I haven’t loved every episode of Sousou no Frieren by any means (though there have certainly been no outright clunkers), but the last two have been really good. And this one might be my favorite so far. I mentioned last week that series should do what they’re best at most of the time, and I think that applies to Frieren more than most. In the “wistful” area of the emotional spectrum, it treads with supreme confidence and a feathery touch (while not in the same weight class it does recall a similar vibe to Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou in that way, in and of itself an extreme rarity). And as the cast has grown, so has the emotional engagement.
Sein did, as I hoped, meaningfully impact the chemistry in a positive direction. The story really needed an adult figure, because while Frieren is literally a very old lady, her persona is basically childlike (and childish). Stark and Fern are still children for all intents and purposes, as their bumpy relationship attests. This is clearly not a realm in which Frieren feels a lot of confidence as a parental figure, but Sein is happy enough to tell it like it is. I’m sure he’s not going to be right all of the time but he’s experienced, and that does give a certain boost to the sensitivity of one’s bullshit meter.
The in the moment drama here concerns another tiff between Fern and Stark (who really need to just get a room at this point). Fern’s birthday has come around and Stark hasn’t bought her a present. As it turns out it’s because he’s too embarrassed to admit he has no idea what to get her, and her reaction is – as usual – way over the top. Bluntly, I’m still not nuts about Fern. Her tsundere act was tired long before it’s current overused state, and most of the time she’s really kind of a mean person. But, as Sein notes, she is a kid and kids act immature. And there’s no question in the world that her hostility towards Stark is basically a schoolboy way of covering for her true feelings (including to herself).
Then we have Frieren, who remains something of a cipher but is gaining resonance as the fundamental sadness of her existence comes into clearer focus. She loved the people she adventured with in the fight with the demon king, but at the time she never understood how much. In fact she doesn’t really understand it now. But she keeps getting reminded of it in ways that make her unsettled. Stark has a lot of Himmel in him, to be sure (he senses this from her reactions), and since she was in love with Himmel without realizing it this is a bitter pill. And Sein obviously recalls Heiter in many ways. While Frieren wasn’t in love with Heiter, they did love each other – and he understood her perhaps better than anyone ever has.
This is a trend I picked up on a while back, but Heiter consistently says the most interesting things of anyone in the cast, often because he says what other people think and feel but either won’t or can’t put into words. That bit about pretending to be an adult even after the calendar says you are one really hit home – I think for a lot of us that’s what life feels like a lot of the time. Just as with his incisive analysis of human beliefs about the afterlife, understanding these things doesn’t mean Heiter was immune from being troubled by them. And that moment where Frieren patted him on the head was utterly sweet and beautiful – again, a deeper moment than Frieren seems to understand, but that doesn’t even really matter.
The MacGuffin tying all this is the lotus pattern on the bracelet Stark finally decides (after three hours shopping together) to buy Fern – the same one as on the ring Himmel gave Frieren as a “reward” after their battles were over. The import of the ring would have been obvious to most non-Frieren people anyway, but it’s absolutely clear than Himmel knew exactly what that symbolized in the local language of flowers. The more interesting question is whether or not Frieren knew that when she chose that particular ring (in about three seconds) – I tend to take her denials at face value, but there’s just enough uncertainty to be fun.
When the ring is lost in a flying monster incident while the Frierengumi are bumming a carriage ride with a local merchant, Frieren’s reaction makes it clear that – for whatever reasons you wish to ascribe – the ring means a tremendous amount to her now. This is the tragedy at the heart of Sousou no Frieren – she never realized what she had when she had it, and now that’s gone forever. Frieren is making a new life with this new trio (who likewise will pass long before she does), but what she felt for Himmel and he for her may never come her way again. In that light, watching the developing bond between Stark and Fern is surely going to be bittersweet for her, at the very least.
Snowball
December 9, 2023 at 5:12 pmI actually enjoyed how all the characters put Fern in her place. Good for the series to not let her get away with it.
Guardian Enzo
December 9, 2023 at 6:47 pmYeah, that’s progress I admit. Sein being there helps. Fern is basically spoiled and a bully. Stark is scared of her and Frieren basically doesn’t care, but Sein doesn’t give a fig about her attitude – he just says what he thinks.
Kamui
December 9, 2023 at 9:47 pmHonestly, everything about this series works for me except the “we want you to think of Fern and Stark as a couple.” Don’t get me wrong, I like them both as characters… As long it has nothing to do with each other. Perhaps I’m just too jaded or something, but I don’t find the “tsundere abuses the guy she likes” endearing or interesting. Apparently I on the minority on this one, though.
Himmel and Heiter are definitively the main appeal of the series for me. As for Sein, he’s okay, I guess? The onee-san schtick is getting annoying, though. Like you pointed out before, this series is way better when it moves away from typical anime stuff.
Panino Manino
December 10, 2023 at 11:44 pm“we want you to think of Fern and Stark as a couple.”
But they aren’t a couple, and I don’t think this is what they anime/manga “wants”. It’s an unilateral and unrequited love history from Himmel’s point of view. What the series is doing is, by making Frieren to interact more with (human) people to learn more about human relationships, and as she learns and remembers the past she recontextualize the events and realizes the meanings behind people’s actions and gestures towards her.
For my part, I’m curious what goal the author has in mind.
This new journey Frieren is in is a peregrination, to an almost literal “heaven”, to realize a growing with to see the dead while she slowly starts to “believe”.
Will Himmel be her “prize” for “accepting the faith”?
