Re:Zero: Starting Life in Another World, Vol. 1 (Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, 1) (Volume 1)

I'm a massive fan of this series and I genuinely consider it to be to be in the makings as one of the greatest fantasy epics ever written BUT be mindful the Amazon series collection had Volume 3 and 5 mixed up with Side Story Collection 3 and EX Novel 5 and are not the main narrative. Look out for those specifically as Light Novel Volume 3 and 5 or you'll end up getting some of the side content instead.

Weakest volume in the series and still a 10/10. Natsuki Subaru is possible the most relatable protagonist of all time.

To preface this, I was blown away by how good the anime was. I watched it years ago and always wanted to know what happened next in the story. So I finally made the decision to dive right into the light novels and WOW! I like the light novels even more than the anime. Tappei Nagatsuki's writing style is truly amazing. The light novels are the best, most authentic way to experience the story and they're infinitely more detailed than the anime. The bits of lore, and character details that are not portrayed properly in the anime are very important and the light novels manage to give you a very expensive world building and it explores the intricacies of the characters.Needless to say, I love Re Zero. I've been liking these light novels so much that I'm already reading volume 6 as of this time, and I intend to keep buying all the translated volumes as I keep reading and they become available. If you're on the fence about buying these light novels, or if you aren't really used to reading, then don't worry. They're easy to understand due to the great quality of writing and I assure you that if you liked the anime, you'll like the light novels even more.

As a fan of the anime series I really can't wait to see what happens after the first season so I thought I'd start reading the light novels and hopefully at some point they'll pass the series and I can see what happens next. Either that or we'll get a season 2 so either way I'm happy. Re:Zero vol. 1 is the second light novel I've ever read and I had a few misgivings. I've read that the translations can be a bit rough at times and there is quite a few "not exactly complaints" per se but I've seen quite a few reviews state how it's a bit annoying that characters aren't always giving queue's so that it's hard to tell who's speaking at times and while they are right it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. I only had two spots where it got a bit confusing but after a quick reread it was apparent who was speaking. I was also worried that this would be a "exact or literal" translation with no thought given to narrative flow. Long story short I worried about nothing. The novel had a nice flow to it and read like any other good story. Not only that but it clarified a few things that the anime didn't really touch on. Basically it's just more of what you already love. The characters are great, the story is great and the telling was more than adequate. Could it have been better? Possibly but as is it was more than adequate. I had a great time reading this book and have already bought the second volume. With Kadokawa's recent purchase of Yen Press I'm hoping we'll get even more anime's translated into light novels, more manga and that the already good quality will improve even more. It's a win/win for anime fans.Rest assured. This is the Re:Zero that you all love, just with a bit more of it. If you're hesitant to buy this light novel, don't be. The story kept me at the edge of my seat and the illustrations while sparse were all excellent and the illustrator should really be commended. All in all it was a well put together book and I'm staying for the ride. I love Re:Zero and as far as I'm concerned one can never get enough of Emilia, Subaru and especially Rem/Ram. I can't wait to finally meet Rem and Ram again in the next book. :D

Re:Zero is a series that revisits several fantasy cliches with a unique and refreshing approach. The story focuses on it's protagonist Subaru as he's suddenly thrust from modern day Japan into an unfamiliar world (called "Isekai" in Japan, meaning "Another World), equipped only with the items he had on him in his original world and food he had just purchased from a local convenience store. Unlike your typical fantasy or isekai novel, Subaru finds that he has no particular skills or abilities giving him some advantage in this new world; in fact, the only item he has of any value is his tracksuit and his nearly dead cell-phone. The only thing resembling "fantasy" that he has going for him is a mysterious power to "Return by Death", in which whenever he dies he returns to a previous checkpoint, not determined by him, bringing the pain and mental trauma of that death back with him.Re:Zero is well written, full of excellent use of spoken and internal dialogue, and displays impressive prose throughout the descriptions of the world Subaru finds himself in and the people who inhabit it. The story in ripe with mystery and the unveiling of the plots and lore behind these mysteries is wonderfully done. While the series includes many isekai and fantasy tropes and cliches, it almost always approaches them in a novel or unfamiliar way, it contains violence, but also colorful images and text; it manages to progress the story in a way that includes comedy, horror, tragedy, romance, and character development with only occasional dragging, but manages to not feel like the story is being rushed to get to the next action scene like so many of in it's genre do.This first volume covers the first arc or 4 episodes of the anime adaptation. The translation is very well done, especially with the internal dialogue, but the wording and pacing can become dry at times because of the lack of linguistic localization; it's a very honest translation, but may seem dull to some. As a whole I would highly recommend the series (and the anime) if you have an interest in lore heavy fantasy, isekai novels, or simply enjoy new takes at old tropes.