Review: Re:Zero, "Liliana Masquerade" (Season 3, Episode 11)
I never expected Liliana and Priscilla to make such a great team.
Episode 11 of Re:Zero masterfully blends the fight between Priscilla and Liliana against Wrath with a peek into Liliana’s past.
Growing up, Liliana’s family would travel from town to town, performing songs for small audiences. While Liliana loved singing, she dreamed of something bigger. Performing in a big city. Since her parents were opposed to the idea, she set off on her own.
Without any food or money, she struggled to survive. She sang at different places along her journey just to get by, even though it didn’t amount to much. The flashbacks felt like they were setting up for her death which made them hit even harder.
When she sang for the first time in Priestella, her life changed. The citizens were captivated by her voice, and she became known as their songstress. The anime does an incredible job transitioning from her first performance in the city to the present—where she’s at the top of the tower, singing to free the civilians from Wrath’s spell.
It’s a clever parallel: the first time she sang, the townspeople were entranced by her voice. Now, she’s using that same voice to break them out of a trance. Even as the building collapses around her, she keeps singing, determined to touch the hearts of the people. Liliana’s dream of performing for the city finally comes true. When the civilians break out of the spell, they all rush to find her, worried about her safety.
Meanwhile, Priscilla partakes in a heated battle against Wrath (Sirius). One of the most unique aspects of the fight is how any damage Priscilla takes is redirected to items she deems valuable. As they clash, it’s not just a physical fight. It’s a battle of ideals about what love truly means.
Both women wield fire as part of their powers, but Priscilla turns Sirius’s flames against her. As the battle escalates, Sirius grows more furious when things don’t go her way. As a last resort, Wrath pulls out a child as hostage, but Priscilla frees the child and slices through Wrath’s chest. Priscilla’s strength is astonishing considering she takes down a Sin Archbishop on her own. When she cut down Wrath with her sun blade, the vibrant animation reminds me of Demon Slayer.
For someone who doesn’t really get along with anyone, it’s surprising and heartwarming to see Priscilla show genuine pride in Liliana. Their bond is unexpected but somehow works out.
At the end, we also get an intriguing bit of lore: the constellations each Sin Archbishop is named after are actually linked to their powers. There’s foreshadowing of this at the beginning of the episode when Liliana looks up at the constellations, connecting them. Now Subaru and Emilia are trying to figure out how to use that knowledge to bring down Greed.
For anime fans looking for only action, episode 11 might feel slow because it’s a mix of combat, character development and world-building. But honestly, character development like this is what gives the story more weight. It’s not just about the battles, it’s about the characters fighting them.
Priscilla and Al were the MVPs