Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End - Episode 22 [Review]
Following the conclusion of the first test, Stark’s newfound peace is disrupted when Fern and Frieren return. After Stark confesses to some grave sins, such as staying up all night while drinking juice, Fern is put in a foul mood. Desperate to cheer her up, Frieren suggests they get dinner at a restaurant she visited long ago with Himmel’s party.
In the flashback, the Hero’s party had retrieved the knife of the most talented chef of the century. As a reward, they were given an opulent meal, and a favor or request of their choosing. After Frieren commented that food often doesn’t maintain its taste for very long, as chefs are eager to make their impact on different types of dishes, the chef committed to keeping the flavors persistent through generations.
In present day, Frieren reflects on whether or not the chef was actually successful.
They are joined at the restaurant by some former enemy test-takers, including Denken, Laufen, Richter, Ubel and Land. Denken seems to be doting on Laufen throughout the day, keeping her supplied with donuts and chiding her to eat her vegetables at dinner. Richter is trying to put some distance between his former party members as the second test is imminent, and will pit them against one another.
Following the delicious meal, Fern awakens in a sour mood yet again the following day when Frieren sleeps in and delays fulfilling her duty of shopping for resources. After recruiting Stark to assist with “mediating” the situation, Fern proclaims that she wants to eat some snacks. The party then embarks on their shopping trip, coming across Kanne and Lawine in the process.
While Stark is pulled away by Wirbel to take down a huge beast, Fern and Frieren connect with Kanne and Lawine and they share stories and laughs together. The moment sparks another flashback from Frieren, when she asked Himmel why he did the nice things he did for people.
“To live is to be known and remembered by people.” he says, and encourages Frieren to change peoples lives for the better - even in a small way.
In the midst of this merriment, the announcement of the second test is delivered - and the mages begin to prepare themselves for the next challenge ahead.
Frieren continues to impress with its ability to balance engaging action sequences with impactful, emotional narratives. Seeing Frieren’s evolution, and the layers of meaning that is imbued in everything that she does as more context is revealed from her time with Himmel’s party is a gift that keeps on giving.
I also really enjoyed the scene with Land and Ubel in this episode, which adds another element to the already rich and interesting structure of magic within the world of Frieren. Having a better understanding of the different ways mages utilize magic helps to make the system feel more believable.
Really looking forward to the next episode! Frieren continues to be an amazing fantasy adventure with tremendous heart, superb animation and a stellar soundtrack.
