Sousou no Frieren’s flirtation with battle shounen appears to be over, for the nonce at least. In its way the transition was just as whiplash-inducing as Helck’s this week, but it was likewise pretty seamless in actual practice. Just like that we’re back to what this show was for its first eight episodes – thoughtful, reflective, a little melancholy. And just as in those early episodes the most interesting dialogue seems to come from Heiter, which is remarkable given how little of that there actually is.
Graf Granat is gracious enough to be grateful (that’s a lot of Gs) to Frieren and her kids for everything they’ve done (effectively saving his town from annihilation). Among the fallen is Granat’s son, who Frieren’t intervention has finally allowed to rest, which further ensures his gratitude. She doesn’t ask for much in terms of reward – just the fake grimoire which isn’t actually the source of the city’s barrier – so he gets off pretty cheap. He does offer the party some free advice, namely that in order to travel as for north as they want to go they’ll need a first-class mage. And given that Fern is only third-class and Frieren isn’t the sort who goes to the DMV to get these things sorted out, that’s a problem that will eventually have to be dealt with.
The peculiarities of the mage licensing system promise to provide future entertainment, but for the moment the focus is on surviving the winter. Frieren is amused at her bairns’ southern-born ignorance about the harsh realities of a real winter. She informs them that it was northern winters who claimed the most lives during the war with the demon lord, not battle. And sure enough the trio are caught in a blizzard soon enough, with Stark passing out from hypothermia. Given that he’s a hardened warrior that seems more like a comic device than anything based on realism, but I won’t quibble (much).
Fortunately, the emergency shelter Frieren remembers from a mere 80 years earlier at the foot of the mountains is still there. It’s occupied by a shirtless man named Kraft (Koyasu Takehito) doing squats, but this is a literal any port in a storm situation, Fern’s sensitivity be damned. And this is a significant encounter indeed, since Kraft is an elf – the first living one we’ve seen apart from the heroine. And he says he hasn’t seen another of his kind for 300 years, further evidence that the race of elves is greatly reduced in numbers at the very least.
Kraft is certainly a different sort from Frieren. Not at all magical but clearly physically strong, devout and downright gregarious compared to the taciturn Frieren. He has supplies, Frieren and Fern the means to use them, so this is a mutually beneficial partnership. Kraft and Fern don’t exactly become soulmates but they do speak in a manner she clearly can’t with others, and he even remarks on how young she is in reference to her lack of belief in the Goddess. How old does that make Kraft – 2,000 years? 10,000? As I said last week elves could theoretically be immortal for all we know.
This matter of religious belief – most pointedly in the afterlife – seems to me the fundamental question Sousou no Frieren is interested in exploring. What Kraft offers is more or less a rehash of Heiter’s view – he’s come to believe because the alternative to belief is so terrifying. But, as Frieren notes, that’s not really a basis for real belief – just indulging a desire. Intelligent exploration of this theme is a rarity in anime, and Frieren very much stands out in that respect. I still contend that if “Heaven” is as it’s been described, it pretty much undercuts the entire premise – but that’s a problem not even the manga has addressed yet, so it’s way too soon to spend much time worrying about it…
Nicc
November 19, 2023 at 10:18 amI was expecting that we’d get a breather episode here and that seemed to be the case. The battle is over and now it’s time to deal with the aftermath. With Aura as dust in the wind, the city is safe again. The necklaces worn by the fallen knights seem to be like dog tags and allow them to be identified and, yep, one of the fallen is Graf Granat’s son. They can now get a proper burial. Frieren tries to make a quick getaway as she doesn’t know that she’s already been pardoned. Frieren collects another fake grimoire, and the party is invited to stay for a while. They’re hailed as heroes and that break is necessary, especially for Stark as he took on some serious injuries. It’s now time to continue on and it seems that it’s nearly the end of fall when they do so.
Graf Granat informs them that things aren’t looking good in the Northern Lands, and they’ll have to be accompanied by a first-class mage. Fern is only a third-class mage. Frieren is likely a first-class mage, but that was certifications from several hundred years ago and are probably out-of-date. They’ll have to go a city in the North take an examination and handle the other necessary paperwork. It’s going to be a tough journey as they’ll have to pass through mountains to get there. While on the way, winter sets and the group is hopelessly lost. It’s not surprising that there would be many casualties due to the weather, just like in real life. Stark seems weak to the cold and passes out and so they have to find a shelter. Despite the information being 80 years old, the shelter is there at the foot of the mountains and still being maintained.
It does seem to be occupied by somebody and we can immediately tell that he’s an elf. Still, they gotta go in as Stark is in bad shape. It is indeed a significant encounter for Fern and the elf named Kraft as they haven’t seen another one of their kind for a few centuries. Fern and Frieren help to make a fire in hut to keep warm. As for Stark, he’s going to need some help to overcome his hypothermia. At least he has a pleasant dream of his favorite dessert before waking up to find that he’s sharing a blanket with a stranger. With winter raging in on the outside, travel through the mountains will be impossible and so they’ll have to stay put. Luckily, Kraft has a wagon with enough supplies for everybody and it’s time to settle in for winter. Kraft is a monk and a pious one at that. It appears that he’s older than Frieren and has lived quite a life. Kraft notes the piety of Fern as he talks about the Goddess with Frieren. His views are like Heiter’s, and he seems to believe that Frieren may change her views as she gets older. It’ll be a long way before the group reaches Aureole, if it exists.
After six months, winter is starting to thaw out and it’s time to continue. It was good gesture to clean up the cabin and leave supplies for future visitors. Kraft is heading off to a different direction and expects to meet Frieren again in a few more hundred years. It wasn’t a completely unproductive six months as it looks like Kraft helped out Stark with some training and regaled some tales to Fern about the Goddess. I’m guessing that they’ll get to the city of Äußerst by the next episode and to get started with the exam.
Mercesoul
November 24, 2023 at 1:56 amCurious, but in your opinion, how does Heaven undercut the very premise of the series?
Guardian Enzo
November 24, 2023 at 12:36 pmI just feel like if you can talk to the departed just by traveling a long distance and fighting a few baddies, it cheapens the whole philosophical dilemma over how mortal sentient beings cope with the fear of death. Narratively speaking I think it would be a bit of a cop out.