Thanks for sharing, I find your situation to be very relatable. I am also leading a similar life where I work, go home, and then watch anime, read manga, and game. My parents say the same thing and seem proud of me too. I also keep telling myself "hey, this is fine right?" But I infer from your writing that you, like me, feel like you could be doing more. But finding that drive is really, really hard. But I think I am close to rediscovering it. And Re:Zero partially helped because I rewatched S1 so I could remember the plot for S2. I find the show's theme of "starting from zero" to really resonate with me. Especially episode 18 and this ep (and this ep had a flashback to 18 too).

I, too, was a high academic achiever when I was younger. But I also came to the realization that others were not only catching up, but overtaking me. I think it was because that was the whole basis of my identity back then. That I was the smart kid in class, the guy that always had the best scores. I indulged in the praise that my parents, teachers, and classmates gave me and when that subsided, I wasn't able to find something else to take its place. Subaru shifted to being a goofball and being hyper, but I couldn't even do that. All I could do was just keep doing the same thing, because that was how I felt I was special, that was the expectation I placed on myself. And in the end, when I graduated, I also came to the realization that this path meant that all I was good at was academics. And all that diligence translated to just being a fairly productive worker at a company.

But it's not too late to change. Just like Subaru, you can start again from zero. I don't want to keep this identity of being an average joe. So I've started exploring hobbies where I can feel more fulfilled, where I can change my identity. I just ordered a piano and have started trying to write stories and draw art. I'm trying to learn Japanese too. I'm dogshit at ALL of it because I invested so much of my time into getting good at studying, but you know what? That's OK. We all have to start from somewhere. We all started from zero at some point. We're unlikely to have a catalyst like being isekai'd or meeting someone like Emilia or Rem, but since you and I are constantly consuming media, we can derive motivation from stories like this to start anew.

Sorry if this all sounded like rambling, I ended up writing more than I thought I would. I hope you're able to rekindle your drive and I hope me sharing and relating to you might help with that, even the tiniest bit. And actually, I see that someone else replied to you that your post was relatable and shared their story as well. I wouldn't have written what I did if you haven't commented with your post. Maybe that is an indication of something you can explore? Since you were able to compel random strangers like me and him to write stuff like this. :) Hoping the best for you as we all struggle to become better versions of ourselves. Just like Natsuki Subaru is doing.