In fact, the first arc is less mystery-focused on purpose.
Summary:
Re:Zero’s first arc might not be the strongest, but the mystery gets better.
The mechanics of the world are gradually revealed to the viewer.
A lot of things the viewer only learns along with Subaru, which prompts them to speculate about the mysteries.
If you just watched the first few episodes of Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu), you might not be particularly impressed. Yes, the whole premise of redoing the same thing over and over again is cool, but it’s not especially unique.
With Subaru feeling like just another isekai protagonist who was sort of just gifted powers out of nowhere, the anime might not feel like it deserves the praise it gets.
Starts on a small scale, but quickly becomes epic
If you feel that way, then don’t worry: the mystery aspect of the anime gets better. The worldbuilding behind the series is somewhat of a mystery itself, with many of its elements being slowly revealed. The first arc serves to trick you into thinking that things are only happening on a small scale. In reality, it’s all but that.
Re:Zero has a lot of details and worldbuilding elements that only come up later in the series. Dozens of characters — many with incredible powers themselves — also serve as a reminder of the actual scale of events. The novel is supposed to have 12 arcs spread across many volumes — and the anime currently adapts only the first 4 of those arcs.
Subaru’s cycle of trial and error makes it fun to watch and speculate
In fact, the mystery aspect of Re:Zero is one of the most commonly praised parts of it. Things very often happen off screen, but we mostly see them from Subaru’s perspective.
When he is faced with something he has no control over, he almost always has to retry a couple of times to reach the desired results — after all, he doesn’t even know what he’s working with (or against).
Seeing this cycle of trial and error is interesting in its own way. The viewer doesn’t have much more knowledge than Subaru himself, which prompts them to speculate about future events and get invested in the anime.
The anime is full of foreshadowing
A lot of things about Re:Zero are actually foreshadowing that will only come up later. As such, if something feels out of place, it might be referenced later.
This also reinforces the mystery aspect of the anime, but it also makes it more rewatchable in its own way: things that didn’t make sense before that you might have forgotten about suddenly fall in place when you see them again.
In fact, the first arc is less mystery-focused on purpose.
Summary:
Re:Zero’s first arc might not be the strongest, but the mystery gets better.
The mechanics of the world are gradually revealed to the viewer.
A lot of things the viewer only learns along with Subaru, which prompts them to speculate about the mysteries.
If you just watched the first few episodes of Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu), you might not be particularly impressed. Yes, the whole premise of redoing the same thing over and over again is cool, but it’s not especially unique.
With Subaru feeling like just another isekai protagonist who was sort of just gifted powers out of nowhere, the anime might not feel like it deserves the praise it gets.
Starts on a small scale, but quickly becomes epic
If you feel that way, then don’t worry: the mystery aspect of the anime gets better. The worldbuilding behind the series is somewhat of a mystery itself, with many of its elements being slowly revealed. The first arc serves to trick you into thinking that things are only happening on a small scale. In reality, it’s all but that.
Re:Zero has a lot of details and worldbuilding elements that only come up later in the series. Dozens of characters — many with incredible powers themselves — also serve as a reminder of the actual scale of events. The novel is supposed to have 12 arcs spread across many volumes — and the anime currently adapts only the first 4 of those arcs.
Subaru’s cycle of trial and error makes it fun to watch and speculate
In fact, the mystery aspect of Re:Zero is one of the most commonly praised parts of it. Things very often happen off screen, but we mostly see them from Subaru’s perspective.
When he is faced with something he has no control over, he almost always has to retry a couple of times to reach the desired results — after all, he doesn’t even know what he’s working with (or against).
Seeing this cycle of trial and error is interesting in its own way. The viewer doesn’t have much more knowledge than Subaru himself, which prompts them to speculate about future events and get invested in the anime.
The anime is full of foreshadowing
A lot of things about Re:Zero are actually foreshadowing that will only come up later. As such, if something feels out of place, it might be referenced later.
This also reinforces the mystery aspect of the anime, but it also makes it more rewatchable in its own way: things that didn’t make sense before that you might have forgotten about suddenly fall in place when you see them again.
