Re: Zero Episode 58 (Season 3 Episode 8) – Planning the Counterattack

Hello and welcome back to Anime Rants. I have quite a few thoughts to share on this episode, most of them character observations. In my opinion, this was one of the best episodes of the season so far despite the lack of action. I really enjoy episodes that focus on the thoughts and feelings of different characters. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the new installment of Re: Zero Season 3.

Episode 8: The One I’ll Love Someday

Episode Rating: 8/10

Much of this episode was spent planning the counterattack against the Witch’s Cult. It starts with everyone reviewing the demands and who has the items in question: the Tome, the Spirit, and the Witch’s Remains. Otto has the Tome of Wisdom, apparently, but won’t explain more at the moment. Subaru is the user of the Sacred Spirit, who of course is Beatrice. As for the Witch’s Remains, I’m not sure who has them or what they look like, but Anastasis seems to know.

Just then, Priscilla and Liliana return to the government building to help fight the Cult. While Priscilla is getting settled in, Subaru speaks with Otto alone. He explains that he picked up the burned Tome of Wisdom from the Sanctuary and it wasn’t completely burned. Keeping it hidden from Roswaal out of distrust, Otto left the book in the care of someone who could help restore the burnt parts. Otto apologized for all the secrecy, but it’s because he still thinks Roswaal is up to something.

Wilhelm appeared at that moment, saying that Crusch asked to speak with Subaru. Naturally, Subaru honored the request. Crusch was bedridden, in critical condition, and covered in mutated flesh from the dragon blood. Felix was in the room as well, looking exhausted both physically and emotionally. Crusch wanted to tell Subaru to continue to fight for both of them. She also wanted to hear him say with confidence that he would handle things from here onward. Subaru obliged, but before all that, he made an interesting discovery.

By touching Crusch, Subaru could absorb the dragon blood curse from her body. He touched her hand and took away the mutated flesh from her hand, neck and face. As a result, the damaged tissue was magically transferred onto Subaru’s body. Now one of his arms in addition to his right leg is completely cursed by the dragon blood. Subaru wanted to keep going and remove every last bit of the curse from Crusch, but she asked him to stop before he hindered his own fighting ability.

Subaru reluctantly agreed to stop and, with a forced smile, he reassured Crusch that she could leave everything to him. This was an intense scene since Crusch is one of my favorite characters. I’m glad the worst of the curse was taken from her. I also empathized with Felix, who is suffering from feelings of helplessness. He feels like he can’t do anything for the one he loves most in the world. I hope Felix gets some rest soon and is able to recover.

In the next scene, Wilhelm tells Subaru some important news. The two cultists with swords are “corpse soldiers,” or reanimated dead bodies. One of them is a famous eight-armed swordsman from legend. The other is Theresia, the previous Sword Saint and wife of Wilhelm. The old man asks Subaru not to tell Reinhard yet. He also expresses certainty that the corpse of his wife will come after him soon.

At this point, Wilhelm reveals something I found extremely interesting. He feels guilty about his wife’s death because he was the one who took away her sword and insisted she try not to be a warrior. Because of that, when her Divine Protection ended and passed on to Reinhard, she had no way to defend herself, and thus perished. I was happy to see that Wilhelm regretted his arrogant action. The story from season 1 always drove me crazy and never seemed remotely romantic. So, I’m glad it was finally acknowledged that Wilhelm’s actions had serious consequences.

With that out of the way, it’s time to plan the counterattack. The first team will consist of Priscilla and Liliana, who will fight Sirius the Arch-Bishop of Wrath. While this is being discussed, Reinhard suddenly gained a new magical ability: Divine Judgement, the ability to see Divine Protections and Gifts on others. When Reinhard looks at Liliana, he states that she has the Divine Protection of Telepathy, which allows her songs to sooth the minds of listeners. Interesting.

(Note: it was funny and cute when Liliana decided to commit to the fight. At first, she was unsure of herself, but Priscilla started mocking her and calling her a loser. Liliana then got angry and inspired at the same time, declaring that if she backed down, she would be a disappointment to all women. Her overly dramatic antics were humorous.)

As for the others, they also form teams to fight the Witch’s Cult. Wilhelm and Garfiel will handle the First District, wich is crawling with demi-beasts as well as the two skilled corpse soldiers. The next team will be Subaru and Reinhard. They will fight Corneas Regulus, the Arch-Bishop of Greed, and rescue Emilia. The final team will consist of Julius and Ricardo. They will go up against the Arch-Bishop of Gluttony. The planning is now complete and it’s time for action.

The last scene in this episode shows the “wedding” of Emilia and Corneas Regulus. Long story short, Emilia managed to stand up for herself and tell Regulus that she won’t be his woman. Regulus lost his temper and would have struck Emilia, but at that moment, the chapel door was kicked clean out of its hinges, flying across the room and crashing into Regulus. In the doorway stands Subaru and Reinhard, ready to fight. It’s an excellent ending as Subaru announces, “I’m here to steal your bride!”

On a final note, I was interested in the way Emilia described her feelings for Subaru. She claimed that she doesn’t understand adult love, so she can’t give Subaru a proper answer to his love for her. But Emilia also stated that she wants Subaru to be the one she falls in love with someday. It sounds to me like Emilia is already in love with Subaru. It’s an immature love, and she doesn’t understand things like sexuality, but it’s still love. Emilia is so precious, and I hope she gets the love story she deserves. That’s all for today.