At this point, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has established that while its narrative maintains a serious and moving undertone, it still puts up moments of humor, with episode 13 standing out as the series’ funniest episode so far. Not to mention, we also got to meet a new member of the new party — Sein.
Similar to Heiter, Sein is a talented yet corrupt priest. However, he’s not all bad; instead, he has his flaws and uncertainties. Despite him having this stubborn attitude, Sein emits this good guy energy during the episode. What makes him interesting is that he’s sacrificing his dreams for his brother and the village. He’s got his priorities straight, and even though he’s been looking out for others, maybe journeying with the new party will help him see his value. This dichotomy makes him a compelling character, leaving ample room for further development while already being a likable character.
I don’t know why but all these talented priests in the series seem to have vices like drinking, gambling, or smoking. However, this could just be one of those weird coincidences. Nonetheless, Sein is such a nice addition to the party as he brings that adult figure or adult mindset to the party. The new party’s shaping up to be pretty cool with Sein joining: Stark needs someone to relate to his guy things and Fern, despite being younger than Sein, might be scolding another person in the party. Overall, the new party has become more interesting at this point and I can’t wait to see what Sein brings to the table
While Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End may not be explicitly categorized as a comedy anime, the amazing blending of humor and drama remains noteworthy. And yes, I may have been repeating this on and on again but I still cannot stop praising how well this anime has blended comedy and drama.
Moreover, episode 13 continues with Frieren imparting valuable life lessons to viewers. The episode emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities in life and avoiding the potentially profound regret that arises from inaction. The regret of not pursuing something often outweighs the regret of taking a chance so that’s why it’s best to just take the opportunity when given because you’ll never know.
Overall, despite episode 13’s relatively slower pace, Frieren consistently upholds the standards it has set for itself. It was the funniest episode too and there were also touching moments in between. Not to mention, this episode taught us the best lesson of all — alcohol is the best medicine.
Screenshots via Muse Asia
© Yamada Kanehito, Abe Tsukasa /Shogakukan / “Sousou no Frieren” Production Committee