Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Episode 2) – It Didn’t Have to Be Magic…

Frieren continued to decipher the grimoire while training Fern in the use of magic, however, it looked like she would finish before Fern had completed her training. That wasn’t the only time pressure they were competing with!
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Episode 2) – It Didn’t Have to Be Magic…
What did you watch?
Hey look, it’s Frieren again! Well, since they released four episodes on day one, I figured that I had better review all four episodes in a day too. As such, you can expect another two episodes in the next hour. Of course, by then, I’ll be an emotional wreck and I can’t guarantee how the reviews will read. Apologies in advance. Anyhow, let’s get on with the second episode.

What happened?
Fern was learning from Frieren. She spent every moment available to her training to improve. She had some things to work on, but they would take time. Frieren was working on the grimoire and was concerned that even with the speed at which Fern was improving, she would be done first. That was when Heiter collapsed. He told Frieren it was a miracle he had been mobile this long. She said she would hurry through the rest of the grimoire. However, when she was done, there were no resurrection or immortality spells in there, but he already knew that. His goal was to buy Fern enough time that she would be able to travel with Frieren without getting in the way. He succeeded.
After burying Heiter, they set out together as adventurers. They took on odd jobs and were paid with spells and other things. One job took them to a village that Himmel had saved during their ten-year quest to defeat the Demon King. There was a statue of him that had been neglected. A herbalist offered to teach them about her trade if they would help preserve the statue. Frieren offered some fascinating insight into the process of making the statue. Once clean, they needed to add some colour. Frieren recalled a flower that Himmel said came from his homeland. That would be the one, but blue moon weed hasn’t been seen in decades. That didn’t stop Frieren from looking for it.

What did you think?
Argh! It did it again. I wasn’t expecting to be impacted by Heiter’s death in the same way I was Himmel’s but it was just as touching. There were several great lines in this episode about life and death and how memories are all we have in the end. Losing those memories is a waste if there’s no one left to pass them on to. That reappeared with the statue of Himmel and how Frieren remembered it very differently from how the villagers might. I’m loving this series so far.

What was your favourite moment?
The best moment had to be the one that encompassed the episode title. Frieren was certain that Fern was just like her. They both liked magic, but they didn’t love it. However, that didn’t explain Frieren’s obsession with collecting spells, especially when she could be using her magic to truly make a difference. Frieren pointed out that Fern’s persistence to become a mage showed that they were the same. Fern told her that it didn’t have to be magic. Any skill that meant she would be able to look after herself after Heiter was gone. She could have chosen any skill but she chose magic. It wasn’t thrust onto her, she chose it. It was a very nice moment, especially to the backdrop of the blue moon weeds.

Who was the most impactful character?
I called it in the last episode. Heiter had no intentions of living forever. If a spell like that existed then someone far more terrifying than them would have already used it, not least the author of the book. No, his only intention was to ensure that Fern would be ready to travel with Frieren once she was done. I loved the moment when Heiter told Frieren to take Fern before he died so that she never had to lose anyone again, but she told him that he needed to give her a proper farewell. Fern knew he was dying and had been preparing for the moment all this time.

What have you learned?
I love the way the backstory is being woven into the story of Frieren and Fern travelling. Given the emotional feel we’ve experienced from Himmel and not Heiter’s deaths, there’s a special magic in seeing them again, especially when we see the real version from Frieren and not the glorified version the history books will record. It makes for a far more interesting narrative.
There was another moment that I feel I should mention and it was another of those small details. In the montage of Frieren studying, Fern practising, and Heiter standing in the river in his underpants… we saw them eating together regularly. During the meal, Heiter would flick his vegetables onto Frieren’s plate with looking. It might be an odd thing to pick up on, but it added to the sense that they were a family, with Heiter as the crazy old grandpa.

Other posts in the series
- Season One
- Episode 1 – The Journey’s End
- Episode 2 – It Didn’t Have to Be Magic…
- Episode 3 – Killing Magic
- Episode 4 – The Land Where Souls Rest
- Episode 5 – Phantoms of the Dead
- Episode 6 – The Hero of the Village
- Episode 7 – Like a Fairy Tale
- Episode 8 – Frieren the Slayer
- Episode 9 – Aura the Guillotine
- Episode 10 – A Powerful Mage
- Episode 11 – Winter in the Northern Lands
- Episode 12 – A Real Hero
- Episode 13 – Aversion to One’s Own Kind
- Episode 14 – Privilege of the Young
- Episode 15 – Smells Like Trouble
- Episode 16 – Long-Lived Friends
- Episode 17 – Take Care
- Episode 18 – First-Class Mage Exam
- Episode 19 – Well-Laid Plans
- Episode 20 – Necessary Killing
- Episode 21 – The World of Magic
- Episode 22 – Future Enemies
- Episode 23 – Conquering the Labyrinth
- Episode 24 – Perfect Replicas
- Episode 25 – A Fatal Vulnerability
- Episode 26 – The Height of Magic
- Episode 27 – An Era of Humans
- Episode 28 – It Would Be Embarrassing When We Met Again
You might also like…
