Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End S1.E2 – “It Didn’t Have to Be Magic…”

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

Catch up with Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season 1, episode 2 here!

Continuing on from the end of the previous episode, we pickup with Frieren talking to a young Fern as they fish, discussing the lack of Fern’s level of mana and it’s firing strength. It’s through this discussion that we learn more about both Frieren and Fern, as the former comes off as knowing a lot about both of those things from her own personal experience. This is just an example of how good the writing in this series is, where they let you infer through what’s being said instead of telling you everything right out of the gate (more on that to come in a later review). Through the writing and pacing of the episode, we also start to see more of the themes that were introduced in the previous episode start to shine through and expand little by little.

Just like the previous episode, we get another time jump, this one having been a whole four years. Within that four years, Fern’s learned more than most mages do in ten and in that very scene we learn that, we also learn why; Heiter falls to the floor. The man that was a good friend to our heroine and savior of Fern is close to being no more and it is Fern’s goal to master being a mage before he passes, so that he knows she’ll be alright when he’s gone. Not long after, Fern proves to herself that she’s done exactly that and Frieren cries over Heiter’s bed, telling him to say bye and to focus on making as many memories with her as he can, speaking from experience as she regrets not making that time for Himmel. This exact moment is yet another excellent example of the stellar voice acting, as you can feel that Mallorie Rodak herself was crying while recording. The emotion of the scene comes through stronger than most others up to this point, so be sure to have those tissues on hand!

The next part of our journey takes us to another village, the name of which I can’t recall. It’s here where come across a dirty statue of Himmel, which Frieren and Fern take all the time they need to clean. In this case, what seems to be several more months as indicated by the dialogue. Along with the cleaning, they plant Himmel’s favorite flower known as blue moon weed. According to research I did, this is a fictional flower found only in the show. However, it’s meant to represent things that show, without telling, more about Himmel as a character: unconditional love, romance, wellness for the soul, health for the planet, humanity & nature, tender sensitivity, trust associated with masculine figures and wood loving.

Speaking of the flowers, the visuals and artwork in this episode were absolutely breathtaking. It was almost like being able to step into a painting at times, where the camera zoom made things like pumpkins look like they were painted on with masterful brushstrokes. The way color was used also was very unique as it showed us the passing of time without outright telling us. One minute, the leaves are healthy and green while the next, they’re resting on the ground, decaying in oranges and browns. Those visuals with the masterful sound work once again really pull you in.

Final Thoughts

All in all, this was yet another great episode that I rate a straight up 10/10.

Let me know in the comments below what you thought of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season 1, episode 2 in the comments below!

You can stream Frieren: Beyond Journey's End on Crunchyroll!