Hello and welcome to all guys, girls, and others! Recently, I completed reviews for Re: Zero season 1 and season 2 part 1. Now it’s time for season 2 part 2. I’m expecting this to be a shorter review than the last, since much of the same information applies. This review will follow my usual structure, which is to judge five categories: art, sound, story, characters, and enjoyment. Each category gets a number score from 1 to 10. At the end, we’ll look at the overall score. My general view of Re: Zero this season is positive. With that in mind, let’s begin.
Visuals: 8/10
Compared to the season 2 part 1, the art and animation in season 2 part 2 is more impressive. It looked like more detail and time was put into some character shots, especially of Ram and Subaru. There was also the dramatic final fight with Elsa among the raging flames. That was very cool from a visual standpoint.
Other than that, things were pretty much the same as before. The character designs are always pretty good. The same can be said of lighting, backgrounds, and scenery. Face expressions are important to me, and the ones in Re: Zero are solid. The action scenes aren’t the best, but they’re ok. In fact, they are generally a little better in season 2 part 2.
Story: 7/10
As I explained in the review of part 1, it’s important to understand that season 2 only covers one story arc. Parts 1 and 2 are in the same arc and total 25 episodes. That means the pacing is bound to be slow, and things might get a little bit redundant. Sure enough, this was the case. There are also a lot of long-winded talks and discussions that drag on. I feel that it’s natural for me to have less patience for the slow plot and dragging dialogue in part 2.
By the end of it, I’m sick to death of everything involved in this story arc. Because of this issue, I bumped down the story category from 8 to 7. Other than the pacing problems and superfluous talking, everything else in the story category was pretty good. This includes world-building, writing, and content balance. I also loved learning more about Emilia’s backstory and the other characters involved in her past.
Audio: 8/10
Just as with part 1, the audio in part 2 is excellent. I did bump it down from 9 to 8, but only because I don’t like the song selection quite as much. The songs are all still good though. The opening is “Long shot” by Mayu Maeshima and it’s a great choice for this season, since it reflects the confidence Emilia is beginning to develop. There are three different ending songs used. The first is “Door” by Rie Takahashi, voice of Emilia. The second is “Believe in you” by Nonoc. Last is “Anata no Shiranai Koto” by Rie Murakawa, voice of Ram. All of these songs are good, so I’m not sure which is my favorite.
The voice-acting is also great in Re: Zero’s second season. Everything I said in my review for part 1 holds true here, as well. But there was someone I forgot to mention in that review: Mamiko Noto, the seiyuu who voices Elsa Granhiert. She does a terrific job with her beautiful but haunting voice. All the other voice-actors and actresses did well, too. The audio category definitely deserves the 8.
Characters: 8/10
The characters category continued to impress me this season. The development continued with new information and revelation for characters like Otto, Garfiel, Elsa, and Emilia. I’m so glad Emilia is making progress with her confidence and overcoming her trauma. I like Otto, so it was nice to hear about his past and learn about his ability.
Subaru is still sometimes annoying, but he’s not as bad as in season one. Now, my favorite character in all of Re: Zero is Ram. I also find Roswaal fascinating. Happily for me, season 2 part 2 had some very big moments for both Ram and Roswaal. It made me appreciate them even more than before.
Enjoyment: 7/10
Things that took away from my enjoyment include the underlying casual sexism in Re: Zero, my annoyance with Subaru, and my aggravation at the slow plot and long discussions. I would put my personal enjoyment at about the same level as I did in the review for part 1.
There was a good amount of content and different elements to enjoy, including the songs, the improved visuals, and the satisfaction I felt after the Great Rabbit was defeated. As I mentioned in the previous category, Ram is my favorite character, so it was great to see so much of her in this season. To write anything else would probably be redundant, but I really enjoyed most of this anime.
Overall Score: 7.6/10.0
The overall score is calculated by taking the average of the numbers for the five categories we discussed. Part 2 of the second season did about as well as part 1, with a drop of 0.2 points. Although most anime sites record a scores in the 8s for Re: Zero season 2, my opinion of the series isn’t quite as high. I think a score in the 7s is much more appropriate. It’s still a good anime either way. That’s all I have to say for now.
Thanks for reading~
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