Looking back, I can say with complete certainty that I’ve never been as emotionally invested in any episode of Saga of Tanya the Evil as I was this episode. Oh sure, there have been moments where I’ve felt my stomach drop (like when Tanya was forced to let Charles de Gaulle proxy, Pierre-Michel de Lugo, escape) or when I’ve felt as frustrated as Tanya with the foolishness of others (like with the High Command’s recent decision to continue the war). However, this time I was bludgeoned with a triple whammy of sadness, frustration, and dread like none before.

If nothing else, Saga of Tanya the Evil has done a fantastic job of making everyone in the cast seem human. Even Tanya, though she is called a monster, is only a product of her environment. As we saw way back at the start of the story, in a peaceful world, she ends up as a middle manager—a bit of an unempathetic asshole, sure, but neither malicious nor violent.

This inherent humanity is what allows us to empathize with the characters—especially those on the side of the (not-so-evil) Empire. No one in either the military or civilian government was ready for something like a World War—and now the damage is done. Those at the top now are either focused on their own self-interest or their emotional pain—which means that a whole bunch of people are going to die.

All this brings us to Zettour. He’s a cunning strategist and a master politician. He’s brought about some of the bloodiest moments of the war and some of its most peaceful resolutions. But unlike the others atop the chain of command, his eye has always been on the prize: the welfare of the Empire.

He is the very best that the Empire has to offer. He would make a fantastic king or chancellor, but now, he has been all but exiled—tasked with doing nothing but holding the line while far less talented minds get a lot of soldiers killed. Yet, even then, he can’t sit still—can’t help but try and pull one last victory out of his hat for the sake of ending the war even one day sooner.

This entire episode feels like Zettour’s swansong—like he’s destined to die before the credits roll. Cowards surround him, and he is thus forced to over-rely on Tanya—knowing that even her troops are unlikely to be able to pull off this operation. And so Zettour plays his final piece to even the odds: himself.

While he knows he’s been basically abandoned by the High Command, the enemy does not know this. To them, he is a target of extreme strategic value. It is through him acting as a decoy that we see, unequivocally, what kind of man Zettour is.

In a real way, he’s what Tanya could be if she had a goal greater than simple self-interest. His impending death feels like the death of any potential redemption for her. After all, without an example to show her a better path, how could she hope to change? And it feels like Tanya knows this somewhere deep down as well—like she is aware of her kinship with Zettour even if she can’t explain why. She does everything she can to save him even as the body count among her men rises. And then, when it comes time to make the hard call between her life or Zettour’s, he makes it for her: he chooses Tanya’s.

Even as Tanya wins the aerial battle and proceeds to lay waste to the Russy troops, there is this frantic emotional panic and crushing weight. This was the end for him—the death of the last competent man with any real power in this war. Without him, there is no hope for Tanya, her men, or the Empire at large. Only senseless death remains—spurred on by a petty god and the hate born through the suffering of the human heart.

And then, somehow—unbelievably—Zettour survives. Tanya finds him on the battlefield. It is an unexpected moment of elation. Then you remember: Mary is coming—and this battered old man and exhausted child have nothing left to stop her with.

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.

Ever since losing his memories, Subaru’s been ruled by suspicion and paranoia—which isn’t exactly surprising given his recent (and repeated) painful deaths. However, with his last loop, he was able to have another “restart from zero” moment—to reevaluate himself and who he wants to be.

A big part of this was Emilia, in the face of certain death, explaining how Subaru went from the guy we met in episode 1 to the hero so many count on. This was something the amnesic Subaru was unable to even imagine. He couldn’t understand how he could become the well-respected companion of the much stronger people surrounding him—which is why he feared he might secretly be a monster.

This is why the conversation between him and Ram is important in this episode. While it mirrors the other time we’ve seen this conversation, Subaru is much more collected and self-aware. His words are backed by conviction, not bluster. Ram is still irrationally angry, but she can see this, allowing the conversation to go in a different direction from its previous incarnation. Her metaphor of Subaru as a land covered in snow is apt. He isn’t the welcoming summer field he was upon entering the tower, but he can very much become that again—and by saying this, she lets Subaru know he is on the right path to becoming the best version of himself once more.

