I started watching Frieren a week or two ago. I liked it almost immediately and decided to catch up as quickly as I could in a series of three blog posts. The first would cover episodes 1-7, the second would go over 8-14, and the third would conclude with episodes 15-18 (or possibly 19). Frieren is scheduled for 27 episodes in total, so it should be going on for most of the Winter 2024 season. Now then, without any further ado, here are my notes on the next seven episodes of this excellent fantasy anime.
Notes on Episode 8: Frieren the Slayer
This episode was certainly exciting, featuring several fight scenes. It was awesome when Frieren defeated the demon that attacked her in the prison cell. I think she was unusually courteous to warn him of her strength and give him several chances to back out. He was a young, foolish demon.
I love Lugner’s character design mostly because he looks so much like Johan Liebert from Monster. (I am almost certain Frieren took inspiration from that character.) Combine that sick design with blood magic and the sexy voice of Junichi Suwabe, and you get an awesome antagonist. Lugner is the kind of monster I like best – the handsome, silver-tongued, and prideful type. However, compared to my ideal villain (Johan), Lugner is no genius. In fact, he’s a hard worker who hates natural geniuses.
It was extremely impressive when Stark and Fern fought Lugner and seriously wounded him. I felt exhilarated when Fern shot Lugner. That was a dramatic, well-executed scene.
Notes on Episode 9: Aura the Guillotine
This was an intense, amazing episode. Fern was really bad-ass in her battle against Lugner. In the end, she defeated him while Stark defeated Linnie. Stark was extremely brave and courageous. I like the fighting styles and attitudes of Fern and Stark equally.
I also thought Linnie had a really interesting power, being able to mimic fighting styles by memorizing the mana patterns of others. All the demons have awesome abilities – including Aura with her scales that measure mana levels of the soul.
Meanwhile, while Frieren was facing off with Aura, she wanted to avoid blasting away the corpse soldiers. This desire to honor dead bodies struck me as very impractical. But it made sense when Frieren said it was because it’s what Himmel would have done. Frieren truly cares about Himmel and cherishes his memory.
Notes on Episode 10: A Powerful Mage
When I said Frieren doesn’t hate demons, I was completely wrong. She loathes them. It’s slightly hard for me to believe that after a thousand years, she still hates demons for destroying her village. I have trouble hating people for even a decade, so I can’t imagine feeling that way for a millennia. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if Frieren is truly hateful or not, because logical decision-making would probably have led to the same decision: to kill demons whenever possible. That’s what’s best for society.
The climax of this episode was definitely the epic ending where Frieren conquered Aura’s soul and ordered her to kill herself. That was epic. I’m so glad this scene wasn’t spoiled for me beforehand. I also loved this episode for its world-building. We learned a lot about demons as well as mana and how it works. Demons cannot mask their mana. It makes a lot of sense when it’s explained by Flamme.
Personally, I wouldn’t assume that the only answer is to exterminate all demons. I think there should be a way to preserve the species but keep them out of human society completely. That being said, I can’t blame Flamme and Frieren for wanting this outcome given their devastating personal experiences. Regardless of my opinions on demonkind as a whole, I am certainly glad Aura and her army were defeated.
Notes on Episode 11: Winter in the Northern Lands
The demons are defeated. After wrapping things up in town and honoring the bodies stolen by Aura, Frieren’s group heads out for more adventure. They are now in the thick of the northern lands, and winter is beginning. Frieren knows it will be extremely harsh, but the group tries it anyway. One day, during a blizzard, Stark passes out from the cold. The adventurers must hurry to a shelter or lose one of their party.
This is the episode where we meet Kraft the Elf Monk. He and Frieren’s group helped each other survive during the long winter, staying in a little cabin. I really enjoyed the character of Kraft and I was sad that he didn’t stay with the group after winter ended. He is strong, experienced, honest, and funny. Also, he was voiced by Takehito Koyasu, someone whose acting I have come to love and respect.
During the winter, Frieren and Kraft had a conversation about the Goddess of Creation, who seems to be the main deity of this world. However, nobody knows if she exists. Kraft’s belief comes from desperation – he needs someone to praise him at the end of his long life. Frieren pointed out the same thing I would have: that is a desire, and things aren’t necessarily true because we want them to be so.
Kraft notices that Frieren believes in an afterlife, which she doesn’t deny despite not being completely convinced. The kindly elf says he will praise and remember Frieren in place of the Goddess since she doesn’t believe. That reminds Frieren of Heiter, who told her the same thing many years ago. This talk was eye-opening about the mental states of Frieren and Kraft. I sympathize to a degree, but I don’t personally understand believing in something out of a desire for it to be true.
