (he says that only Ram and Subaru allow him to feel any kind of hope, and in Arc 2 he talks about wanting to kill the Dragon.) Then outside of those relationships, everyone despises her and thinks that she is Half-Elf Hitler 2.0. In Frozen Bonds Melakuera states that her very existence is evil, and 90% of the people she meets reaffirm this idea, and hence there is a deep subconscious bias that tells her that she must be evil and hateable. Puck was able to pick up the slack for this in his position as her father, but from her perspective he broke his promise with her and abandoned her. She then desperately clings to Subaru, and he then breaks HIS promise, strengthening that bias even further, until she can no longer believe that she is deserving of love, which feeds into the fears of her memories that are coming back after Puck broke their contract. It makes her afraid that her memories will prove true what everyone else seems to think. So then, the point of their conversation is that she is someone who can be loved, that she is a good person, and that that won't change. Even if she is flawed, she doesn't need to hate herself, and there is a reason for her life. That said, I do think that your analysis of it was very interesting, and there's definitely grains of truth in it, but it's as you said. Even if it's just a temporary measure for us to find our grounding, it's still good to have while we look for something more permanent. Good reaction as always, can't wait for the next one.
Kieran
2025-02-08 04:23:04 +0000 UTCIt could also be due to how much Otto knows about Suburu on a personal level. Like vs Reinhart even only at this moment in the anime Otto knows far more about what makes Subaru tick and other things about his relationships that I could easily see him trapping Subaru. As a future opponent Otto could easily gather dirt on Tsubarus plans or actions via animals as a natural spy network. Even a fly or mouse could compromise Subaru since almost all he does when it comes to big accomplishments is being a planner first and using those plans with his allies to accomplish feats. Otto could just use countermeasures if he knows his moves. He was also smart enough to go from 15 (with presumably no training) broke on the run to a successful traveling salesman in a couple years tops. He has a obvious intellect at least when it comes to decision making.
PKKite
2025-02-08 04:21:59 +0000 UTCwhile I agree that when Subaru was reassuring Emilia and talking about her hair and skin and height, I feel I have to remind you that these are all things that people have hated her for all of her life because these are the characteristics of the witch envy that people fear while probably for the first time Subaru says that he loves those parts of her
Mjw
2025-02-08 04:17:39 +0000 UTCalso, a cool thing about Otto that i vaguely remember. The author I believe was asked in a Q and A about which of Subarus allies would be the most dangerous if they turned against him, and the answer he ended up giving was Otto. this is even against people like Reinhart! makes me wonder how insanely powerful Otto would be if he had an ability like return by death.
Starky
2025-02-08 04:05:25 +0000 UTCfun fact (not fun at all actually). most people with ottos divine protection end up committing suicide before they get a handle on controlling it. props to otto for sticking it out
Starky
2025-02-08 03:57:12 +0000 UTC
