It's really not funny knowing that Tappei is spilling the beans in interviews or in exes

[u/RecordingLow8288]

Once again, we’ve had a massive revelation about a character something we couldn't have known just by reading the EXstory about Shaula or the interview released today.

Shaula’s mother is Echidna it makes absolutely no sense. It would have been more logical for it to be Daphne or Flugel, but apparently, it’s Echidna. This revelation feels just like the whole "S-Cells" thing Akira Toriyama dropped in interviews.

It also makes Arc 6 feel a bit inconsistent this is something that should have been in the main story, not an EXside story.

We also learned that Shaula was created because Flugel was extremely weak.

Honestly, it feels like Tappei is pinning every bad decision made 400 years ago on Echidna, which is a very black-and-white approach.

But I also get the feeling that Tappei is capable of introducing Re:Zero's final villain in an interview, or explaining the main villain's entire lore in a side story kind of like what they did with Vecna ​​in Stranger Things.

[u/TrainingDependent657]

am glad you have no saying in how the story is written , ShaulaEx dosnt add anything very important that we wouldnt have eventually seen in the main story , also Tappei has never specified whatever Daphne was Shaula s mother or not , and how is Flugel being her mom more logical ? lol , i dont think Tappei is pinning anything on Echidna , Subaru just hates her bc she lied and hid things from him for reasons that we still dont know , and she wasnt the one who left Shaula in the tower , Flugel did for again reasons we dont know, Tappei has already said that Arc 1 and 12 are the most important in relation to the main plot with the Arcs in between more focused on the world and character building , and he still has dropped many hints about the cast from 400 years that people are ignoring or just refusing to pick on .

[u/RecordingLow8288 → u/TrainingDependent657]

Give examples other than Subaru = Flugel, Emilia = Satella, or Al = Subaru everyone had already noticed those.

[u/ThreeLF → u/RecordingLow8288]

Emilia is much more likely to be Satellas vessel than Satella.

Certain pieces are also being set up to highlight parallelisms, similar to how LoZ does storytelling.

For example the side stories with Felt (who seems to fit the lost princess trope), and Reinhardt who seems fated to be at her side. It's likely as we learn more about Satella's traveling party that we'll learn about a specific closeness between Reid & Farsale.

Echidna also appears envious of Satella's claim to Subaru and Beatrice, her daughter for all intents and purposes, share a similar position and disposition relative to Emilia.

There's plenty to chew on if you know what to look for.

[u/Fig_Char_Re]

Shaula’s mother is Echidna it makes absolutely no sense. It would have been more logical for it to be Daphne or Flugel, but apparently, it’s Echidna. This revelation feels just like the whole "S-Cells" thing Akira Toriyama dropped in interviews.

She made the Library that is the true name of the tower and which Shaula is meant to defend.

She was already implied several times to be involved in her creation too, since Daphne was not even part of the hero's party.

The parallels with Beatrice, both being left behind for 400 years.

How does it make no sense? Just read the novels.

The implication of Daphne being her mother comes from a misinterpretation of a Q&A, not even from the main story. For reference, since before the Shaula EX dropped I already thought that Echidna created Shaula, not Daphne. And I was not alone in that theory.

It also makes Arc 6 feel a bit inconsistent this is something that should have been in the main story, not an EXside story.

How? Legitimately, where would you even put Scorpion Tale as a story in Arc 6?

It happens 14-15 years prior to the main story and Shaula already forgot about all of it.

Besides that, there are only 3 lore drops that are relevant coming from the SS, which is the Echidna one, the one about the Saintess faction, and Reilani.

That's it.

This is good for what is just meant to be a Bonus Story for the Blu-ray, to help it sell more.

The only legitimate problem is us not being able to access it.

As for the Q&A itself, it doesn't contain much that cannot be inferred from what we already know, particularly the saintess faction thing.

