Re:Zero Season 3 episode 3 was going to be a downturn in overall quality in comparison to the events that transpired last week, which I thought was a perfect episode. That being said, Garfiel finally getting some needed spotlight saved this episode. The trauma of being face to face with his mother and her not even being able to remember his name was a pain that was incredibly portrayed by voice actor Nobuhiko Okamoto.
That being said, this episode definitely provided a gorgeous look at the city of Priestella that we haven’t really been shown yet. To anyone thinking that the production for Season 1 was better than this season, episode 3 would be the one to test that argument.
Garfiel’s Episode
While the entire A-portion of this episode was a slight headache to get through, Garfiel’s was the complete opposite. With a mix of beautiful scenery, Mimi’s humor and comfort, and Garfiel letting down his guard, everything just hit correctly at the best moments and I think credit for that can go to production as well. This is how you start a character arc.
The close-ups of Garfiel in moments where he wanted to say something or he was holding back tears were an ideal way of building up his breakdown on the rooftop with Mimi. And, honestly, I think Mimi was the perfect person to be there for Garfiel too. I feel like it may have been not in his nature to show his guard down in front of Emilia, Subaru, and Beatrice. Again, it just felt like a perfect time for Garfiel to expel all of these feelings with the perfect person.
Mimi reassuring that she loves Garfiel both verbally and physically was such a nice touch. Sometimes even the toughest of guys need a place to let out what they have built up. With the constant hesitation of being around his mother waiting for her to just say his name once and the entire scene on the bridge, it was outstanding writing that was topped off with arguably the best voice-acting performance of the season so far.
This episode made me root for Garfiel more than I already have. I think so many people are wrapped up in Subaru’s character development, and understandably so, that we also forget how far Garfiel has come himself and everything he’s already dealing with this season. He was embarrassed by Reinhard’s strength in episode 1. He saw his mother for the first time in episode 2 since he was an infant. And through all this, he’s still being haunted by Elsa’s ghost.
It’s undoubtedly hard to get lost in other developments of the season right now, especially with Sin Archbishop after Sin Archibishop popping up left and right. But the developments on Garfiel’s end may possibly be the most intriguing out of anyone else’s right now. I can’t wait to see what he does going forward.
The Headaches
I’ve been a gigantic fan of this season so far. It’s right up there with Orb: On the Movements of the Earth for my pick for Anime of the Season. But I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I wished someone would just tell everyone to shut up at the beginning of the episode. Corneas (sorta) tried, but even he extended the dialogue far beyond what it should’ve.
Chika Anzai’s performance as Sirius is, without a doubt, commendable. She is selling the psychotic nature of Sirius’ character wonderfully. But I needed Corneas to aim a pebble at her instead of Subaru. Even Subaru himself was trying to figure out what she was even talking about at that point and then we had Sirius telling Corneas to basically shut up himself. It was just one gigantic dialogue triangle of nonsense.
Corneas’ entire speech about manners and greeting each other with names first was such an eye-roller that I was thanking Subaru for wrapping his whip around Corneas’ neck just to shut him up, even if it was for a split second. Of course, it’s another opportunity to show just how strong Corneas really is but I think that point was already made.
I love well-written dialogue, but when it’s mostly bickering, I pray for characters to show up and end it all. Unfortunately, all that annoyance was for naught as Sirius and Corneas just casually up and left like it was nothing. The only thing I loved that was the outcome of that scene was Beatrice showing her concern for Subaru, and everyone else’s, health. The fact she healed every single one of them goes to show her character growth as well. But perhaps it was a brutal contrast showing that the Sin Archbishops could casually leave a crowd of people to die while Beatrice couldn’t.
Re:Zero Season 3 Episode 3 Production
Takashi Nagayoshi drastically took over this episode as not only the director and storyboard artist but the animation director as well. It marked his debut as an episode director as well. I noticed that this episode had much more landscape shots than past episodes, at least ones that stood out to me than previous episodes.
The wide shot of the bridge showing the distance between Garfiel and Garek with a lamp post straight down between the two of them was a visual touch. Just take a look at the gallery of shots below. It tells a story without any words and that’s what separates a good storyboard from a great one.
There were many moments where I thought to myself “I don’t remember Re:Zero having this many breathtaking landscape shots.” Although, that could just be credited to Priestella’s beauty. But objectively, it does look better. The shots made me want to take a vacation there myself all witch things considered. Remember, this is based on a light novel so it’s like he had manga panels to go off of either.
I think Nagayoshi had a tough task on his hands with this episode. It was a gigantic moment to kickstart Garfiel’s character arc and it needed to hit home hard. As I said before, the use of close-ups was the smart choice and usually is when wanting to portray stronger emotions for a character. But using the timing of the soft piano right as he begins crying on the rooftop was impeccable timing.
That’s a very underrated aspect of some directors we tend to overlook. Using a soundtrack to its utmost best is something that’s difficult to master. I think it’s one of the many traits that makes others such as Tatsuya Yoshihara stand out in their own right.
Nagayoshi showed us this time around that he really knows what he’s doing and has the capability to become a director for a series later down the line. Hopefully, he will be able to direct another episode this season. As someone who’s been in the industry for over 20 years, I think it’s due.
Re:Zero Season 3 Episode 3 Wrap-Up
If I had to, I’d place episode 3 between the first two in terms of rating. It wasn’t like this week was a drastic fall-off or anything. Story developments were still great. Character development opportunities are clearly presented. The voice acting was top-notch and the rising action to the arc’s climax is starting to drastically show. But I think going forward, we’ll be seeing the ratings stay high. I don’t see Re:Zero Season 3 falling off at any point.
Episode 3 rating: 8.5/10
Episode 2 rating: 10/10
Episode 1 rating: 8/10
If you enjoyed Re:Zero Season 3 episode 3 then be sure to vote for it in the weekly poll! Re:Zero Season 3 episode 4 will be released on Wednesday, October 23.
Images from Crunchyroll
©Tappei Nagatsuki,KADOKAWA/Re:ZERO3 PARTNERS
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