RE:ZERO -STARTING LIFE IN ANOTHER WORLD- SHORT STORY COLLECTION

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NOVEL ActionRe:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
MANGA ActionRe:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Chapter 2: A Week at the Mansion

REVIEWS

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  Joshuapigeon

  80/100
  What are the Re:Zero short story novels and are they essential to the story?

  
  So, what are these novels? They have much lower stakes than the main series, many of them cover simple slice of life events and just general days in the life (Many of which are in Roswaal mansion). Some stories do cover more important things though, especially in the stories set in the other royal candidate camps. Each volume usually has a mix and to give it credit, I did think some of the stories with more important plots could be up to par with the main series at times.
  
  These stories would be read ideally alongside the main story, mainly between arcs since otherwise, it might kill the pace of the main story. I feel they can be missed if you really don’t want to read them, but the extra context it gives makes some characters feel like they have a lot more nuance to them and also, there are plenty of references to the side stories within the main story which are more difficult to catch if you haven’t read these novels. 
  
  A cool thing about some of these novels too is that they have different illustrators. Some people really don’t like the art of the main novels (I’ve grown to be quite fond of the artstyle so I’m not all too bothered) but after the first 2 books, it varies the illustrator and so gives different artstyles of characters which is unique and just cool to see. There are also characters who (to my knowledge) only appear in these stories which was fantastic for making the world feel more real and giving a bit of context, especially for the stories set before Subaru’s arrival. The designs for these characters are also sometimes done by the new illustrators, so they get some creative input in the series too, which is cool to see.
  
  Here are my favourite ones from the first 5 volumes since I have nowhere else to show them:
  
  Volume 1:
  <span class='markdown_spoiler'><span><img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/d/d5/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_1_3.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220621051015'></span></span>
  Volume 2:
  <span class='markdown_spoiler'><span><img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/0/04/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_2_1.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220621052019'>
  <img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/d/de/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_2_2.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220621052030'>
  <img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/5/5b/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_2_8.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220619183939'>
  <img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/5/58/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_2_11.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220619184219'></span></span>
  
  Volume 3:
  <span class='markdown_spoiler'><span><img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/9/95/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_3_1.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220621052059'>
  <img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/2/23/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_3_7.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220621052356'>
  <img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/e/ec/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_3_8.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220621052406'></span></span>
  
  Volume 4:
  <span class='markdown_spoiler'><span><img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/a/a7/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_4_2.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220621045013'>
  <img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/e/e0/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_4_8.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220620203221'>
  <img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/b/bf/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_4_13.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220620203635'></span></span>
  
  Volume 5:
  <span class='markdown_spoiler'><span><img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/0/0e/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_5_4.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220621054443'>
  <img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/8/81/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_5_5.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220619190845'>
  <img width='220' src='https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rezero/images/3/3e/Re_Zero_Tanpenshuu_Volume_5_11.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220619191110'></span></span>
  
  Would I say these are important in a read of the Re:Zero light novel? I’d say no, this being because there is simply a lot to read in the first place, and the main novels include the essential context about everything that would be covered in these stories anyway. Additionally, the official translations are really far behind, so the benefit of having all the characters touched on in more detail is lost partway through reading. Although, they would probably be a good read after finishing the main novels as well as the EX novels too since they do expand on the world and characters, plus, they also can fill a Re:Zero fix if you ever miss it after finishing reading the main novel. 
  
  In the end though, if you want to actually fully experience the story of Re:Zero, these novels shouldn’t be overlooked. You can really just read them whenever you choose, me personally I read inbetween arcs to break it up, which means I caught onto many of the references to the stories that were in the main novel (These go across a long time by the way, in arc 6 there was a sneaky reference to a story in the second collection, which is set before arc 3). If you’d be fine with missing the details like this and want to read at a good pace, I’d suggest leaving them till the end though. Also you can justify leaving them till the end since the translations are way too far behind.
  
