Rewrite Episode #18 Anime Review

I hope you don't break.

What They Say:

Kazamatsuri, a modern, well-developed city renowned for its burgeoning greenery and rich Japanese culture, is home to Kotarou Tennouji, a high schooler least privy to the place's shared values. Content to fill his pockets with frivolity, the proud and nosy boy whiles away his time pestering the self-proclaimed delinquent Haruhiko and indulging in his amorous feelings toward the oddball Kotori.

Equipped with the superhuman ability to permanently rewrite any part of his body to multiply his strength or speed, Kotarou is naturally drawn to the supernatural. One special meeting with the lone member and president of the Occult Research Club, the "Witch" Akane Senri, leads to Kotarou reviving the Occult Club by recruiting Kotori and three other members: the clumsy transfer student Chihaya, the strict class representative Lucia, and the unassuming Shizuru. As Kotarou unveils hidden secrets of each member of the Occult Club through their shared adventures, he will inevitably encounter a fate that only he might be able to rewrite.

The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Okay, so I think I finally understand what's happening. Kind of. When we last left off, we had discovered that Kotarou had begun a new life in a timeline extremely different from the one we're used to. In fact, the timeline is so different that all of the heroines from the previous one are now way too young for Kotarou, even by anime's standards. One thing this means, however, is that Kotarou is now present for the early stages of Guardian and Gaia's formation. And, thanks to that chance meeting with Esaka and the others last week, Kotarou has been eyed for recruitment.

Wanting more than anything to get away from the Martel group, Kotarou leaves home and joins up with the other Guardian hopefuls at Esaka's behest. However, upon enlisting, Kotarou finds that he isn't as physically capable as the other 'superhumans'. But instead of rewriting himself in order to compete, he simply falls in line and takes the training as it comes, being wary of what consequences his rewriting may bring. This is probably the first time in Rewrite that Kotarou has taken a second to really think about his actions before flat-out doing them. Good for you, Kotarou. It only took you seven universes.

Even after finishing his training, Kotarou feels as if he isn't going to be of any help to Esaka. Of course, the handsome monocle-wearing hunter has other plans and tells Kotarou that he doesn't need to be some beefcake in order to be of service. He then goes on to mention plans for a 'huge operation' in Kazamatsuri, which expectedly surprises Kotarou considering...you know, he lives there and stuff. After a few more words of inspiration from Kotarou's new foster-parent (Not really), the episode comes to a close.

So, what I think is going on here is a glimpse into multiple spectrums. After this arc with Guardian comes to a close and the universe undoubtedly comes to yet another unpleasant end, I think we're going to wind up seeing things from Gaia's perspective as well. Kagari is out of the picture, all of the heroines are too young to do anything useful, and Kotarou is surrounded by new friends and acquaintances that he once just viewed as normal adults. With Kotarou now capable of fighting alongside them, we can learn more about how these two opposing factions view the state of the world. Of course, after that next route ends (Should it even happen to begin with), we'll most likely wind up seeing a 'true route' of some sort -- a timeline in which everything comes together.

Or I am completely wrong.

In Summary:

Rewrite is able to get back on its feet as give us the first decently paced episode since the start of the second season. The only question now is whether it will be able to maintain that balance or not. The glimpse we get into Gaia doesn't show us much about their objectives or ideologies but, finally, explains why Lucia and Shizuru were so damn badass in the last season. With Kotarou being handed a front seat to watch how this group ticks, I'm actually invested in the plot for the first time in quite a while. Bonus points to Rewrite for recovering from a hell of a quagmire.

Grade: B+

Streamed By: Crunchyroll