Well, we’re almost at the end. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End episode 27 titled “An Era of Humans” focused on Fern and the human mages. After the battle with the Frieren’s clone and the conclusion of the second exam in the previous episode, Fern’s staff is broken into bits of pieces. This wasn’t why we got a pouty Fern in this episode, but rather, because of Frieren’s insensitive remark that she should simply throw it away and get a new one. For Fern, this staff holds sentimental value as it was the very staff that was given by Heiter — the last item she owns that was bestowed to her by her foster parent. It’s understandable why she’s upset with Frieren’s cold suggestion. This shows that Frieren still lacks empathy and emotional comprehension despite her growth throughout the series, and it serves as a reminder that Frieren still has much to learn in these aspects.
Despite Frieren’s seemingly harsh approach to Fern’s staff, her actions speak louder than words. Deep down, she cares for Fern a lot and is genuinely concerned about her well-being. She took the initiative to repair Fern’s staff despite initially suggesting its disposal. Frieren even goes to great lengths, scouring the town until she finds Richter, who reluctantly agrees to mend the staff despite his lingering frustration over his own failure in the exam.
While Richter remains as pessimistic as ever, he delivers a line that everyone can relate to: “People have to work to survive no matter how terrible they feel.” This line tells a lot about his character and it explains his perpetual gloominess. Initially, I didn’t like his actions in attempting to eliminate Kanne and Lawine during the mage exams. However, after understanding the burden of his circumstances, it’s kind of clear why his actions were like that in the first place. Imagine two kids being the reason why you can’t move on from your monotonous job. Still, it’s not reason enough to attempt to kill both girls, but apparently, for him, it was no hard feelings in the end — it was just business.
Denken’s advice prompts Richter to consider a more optimistic outlook, recognizing positivity is also a form of strength. This subtle character growth is seen eventually when Richter accepts Frieren’s request to fix Fern’s staff and apologizes for tagging it as trash. It’s refreshing to witness nuanced development among secondary characters like Richter. It’s nice to see at least some side characters get some developments naturally. Richter is also not the only complex character shown in this episode as Serie is more complicated than he will ever be.
Calling Serie a complex character is a bit of an understatement. Despite her age and experience spanning over a millennium, she has her own distinct ideals about humanity, ambitions for this world, and perceptions of magic. Her disappointment with the remaining candidates is discernible during her leadership of the final mage exams. Simply put, the first candidates to have an interview with Serie don’t fit her standards as a first-class mage. While her decisions may seem arbitrary, they are anything but random.
Frieren shares that she mainly relies on instinct to distinguish the true potential of each mage. This instinct-driven approach explains why she saw potential in Fern after the young mage noticed the instability in her mana. It also shows that Fern is the new era of mages that Frieren was excited for as she already surpasses Lernen, the very first mage who got promoted to first-class to some degree.
It’s insane to think that Serie’s current mana is equal to Frieren at her full power. With her status as the living grimoire and possessing knowledge of nearly every spell in existence, who knows how much mana she’s concealing. Yet, amidst her prowess, it’s funny how the spell to make a field of flowers, which both Frieren and Flamme cherish, is the very one despised by Serie. The third part of the exams also took place with a field of flowers which just shows Serie’s complicated or rather tsundere personality.
What’s even absurd to think about is how a seemingly insignificant spell set off a butterfly effect that led to the downfall of the demon king. While the spell to create a field of flowers may seem impractical and useless, it played a pivotal role in bringing together the heroes who ultimately saved the world. Himmel’s decision to recruit Frieren stemmed from this spell, leading to a spectacular journey that changed the course of history. While Flamme’s same attachment to the spell may have been coincidental, it actually holds a different significance for Frieren as it paved the way for her quest with Himmel and the others to defeat the demon king, followed by an adventure with Fern and Stark to heaven. It’s beautiful how a spell for a field of flowers created an unforgettable journey even beyond its end.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End episode 27 screenshots via Muse Asia
© Yamada Kanehito, Abe Tsukasa /Shogakukan / “Sousou no Frieren” Production Committee
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