  In short:
  To beeline to the end of the story, skip these novels and read them after finishing the main story.
  If you want to experience the full story in detail, read these novels between arcs.

  SORRY, BUT HERE IS MY CHARACTER HALL OF FAME FROM THE MAIN NOVEL FROM THIS REVIEW: link ONLY OPEN THIS SPOILER IF YOU ARE READY TO SEE EVENTS FROM ARC 9 OF THE MAIN NOVEL:

  Natsuki Subaru:
  I have covered him in enough detail in the main chunks of this review. But his character is still so interesting. Putting someone who could very well be one of us in a fantasy world is a pretty well known concept, although the danger Subaru is placed in is very extreme, and unlike other stories, he is very powerless a lot of the time. The agony he is put through in the series is heartbreaking, and he doesn’t deserve a single pinch of it. He's just an average teenager, but he faces the brunt of the Re:Zero World. His kind nature makes him extremely self-less, and he always aims to save as many people as possible. While not being morally perfect, he still saves plenty of people he definitely could’ve justified not doing so, but in the end, his nature makes him save everyone at the cost of his own life. Natsuki Subaru should be someone we all aspire to be like, working our hardest and helping others. Peak moment: Arc 6, Volume 25, Chapter 2: Natsuki Subaru

  Emilia:
  The heroine of the series and a very sweet girl. Emilia is a half-elf, someone who is discriminated against in this world due to her likeness to the witch. It made her life very difficult in the past, and her sensitivity is created due to this as well as her tragic past, covered in arc 4. Emilia’s character development is mainly pushed inside of the first half of the series, and is more subtle in later arcs, making her more of a powerhouse in battle rather than being reliant on Puck like she was when she first met Subaru. Peak moment: Arc 6, Volume 23, Chapter 6: Re: Life Starts in Another World From Zero
  Rem:
  Rem is initially reserved and very suspicious of Subaru due to her past. She makes it difficult for herself to open up to others and is generally following the influence of her older sister. Rem’s life is changed by Subaru, he shows him how great he can be and creates a relationship between the two where they can rely on each other. Rem proclaims Subaru as his “hero”. Rem’s role becomes that of a motivator for Subaru, pushing him up and supporting him even in his darkest times, which means that when she is sent to sleep by Gluttony, Subaru regresses emotionally due to her absence. Her influence over the plot is very visible making her an important character who was built up in a very nice way. Her return to the series after 3 arcs of sleeping came in Vollachia, in which her memories of the world were still gone, but she was at least awake. Her suspicion towards Subaru was the same as it was when they first met, and adding the pain of Louis Arneb into the mix, Subaru found it very difficult to recreate the emotions Rem held for him before. Over time, Rem softened up to Subaru after realising he had no bad intentions, it just was difficult for her to believe his worlds, as she didn’t know anything about herself and didn’t believe she could trust Subaru. With the influence of other characters coming into the mix and her role she played with Katya, Rem came to accept her place in the world despite still having lost her memories. She gains them back temporarily in arc 9, but by the end of arc 9, she remained with no memory of the world and everyone else having forgotten about her if not for Subaru. Peak moment: Arc 3 Volume 6, Chapter 5: From Zero

  Beatrice:
  The first person that Subaru meets in Roswaal’s mansion is Beatrice and at first, she is hostile to Subaru while Subaru simply teases her. Something about Subaru gives him that special attribute that lets him waltz on into her library room, which is usually hidden behind a random door in the mansion. Beatrice helps Subaru with little motive in arc 2, until we find out her special attachment to the idea of “that person” coming to save her from the library later on in arc 4. When the mansion is burning down in arc 4, Beatrice refuses to leave the library and opts to die along with the mansion as to not betray her mother, Echidna’s promise. Her attachment to the incomplete book that Echidna gave her 400 years ago demonstrates her extended period of isolation, and her rejection of everyone made her a very sad presence in the mansion. Eventually, after perseverance from Subaru, she was convinced to leave the mansion and form a spirit contract with him. Beatrice’s contract meant that she placed Subaru as her number one in the world, and while he was not “that person” he had still come to save her. From hereon, the two of them were like father and daughter, constantly being near each other and creating a powerful team. Beatrice accompanies Subaru through until the Pleiades Watchtower, where despite everyone else not believing in Subaru really being “Subaru”, she still knows that it is him. Her appearance in arc 7 along with the child Subaru showed how her link to Subaru was very strong, as their reunification saved her life and was a super important appearance in the arc. Peak moment: Arc 4, Volume 15, Chapter 7: --Choose Me

