Title: Re:Zero: Starting Life in Another World – Chapter 2: A Week at the Mansion, Vol. 2
Author: Tappei Nagatsuki (Story), Makoto Fuugetsu (Art)
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 176
Genre: Shounen, Battle, Fantasy
Publication Date: August 22, 2017
The Story
In this volume of ReZero, Subaru returns by death once again and he is determined to figure out just how he died. He went forward five days and went back four, right before he was granted his wish by Roswal. Subaru tried to relive everything as it was, but found out that some things were different, like the kind of chores he was given to do. On the fourth night, he felt intense cold and even lost control of his bodily functions. As he sought out Emilia for healing, his entire torso was blown away and all he could hear were the sounds of chains.
This triggered another return by death so Subaru took another approach to just becoming a simple house guest rather than a servant. He figured that if the events were the same as the first ordeal, then he would have to sacrifice this time to gather information and use it on his next return by death in order to solve what’s going on. When his time as a guest ended, he left the mansion and set up an observation point in the mountains; however, the assailant still found him, but this time, Subaru discovered who his attacker was. Shocked at the results he learned it was because he had the stench of the Witch of Jealousy on him, therefore a misconception was had. Subaru died again and his fourth revival happened at he mansion.
With the identity of his attacker known, he turns to Beatrice for help. He wants her to shelter him within her lair until the fifth day. Even though she’s not thrilled about the idea, she agrees. With this information in hand, Subaru is determined to change things and move forward.
The reveal of Subaru’s attacker was a bit of a surprise, but at the same time, it kind of made sense. There were some clues strewn about throughout the volume that basically told you who it was and when the reasoning behind Subaru getting killed was revealed, it all made a lot of sense. I feel like It could open up some backstory on a couple of the characters as a lot of seeds were planted for that throughout this volume!
Characters
To be honest, this was a very story-driven volume with not much in the way of character development. The only thing that could be said is that Subaru’s inner thoughts are getting a bit more darker. He’s starting to realize that no matter how much times he dies, he remembers everything even though nobody else can. He seems okay with it at first, but there are a few panels where it seems like it’s starting to eat away at him just a little. Constantly dying and coming back and realizing that all of the work you’ve done was wasted is a pretty jarring experience. To experience that over and over again can chip away at anyone’s sanity. While Subaru’s case isn’t really all that noticeable, there’s a few slight cracks in his mental armor that are starting to show.
Rem and Ram are still emotionless maids that do have their flashes here in there with their personalities. Ram teaching Subaru how to read was a nice gesture, but she’s only doing it so both of their workloads would get easier since he could do other things like go shopping for them. Plus, there were some nuances of backstory there when Subaru was telling Ram about some of the fairy tales from Japan about the red and blue demons. That seemed to hit a bit close to home for Ram and it was kind of peculiar when she mentioned about breaking a horn and just living with the villagers. That wasn’t in the fairy tale so was probably a hint at her own backstory. Plus, when it came to the book he was finally able to understand, there was one story about a witch where Ram shut down discussion immediately. She even warned Subaru not to bring it up with Rem. So while nothing concrete was said about their characters, those were some definite seeds being planted for future volumes!
Final Thoughts
This volume of ReZero took us right into the heart of another mystery. We were given a lot of information to the point where all that’s left is to see how Subaru is able to solve his problem and move forward. Getting to that fifth day will get him out of this loop, but he needs to convince his attacker that they have the wrong idea about him.
ReZero continues to be a fascinating series! The “trapped in another world” genre is getting flooded, but it’s still amazing to see a lot of series take different and unique approaches to keep things fresh! ReZero adds the aspect of time travel coupled with a game of Clue to add a unique spin and with the manga being divided up into different “chapters,” it makes each arc feel that much more unique, even though every chapter is a continuation of the overarching story!
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This item was provided for review by Yen Press
