Now that I’m accustomed to Frieren’s tendencies, I appreciate them all the more when certain things occur. The cutaways, for instance. A show like Family Guy will run them into the ground, but Frieren employs them judiciously. We’ve seen Frieren’s quirker, sillier side expressed in this way, whether she’s hopelessly stuck head-first in a chest, or describing weird spells she’s collected.
This time, in the trade town of Warm, Frieren says she and Fern will split up the shopping, but when she asks what Frieren will actually be buying, Frieren makes a certain face. Fern’s been with her long enough to know that face can’t mean anything good. It means she’s about to waste their traveling funds on something weird, like a giant skull or a potion that dissolves clothing.
So Fern does what she believes she must: she delays her own shopping to shadow Frieren. She’s surprised to find her making very pained looks of indecision as she inspects accessories in the market. Then she watches Frieren go into the basement of a tavern where some very unsavory-looking adventuerers offer their genuine recommendations for…desserts.
Fern may later call Frieren dense about how humans feel, but she herself is dense in this instance, since it’s clear to anyone that Frieren was being coy about what she was doing because she wanted it to be a surprise. It’s Fern’s sixteenth birthday, and to celebrate, Frieren takes her to the most picturesque spot to be at sundown, and treats her to some sumptuous pancakes.
She also presents her gift to her—a gorgeous metal hair ornament with butterfly motif—but was worried it wouldn’t be the right one. Fern makes it clear to Frieren that she’s overjoyed not just that she did all this for her, but that she’s happy they’re together as well.
27 years after Himmel’s death, Fern has now grown taller than Frieren. That’s another bittersweet moment when Frieren compares their heights (and chests), because depending on how long this show goes on, barring her untimely demise, Fern will have to watch Fern grow old and die, just like everyone else in her life.
Frieren clarifies to Fern that their journey isn’t entirely aimless; she intends to retrace the adventures she had with Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen. This is her way of not only honoring their memory, but interacting with those who have memories of those adventures, before they all fade away into time.
Their journey takes them into the Grosse forest, where Frieren stops to show Fern that while her defensive magic is powerful, it is not invincible. Watching her offensive magic bend around Fern’s shield and fire off in all directions, it’s clear Fern needs to have more finesse: a large sphere of protection around her at all times will sap her mana too quickly and doom her in a real battle.
There’s a reason Frieren is reviewing Fern’s defensive bonafides: their next destination is a village in the forest where Qual, one of the Demon King’s most powerful mages, was battled and sealed by Frieren’s party eight decades ago. The oldest man in the village knows Frieren’s name and face, because Himmel visited every year until he died to inspect the seal, promising that one day before it failed, Frieren would arrive to defeat Qual for good.
Frieren may see it as simply taking care of unfinished business, but Himmel clearly knew her enough to know she wouldn’t let a loose end like Qual linger. Fern also learns that despite the seeming innocuousness of most of their journey thus far, this is not one of those times. She and Frieren are there to save the village from death and destruction, should an unchecked Qual awaken.
That said, Fern has been procrastinating about reading the magical tome Frieren bought her—one of the few non-weird impulse purchases. Rather than read it that night, Frieren tells Fern to get a good night’s sleep, because the next morning, she unseals Qual, and after a few pleasantries, the battle begins.
Fern is shocked to find that “Zoltraak”, the defense and equipment-piercing magic Qual is known for inventing, is nothing but an ordinary offensive spell she can defend with relative ease. Had she read the tome Frieren bought her, she’d know that in the 80 years since Qual was sealed, humans’ magic technology has improved to render Zoltraak run-of-the-mill. It’s another clever demonstration of how time has passed in this world.
I never knew at time when motor vehicles were a rarity, but my grandparents did. At the same time, I remember when computers were dumb, slow, and monochromatic in a way my nieces and nephews never will. 80 years may only be a drop in the bucket for Frieren and a good night’s sleep for Qual, but for humans, it’s the difference between him being a fearsome foe and No Big Deal.
Frieren also knows that Fern has progressed enough as a mage to successfully defend Qual’s attacks, giving her the opening to fly up above him and deliver a blast of killing magic so powerful it not only atomizes Qual, but exposes an aquifer a few feet below ground level. I love how it reflects the sky, appearing almost like a hole in the earth.
With Qual dealt with, Frieren and Fern prepare to move on to their next destination. Before they do, the village elder thanks them, and Frieren recognizes his hat from eighty years ago. This old man was the same little brat who flipped her skirt! I love those little details, like the old lady’s twin braids in the previous episode. The hat may be old and frayed, but still keeps the sun out.
The former brat has grown up and grown old, and is glad to have lived to see Frieren return, just as Himmel promised. He believed in Himmel, and Himmel believed in Frieren. While she may worry about losing all memory of her comrades, and has trouble with human feelings in general, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have them.
As they ride a cart out of the village, Fern is studying her magic tome hard, and Frieren pats her head…just because. Part teacher, part friend, part big sister…and part mother. Frieren is all of these things to Fern, and she’s happy to have them all. And so the 5-star ratings will continue until quality declines!
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