In the climax of the cruelty of Re:Zero, it becomes clear what is at stake for Subaru - and that created an anime episode that was nearly perfect.
Re:Zero – Season 1, Episode 15
Genre: Drama, Action
IMDb rating: 9.8 / 10 (~26,000 ratings)
Stream available on: Crunchyroll
Re:Zero has many episodes worth discussing at length. However, none leave such a lasting impression as Episode 15 “The Outside of Madness” (in the Director’s Cut, this is Episode 8).
The episode begins with what often happens to Subaru: he dies. He reached the estate where Emilia was, but he was too late. Everyone important to him has been killed, and he himself dies from the ice cold that literally shatters his body.
After his rebirth, Subaru is broken by the traumatic memories. He gives up, no longer speaks. His allies are at a loss. In the end, it is only Rem who remains faithful to him and wants to bring Subaru back to the estate.
The trailer belongs to the current fourth season:
On the way back, Subaru and Rem are ambushed by the Witch Cult. Subaru is kidnapped and faces the first real antagonist of the series: Betlegeuse Romanee-Conti, an archbishop of the Witch Cult.
Despite his disturbing appearance, he reveals an interesting detail: He mocks Subaru for pretending to have gone insane. This implies that Subaru is actually not broken but just wants pity from the world while pretending to be incapable of taking action.
Rem appears and tries to rescue Subaru. She manages to defeat a large part of the Witch Cult – until Betelgeuse ends the fight with a previously unknown ability. Rem is lifted into the air and brutally assaulted before Subaru’s eyes: While Betelgeuse imitates Rem’s voice, he twists her arms and legs, makes bones crack, and in the end even turns her head 180°, until she simply collapses lifeless on the ground.
After the Witch Cult withdraws, it is revealed: Rem has survived. Shattered, broken, and with her last strength, she forces her contorted body forward to free Subaru from his chains and die in his arms during her confession of love.
Subaru then carries Rem’s shattered body back to the estate. But nothing has changed. Again everyone has died, and an eerie snowfall begins. A huge, previously unknown monster breaks out of the roof of the estate, which Subaru can only stare at in disbelief. Sleep with my daughter
, speaks the creature – before Subaru’s head rolls from his shoulders and the credits roll.
It is not the best episode of the entire series, that came a few seasons later – but it was the episode that shows with an eerie force how dark the world of Re:Zero is and what psychological abysses would still be revealed.
The creators knew they had created a masterpiece with this episode. This is also evident from two other facts: At the first broadcast of the episode, the creators simply bought the commercial break that would usually split an anime episode on television. This way, the episode was shown in one continuous piece without interruption.
Moreover, the credits begin to roll with Subaru’s death, right in the middle of the season, against the backdrop of the beheaded Subaru, who is slowly being covered by snow, while the saddest piece of music in the series plays:
The impact of this episode is still regarded as unmatched by many anime fans today. Those who wanted to drop the series before due to uncertainty are mostly ardent (albeit very disturbed) fans after this episode. And without giving too much away: It is only the first emotional high point on a journey that holds much more suffering for Subaru.
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