Otalku Cafe Staff Review: Re:Zero Season 3

After nearly three years, Re:Zero came back for a third season, and officially announced a season 4 once the finale finished. Re:Zero is one of my favorites with the characters, story, how they handle Subaru's powers, and the world itself is just fascinating. For this, I'll break down how I felt about both the Attack and Counterattack arcs separately as they're both 8 episodes each.

The Attack arc was the stronger of the two in terms of what viewers look for in Re:Zero. The first episode was 90 minutes long and what they were going for in terms of the set-up, it worked out in their favor. We get an introduction to other archbishops of the Witch's Cult, like Sirius, Capella, and Roy, while some make a return, like Regulus and Lye.

A lot of characters that we haven't seen since season 1 make a return also, like Priscilla, Felix, Felt, Al, Reinhard, Julius, the Pearlbatons, and Anastasia. New characters outside of the antagonists were introduced as well, like Liliana and Heinkel.

Both Sirius and Capella were the biggest thorns on everyone's side with all the damage to not only the protagonists and the townsfolk but to the entire city itself. Emilia stepped up a lot as a character in this season as a whole and doesn't even back down when fighting Sirius. Garfiel probably had the most development as a character given the events that happened to him, like seeing his mom again but having no recollection of who he is, which is kind of heartbreaking.

Outside of the season premiere, the best part of this arc was Subaru's speech to the remaining villagers who were still alive, inspiring hope in everyone and how he was going to save them. It was beautifully done and showed why Subaru is a top protagonist.

Unfortunately, the eight-week gap between the two arcs, in my opinion, hurt the momentum a little, especially with how the first half ended. I understand wanting to end it around the time the rest of the shows that aired in the winter season to wrap up, but I felt like four weeks would've been better for a wait instead of a third of a 2 cour season.

The Counterattack arc, while enjoyable still had some problems compared to the first half. It was a little too action-heavy, not that I mind, but the main thing that drew people into the show, like the supernatural and fantasy aspects of it, was almost non-existent.

However, every single person had a role to play against certain characters and they did it well. Reinhard was the MVP of this arc as he was a vital asset to Subaru and Wilhelm during those battles. Even people you haven't seen fight before or very little, even they stepped up to the plate to fight off against the enemy.

Despite the outcomes feeling a little one-sided for the protagonists, there were risks were still there as nobody could afford to die or else Subaru would have to end his own life to reset the timeline to make sure everyone would come back in one piece.

A lot of characters were able to shine with Priscilla taking out Sirius with ease, Lilian snapping the townsfolk out of Sirius' control through her song, Emilia, Al's sass towards Capella and not giving into her lust, Emilia convincing Cornelius' wives to leave him, Garfiel (Go, Gorgeous Tiger!) finally putting Elsa in the back of his mind, and Subaru figuring out the archbishop's weaknesses are similar to the constellations.

You even get those bittersweet conclusions as well when Wilhelm fought the animated corpse of his dead wife, Theresia. It was a rather emotional battle and we got to see more of their life together before her tragic passing thanks to the main antagonist, Pandora. Even if Reinhard was able to deliver that final blow to Theresia, at least Wilhelm was able to say goodbye to his wife properly and tell her that he loved her.

Unfortunately, it wasn't 100% a happy ending, as I won't go into spoilers, but I'm glad that it wasn't another season where there were no casualties. It was a good cliffhanger to end the season on and it makes you wonder what's going to happen next.

Overall, I still enjoyed season 3 despite the 8-week gap between the two arcs to kinda derail its momentum. Both parts would have different grades, with me favoring the first part, but the second part still had a lot of great moments for certain people. The way it ended was a nice little cherry on top, and it makes you curious as to what's gonna happen next.

All 16 episodes of Re:Zero are on Crunchyroll now, and if you've never seen the series before, check it out, as it's one of the better Isekai's in a while. I'm excited for season 4 whenever it comes out, I just hope we don't have to wait a long time for it to air.

Score: 8.75/10

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Otalku Cafe Staff Review: Sakamoto Days

Sakamoto Days was one of the most highly anticipated shows for the winter season after its adaptation was announced, and a second part has already been confirmed for the summer season. Now that part one has wrapped up, did it meet expectations? I believe it did.

The story follows the trope of a legendary assassin or hitman who becomes a pacifist and vows never to kill again. There’s nothing wrong with that concept, and they found a way to make it enjoyable. Sakamoto is portrayed as a loving father who seems like a soft teddy bear, but he can knock someone out instantly if they threaten his family or friends. He also runs a convenience store with his family.

Sakamoto's wife and daughter are sweethearts, Shin is very reliable, and Shaotang is also a delight to watch. The series provides plenty of backstory for the characters and explores how other hitmen view Sakamoto.

