Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Episode 23

So here we are at the second test of the first-class mage exam. This test itself is far simpler than the first was. All the mages need to do is get to the lowest level of an unexplored dungeon. When you think about it for even a minute, it's obvious what the correct way to tackle the dungeon is: have everyone work together. This, of course, is what Denken, as the elder mage of the group, suggests. However, the vast majority of the other mages reject this plan.

One reason is a simple matter of trust. Ton, the first to enter the dungeon, fears that the other mages may betray him if it helps them succeed. Likewise, Lawine and Kanne refuse to party up with Rictor, the man who tried to kill them just two days prior. Wirbel, for his part, chooses to stick with his team from the first test as he knows what they are capable of and knows they have each others' backs.

Yet, trust is not the only reason that making one large party is rejected. There is also the matter of pride. In the first exam, Denken and Rictor fought a team with a dead party member for their bird—despite there being no objective meaning in the fight as the two-man team could no longer pass regardless. Now, we see something similar with the team of Edel, Blei, and Dunst who enter alone because they refuse to pass the test by riding on the coattails of other mages.

And then there is Frieren. We know that she is most ideologically aligned with Denken out of all the other mages taking the exam. She knows, just as he does, that the most efficient way to conquer the dungeon is by working as a group. Yet, she simply enters with Fern in toe—not even inviting Lawine and Kanne to join her.

At first, this seems a bit out of character for Frieren given her recent lessons in humanity. However, the reason Frieren goes in with only Fern is not a matter of trust, pride, or efficiency. To Frieren, exploring a dungeon is entertainment. She simply wants to explore it in her own way—to check out every nook and cranny before continuing. And the other mages (aside from Fern) would not enjoy her lackadaisical approach to dungeoneering mid-test.

It's not that Frieren doesn't care about the test. Rather, it's that her time with Himmel taught her it is possible to both accomplish your goals and enjoy the journey as you do so. There is time enough to have fun and pass the test. Indeed, we see both Wirbel's team and Denken's fighting life-and-death struggles. Meanwhile, Freiren is having a blast with all the magical items (of dubious quality) that she's found—and even being munched on by a mimic has done little to dampen her spirits.

But as much as this episode teaches us about Frieren, it also teaches us about Fern. Fern's young life was a race against time—to become a proper mage before Heiter died. She put her entire soul into this goal and once it was completed and Heiter was gone, she was left without any kind of obsessive drive in her life. Yet, with that out of the way, we can see the reason why such a goal was important to her in the first place.

What Fern wants at her core is to see those she loves happy. Whether it was Heiter's happiness at seeing the young mage she had become or Frieren's joy when sitting in front of a pile of magical junk, these are the moments that make her life worth living. All the frustrations she faces when those around her don't act as she thinks they should melt away when she sees the delight that she has helped to give them. And this, more than anything else, is why she continues with Frieren on her quest: to see the moment when Frieren gets her heart's desire and sees Himmel once more.

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Random Thoughts:

• Poor Lange, getting sucker-punched into a trap room like that. At least she'll get another chance at the exam in a few years.

• This episode gives us our first hint at how powerful Methode is—both blocking an attack and then countering it with a beam clash of her very own.

• If we assume that the Frieren copy has all her spells and knowledge but not her personality, then we have a Frieren who won't hesitate to go all-out with her most lethal spells.

• I wonder where the copies get their mana—especially when we include Frieren's massive amount.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.