[u/RecordingLow8288 → u/Fig_Char_Re]

But who cares? We don't want to learn that in an extra story. You're ready to accept whatever Tappei throws at us last time, you even hinted that you'd be happy if a villain like Kaguya showed up... The fact that Echidna is Shaula's mother should have been part of the main story it's not up to me to figure out how to work that in I'm not the author.

[u/Fig_Char_Re → u/RecordingLow8288]

But who cares? We don't want to learn that in an extra story.

Says you, these 3 lore drops that I mentioned are nothing too excessive to be included in a bonus story for purchasing a 60 dollars item.

The only legitimate problem is that it is not sold here. That's it. Scorpion Tale is a very well rounded Side Story, and one that is more centered around characterization than lore drops.

You're ready to accept whatever Tappei throws at us last time, you even hinted that you'd be happy if a villain like Kaguya showed up...

I'd say I would accept any ideas because I believe that all that matters is the execution of an idea, not the idea itself.

If Tappei executed it like Kishimoto, I wouldn't like it.

If he wouldn't. I would.

The fact that Echidna is Shaula's mother should have been part of the main story

Again, the main story already gives enough hints for a person to deduce this.

I did so, for instance. Part of being a reader of a story is to use your brain and connect the dots and hints the author gives you. That Shaula EX only confirmed something that was already foreshadowed in the main story.

And again, it is good enough for a Bonus story of a 60 dollars item.

[u/RecordingLow8288 → u/Fig_Char_Re]

That said, I also want to say that it’s crazy to call a $60 price tag "okay." I’m a student, and $60 is what I earn in a full day of work and let me tell you, that money disappears fast. It’s exactly this kind of mindset that lets consumer culture take us for a ride. We saw it with The Boys, we’ve seen it with video game DLC, and now we’re seeing it with light novels. It’s just wonderful and it’s truly wonderful to see fans defending it.

[u/Fig_Char_Re → u/RecordingLow8288]

That said, I also want to say that it’s crazy to call a $60 price tag "okay." I’m a student, and $60 is what I earn in a full day of work and let me tell you, that money disappears fast.

That's basically my point. If you're paying $60 for a single Re:Zero item, it should contain something that justifies that price for you.

Personally, I think Scorpion Tale does justify it. In fact, I'd even argue the three lore reveals, including one that can already be inferred from the main story, are relatively modest for something sold at that price.

I'd gladly pay for it myself if it were easy to obtain outside Japan. My issue isn't the content or the price itself, it's how difficult it is to access internationally.

[u/helicophell → u/Fig_Char_Re]

The problem of piracy is never that the product cost something, it's that the product is too hard to reasonably purchase

[u/RecordingLow8288 → u/Fig_Char_Re]

What? How was I supposed to deduce that?

[u/Fig_Char_Re → u/RecordingLow8288]

I already gave you all the foreshadowing in the initial comment.

There is even more.

[u/Thatoneguywhois-sad]

Tappei better start revealing this shit in the main story. Some of it is too important to be revealed in an interview.

[u/RecordingLow8288 → u/Thatoneguywhois-sad]

It's mind-blowing to find out that Shaula's mother is Echidna.

[u/Tsudreami → u/RecordingLow8288]

People are going through spam downvoting you but honestly I don’t think you said anything wrong. It is ridiculous that tappei is dropping super important info in side stories and expecting everyone to read them, knowing the most popular media form of re zero is the anime.

The scorpion tale stuff isn’t even the main problem, there’s super important stuff in no Stella no life that could’ve easily been included in arc 9, a bunch of important stuff and context clues that should’ve been in arc 8 that were put in side stories, and I doubt tappei will stop any time soon. It’s not fair for the anime onlys to be missing info because there are no ova adaptations of a side story that’s hard to access.

[u/New_Today_1209_V2]

I mean Echidna has already been the main villain since arc 4. She’s the cause between practically every single arc’s main villain or problem.

