Score: 7.74/10
Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – Hyouketsu no Kizuna
Synopsis
Covered in ice and snow, Elior Forest is the home to dangerous magical beasts and 50 elves frozen in ice. One day, the great spirit Pack helps a young girl break out of her ice prison. Her name is Emilia, a half-elf born with silver hair, long ears, and amethyst eyes—features that resemble the evil Witch who destroyed half the world long ago. Shunned by society because of her appearance, Emilia dwells in the forest with Pack as her sole companion and family. Burdened with a sin of destruction she does not remember committing, she spends her days trying to find a way to help her frozen kin. But when the great spirit Melakuera, the Arbitrator of the world, finds Emilia, her right to stay alive is brought into question. Will the bonds of ice she formed with Pack prove to be the warm thread that defies fate? [Written by MAL Rewrite]
A story of the time Emilia spent with Puck in her home village.
Overall 7/10:
The backstory of Emilia has been very enlightening. Although we did not get the full story of Melakuera as I’ve heard from the LN readers, I think his current presentation is pretty solid even if we aren’t informed of how he became what he is now. However, there were some pacing issues and overall I enjoyed this less than the Memory Snow OVA.
If you’re an EMT fan, I would still recommend to give this a watch!
Story 8/10:
I liked how the story is conveyed by Emilia’s repeated actions. It shows her daily life in the village and as if everything she does is normal. The story jumps back and forth in time as we are shown flashbacks to Emilia’s past and her dormant powers, which was hinted in the anime as well. The pacing has some issues though – overall I think they fit too much content in 80 min. Some parts went far longer than it should have, and some were over in an instant.
Art 9/10:
I like the details of the flame animations and how Puck’s ability was portrayed/animated. The spirits were also nicely animated – they are shown to be sentient and react to the people around them. The detail of how the ice became blood red by draining the blood out of the living creature sent shivers down my spine – it was so beautiful yet horrific.
Sound 9/10:
I didn’t feel like any sound was out of place, so overall it must have been great.
Character 8/10:
We’re introduced to the people of the village and how they shun Emilia because she’s an elf of the forest, at the start of the movie. Even with the hood that hides her identity, they could tell that she’s an elf. I liked how the general store manager was portrayed – a caring old man but yet very human (as he is), acting in self-interest and also fearing the Witch.
The Melakuera also makes his appearance, and although his backstory was not shown, we get that he is an ally of justice or at least a counterforce against evil. I liked how he spoke in ancient Japanese, which goes to show that he is pretty old.
Enjoyment 7/10:
Remember I said I liked Emilia’s repeated actions? But I certainly did not enjoy the repeated fights that were basically two monsters blasting powers at each other. It reminds me a lot of Dragon Ball or Digimon. No strategy involved, just pure bruteforce and the power of will/friendship. There was no fun in most of the fights, though we do get character development during then. I think the main problem is the lack of hype and tension building.
One thing I enjoyed – and I’m sure everyone else did – was when Puck let his guard down when he accidentally hurt Emilia’s feelings. Watch it to find out how it went!
Also, I liked the text that flashed between scenes that shows Puck’s and Emilia’s internal monologue. Though we only had like 2 seconds to read 50 Japanese characters, it was sufficient to grasp the keywords of each message.
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