  Julius Juukulius:
  Named as the finest of knights, Julius is very proud of his role, and wants to be the best knight possible, conducting himself in a suitable way. When Subaru first meets him in arc 3, he hates his attitude and aggravates him inside of the Royal Selection meeting. While at first it seems like Julius was offended, and so beat him up because of that, Julius was actually the only one in that room who was moved by Subaru in that moment. Julius and Subaru never openly got along for a lot of their early interactions, even when they acted all chummy, Subaru still hated it and it made the final fight of arc 3, when he fought against Petelguese along with Subaru, an interesting dynamic. While playing a smaller role in other arcs his main time to shine was in arc 6. As the potentially strongest member of their group a lot of trust was placed in Julius, and he was trusted to conquer the exam involving Reid Astrea, the former sword saint. Unfortunately, Julius was beaten very terribly, and his ego was shattered. If he couldn’t protect Anastasia, then what was his purpose? Julius decided to face Reid once again, in an unhealed state in order to help everyone else out as soon as possible. He did this behind everyone’s back, and so upon his loss, Subaru had to help him return to the group, at this point Julius was scolded pretty terribly by Subaru, and at this point, Subaru was taking much more charge over the situation. With interactions like these, it was clear to say that the two of them had become friends and pretty close ones at that. Peak moment: Arc 6, Volume 22, Chapter 5: Julius Juukulius

  Al:
  Aldebaran is a character who I was put in awe by, the subtle development of what we viewed him as through the arcs before arc 9 made him seem like a good guy, even if we held suspicions about who he really could be. We were almost led into a false sense of security. His first appearance in arc 3 introduced his origin from another world, and in arc 5, his interference hinted at him having similar powers to Subaru. Al’s involvement increased inside of arc 7. He travelled through Vollachia with Priscilla and eventually followed Subaru to Chaosflame, promising to back him from there on. Al’s help was very useful and his involvement throughout the Vollachia saga was pretty important, leading us to believe Al was a solid ally of Subaru’s. At the end of arc 8, a scene was set up. It was simple, Al finally got to dance with his Princess to celebrate the victory over the Great Disaster, Subaru sung for them as they danced. Then Priscilla began to fade, and Al totally freaked out here, panicking over her fate and pleading to her and Subaru. This creates one of the most tragic moments in the series. Al’s role in arc 9 makes him so great though. Upon visiting the Pleiades Watchtower to look for Priscilla’s book of the dead, Al betrays Subaru, capturing him in order to get rid of him from this world. The motives haven’t been fully revealed yet but his origins were discussed throughout this arc. Al’s declaration of war against the world led him to fight the members of Subaru’s party who came with him, and eventually set up a fight against Reinhard, which was one of the best fights in the series. His plan meant that the Divine Dragon Volcania copied his identity and his crew would come with him. We learn about Al throughout this arc, he was created by Echidna, and has the same power to come back to life like Subaru, just in a different way. His power that would never let him be defeated. The context of Al on the gladiator island Ginunhive was given too. Al lost his arm there, causing his first ever defeat. Al was a seriously interesting character throughout arc 9 and although his war against the world was erased due to return by death in the end, what we learnt about him and his fights in this arc were absolutely fantastic. Al’s parallels with Subaru were also amazing, there are lots of them so I don’t wanna just list them off, but they’re really cool to notice. I can’t wait to see what comes of him. Peak moment, Arc 9, Volume 43, Chapter 3: Aldebaran

