And so it begins! A little while ago, Crunchyroll announced that on their YouTube channel They are releasing free episodes of anime for anyone to watch. As I already enjoy watching anime I thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about it and let you check it out because now these episodes are available for absolutely free!
The first episode they released is for a show called Re: Zero starting life in another world. The funny thing about this one is I have actually already seen it. I watched it when it first came out a couple of years back and now it already has a second season. The show is really good and I would highly recommend it. I was hooked after watching this first episode and it even got me to buy the books that it’s based on.
What exactly is Re: Zero about? Our protagonist Subaru is sent to another world. A new place he doesn’t understand. As he is struggling to figure things out he is helped by a kind girl. So, he joins her on her quest to find a lost insignia. I won’t tell you too much more than that until you watch the episode, just in case you don’t want to get spoiled.
Warning: There is blood…
Okay! Time to Give some thoughts on this episode. It’s awesome! After re-watching it after a couple years this first episode is such a great introduction to everything going on. If you are still confused don’t worry about it. This episode asks a lot of questions and doesn’t give you many answers. The perfect thing to get you hooked and want to see more.
We first meet Subaru buying dinner at a convenience store because he stayed inside playing games all day. Just from this, we can start to gather who this guy is…and a little more about why he does the things he does. throughout this episode, Subaru constantly thinks that he is the chosen one and that he has powers, and he does victory poses. Acting like he’s the main character in a video game or movie. When this series defies his expectations it is pretty great. Because although it is a fantasy world he doesn’t get all the things he hoped for. He only gets one power that we know of. The ability to start again.
This is what originally got me interested in watching more of this show. a quick synopsis is a nerd to be sent to a fantasy world so he can start again. It’s basically like Bill Murray’s groundhogs day…but as an anime…and with more mysteries…and magic.
There are a lot of scenes that I really liked in this first episode too. I liked when he tries to barter using only the items that he has on him. It really got me to stop and think “If I got sent to another world…would I be able to survive with what I have on me. could I barter with a stick of gum and some hand sanitizer?” The other thing I liked was the music, especially the ending song. It is both ethereal and mesmerizing leaving you with a feeling that there is something more…but you have no idea what it is.
So as I said earlier, I have already watched all that is out for this series, so I am super glad that Crunchyroll started with such an interesting anime. If you enjoyed this first episode I would definitely recommend watching more!
-Jared Gomes
