Re :Zero : Starting Life in Another World

A "sanctuary" means a refuge. The entire 2nd season, i.e. the Sanctuary arc of the literary source material, felt rather ironically like a death row prison. After a first season spent exploring the world, finding the main character's social status, and figuring out his abilities, Re:Zero moved full force into opening the doors not only of the margrave Roswaal's estate, but more importantly, the history of the wider ensemble and the local Blair witch mysteries. The purposefulness of the narrative is evident upon viewing, and this series, after a heavy-handed and overblown bombardment of flashbacks, has grounded all the important characters into specifically carved out positions, almost in a single line, with cards open and the table empty for continued runs. Ok, why not. Unfortunately, the commodity most needed yet most lacking was stage space: the characters, like us, were nonstop choking and waterboarding in the style of an interrogation behind the tight, ever-closing walls. The claustrophobic plot in the figuratively sketched labyrinth of Sanctuary viciously had us wandering several times, only to return in confusion to the starting point and then be thrown into the same vortex again, except this time the experience would be a little different, though just as annoying. The repetitive peripeteia eventually came to an end, but I can't say that I felt in any way enriched by the experience or that the new information provided was worth the time. The issues of this Gordian knot seemed easier than its legendary unraveling, my thoughts pushing Subaru with all my might to that one, disaster-predicting spot, and when it first happened, it made for that perfect spectacle that Re:Zero's potential promises. Episode 6 is a scripted, action-packed gem with a plethora of artistic ideas, creatively complemented and linked by music – which, damagingly, was never even once repeated. The stretching of the story reached such flagrant levels that it became abundantly clear when the makers of "Subaru reloaded" could(n’t) afford it. It's not hard to deduce that it wasn't too many times, because once again, no one has had the courage/reason to go through that arduous journey without throwing a noose around their neck for good. I must also mention the lackluster finale, which admittedly added to the cisterns of tears, but the more ingenious resolution of the mega-threat probably remained on Ever Given, the ship stuck in the Suez, as we got a trite 5 minutes, a severely unsatisfying substitute. In the end, only the character of the teenaged Emilie emerged confidently, interestingly completing the character of Roswaal, awkwardly dispensing with the bloodthirsty antagonist, and delivering the ultimate irritating drag. Accompanied with the stuttering plot, the visuals had a similar tendency, the quality from Season 1 blowing hot and cold. I had only minimal enjoyment from the increasingly round faces and the action sequences were cartoonishly over the top. I'm getting a headache from this season, feeling insanely sleepy after watching it, but there is hope that it’ll pick up. It just needs a little more life and, ironically, death. A weak 3 stars (29/03/2021) (moins) (plus)