Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Episode 11) – Winter in the Northern Lands

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Having defeated Aura the Guillotine, Frieren and the others stay as Graf Granat’s guests, but their journey must continue. However, they will need to get Frieren a certificate of standing with the Magical Council!

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Episode 11) – Winter in the Northern Lands

What did you watch?

Every week, I am grateful for Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. Things are stressful in my day-to-day life, so having twenty-four minutes of sublime storytelling to look forward to is very much appreciated. What’s more, we should be entering a new arc as Frieren defeated Aura and saved Graf Granat’s domain from her headless army. Well, let’s find out what they do next.

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Episode 11 Frieren and Fern after the battle

What happened?

Frieren stood over the battlefield, staring at the lifeless corpses that had once been Aura’s army, and before that knights of the domain. Granat was thankful that she had not obliterated the bodies in what must have been an incredible battle. He ordered his men to give them proper burials. Among the bodies, they found Granat’s son, which gave him further reason to be thankful for Frieren’s actions. He thanked them with Flamme’s grimoire, although it was also fake but she knew that anyway. He then asked them to stay for a while as the people were keen to thank the heroes who saved their town. They did, but then the time came for them to move on.

Granat informed them that things were even worse in the Northern Continent and that a party needed a first-class mage to travel freely. Well, that shouldn’t be a problem with Frieren around… About that. It turns out that Frieren hasn’t got a certificate to prove she’s a first-class mage. The organisations change so frequently that it’s a pain to keep up. Anyhow, they will need to do that to keep going so off they go. Well, that was until the snow started to fall and they needed to seek shelter in an emergency cabin. There, they met another elf, Kraft the Monk. Together, they weathered the winter and then set off in their respective directions. Maybe, they would meet again in another couple of hundred years!

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Episode 11 Graf Granat thanks Stark Frieren and Fern

What did you think?

This series really is special. It just fills me with an incredible warmth as I watch them meandering through their quest. After the last episode which revealed Flamme’s incredible plan to defeat the demons and the thrilling battle between Aura and Frieren, it was delightful to be able to just sit back and relax. In eleven episodes, they’ve developed the characters enough that we’re happy to just be with them. There wasn’t a lot of action or anything else in this episode, but it continued to hold my attention. The interactions with Kraft told us so much about the elves and how their race is declining, which is sad, but it also allowed us to see a little more of Frieren’s time with the Hero’s Party.

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Episode 11 Frieren and Fern carrying Stark

What was your favourite moment?

Having carried an unconscious Stark through the snow, they tried to warm him up in the emergency shelter where they met Kraft. However, Stark wasn’t warming up fast enough. I’ve seen enough of these situations to know what was coming, however, at no point did I expect it to go that way. We saw Stark dreaming of desserts. Eisen was there. But then, he woke up and found that he was lying with Kraft who was using his body to warm him. Stark’s double take was hilarious, but then his reaction once he’d gotten over the initial shock was even funnier.

Who was the most impactful character?

Even though he will probably only ever appear in one episode, Kraft the Monk had the biggest impact. He showed us how elves live and why there are probably so few of them. He reinforced the idea that their long lives mean that no one will remember what they did, although Himmel may have solved that for Frieren. How casual they were about not seeing another elf for three hundred years, showed that their long lives have definitely impacted their need to procreate, which could doom them entirely. There’s no hurry to their lives, which is something we’re very familiar with Frieren. However, it’s nice to see that it’s not a character trait, but something that impacts their entire race.

I did think for a minute that he might join them, taking on the role of Heiter in the new party since they already have a mage (Fern), a warrior (Stark), and a hero (Frieren – you know I’m right!), but that was not to be. Still, I’m glad we got to meet him, even if only for one episode.

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Episode 11 Fern Kraft and Stark

What have you learned?

Let’s talk about those flashbacks again. One thing that I’m really enjoying is how we’re almost seeing two stories simultaneously and how they overlap. Following the story of the Hero’s Party would have made for a great story on its own, however, picking up the story after it’s ended and then overlaying it with a new story has been fascinating. I actually have a story in the planning stages that uses a similar technique (I’ve written four chapters so far) and that makes me appreciate this series that much more. I think this will be one to study again and again.

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Episode 11 Stark Frieren and Fern

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14 Comments

  1. This is my favorite anime for the season, maybe the year. There is such depth and pathos to it. It explores the meaning of short human life from the perspective of one who lives many thousands of years.

    • Agreed. Definitely my anime of the year. It really puts the passage of time into perspective. How quickly will we all be forgotten once we’ve gone? It can feel quite bleak but also surprisingly hopeful.

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