Aera
December 9, 2023 at 11:55 pmAs you said, Frieren is better when it does what it’s best at, in exploring themes revolving around regret and human relationships that Frieren never got to understand until years later. Sein’s addition to the party really helps. Really enjoy this episode.
Panino Manino
December 11, 2023 at 1:09 am“regret”, is this really what Frieren feels?
I don’t think so.
leongsh
December 9, 2023 at 11:57 pmIt was obvious from Episode 1 that Himmel loved her. Mentioned it in my comment for that episode. This very much confirms it. While Frieren did not understand what Himmel did. He stayed firm in his promise of eternal love for her. He did not marry anyone for the rest of his life, keeping his flame for her alive until his death. Frieren is slowly learning all this. I wonder how will her future meeting with Himmel be at the northern end of the world – the destination and purpose of this journey she is taking to just have a talk with Himmel again.
Antony Shepherd
December 10, 2023 at 12:49 amI think Fern is just poorly socialised considering her upbringing, but she’s learning. She learned that she was too harsh on Stark this time but has a way to go. The more people around the more she’ll learn human interactions.
Guardian Enzo
December 10, 2023 at 1:23 amI don’t disagree with any of that. She’s not a bad person, just an annoying one. Sein calling her on her BS can only help.
Orion Taylor
December 10, 2023 at 12:57 amIn episode 1, they briefly show Frieren contemplating the ring while fiddling with it in her hand (right after Himmel’s funeral).
I didn’t really think too much of these chapters in the manga, but I thought this episode was the best one we’ve had so far. This episode really highlights how much the adaptation from manga to anime adds to the series. The music and the motion really enhance the emotion that the manga was trying to convey.
Guardian Enzo
December 10, 2023 at 1:23 amThe music is tremendous, I had planned to mention that in the post and forgot.
Vance
December 10, 2023 at 1:23 pmI might be wrong given that Frieren’s intended destination is Aureole, otherwise known as heaven where one can speak with the dead, but this episode stressed that humanity only recently learned to fly, having adapted the demonic spell for flying, and I can’t help but think there is something more to be gleaned from that given that I obsess over small details and eagerly look for foreshadowing, which is why Re:zero is the perfect sort of anime for me. Yes, I do have a point here if you’ll be patient with me. Heiter said early into the series that if there were spells to reverse aging or bring back the dead, everybody would know them, but what if such a spell just hasn’t been invented yet? I think it was Frieren (or maybe Lugner) who stated that demons spend their entire lives developing a very specific magic, which is how Qual invented modern offensive magic.
Given that the Hero’s Sword hasn’t been drawn yet, there is probably a threat in the future that surpasses the previous Demon King. Aura had a spell that could control the dead. What if we go one step further and have there be a demon that could resurrect the dead? If there existed a demon that could bring back the previous Demon King as well as other powerful demons from the past, that demon would be a huge threat to humanity. If Frieren learned the existence of such a spell, she could perhaps adapt it for humanity and resurrect Himmel and live out happy days with him that she never knew by leaving him. Maybe you believe this would cheapen the writing, and that could very well be the case if done wrong, but it wouldn’t necessarily weaken the writing.
I always wonder why Himmel died so soon compared to Himmel considering the story has gone out of its way to portray Heiter as being the greatest priest with that item Sein’s brother was carrying that Heiter gifted to him and Eisen as being practically invulnerable that Himmel was probably exceptional in his own way and should have probably had a very long lifespan like Heiter did. I know there was an emphasis on the horrible aura that the dragon horn in his drawer emitted, meaning it could have shortened Himmel’s lifespan, but maybe part of the reason Himmel aged so terribly was because he was dying inside due to being away from Frieren, and it was killing him aside. That would mean he died so soon compared to Heiter because of external reasons.
I just feel that Frieren being shown considering that elves might be close to extinction could be a sign that there will be something that stops that from happening, whether by reproducing with Himmel, or her eventual realization that she loved Himmel results in her reproducing with another elf in the future. Maybe that older elf Kraft the Monk Frieren’s party met earlier could be someone Frieren finds to be a suitable lover long after Stark, Fern, and Sein are gone. Maybe I am overthinking this, but this series doesn’t seem like the type of story to want the elves go extinct considering it’s meant to be a feel-good series, so that’s why I believe Frieren will get the chance to have children with somebody in the future.
Nicc
December 10, 2023 at 2:38 pmThe party, now with Stein on the team, head on over to the next town. It’s a lively one with a lot of merchants, which Freiren recalls when the Hero’s party passed through decades ago. It’s a good place to do some shopping. There’s a bit of drama between Fern and Stark as the latter forgot that it was her birthday and she’s not happy about it. Indeed, Freiren won’t be of much help as she still doesn’t really understand relationships well. That’s where Sein comes in and he’s experienced enough to know what’s going on and to push Fern to the correct direction. Fern and Stark are still kids and with unusual upbringings. They both make up on the end and Stark gets a bangle for Fern. It’s not a matching one, but its design does have a certain meaning to it.
It’s not only their relationship that gets a focus, but also between Fern and Himmel. We learn how Freiren got that ring that’s in the OP and was fiddling around with a bit in the first episode. I don’t think that Fern knew the meaning about the design of the ring that she was picked on a whim, but Himmel certainly did. He also certainly knew what he was doing with that impromptu “proposal” not long after. She doesn’t realize how important it is to her until she loses it due to a flying monster which has picked up their carriage as they were on their way to the next town. It’s always a hassle when that happens… They survive, but the busted carriage needs repairs. In between the repairs, Freiren goes out at night and even wakes up on her own before Fern in the mornings in order to find it. She’s able to find it thanks to a spell. It is indeed important to her now, though she probably still doesn’t know why.