  Petra Leyte:
  Starting off as simply just being a village girl, Petra goes through the most developmental growth in the series. Her saviour was Subaru in arc 2, who saved her from being attacked by the witchbeasts. And she was also saved in arc 3 and 4 by Subaru’s heroics. She always strived to be seen more grown up than she was and even took up a job in Roswaal’s manor. It wasn’t until arc 7 where she truly pushed herself. She learnt magic with Roswaal in the time of the story we missed, and her mental growth had been pretty rapid, as she was placed in situations of organisation within the camp during the Emilia camps travels to Vollachia in arc 7. Her leadership in arc 7 was valuable and her magic even helped Otto to provide information to Abel in the final battle of the arc. Petra’s chance to shine came in arc 9, as she was placed in a leading role. As her first venture as Subaru’s party member, she went through the events of arc 9, and took a leading role upon reading Subaru’s book of the dead unknowingly. She gained the knowledge of Subaru’s past until his death in which he killed himself with Petra’s handkerchief. Petra consequently had a Subaru in her head though, making her take on his nature as a leader. In this arc she led the fight against Al, and took on a role at the head of the battle as she received the authority of Melancholy from Clind. Thus making her the Witch of Melancholy. Her powers were extremely important in the fight against Al and almost led to him being cornered. Unfortunately, Al’s glitch in the matrix led to Petra experiencing a loop over and over, adding up to over 100 times. She also sacrificed many parts of her future that would bring her happiness, in order to harness the authority and win the battle. This determination from Petra was badass to see and made her seem so great. In the end, she broke this loop after so many attempts and led to Subaru’s restart from the beginning of the arc, removing all of her feats from this arc, but also restoring her to a stable mental state. Peak moment: Arc 9, Volume 43, Chapter 5: Petra Leyte

  Meili Portroute:
  Meili was one of the girls in the village in arc 2, who we later find out to have been the one behind the witchbeast attack in that arc. Her attack on the mansion in arc 4 showed this and the role she played as a villain caused real trouble for Subaru, and presented her as a maniac as she said she helped Petra by causing her a painless death. Despite all this, when Subaru defeated her, she was still brought along in arc 6. We learn lots about her here. She is helpful in dealing with the Witchbeasts, but is also very unusual in her nature. Meili is killed in one of the loops in the Pleiades Watchtower by the hands of an amnesiac Subaru. Subaru reads her book of the dead, which reveals her tragic past to us and how her mannerisms were all products of Elsa. Her habits came from Elsa too. Her poor upbringing led to her believing that murder could be a habit, and so if she encountered a problem, she could solve it by killing whoever was responsible, making Meili the one who killed Subaru by pushing him down the stairs after he lost his memory as the uncertainty of the situation made Meili panic. Her complete turnaround and scolding by Subaru makes her a perfect example of a morally corrupt character who was the subject of a complete turnaround through Subaru’s sweet talk. Peak moment: Arc 6, Volume 23, Chapter 5: --Murder is a Habit