The other major aspect of the last loop that allowed Subaru to “restart from zero” once again was the unquestionable love and support of those around him. Being shown this, even when he didn’t deserve it, goes on to dictate his actions this episode. He’s put together the pieces that Meili is the one who killed him in previous loops. Yet, now, instead of lashing out in paranoia, he treats her with compassion. Having read her book, he truly does know her better than anyone else—and then there’s the fact that the phantom version of Meili had been living in his head, trying to mold him in her image.

He can empathize with her so much that he is even able to predict her suicide attempt (and enlist Emilia’s aid to stop it from succeeding). The simple fact of the matter is that Meili is a confused child lashing out—unsure of her own feelings, not to mention her wants and desires for the future. Emilia’s advice to Meili is solid. This cramped, high-stress environment is not the right place to make any life-altering decisions. Space, time, and thought may very well reveal options that were previously unthinkable.

All that is to say that Meili has spent her life either as a monster or the ward of a psychopathic mass murderer. She doesn’t really know how to be human, so now it’s up to the entire party to show her the best of humanity instead of the worst—and hope she grows and learns from their example.

With that issue solved for the moment, the party can once again focus on the immediate issue in front of them—namely passing the current challenge and climbing the tower. The idea of finding Reid’s death book is a good one—though I’m not sure who would be suitable to read it given all that happened with Subaru and Phantom Meili.

And beyond that, there is still something important that Subaru has overlooked. While it’s pretty clear now that Phantom Meili was caused by reading her death book (hence why repeating Phantom Meili’s words about “murder becoming a habit” had such an impact on the real Meili), this also means she was a figment of his imagination. This, in turn, implies that she was neither the cause nor in control during Subaru’s blackouts. There is something else lurking around—something capable of not only taking over Subaru’s body but also knows enough about him to sadistically play on his fears. Or to put it another way, there is a much bigger problem facing our heroes than a bored legendary swordsman—and overlooking it may spell the end for Subaru on this particular loop.

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Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- is currently streaming on
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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.

While every episode of Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is emotionally resonating, this sixth episode was an especially weighty gut punch! Still not content to just depict a cute, wholesome interpretation of an age-gap relationship, this episode goes further, exploring the anxieties these people face at different stages of their lives and how the other helps them overcome those hardships. While this is still far from the most lavishly produced series of the season and its use of montages to convey information is becoming a bit of a narrative crutch, with scripts this affecting and voice acting this impactful, I can’t help but fawn over this latest episode of Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You.

This episode’s cold open features Sasaki expressing anxiety about his upcoming annual medical exam, which, as a thirty-one-year-old acutely aware of recurring aches and pains I wasn’t dealing with even a few years ago, I can relate to! Tayama/Yamada gives him a pep talk and assures him that he’ll be fine…which turns out to be empty comfort when the second act opens with Sasaki telling Tayama that his doctor ordered a scan of his lungs to screen for cancerous growths. Considering that the main hook of Supermarket Smoking is the relationships and connection that are fostered by a shared activity in a third space, I wasn’t expecting this flagrant reminder of how terrible habitual smoking is for a person’s lungs and their overall health, but I’m glad we get this reminder PSA!

The rest of the second act focuses on Tayama/Yamada working up the nerve to tell Sasaki about the trick she’s been playing on him (and likely confessing her romantic interest in the process), but he gets a call at the last second that reveals that his organs are fine! While this reveal is a bit of a rug pull that undermines the previous narratives, this is still a very cute sequence, and it’s fun to see Tayama/Yamada on the back foot for a change!

We see even more of Tayama/Yamada out of her element in the third act, which is a flashback to eight years ago when she had just started at the grocery store and had yet to perfect her retail voice. As she’s being harassed by a disgruntled customer (proving Karens exist in every culture), an adult man who’s definitely not Sasaki steps in and offers the young woman terrific career and life advice. I understand that I’m predisposed to liking this show, as I’m halfway between the ages of these characters and, as such, relate to both of their experiences extremely well, but this really is one of the sweetest episodes of anime I’ve seen in a minute.

God, do I wish I had someone like Sasaki to lift me up when I was younger, and boy am I grateful that I have people like Tayama/Yamada to ground me and make my life more fun now that I’m older.

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Lucas DeRuyter is your one-stop shop for smoking hot anime takes, and you can read the best of those by checking out his portfolio. You can also catch him filling a double shift as a columnist for ANN’s recurring This Week in Anime segment, where he shares his insights into that week’s news, trends, or special topics.

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is currently streaming on
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