"Re:ZERO" has gained popularity as a monumental work of reincarnation in another world, but I'm sure there are many fans who are astonished by the complexity of its setting. This time, I would like to talk about this complex Re:ZERO from every angle and in every way possible. It's a very full article, focusing on the expression techniques and digging into it from the perspective of modern philosophy, so I hope you will take a look.
Challenging taboos!!
The biggest element that makes Re:ZERO so appealing is that it challenges all kinds of taboos. Perhaps it is this unashamed attempt to express the many complex taboos that would never be explored in a normal animation work that attracts us.
The ultimate taboo of suicide!!
The biggest taboo that Re:Zero challenges is the protagonist Subaru's act of "suicide." In normal isekai reincarnation, the protagonist often dies and is reincarnated, but there are almost no works that expand the storyline to the protagonist willingly committing suicide.
Why is suicide difficult to depict?
Why has "suicide" never been depicted in other animations before? One of the reasons is that if the main character takes the initiative to commit suicide, it could become a confirmation of the act of suicide itself.
The creator's passion!
In other words, if the author does not incorporate some kind of intention into the act of "suicide," it cannot be depicted as a work of art. That's why what's amazing about Re:Zero is that he deliberately makes Subaru commit the difficult act of "suicide" and incorporates his own opinions into it.
Extreme depictions make it easier to understand
It's hard to say why the author was so hung up on the act of "suicide" because the story isn't complete yet, but one element I think is that extreme depictions make it easier to understand. I think that by including a rather shocking depiction of suicide, it makes it easier to stick in our minds.
The author's strong will
In any case, the story's structure, which dives headfirst into the depiction of suicide that could potentially be considered the "affirmation of death," shows the author's strong will to "have something to say no matter what!" What answers will the author provide to these questions at the end? I'm looking forward to it.
Kant's philosophy and Subaru's suffering
And above all, the biggest trauma in the Re:Zero world, which will trouble many readers just like Subaru, is Subaru's concern that "the world after his suicide may continue to be filled with tragic scenes."
Thinking about "Subaru's afterlife"!!
This is a concern that Subaru felt throughout the trials of the Sanctuary in the second season of the anime, and many readers will have been troubled by Subaru's anguish just like Subaru. However, in fact, Subaru's anguish can be easily resolved from the ideas of Kant, a modern philosopher. Here, I would like to attempt to resolve Subaru's concerns from the perspective of modern philosophy.
Kant's philosophy solves Subaru's problems
There are many different types of Kant's philosophy, but the one that solves Subaru's problems is the idea of the "Copernican revolution."
What is the Copernican revolution?
The Copernican revolution is a reversal of the idea that "our world is formed first, and then humans perceive and interpret that world" to "our perception comes first, and the world is constructed based on that perception."
Make it easier to understand! !
To put it simply, we perceive the outside world through our eyes and ears. We do not directly read the outside world. That is why it is pointless to think about the outside world, and what we should really be thinking about is "the world as humans can perceive it."
How does the Copernican Revolution apply to Subaru's worries?
How does the idea of the "Copernican revolution" apply to Subaru's worries? Subaru's worries were that "Maybe the world after I die exists as it is, and Emilia and the others are sad!" However, if we apply this to the idea of the "Copernican revolution," the world after Subaru dies is a world that Subaru will never be able to recognize again, so it is pointless to think about it (it does not actually exist).
Subaru's worries are now solved! !
In other words, since it is not a world that Subaru can perceive, there is no way to prove that there is a world after Subaru's death, and even if it does exist, it is not in the world that Subaru perceives, so it should be treated as if it does not exist. If Subaru could think like this, perhaps he could have overcome this problem sooner. The above is the solution to Subaru's problem from the perspective of the "Copernican Revolution".
Subaru's suffering on rails
In this way, Subaru's suffering is something whose answer was presented long ago in modern philosophy. Why did the author bring out such suffering, whose answer has already been given? There are probably many reasons for this, but if there was one big reason, it would be that he thought that by presenting suffering on rails, he could raise deeper questions for us.
Many attractive characters
Moreover, the secret to the popularity of Re:Zero is not only the theme of the work. The appearance of many attractive characters is also a big secret to the unwavering popularity of Re:Zero, isn't it?
The protagonist with a negative image stands out
In particular, the fact that the protagonist Subaru has a personality that is likely to attract hate is also thought to be an ingenious move by the author. By placing a protagonist who is likely to attract hate, it becomes possible to make the surrounding characters feel superior. Behind the characters of Re:Zero, which has many popular characters, there may be the author's shrewd ingenuity and the existence of a slightly pitiful protagonist.
Complex psychological portrayal
Furthermore, by depicting the psychological portrayal of these popular characters in detail, doesn't it add even more inner depth to the characters? Perhaps it is because the interactions between each character are depicted in a complex way, such as the relationship between Roswaal and Ram, which is unclear as to whether it is suspicious or not, that the characters appear more appealing.
Character psychology is not bipolar but an extension
This article focuses on the 2nd season, so I would like to explain the ingenuity of Re:Zero that is easy to understand in the 2nd season in particular. Usually, the standard flow of anime is for two people with opposing ways of thinking to clash, but in Re:Zero, an interesting structure is used in which two people who think in the same direction but have spent different amounts of time thinking about them are in conflict with each other.
Roswaal and Subaru
This interesting structure can be seen in the conflict between Roswaal and Subaru in the 2nd season.
What Subaru Could Have Become
Some of you may have noticed while watching, but Roswaal is "one of the forms Subaru could have become." From Rosewaal's own statement that "You will become like me someday," we can see that Subaru and Rosewaal share the same stance in that they both have one truly important thing that they want to protect at all costs, and that they are not at odds at all.
Growth is choosing your future
The theme of Re:ZERO can be gleaned from this unique conflict between Roswaal and Subaru. That is, "growth is choosing your future." Just as Subaru has chosen the future he wants no matter how many times he dies, human growth is always a series of choices.
Re:ZERO Theme
Depending on the choice, it may be that you end up like Roswaal. There are all kinds of possibilities, and the courage to choose your own path from among them may be what Re:ZERO wants to convey to us through the work.
So, is Subaru right?
However, even if Roswaal's appearance is incorrect, Subaru's actions are not necessarily correct either. This is because it is certain that Subaru will continue to make mistakes and die repeatedly. In normal anime, the story ends when "failure = death," but in Re:Zero, by using the special setting of "Return by Death," it is possible to express "the protagonist repeatedly fails (moving in the wrong direction and dying)," which cannot be expressed in other anime.
The ultimate greed to not let anyone be missing
If Roswaal's will to "have to chip away at someone" is extreme and wrong, then Subaru's current choice of "not letting anyone be missing" may also be completely wrong. I'm looking forward to seeing what answers the author will present to us throughout the story.
The key is friends
In any case, isn't the most important factor in finding these answers Subaru's friends? How will his friends respond to Subaru's intention to "not lose anyone"? It seems that we need to follow it closely.
Summary
What did you think? This time, we changed the style a little from other articles and considered Re:Zero from various angles. Since it is a monumental work of reincarnation in another world, we found that the setting is quite meticulously organized. I think there are still many things that I haven't said about Re:Zero, so please check out other articles on Anime Mill.