  Louis Arneb:
  The Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, introduced as the third member of Gluttony at the end of arc 5, Louis Arneb was the final sin archbishop to be introduced. Her main role as an archbishop was inside of the Pleiades Watchtower though, as she hid inside of Reid’s book of the dead, and ate Subaru’s memories. Her attempts to split Subaru’s memories apart were unsuccessful and also the cause of a lot of incredible moments in the series. Her eventual collapse came after experiencing the horrors of return by death, and her mind was completely destroyed, stripping her of her own self. The Louis Arneb that appeared at the end of arc 6 and was transported to Vollachia along with Subaru and Rem was one that had basically become infantilised. She was also the main point of division between Subaru and Rem in the early moments of arc 7, since Subaru rejected her completely, while Rem simply saw her as a child in need. Subaru softened up to her over time in order to win Rem over, but the initial distrust was never solved in this arc. Louis was simply seen as a nuisance for Subaru, until she snuck into the city of Chaosflame along with their crew. Louis accompanied the group that travelled there and became really important when the city’s residents began to fight back against their group. In the midst of the chaos, it was revealed that Louis was a sin archbishop, and their fate in the Vollachian Empire was execution. But after this, Subaru ran away with her, and she saved Subaru’s life and helped him to win the game of tag against Olbart, albeit after the 10 seconds of despair that Olbart made Subaru go through. Louis obedience to Subaru in these moments made her more trustworthy, although they were split up in the end. Upon the time of the final battle, Louis helped Beatrice to stop the magic cannon and eventually saved Beatrice’s life by using her dash to return to Subaru, which really cemented the two’s relationship for me. Louis most defining moment came from when deciding what to do with her in arc 8 inside of the dragon carriage. Subaru decided to change her name to “Spica” to mark her new identity, which was born anew from the sin archbishop, but didn’t reject it, as those were truly things she was responsible for. Her role in the world was to try and do good in the world to overturn her reputation, rather than asking for it to be done. This was all possible due to the sympathy that Subaru showed her thanks to his own experience of memory loss. Spica eventually became really important in overcoming the Great Disaster as her authority allowed her to send the undead to the afterlife, and at the end of the arc, she was left behind in Vollachia to continue her good work. Peak moment. Arc 8, Volume 35, Chapter 4: Louis

  Shaula:
  Shaula is a one arc wonder, her appearance in arc 6 made her one of the most beloved characters in the series. Shaula was originally presented as an all knowing sage, but she was really a bit of an airhead who really loved her master Flugel, who she believed to be Subaru. Her existence was a very sad one, she had waited 400 years for her master to return, just to be left so quickly by Subaru. She waited all that time just for the love to never be received back. While not appreciated by the Subaru we know, the amnesiac Subaru appreciated Shaula a bit more, since her usefulness to this version of Subaru was pretty important and acted as a small anchor for his mind at this point. Shaula eventually becomes one of the five obstacles for Subaru at the end of arc 6. Her scorpion form is dangerous, but is eventually overcome by Subaru. Unfortunately, Shaula has to say goodbye at the end of the arc, as Subaru is unable to save her. Shaula loses her humanity after becoming a scorpion. Her final moments aren’t spent in sadness, at least for herself, since as the reader, we all bawled tears for Shaula. “Four hundred years is just like the day after tomorrow”. Peak moment: Arc 6, Volume 25, Chapter 9: Shaula

  Vincent Vollachia:
  The deposed emperor of Vollachia, Vincent’s nature embodies the Vollachian empire, which directly opposes that of Subaru’s morales. Despite this, they get along as comrades in arms, despite all the hatred Subaru has for Abel. In the end, Subaru doesn’t treat him like an emperor, but just instead someone who needs to learn some emotional respect and to care more for others. Vincent also comes across as incredibly confident, even though he often struggles. He follows along with Subaru’s plans due to his thoughts on stargazers and is simply a character similar in nature to Priscilla. Of course, this is a given knowing his history. Priscilla was actually a royal candidate for the Vollachian royal selection who should’ve been killed if not for Vincent’s meddling. His view towards Chisha Gold was also a fantastic way to play out the great disaster, it made Vincent seem very aware of the politics of Vollachia and also of the genius of Chisha himself. Vincent is a character covered in huge amounts of detail across the Vollachia saga, and is so intelligent that he even planned to pull his Yang Sword on Sphinx in arc 8, even after holding it out in so many situations in order to trick her into believing he didn’t possess one. Vincent is a character who makes the Vollachia saga so enjoyable and plays into Subaru directly throughout the whole thing. Peak moment: Arc 8, Volume 34, Chapter 4: Natsuki Subaru and Vincent Abellux

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