Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Episode 4) – The Land Where Souls Rest
Frieren and Fern take a job to clean a beach even knowing that the payment is a forged grimoire. There’s something Frieren needs to see for herself. Something the Himmel was desperate to show her.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Episode 4) – The Land Where Souls Rest
What did you watch?
Don’t worry, this is the last Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End post for today. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure how they were going to release these. My first guess was it was going to be a feature-length episode but since they went with four individual episodes, I needed to treat them as such. At least, that’s my excuse. It’s also possible that after watching one episode I decided that I needed to talk and talk and talk about this series. Either way, we’re here now so let’s get into episode four!
What happened?
Frieren and Fern found themselves on a sandy beach staring at a mass of debris. The water was littered with boats, wood, and just about anything that could wash ashore. Their job was to clean up the beach in time for the New Year festival. Their payment was a grimoire by the legendary mage, Flamme. Unfortunately, it was a forgery since Flamme’s notes are almost lost from existence. Still, Frieren took the job. It turned out that she had been there before with Himmel and the others and slept through the festival. This time she wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
After the festival, they checked in on Eisen, however, he was keen to tell her that he wasn’t on his deathbed like Heiter was when she did the same to him. He did reveal that he had come close to locating the real grimoire by Flamme. They just needed to find a giant tree in a giant forest. This could take some time. However, Frieren told Eisen she was keen to speed things up since Fern would get mad. This was a surprising change in attitude for Frieren. After some time, they found the tree and Flamme’s house hidden beneath. After all, Frieren had been there one thousand years ago as Flamme’s apprentice. Inside the grimoire, it spoke of talking with the dead in the place that is now the location of the Demon King’s castle. Eisen asked her to go there and talk to Himmel.
What did you think?
I think I see why we were hit with four episodes at once. Everything up to the end of this episode was setting us up for the real quest. Frieren and Fern will retrace the quest taken by the hero’s party as they journey to Ende where the Demon King’s castle is at the northernmost point of the continent. This time, the quest is to find heaven and the souls of the dead. Well, one in particular anyhow. On their journey, they will relive the memories of the past and ensure that the world has not forgotten about the amazing quest that brought about peace. It’s been amazing to this point and it’s about to get even better. This is a great set-up.
What was your favourite moment?
I love how Eisen knew just how to play Frieren. One day, she may understand others enough to do the same to them, but not yet. She is changing though and Eisen saw that. He saw that she was concerned about wasting Fern’s time. I also enjoyed his conversation with Fern while Frieren was sleeping in which he remembered how he told her to take an apprentice before leaving the Capitol. She didn’t understand how relationships work, but now she seems to be getting it slowly. I also liked how Fern went from being the little sister, to big sister, to mother in three episodes. Time really is flying by!
Who was the most impactful character?
Amazing! It’s still not Frieren. This time it’s Eisen. It’s interesting that he has set up this grand quest with the prize of talking to Himmel at the end. I loved how it all ties back to the first episode and her moment of realisation concerning how little she knew about Himmel. I don’t know if she will find heaven or a way to speak to Himmel, but the quest alone and the memories that it awakens could be enough for her to truly understand her party members. It’s going to be an eventful journey, for sure!
What have you learned?
This series has been a stunning example of how to use flashbacks to improve the story. There hasn’t been one that felt out of place or forced in. They’ve all been short and to the point, highlighting something that needed to be said or emphasizing something that just happened. Too often stories try to cram in a whole massive flashback when we only need a second or two of truly relevant stuff. Frieren does that and it’s enriching the story. That’s ultimately what you want. Of course, the fact that this story seems to be very much about Frieren reliving the quest we’re going to get more and more and I can’t wait.
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
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