Natsuki Subaru, an ordinary high school student, is on his way home from the convenience store when he finds himself transported to another world. As he’s lost and confused in a new world where he doesn’t even know left from right, the only person to reach out to him was a beautiful girl with silver hair. Determined to repay her somehow for saving him from his own despair, Subaru agrees to help the girl find something she’s looking for… 

Japanese Title: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 / Ri:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu

Release Date: 2016

Number of Episodes: 25

Re:Zero has an intriguing plot line and setting. the main character, Subaru, is ripped from his boring everyday life and thrust into a fantasy land one could only dream of, with a catch. He gains an ability referred to as ‘Return by Death’ that like the name suggests grants him the opportunity to reset time to a checkpoint in the past upon his death to give him another chance to survive, which apparently is a lot harder than one might think. It’s such a mind twisting series of events that you simply have to to pay attention to every detail to understand what on earth is going on. Re:Zero is at its essence a combination of fantasy and mystery interwoven into one story.

Subaru may be a sterotypical isekai main character, but you can’t help but feel sorry for him. He’s goofy, loveable, and generally has good intentions at heart. It’s both completely terrifying and endearing to see what he goes through not just for himself, but for the individuals around him. Subaru often uses his head and bruteforce tactics to unravel the sinister plots behind the scenes that result in his friends being hurt or being killed, by using his ability ‘Return by Death’ to sacrifice himself in order to save everyone he can.

It gets pretty traumatic sometimes. Poor Subaru is killed over and over, sometimes in unbelievably brutal ways. At the pivotal point in the series the audience is left with a feeling of a hopeless situation, and you are left to wonder if there is any way for Subaru to get out of this. Subaru is in constant danger, and he’s invariably either fighting for his life, or for the lives of these around him. He faces physical and mental anguish at every corner and you are just left there wondering how he’s powering on through it all.

This show is filled with magic and surprise, with a good solid variety of characters. you’ve got a half-elf with a spirit companion, twin demon maid sisters, an eccentric lord, and a spirit living in a prohibited library, among alternative characters. My favorite character is undoubtedly Rem, the blue-haired demon maid that becomes one of Subaru’s most trusted allies . She’s an utter sweetheart with a heart of gold that would do anything for Subaru, and is waifu material to boot!

Season one had a satisfying ending, however we’re still left with such a lot of unanswered questions that are hopefully solved in future seasons.

Overall a solid 7/10 binge worthy season, and a must watch for those Isekai fans.

Till next time.

Frizna