Speaking of hitmen, many of them appear throughout the story and try to kill our heroes. Boiled and Heisuke were probably my favorite of the two, and I hope to see more of them in the future.

The creators successfully blended both comedy and action without allowing one to overshadow the other a balance that can be challenging to achieve but works well here. The show also has a wholesome quality, particularly when Sakamoto thinks of ways to make his daughter happy, even in the face of hitmen trying to kill him. Some hitmen even choose to back off, as if they’ve had a change of heart.

While the episodes themselves weren’t groundbreaking, the action sequences and character backstories were definitely the highlights. The episodes weren’t bad, but they didn’t fully stand out from beginning to end, aside from a couple of episodes.

One aspect I loved was the recurring gag where Sakamoto imagines killing Shin in his mind whenever Shin tries to say something in front of Sakamoto’s family that he wants to keep private. This works well since Shin’s ability is to read minds, and he has a visual representation of Sakamoto’s thoughts. If you haven’t seen those clips, I highly recommend checking them out, they're hilarious.

Originally, I heard early leaks hinting that fans might be disappointed before the show even airs which made me a bit concerned. However, once it aired, I found it entertaining and was confused about why there were negative reactions.

Then I learned that some viewers were complaining about the animation, which sure was not spectacular or anything, but I thought it was passable.

I genuinely feel that anime fans today have been spoiled by high-quality animation in shows like Demon Slayer, the Fate series, and Jujutsu Kaisen. It gets to the point where they might just dismiss it if they don't meet that same quality. To me, that’s a crock of shit. Every animation studio does things differently and there's more than just animation alone that what makes a good show. Trust me, there is worse out there (like Ex-Arm).

Overall, I found Sakamoto Days to be an enjoyable series and one of the more entertaining ones this season. I’m excited for the second part when it airs. The action is great, it's humorous, the characters are likable, and it’s an all-around entertaining experience. All 11 episodes are available now on Netflix, so check it out if you're looking for a fun action-comedy to watch before the second part airs in July.

Score: 7.75/10

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Otalku Cafe Staff Review: Tasokare Hotel

What if I told you that purgatory isn't what you expected? What if it's not an endless void between life and death where you await your fate? Instead, imagine it as a hotel where lost souls check in but have no memory of themselves and don’t know whether they’re dead or alive. That’s the premise of the Tasokare Hotel.

The story follows our protagonist, Neko Tsukuhara, who discovers the hotel after realizing she may be dead. While she works as part of the staff alongside Aruto Hatori, Neko helps the hotel’s residents uncover their memories, as clues about their pasts are hidden in their hotel rooms.

The more they remember, the more their true selves are revealed, leading them to realize whether they are alive or not. Once they come to this realization, they check out of the hotel and move on either to the afterlife or back to their original bodies if they're still alive.

However, there are two important rules regarding the hotel: first, you cannot kill anyone under any circumstances; doing so will automatically send you to Hell, even if it’s accidental. Secondly, hotel patrons cannot stay too long, or they will vanish forever.

Despite the fascinating concept, I nearly dropped the show due to lackluster supporting characters and mystery elements at the beginning felt a bit too tame. That changed when the antagonist, Masaki Osoto, was introduced. He is such an intriguing character, and the chemistry between Neko, Osoto, and Hatori was enough to keep me interested in the story.

Thankfully, the last two mysteries involve both one of the idol girls that Neko looks up to and when a legendary musician helps give Hatori the confidence to try and play the saxophone again. These were the emotional impact moments that I hope we would've gotten in the beginning but beggars can't be choosers.

What truly sold me on the show, aside from the concept, was the final arc. It tied everything together for these three characters, revealing what happened to them, Osoto’s motives, and what the future holds. There’s also a clever twist involving another character and his intentions.

Overall, I enjoy a well-executed mystery, and the supernatural elements added a nice touch. While the concept of the hotel was captivating, I wished for more development of the side characters, especially the hotel manager. The main characters were great, and the final arc wrapped up the series on a high note. If you’re a fan of supernatural mysteries, I recommend checking out Tasokare Hotel as all 12 episodes are available now on Amazon Prime.

And remember.

“Don’t stare into the eyes of Hell.”

Score: 7.25/10

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Otalku Cafe Staff Review: Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance Arc

When you think of Rurouni Kenshin, what comes to mind? Is it the characters, the cool action scenes that you watched nearly 30 years ago, or is it those awesome Linkin Park AMVs that came out around that time?

With the first season of this reboot getting some success, it was no surprise that they were going to keep it going with the Kyoto Disturbance Arc and another season getting announced as it finished airing. But how does it compare to the original?

