By Tappei Nagatsuki and Makoto Fugetsu. Released in Japan as “Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu: Tanpenshuu” by MF Bunko J. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Sarah Moon.
I tend to enjoy these collections quite a bit, mostly as they are the exact opposite of a “let’s just throw together all the bookstore exclusives” short story collections we see from other light novel series. Most of these were taken from my nemesis Monthly Comic Alive, to be fair, but they are very much canon to the main series, and the author uses them to give us characterization and backstory that they can’t put into the main series itself. It also teases future events, or ties in with the present volume coming out in Japan. Basically, much like the Index series, you don’t need to consult the wiki, but it sure helps. It also allows for lighter fare, as I’m fairly certain that, while there are certainly stories dealing with death and tragedy, we are unlikely to have the main series’ own struggles here. It’s fun to see the gang. Especially if we haven’t actually seen them in about two years or so.
We’re down to three short stories this time around, and glory be, none of them have Priscilla. 1) About 4 years before the start of the series, we see Ferris learning healing magic from the foremost authority in the land… though he’s also an eccentric weirdo who Ferris doesn’t get on with. When his teacher is murdered, Ferris and Crusch try to figure out who the killer is. (published between Book 8 & 9) 2) About 9 years before the start of the series, Anastasia is trying to get the guardian of the three cats she met in the previous SS story she was in to join her, which accidentally ends up with her foiling a robbery/assassination and making a compact with a fox spirit who we all know well from the 6th arc. (published between Book 16 & 17, i.e. well before the 6th arc.) 3) A little while after the 4th arc, Otto is directed to visit his family, and Subaru and Garfiel come along. They not only find his younger brother, who is a vet, but also Otto finds a familiar face from the previous short story book, and they take on a dangerous spirit… but is it evil? (Published right before this book came out in Japan, i.e. with Book 21.)
As I said, all these stories are good in and of themselves, but also serve to jog our memory and plant seeds. The Ferris story reminds us of the close, deep bond that he, Crusch and Fourier all had for each other at this point in the story, and therefore reminds us of the tragedy to come. We also get to see more of Heinkel being the most hateful person in the entire series… though we’re also shown a big reason why, and you can see why it’s driven him to drunken fury. We get to see Anastasia’s stubbornness and greed, but also her intelligence and compassion, and it’s clear exactly why Echidna (no, not that one) saw something in her. As for the Otto story, I suspect maybe too many people were asking when Otto was gonna marry the cute girl he met in the last SS book he featured in? This author doesn’t usually torpedo ships, but it’s pretty clear that they see Otto’s value in being unlucky in general, and having a cute girl in love with him would only get in the way.
Next time we’ll get more of “the idiot” trio, as well as Rem and Ram, but we also introduce exclusive side story characters! re: Zero fans, of course, will want this. Non-Re: Zero fans will not.
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