Re:Zero (TV series)

Production

The possibility of an anime adaptation arose early during the light novels' development. Kadokawa producer Shō Tanaka asked Ikemoto about properties suitable for animation, and Ikemoto recommended Nagatsuki's web novels. After an initial miscommunication, talks began soon after the web novels transitioned to print.

Tanaka and Ikemoto spoke to animation producer Tsunaki Yoshikawa of studio White Fox about animating the series. Tanaka hoped for an adaptation similar to Steins;Gate, which White Fox had produced, and had a positive impression of the studio's faithful adaptations. White Fox's president consulted Yoshikawa, who recommended acceptance provided the series did not violate broadcasting regulations.

Production began after the release of the fifth novel in October 2014. Masaharu Watanabe was chosen to direct because he had done key animation for the studio. Kyūta Sakai became character designer and chief animation director, as Yoshikawa believed she could do justice to the novel's art while maintaining consistent quality across the 25-episode run. Masahiro Yokotani was brought on as main writer, his first time composing for a "reborn in another world" story.

Yoshikawa warned him about the series' violence, but Yokotani was still surprised by the violent scenes in novels three and beyond, having only read the first novel when he agreed to work on the project; he delegated script writing for those episodes to the other two scriptwriters. Yoshiko Nakamura joined after Yokotani completed the script for episode 3. When it proved unfeasible for Yokotani and Nakamura to write all scripts alone, White Fox president Gaku Iwasa asked them to hire someone younger, leading Yokotani to suggest Eiji Umehara.

Release

The first season of the series consisted of 25 episodes, beginning on 4 April 2016 with a first episode that was 52 minutes long. Broadcasters included TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, and AT-X, while Crunchyroll handled the simulcast. Two episodes, the 14th and 18th, were each 25 minutes and 45 seconds, two minutes longer than the usual anime runtime. The final episode was three minutes longer, at 27 minutes and 15 seconds.

Studio Puyukai created a set of chibi-character shorts to accompany the main show. These ran for eleven episodes and were followed by a new series called Re:Petit − Starting Life in Another World from Petit, which started on 24 June 2016 and lasted 14 episodes. The shorts aired on AT-X after each regular episode beginning 8 April 2016.

Crunchyroll obtained streaming rights for both short series, and Animax Asia began airing them on 13 January 2017. A second season was announced in March 2019, with the same cast and staff returning. It was originally set for April 2020 but was pushed back to July 2020 due to production issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the second season’s planned start, an edited version of the first season aired on 1 January 2020 on AT-X and other channels. This version recapped the first season in one-hour episodes and included new footage. The second season was split into two parts: the first half ran from 8 July to 30 September 2020, and the second half from 6 January to 24 March 2021. The English dub for the second season became available for streaming starting 26 August.

Music

The first opening theme is "Redo" by Konomi Suzuki, and the first ending theme is "Styx Helix" by Myth & Roid; episode 7 uses "Straight Bet" also by Myth & Roid. The second opening theme is "Paradisus-Paradoxum" by Myth & Roid, and the second ending theme is "Stay Alive" by Rie Takahashi. Myth & Roid also performed the episode 14 ending theme "theater D".

For the second season, the first opening is "Realize" by Konomi Suzuki, the first ending is "Memento" by Nonoc; the second opening is "Long Shot" by Mayu Maeshima, the second ending is "Believe in You" by Nonoc. The third season's opening is "Reweave" by Konomi Suzuki, the ending is "Nox Lux" by Myth & Roid. The fourth season's opening is "Recollect" by Konomi Suzuki and Ashnikko, the ending is "Ender Ember" by Myth & Roid and TK from Ling Tosite Sigure.

The soundtrack was released on CD on 26 October 2016, containing 21 tracks composed by Kenichiro Suehiro. "Redo" was released as Suzuki's 10th single on 11 May 2016, with a limited edition DVD. "Styx Helix" was Myth & Roid's 3rd single, released on 25 May 2016. "Stay Alive" was released as a single on 24 August 2016, performed by Takahashi and Minase. Myth & Roid released the second opening theme as a single on 24 August 2016. For Memory Snow, three pieces of theme music were used: the ending theme "Memory Memory Snow" and image song "Relive" by Nonoc, and insert song "Memories" by Riko Azuna.

Reception

In 2016, the series ranked 21st in home video sales for anime, moving about 68,791 Blu-ray and DVD units. Its 2018 OVA, "Memory Snow," sold 10,429 copies on those formats. A poll of 820 people by the Japanese site Anime! Anime! named the first season the best anime of spring 2016.

UK Anime Network's Andy Hanley called the adaptation one of the year's finest series. Richard Eisenbeis, Managing Editor at Anime Now!, selected it as a top pick for 2016, highlighting its culturally complex world and characters with independent plans, flaws, and drives; he hailed Subaru as the year's most layered character for making audiences both cheer and despise him in a setting where he is the least special person. The fourth season set an IMDb record, becoming the first isekai anime to gain such strong Western appeal, standing alongside mainstream hits like Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. A survey of mostly female Otamart users placed the series second among the most successful media franchises of 2016, and it was Crunchyroll's most-watched series that year, ahead of Yuri on Ice.