For the old-school fans, you know it's about Kenshin traveling to Kyoto to track down Shishio to stop him from overthrowing the Meiji government. We also get an introduction to new characters such as Misao and the Ten Swords.

While it was nice to see the Ten Swords again, they didn't get as much screen time outside of Anji and Chou. Shishio has always been an interesting character, and I always thought he was such a badass with his design. I am glad to see he's still this intimidating yet charismatic figure we all know and love.

Sojiro is still that creepy psychopath that you can tell he's dead inside, despite the emotionless smile and rather cheerful tone he expresses when speaking.

Misao definitely shines in this show as a supporting as she was very useful when it comes to stepping up when she needed to. Whether it was assisting on the battlefield and helping out civilians or stepping up as the leader of the Oniwanban clan, she fit her role perfectly.

Most of the focus for this arc was on Kenshin and his dilemma on whether he really needs to go back to his old Himura Battousai, the Manslayer, to defeat Shishio or if he can go with how he is now.

We also get to see his old master, Seijuro as he finally completes his training to learn the ultimate Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryuu technique needed to defeat Shishio whenever their paths cross. Those sets of episodes between the former master and student were honestly one of the highlights for this season.

Unfortunately, outside of the fight between Aoshi and Okina, the rest of the battles in this show were subpar. They all seemed like standard anime fights that you see in other shows to just keep the story moving and not have a big impact on anything to make them stand out. It was as if they were just coasting with these and playing it safe without doing anything spectacular. They're not bad fights, just a little underwhelming, and I'm hoping that changes in the next arc.

Overall, while it is not the perfect season, there's still plenty to enjoy for both new viewers and fans who've seen it when it originally aired. Reboots lately have been hits more than misses, and it's nice to see these classic shows make a comeback and not completely butcher it. If you haven't seen it yet and are a fan of the original, check it out on Crunchyroll. The first two seasons are on there now.

Will the new series go further than the original? You never know, as long as the show keeps going well despite the controversy about the mangaka, it might. I'm along for the ride and I'm looking forward to the next set of battles in the next arc coming up.

Score: 7.25/10

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Otalku Cafe Staff Review: Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

Hello, my name is Mathew and starting today I will officially be covering anime on this website.

How this will work going forward is that at the beginning of the new anime season, I will be giving first impressions of the shows that I will be watching. Once the season is over, I'll be writing a full review of it.

The winter season is winding down and I would like my first review to be one that I believe is a hidden gem, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth.

Orb is a show that aired on October 2024 for the fall line up and is produced by Madhouse, which created various series like Frieren, Monster, Hunter x Hunter, Death Note, and Overlord.

It takes place in 15th Century Poland with a heavy focus on, not only religion, but also heliocentrism.

This show did not shy away with how cruel the punishments were back then if you were discovered being a heretic and did something they believe defied the teachings of God.

It's more of a character study with how far people will go for their beliefs, ideals, and inspiration no matter which side you're on, right or wrong.

Our first main character, Rafal is one who while had the shortest amount of screen time, had a bigger impact of the story throughout the years this takes place in, even to the point at the cost of his life if it meant inspiration to learn and evolve continues without him.

All of the characters were well written like Badeni, Oczy, Yolanda, Draka, Schmidt, Albert and of course, our antagonist, Novak. Novak is an inquisitor whose ultimate goal was to find heretics, punish them, and make sure the study of heliocentrism disappears since it goes against the teachings of God.

"I will never let inspiration die, even if it means the cost of my life."

All of the characters have had memorable moments throughout the show with what they believe in, how they see religion or heliocentrism, or "the truth", and how everything these characters have done has left an impact in some way.

The opening theme, musical composition, and the visuals of this series is also stellar as it all sets the tone of the emotions, focusing on the constellations, and the atmosphere surrounding it all.

Sometimes, the backgrounds do get a bit too dark, making it hard to see. This is prevalent in certain scenes that take place at night.

Overall, I believe it's an excellent show and already a anime of the year contender as it's done so many things right. Biggest praise goes to the writing since it reminded me of Vinland Saga with how it had some of the best character development and knowing how to tell a story to captivate people without the need of "over the top" action. The show covers more than just geocentrism vs heliocentrism, it covers human nature itself.

We as human beings are always eager for knowledge, and curious creatures who will do anything to gain more of that knowledge, even if going through extreme measures just to get it. It's human nature and they captured that really well.

"What does it mean to have free will?"

"The fact that you're already asking that question."

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth can be watched on Netflix with all 25 episodes. If you're into drama, complexities of human nature, old school religion, or just astrology in general, I highly recommend it.

Score: 9.5/10

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