Frieren S2E1 – “Shall We Go, Then?” Review

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

A New Beginning

With the season 1 finale of “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” having aired in March 2024, it can be easy to forget where we last left off in the adventure. In the aforementioned episode, we last left our heroes as Fern completed her First Class Mage exam, Frieren coming to terms with her emotions towards Fern & Stark and her changed perception of time, as well the party heading out on yet another adventure.

That right there is exactly where this new season picks up, and what a great pick up it is. It almost feels as if no time has passed at all, which for this series, is VERY fitting! Everything from the animation to the plot movement and music is just as good as the previous season.

Taking over for season one director Keiichirō Seitō is Tomoya Kitagawa (Spy x Family, A Place Further Than the Universe). Sometimes director changes in anime can be very iffy, but so far this one fits like a glove. I’m beyond happy to say the animation, pacing, acting, artwork, etc are all on par with season one and the story told in just this one episode is expertly crafted.

Crystal Clear

In the episode, we learn of crystals that nullify magic. Not long after Fern finds one does the party fall into a cave chock full of them. As Frieren talks about them, a dangerous creature lurks and as the team’s surrounded by the crystals, none of them can defend or fight with magic. It’s here we cut to a flashback of Frieren with her original party of Himmel, Eisen and Heiter. In a bit of backstory on Eisen, we learn that he ran from his village as it was in danger in order to save himself. This is beautifully mirrored with the events of the present, where we see Stark running from the dangerous creature with Frieren & Fern thrown over his shoulders. In my opinion, this was a great way to show that sometimes in life, we need to run from the danger in order to protect ourselves and that that’s perfectly okay; not every fight is worth it or needs to be had so long as you and your loved ones are alive in the end.

What’s Old is New Again

To close this new batch of episodes is what’s quite honestly the most beautiful end credits I’ve ever seen. Every single frame was expertly hand drawn by the absolutely mad animators at Madhouse with the animation being done in an old school flip book style. The bow on top was the song “The Story of Us” by Milet, something I went and added to my music library immediately.

Final Thoughts

All in all, I’m beyond excited to see where the adventure takes us this season! Just like in the first season, everything was done to perfection. To bring attention to a behind the scenes matter, I send all my love to series creators Kanehito Yamada & Tsukasa Abe as they work to get back into better health.

What about you? Did you enjoy last weeks season premiere? Let us know in the comments below!