Score: A-

And so it ends. This was very much a pure Frieren episode and I loved that. Just another pair of mini-adventures where they help out some people and continue on their way to the end goal. This one did certainly end with a sequel hook which is perfectly fine by me. It’s good to know already that the next season is both announced and has a release date. There’s no mystery here. I’ll be back talking about this show in the Fall 2027 season. That is of course over a year away. But that’s fine. It’s better this than maybe a movie announcement since a lot of shows have been doing that.

Thank goodness for random spells

I enjoyed both stories. They gave us a nice mix. You had the fight, the flashbacks, and just a sense of helping people out. Both stories had an optimistic tone to them. It’s nice that Frieren got to help support “her” bridge. The bridge itself was a win for the region. So many people will be able to benefit from having a better way over that gorge. Future incidents at least have a hope of something good coming from it. There is the worry about monsters and others moving in someday to fill the hole those birds left. But I do hope that things remain relatively peaceful. Well as peaceful as they get in a region that naturally dangerous.

The twist that a new village had sprung up was great. Fair enough really. Gehen is a dwarf and the village he lost was destroyed long before Himmel even showed up to meet him. With that much time people can return to a region and start something new. All the more so in a place like the North where there likely are only a few areas that are suitable for building villages. I’m happy for Gehen anyways. The man spent much of his life building that bridge and actually has somewhere to retire. He’s not some victim that will have nowhere to go now that he’s fulfilled his life’s mission. That bridge will benefit his village in terms of trade and travel anyways. The smile on Frieren’s face just shows how much she’s matured.

Going to miss this girl

The holy snow crystal part was good too. I didn’t expect that the guy making that request was a local that simply wanted to preserve the natural beauty. Eventually I’m sure someone will come across it and that beauty will be lost. But it’s a great thing to see him choose that over the monetary gain that would come from actually mining it. That view inspired him and he had no desire to see it ruined. I can get that his stress was likely over the idea that someone would find it before he could secure it. The powerful monster in a sense kept it safe, but eventually someone would go to defeat it and they’d find the crystal vein. So Frieren really saved him in that sense. It helped them as well since they got some money out of it. Sadly some went toward Frieren’s troubled spending habits.

Fern literally has a big stick!

This isn’t a series that is all about the action, but we got some good fights here. It was just fighting monsters, but each posed their own challenges. The birds were tough since they had that aerial advantage but also just generated so much wind in an area that was dangerous to stand in. It wasn’t too bad though since with Frieren and Fern spamming attacks and Stark handling the defense it was a fight they were well suited to. There’s just something satisfying about the beams, the axe strikes, and dealing with varying types of enemies.

Now the fight against the wolf monster was pure gold. This was a legitimately difficult one. This thing was fast, hit reasonably hard, but also reacted very well to magical attacks. It was dodging by the time Fern or Frieren were ready to fire. And while Stark was putting up a good fight, it was swift enough to make it hard for him to get in a good hit either. But in a sense they’ve really learned where Fern’s strength is and have been taking advantage of it. Just sending her up as high as possible and letting her snipe from outside the perception range of her opponent. That thing isn’t sentient so it’s not really going to pay that much attention to a missing member of the fight ahead of just fighting who was left. A beautiful win.

Will always be a great hero

The flashbacks remain such a strength of the series. Himmel is as well developed as any of the main cast and again…the man died 30 years before the events of this episode! In a sense the commentary from Himmel when looking over that crystal vein scenery just feels a touch sad. They’d seen such beauty on that journey and been through so much. It really must’ve hurt in episode 1 having Frieren sum it up as merely a decade long journey. That wasn’t just a decade long journey, but rather the journey of a lifetime.

Have to think that really was the moment he knew that Frieren likely wouldn’t be able to return or accept his feelings within his lifetime. It’s too bad it was so late, but thank goodness the emotions really hit her at his funeral. Having him truly gone put things into perspective. I don’t think Frieren is quite there yet in terms of romance. But by the time they reach Ende…maybe.

Until next time

Final Thoughts

This really is such a beautiful show. It captures the feeling of an adventure and a lived in world better than a lot of series. The downside for this season is again…10 episodes. In that sense it’s hard for me to put this specific season that high on my personal rankings. But they did have some great moments in those 10 episodes. Here’s hoping that when we are back for the next season that they give it as many episodes as it needs to be truly great.

And nitpicking about episode counts aside, I loved this season. This season was more of what I loved about the series. The mage exam did a lot in terms of adding valuable supporting characters. But it meant very little Stark, Frieren, and Fern together. This season though gave me everything I love. Good fights, good traveling, and getting to experience that world. Can’t wait for the next season!