Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-

Episode 22

There's a rule in storytelling about things that seem to go too smoothly: they almost always precipitate a nasty turn of events. In the case of episode 22, that predictable nasty twist comes in the middle of the episode, but thanks to the allies that Subaru has made, the situation is still manageable – for the time being, anyway. Ending the episode with yet another twist is also predictable, as that has happened on a regular basis throughout the series. However, I doubt that anyone who has not read ahead in the original novels saw the nature of this episode's surprise ending coming.

Subaru's meeting with Julius (who amusingly insists on passing himself off as Juli to avoid certain ethical issues, even though everyone knows who he is) goes as expected: touchy, but at least Subaru acts somewhat maturely and admits that he bore the blame for the incident between them. He's not so mature that he isn't pouty about it though, which I thought was quite fitting. Betelgeuse's reappearance was also fun, even though he's far less disturbing when he isn't in control of the situation. Subaru provocation of him and jumpiness about the archbishop actually staying dead were also amusing. In the end, no one does insanity quite like Betelgeuse.

The revelation that the Unseen Hands weren't exclusive to this first Betelgeuse is unsettling, though I suspect that the power passes on to someone else when the bearer is killed, rather than every follower possessing the ability. So does Betelgeuse's particular type of insanity go hand-in-hand with that too? Does the Gospel itself really turn people into insane followers of the Witch Cult, as Felix and the others seem to believe, or is that just a superstition built up over time? Whatever the case, the seeming immortality of Betelgeuse is definitely a curious complication that may help explain how this arc could cover the remaining three episodes of the season. Either way, seeing both perpetrators get cut down was satisfying, as was Wilhelm's little motivational speech to Subaru. The artwork was less satisfying, taking another dip for much of this episode, though the musical score was up to par as always.

So that leaves two other matters. We get a brief scene with Emilia and Puck back at the mansion for the first time since episode 17, where Emilia mentions being tired for some reason. Despite its occasional bits of humor, this series doesn't usually indulge in throwaway scenes, so that has to be some significant detail. Then we have the strange appearance of a hooded Ram at the end of the episode, who seems to draw Subaru into a dream state or an alternate dimension. This isn't an ability we have seen from her before, if that really is Ram, of course. It's going to be annoying to wait another week just to find out what's up.

Rating: B+

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.