This is a mirror of my review posted on AniList. If you enjoyed reading, make sure to give it a like over there!

Re:Zero continues to deliver with its 4th season, adapting Arc 6 from the Light Novels. In short, it features outstanding animation, great character moments and simply leaves me wanting to see more.

That said, unlike a lot of the opinions and reviews you'll see, I do not believe this is a 10/10 flawless masterpiece. Don't get me wrong, I loved every episode and enjoyed every character moment, but I still think there are caveats - and they are too big for me to ignore.

Before I get into a deeper analysis of this season, I want to point out that I have not read the Light Novels nor am I familiar with their contents. Whether aspects I mention here are solved in the Light Novels is irrelevant to the scope of this review.

This review contains SPOILERS. Watch before reading further!

Let's get into it

The animation is fantastic

Re:Zero was always a series that was less about the flashy visuals and more about its story, characters, world and the intense feelings it transmits. This seasons complements everything with delightful animation, with amazing fight scenes like the Julius vs. Reid fight or Emilia's dodging and fighting once she reaches the Watchtower's summit.

It's a nice treat to the audience after the jarring animation style change from Season 3.

The character writing

It tastefully managed to bring back elements from season 1, such as the incredible psychological horror that made me fall in love with the series. Subaru is this season's star in terms of writing, bringing us an interesting contrast between the person he was and the person he has become. His journey to recover his memories reminds us once again that our beloved main character is no special person - no overpowered character from another world - but a person whose only advantage is information in the form of return by death.

Shaula on the other hand is this season's black sheep in terms of writing. Her writing immensely suffers from very little development other than a surface-level parallel to Beatrice's arc about waiting for "that person". She is introduced, made to fulfill both an in-world purpose and a narrative one, and is done away with. Her "death" (or rather, metamorphosis?) unfortunately doesn't deliver the punch it probably wants you to feel.

In contrast to Shaula, Meili is really well developed and has really enjoyable moments - which initially surprised me. I did not expect to have a great time hearing about Meili! Additionally, through her past, we also get to learn a bit more about her upbringing, Elsa & Capella - more worldbuilding that is always welcome in a series like Re:Zero.

What it's about

The plot this time revolves around the main cast (and Anastasia) travelling to the Pleiades Watchtower in search of answers. While it's superficially about resolving the situation back in Pristella, every character has their own personal reason to seek answers from it. The setting of the desert and the tower itself keeps the cast isolated from the outside world, which provides an interesting framing for things to slow down and for each character to have their "moment":

• Julius and his journey to accept himself through Reid Astrea.
• Anastasia and her spirit Echidna (Eridna, Scarfdona).
• Ram and her feelings, memories and unresolved grief about the Oni clan.
• Emilia and overcoming her personal isolation & guilt and stepping up as an independent, capable leader and warrior.
• Subaru, and his previously-mentioned tasteful return to his season 1 self.

The ending

My main gripe with this season is how it ends. Almost no overarching aspect of the series is addressed or resolved, not the reason they came to the tower in the first place, nor the fate of the tower itself after all the puzzles are solved. Instead, it cuts away mid-climax at an awkward 19 episodes: Satella appears, and Emilia, the dragon and everything else are simply left in the air. It feels unfinished, like there are supposed to be more episodes coming for this season. There aren't, and there probably won't be any for a long time.

Again - I haven't read the Light Novels, but from what I've looked into, Season 4 ends at roughly the same point the source does, so the abruptness may be partly inherited. That doesn't fully excuse it, though, because this series has dealt with the same problem before and handled it well.

As I understand it, Arc 3 of the novels, which Season 1 adapts, ends with Rem's name and memories being eaten. The original broadcast held that scene back for the start of Season 2, while the Director's Cut placed it as Season 1's final moment. Either way, it comes after the climax has landed: the battles are won, Subaru and Emilia finally have their moment, and only then is the rug pulled out with a single question, "Who is Rem?" It hits so hard precisely because it follows a real payoff.

Season 4 skips the payoff entirely. For a series with an already messy production that seems to get a new season every 2-3 years (this arc was split off from Season 3!), that's frustrating. To be clear, I'm not against cliffhangers - I loved the Director's Cut chilling cliffhanger. What I'm criticising is how abruptly this one arrives. It feels less like a cliffhanger and more like the episode simply stopped.

The final scene makes this even stranger. Right after the cut, Subaru wakes up in a field and meets Rem, finally awake after her long slumber. It's a beautiful moment, and one I've waited a long time for, but it isn't really a resolution. It's bittersweet, and I can't decide whether in a good way or a bad one.

Conclusion

With everything said and done, it may look like I disliked this season. As I said previously, I didn't! I loved watching every episode, and I truly feel like I can't get enough of everything about this series. However, I also don't think it's the masterpiece it's made out to be - especially considering the genius of previous seasons.