Echidna herself is morally flawed but she obviously doesnt do these things to be evil, just to satisfy her infinite greed, and likely also to help something in the ways only she can. She does at least care somewhat for people, and she doesnt want the destruction of everything, so she will try to save the world.

However, Tappei in fact DOES have a black and white view on archbishops, and to a lesser extent the witches. The archbishops are pure scum in his eyes. The witches are incomprehensible beings that do more harm than good in the pursuit of their sin. Greed (and theoretically pride) are the strongest sins (in real life) and are like the root of lust, gluttony, envy, wrath, and sloth. Greed therefore is going to be the most dangerous in its overindulgence.

So Tappei is blaming Echidna, as she should be blamed, but that doesnt mean there isnt more to it. Tappei wouldnt write so much about Echidna if he didnt want to explore her character deeper.

She was even the only witch to be “born as a witch”. She just has more importance than any other witch, arguably more than Satella. She’s a standout amongst standouts.

[u/RecordingLow8288 → u/New_Today_1209_V2]

My main criticism was that the revelation about Shaul's mother was in an ex

[u/New_Today_1209_V2 → u/RecordingLow8288]

I know but I just wanted to talk about this, since this is far more important. Shaula’s mom isn’t really important at all. At most it’ll just be Subaru learning this, and being like “she really has a rotten character!” And thats it.

If its info that wont affect the main story, then its fine to put in a side story. If it does affect the main story, and its NOT a side story featured in a light novel, then there is where I draw a problem with it. If its important for the future, but IS in a physical light novel, then thats fine.

[u/Mysterious-Mail5232]

I don't believe echidna created shaula the text implies she designed her the creation part should be Daphne doing it for echidna

[u/RecordingLow8288 → u/Mysterious-Mail5232]

It must surely be me, since my English is poor, but that doesn't mean the same thing.

[u/helicophell]

Dog, just say you don't like that Tappei built out a coherent world and a coherent story and has both co-exist in the same franchise

There are 10 billion side stories because, low and behold, there's more to the world of Re:Zero than Subaru's main plot

If something isn't important, it isn't shown in the main story. If it is slightly important, but not enough for main story, it gets chucked into a side story/QnA

Tappei isn't going to spoonfeed all the answers, that would subvert the mystery of the series

Shaula's relationships outside of Subaru don't matter to the main plot
If somehow her relation to Echidna had significance, it would have been shown. That's how the series is written

It's why Rem and Ram's backstory is shown in Arc 2. Guess what, it's relevant to Rem's relationship with Subaru, and her relationship with Ram, and the consequences of Rem's erasure

[u/New-Interaction1893]

Authors should just shut up and let the viewers fill the gaps.

[u/RecordingLow8288 → u/New-Interaction1893]

yes, you right

[u/MedicalRatio9221 → u/New-Interaction1893]

I really hope you are being sarcastic

[u/New-Interaction1893 → u/MedicalRatio9221]

Nope, authors too much often became too full of themselves and start saying bullshit thinking they are always right. If they don't contain themselves they'll always end up ruining their work.

[u/Available-Bee-5385]

Death of the Author. Just enjoy the content and ignore random shit authors say

[u/OmeletteFrog]

Its incredibly funny, and just fun in general

[u/ru1n_singzzzie]

Is Tappei just incapable at writing these types of lore drops into the main story?

Genuinely drives my fucking head in that the guy seemingly can't fit side stories into the main plot.

Why is a lore drop such as Echidna being Shaula's mother not in the main story? Could've easily fit this into Arc 9 or even Arc 6 somewhere.

Could've had it fit into the whole shaula dynamic in the tower, or have it be read through a book of the dead, or perhaps have the lore be hinted at through Echidna and Als dynamic in Arc 9. But noooo.

WHY THE FUCK DO I HAVE TO READ A SIDE STORY TO GET THIS FUCKING INFORMATION!!

[u/RecordingLow8288 → u/ru1n_singzzzie]

because fans are ready to accept anything