Score: A+

Nothing about this episode disappointed! These fights were set up nicely and definitely delivered. We got to see the cast really dig deep and come through against some troublesome opponents. The only character that had a really easy time here was Frieren herself! For everyone else it was an episode full of action and close calls. Demons are a great enemy that make use of human weaknesses and unusual spells. And this episode showed both why they are dangerous and why people can triumph against them.

This fight was amazing

I had a blast with the fight between Genau and Stark vs Revolte. You had Genau using aerial moves and bladed feathers to take his shots at Revolte. While Stark was doing his best to play defensively and attack when he had the opportunity. The crazy thing is that they were having such a hard time. It was going against them to the degree that Genau was considered a retreat. But their opponent being too fast for that kept them in the fight. Props to Genau since his magic is pretty cool. He can really get around, has ranged attacks, and the feathers can be used defensively. It’s not a perfect approach, but it’s pretty darn good. You can tell how much he’s survived over the years.

Stark proving how badass he is. He of course has plenty of growing to do in terms of technique. But he’s mastered some of the most important things for his position. If necessary be ready to take a hit in order to get a better one in on the enemy. We saw that in the previous season and it worked well here. Stark created an opening for Genau which worked well. And when Genau’s life was at risk Stark didn’t hesitate to throw himself out there. I think he surpassed Frieren’s assessment as well considering he tanked all those blades at the same time. Those guys may be on Stark’s level in skill, but I think few can match Stark in terms of tenacity and toughness.

Genau stepped up

There was something just great about Stark and Genau stepping up when both were pretty seriously injured. Just two guys that knew it was either fight or die. Stark could have tried to play dead and/or hide. Maybe he could’ve made it until Frieren returned. But Fern is right when she says he won’t run. He’s taken Eisen’s lessons to heart. Whoever is standing at the end of the fight is the winner. And if you don’t stay down, you haven’t lost. These two have built up a nice bond through that fight.

You can see that bond both through the end of the fight and also afterwards. Genau honestly didn’t much about how anyone was doing besides Stark! Which I get, Stark is a great guy. Even at his limit he was crawling towards Stark in probably hoping he could at least save him. The fight itself was wild at the end. They whittled down Revolte’s swords and then pulls out a Piccolo arm stretch. But while he caught them by surprise…he underestimated humans. A near fatal injury isn’t going to stop Genau and certainly won’t stop Stark! And finally Stark had the freedom to give his best swing and utterly decimate Revolte!

Enjoy oblivion!

The show did get me since I thought the smaller demon would be twist revealed to be some big shot. But nope. His ability was very excellent in terms of support. Disguising as a kid is going to make a lot of people lower their guards. Won’t work against scumbags, but against the average good person it’ll make them throw themselves into the line of fire. Plus all the kid needs at that point is an easily concealable blade. When in a brutal battle people are going to focus their attention on the main threat and not try to discern if the kid is human or not. The heat of battle can easily dull the senses in some ways. Whether a kid could realistically still be alive would be secondary to instinctive reactions.

She was in control!

It was a tough fight for Fern. Nothing about it was easy. And honestly you can say she didn’t quite have the breakthrough that Frieren might’ve been hoping to see. Visibility was poor, stealth was taken away from her, and all she could do was desperately try to stay alive. I honestly can’t tell though if Frieren was expecting Methode to back up Fern or if she’d wanted Fern to find a way out of it herself. But either way it worked out. Methode is a smart and talented mage who has more than one trick up her sleeve. And once the fog was cleared out Fern was very quick to strike down both opponents. Her potential is sky high. With time Fern can and likely will have a good mixed bag of spells. This was a tough fight, but one that will be a good experience.

All good…until they got back

I can only imagine Fern’s reaction though when they got back to the village! The place was a mess! Stark and Genau would’ve both been down with holes in them and bleeding out! I would’ve enjoyed letting Fern’s VA voice her panicked reaction since undoubtedly she would’ve had one. Frieren was clearly quick to provide what first aid she could offer, but she doesn’t have higher tier magic healing. This is the first time in a while that the hole that Sein left is being keenly felt.

Thankfully Methode could fill that slot in this moment. But it’ll be tough in the future if their paths don’t lead them to Sein at some point. It’d be fine if it did of course. Could bring Sein’s friend in and give them a second attacker. And yes, Sein will lose it if he found out Frieren could’ve had a beautiful “older” lady join their party and turned it down!

Stark was the MVP this time

This was a great episode. As expected this situation was very much a mini-arc. But that doesn’t take away from how satisfying it is. Frieren has such good writing that you can take Genau from a guy I think most forgot about and turn him into this awesome character. The highlight fight of this arc was absolutely Genau and Stark vs Revolte. The Fern and Methode stuff was great, but it was a much lower tension fight. Maybe not for Fern who was likely stressed out like crazy. But Frieren was comfortable enough to casually watch from the skies. It wasn’t a big deal! But the other fight? Yeah, that was pure excellence!