Notes on Episode 12: A Real Hero
This episode was critical for understanding Stark. We learned that his family saw him as a weakling and a failure with the exception of his kind older brother, Stolk. When the village was attacked by a demon, Stolk told his little brother to run. Stark obeyed, but regretted it forever since was the only survivor. I really like Stark and it was interesting to see this important piece of his past.
The way Fern frequently calls Stark a pervert is funny in the context of an anime, but it would be extremely rude in reality. After all, Stark hasn’t done anything inappropriate. Speaking of perverse things, Frieren’s idea to give Stark a clothes-dissolving potion was hilarious. There’s no way she was clueless about why certain men would enjoy that potion as a gift, which shows she occasionally likes causing mischief. Luckily, Fern stopped Frieren’s plan.
The bit about the hero sword was interesting because it subverted my expectations. After hearing the overused element of the sword in the stone, I naturally expected that Himmel pulled it out. But in reality, he couldn’t move the sword. The story that said otherwise was crafted by his fans. I love this twist because Himmel proved that even without some prophesized holy sword, he could still defeat the Demon King.
On a final note, it was a bit funny to hear characters in a fantasy anime saying the words “Hamburg steak” in English. I assume Hamburg doesn’t exist in Frieren’s world. Regardless of the strange word choice, it sounds like a great tradition to serve fresh steak for a birthday meal. Stark deserves it.
Notes on Episode 13: Aversion to One’s Own Kind
The group needs a Priest in the party, as they are extremely useful for providing healing spells. In a small northern town, Freiren and company meet Sein, a Priest who is even more “corrupt” than Heiter. He smokes, gambles, and has a healthy attitude toward sexuality. While I don’t consider any of those traits corrupt, I assume there is a certain code of behavior that Priests are supposed to follow to honor their Goddess. That’s why Sein is frowned upon with his worldly habits.
Stark likes Sein, even after being humiliated by him in strip poker. Fern doesn’t like Sein because “People who gamble are the worst.” As for Frieren, she doesn’t like Sein very much, but still wants him to join the party. Frieren doesn’t get along well with fellow geniuses, and Sein is a natural born prodigy in the ways of healing. That’s why the episode title is “Aversion to One’s Own Kind.”
Frieren wants Sein in the group because she wants give someone the push they need to become an adventurer – the same way Himmel did for her. Sein has always wanted to be an adventurer, but he gave up on his dream for a few different reasons. Frieren and her group help Sein work through those issues. They keep pestering him until he finally agrees to join them.
Sein’s motivation for starting the adventure is to find his childhood friend, who may or may not be dead already. It’s possible Sein won’t stay with the group for the whole of the adventure. Still, I think I’ll enjoy having him around for as long as it lasts. So far, I like Sein, if only because he reminds me a bit of myself – a somewhat jaded adult who fears it’s too late to change. I’m glad Frieren “adopted” him into the group.
Notes on Episode 14: Privilege of the Young
I knew there would be a more serious argument eventually because Fern really is too harsh with Stark. A fight over a forgotten birthday present still isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I still remember being that age and caring about that stuff a lot. I’m glad Fern went to apologize, and I’m genuinely impressed with Sein for giving good advice about resolving the conflict.
After helping the teenagers, Sein and Frieren talk a bit about being adults. Frieren is the oldest in terms of years, and yet she still struggles to understand the emotions and perspectives of others. In a way, she’s on a similar level as Fern and Stark. This makes me feel for Frieren even more than before. I am also immature for my age, and I don’t think I’ll ever change. A therapist of mine once speculated that people tend to get “stuck” at a certain age that defines them mentally for the majority of their lives. I’m probably going to be 18-20 forever. But then again, that was just speculation.
Leaving that town, Frieren and her group get a ride with a merchant in his carriage. Unfortunately, a huge flying monster swoops down and grabs them with the intent of smashing them against the ground. Frieren is able to slay the monster and help the carriage fall more gently with levitation magic. But in the chaos of the fall, she lost something: a silver ring with a lotus crest that Himmel gave her.
The merchant gives Frieren a spell for locating lost items, and she is able to recover the ring. Apparently, the lotus symbolizes eternal love and is usually given to one’s lover. Frieren didn’t know that, but based on the flashback, it seems like Himmel did. He put the ring on Frieren’s finger in such a romantic way. It was sweet, but also incredibly sad, since Frieren never even recognized Himmel’s feelings. This anime is so bittersweet.
Thank you for reading~
PATREON
