For the second week of August's reading program, we will discuss the second third of Re:Zero (volume 1) and Our Journey to the End of the Ceasing World. For Re:Zero, you need to have read up to chapter 5: “Starting Life in Another World†(page 174). Meanwhile for Our Journey, you need to have read up to the asterisk page break in the chapter titled “Journey.â€
If you have read further ahead, please refrain from spoiling anything past the points in the stories mentioned above. (Also, obviously, if you've experienced a manga or anime adaptation in the past, don't reveal what happens next.)
Re:Zero
Subaru gets knocked down. But he gets up again! Are they ever going to keep him down?
Discussion Points
How do you feel about the way Re:Zero has handled its time loop premise? Does the story feel repetitive, or are there enough new developments in each “session” to tide you over? In what ways does the premise shape Subaru’s character development? Do you feel the main theme of this story can be directly tied to this premise?
What do we know about Subaru’s life before entering the fantasy world? What makes him wish to enter highly dangerous situations to help people he barely knows?
One point of the story I’m truly confused about is Satella’s name. I’ll assume all will be cleared up on that front soon enough, but for now I find it bizarre that she would use a pseudonym that is a name she (and apparently everyone else in the world) thoroughly despises.
Also, we still don’t know anything about her badge, which I suppose is safe to call a Macguffin at this point.
I feel my opinion on the story is more or less the same as last week, though I will admit rather liking the scene introducing the knight Reinhard. It was a strange breath of fresh air for the story, the idea that someone could interact nicely with Subaru. (Or just, be nice in general?)
Do you think Subaru has a limited number of lives? (I kind of hope he does; otherwise he is effectively immortal?) How do you imagine he will work things out with Not-Satella, Felt, and Rom? Will Subaru have to die again before Elsa is finally defeated?
Our Journey to the End of the Ceasing World
The boy and the girl help “Boss” build a plane. He flies it and dies.
Discussion Points
Well, I can’t think of much to discuss this time. So I’ll leave it to all of you!
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As mentioned before, feel free to discuss any point you would like to bring up about either (or both) of these two books. General impressions, predictions for how the stories will play out, some compare/contrast between the two books, or any random observations and things you'd like to analyze are all fair game.