Download

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Episode 8) – Frieren the Slayer

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Title

Draht has taken it upon himself to kill Frieren and ensure Aura the Guillotine’s victory. It’s not going to be as easy as he thinks, and his actions may have just started a ball rolling that the demons can’t stop!

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Episode 8) – Frieren the Slayer

What did you watch?

I know we’re only seven episodes in (now eight) but I’m prepared to stick my neck out here and say that this is easily going to be anime of the season, probably the year. It does so many things so well that it would be criminal for it not to be considered. I’m sure, I might be biased since it’s epic fantasy, my favourite genre, but I watch as many genres as possible and from a storytelling point of view this is as close to perfect as I think it can get. Anyhow, let’s see if it’s able to live up to such lofty praise.

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Episode 8 Stark prepares to attack

What happened?

Draht killed the guard and slipped into Frieren’s cell where he told her his intentions. She warned him that she was strong but he didn’t believe her. As far as he was concerned, she was already dead. He pulled on the magic thread that he had wrapped around her neck and lifted her off the ground. However, she had protected her neck with magic. He pulled harder. There was no way she was going to cut the magic thread. Even she knew that, so she cut off his arm. And, then his other arm before landing on top of him and blowing his head off. She left the cell, found the beheaded guard’s body, and fled.

Fern and Stark were on their way to petition the commander in the hopes of getting Frieren released, but they bumped into her in the street. She said she was leaving, but they wanted her to help them defeat Lugner and Linie. Frieren refused, believing they could take care of them without her. She had bigger fish to fry anyhow. Fern and Stark slipped into the castle and searched for Granat. Stark found him tied to a chair, however, he couldn’t cut the ropes. Unfortunately, Lugner and Linie returned and found Start there. Lugner told him to leave, but when he refused to even look at Stark, it gave him the defiance to stand between them. He fought Lugner and created an opening for Fern who had masked her magic and was at the window. She attacked before anyone could react.

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Episode 8 Fern catches Lugner off guard

What did you think?

On the whole, this series has been a steady walk through the woods. We’ve visited new cities, helped numerous villages, and revisited old memories. Well, it’s time to take off the shackles because Frieren was grinning at the thought of going to face Aura the Guillotine. Things have just become very real. It’s amazing how this series can go from collecting flowers for the statue of Himmel to Frieren the Slayer preparing to face Aura the Guillotine and the undead headless horde that she has amassed. The next episode is going to be insane, and this one was already pushing things.

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Episode 8 Frieren grinning

What was your favourite moment?

There were so many great moments in this episode, but I think I’m going to go with the opening fight. Draht was incredibly overconfident and was practically celebrating his win as soon as he pulled on the magic thread. It would have been quite horrifying had Frieren not been the absolute picture of calm personified. She hanged them, suspended by the magic thread and the mana that shielded her neck. Again, Draht’s confidence grew as he was certain she wouldn’t be able to cut the thread. Frieren knew this too and even managed a fairly sarcastic confirmation of his assertion.

As soon as she said that, I knew what was coming. She might not be able to cut the thread, but how will you hold it without any arms? Frieren may look like a dawdling old woman who struggles to get up in the morning and is more amused by strange spells than anyone really should be most of the time, but when she needs to be she is cold and calm. She knows her limitations and those of the people she faces. If she doesn’t panic, you better!

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Episode 8 Draht finds out

Who was the most impactful character?

One thing that I found to be really interesting in this episode was when Lugner was talking to Granat about how words are just like weapons. Both have the ability to kill the weak. That really played on the idea that they used human language as one might use spells to protect themselves and confuse their enemy. Then, he went on about how demons only ever learn one spell and then hone it to perfection. That certainly lines up with our earlier experience with Qual and how he put all his efforts into Zoltraak. I was a little disappointed that Fern didn’t finish Lugner off there and then. It’s certainly how Frieren would have handled things. Oh well, it gives us more to look forward to in the next episode.

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Episode 8 Lugner kills Granat's men

What have you learned?

I’ve almost found someone to make my bronze statue. All I need to do now is decide on the pose in which I shall immortalise myself… Anyhow, this episode showed us some of the limitations of demons living so long. They become far too confident in their abilities. They also don’t have the urgency that humans would when it comes to perfecting spells. I loved that we saw how Flamme was such an important figure in the history of humanity since she created the protection magic that blankets all the human settlements. She did that a thousand years ago and the demons have not worked out how to break it. However, in the eighty years that Qual was imprisoned, humanity took his killing spell and turned it against demons. The difference is urgency. That’s something we see a lot with Frieren, she doesn’t hurry unless Fern tells her to.

Frieren Beyond Journeys End Episode 8 Fern flying

Other posts in the series

You might also like…

Grimgar Ashes And Illusions Yume Ranta and Haruhiro
Somali and the Forest Spirit Episode 1 The Golem finds the Human Child
Record of Grancrest War Episode 1 Siluca Meletes plotting
Lynn Sheridan The Otaku Author Header
Tags

8 Comments

  1. Lugner said something about the demons “overcoming Zoltraak” a good while ago. Not sure how they would do that, but apparently the version that Fern learned from Frieren is geared specifically towards killing demons. And it would seem she didn’t just wander around for all this time, but actually helped humans analyze Zoltraak somehow. Interesting.

    I think Fern and Stark played it pretty smartly when they rescued the local lord. Lugner may have been down for the count, but he was still conversing normally, and the girl demon was still there. Had either side attacked, there were no guarantees of even getting off one shot uncontested. If anything at all went wrong with Fern’s next shot, they’d have two demons to deal with *and* a lord to try and keep alive. Better to grab the lord, retreat, and rouse some local reinforcements, I would say. It might mean more bloodshed, but it also tilts the odds more in the humans’ favor.

    Also, can I just say how relieved I was to see the lord be something other than stupid? He realized from context that Frieren would not have killed his guardsman. He might not have managed to handle the demons afterward, but he saw the truth of their BS.

    • Yeah, I heard that too about Frieren being part of reason the new Zoltraak was effective against demons.

      For sure, I can see that, but I can also see that they were missing a golden opportunity to strike when Lugner was weak. He confirmed that Linie wouldn’t have survived the attack, but Fern didn’t know that. Unless there happen to be a couple of extra top class adventurers in the town, I don’t know if they’ll get much in the way of back up.

      And yes, I liked that the Lord had worked out that it was likely not Frieren that killed the guard because of how she reacted when they captured her. His plan to confront Lugner was hopeless. I hate how they signal their intentions. They should have just walked in and attacked, but given Lugner’s ability to use his blood like a weapon, they would have all died anyhow. Points for not being clueless, though.

    • It took me almost a week to realize this: the lord’s pendant is probably the key to controlling the protective barrier. It’s always on him, in plain sight where it can be easily overlooked, and it’s what the lord told Stark to take and run away with.

    • Sometimes I am swift – realizing instantly that was not Alma confessing to murdering three girls in Undead Girl Murder Farce – and sometimes I am painfully slow. 😉

What did you think?

You might also like…