Sousou no Frieren • Frieren: Beyond Journey's End - Episode 9 discussion

Sousou no Frieren, episode 9

Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.

Streams

Crunchyroll

Show information

All discussions

Episode	Link	Episode	Link
5	Link	18	Link
6	Link	19	Link
7	Link	20	Link
8	Link	21	Link
9	Link	22	Link
10	Link	23	Link
11	Link	24	Link
12	Link	25	Link
13	Link	26	Link
14	Link	27	Link
15	Link	28	Link
16	Link
17	Link

This post was created by a bot. Message the mod team for feedback and comments. The original source code can be found on GitHub.

7 comments

Great episode. When reading the manga, I never liked the action chapters as much as the slower, contemplative chapters. However, seeing it animated, especially with this quality, really elevates the source and gives the action scenes so much more dynamism. This adaptation continues to deliver and I cannot wait until next week when we see Frieren do her part of the job.

God, what a fantastic episode. The fighting scenes were so excellently animated, and I love the whole "she's not as good at magic as me, nor is she as powerful, but she can beat me because she's faster" thing. That's so cool!
Fran was the real winner of this episode, and I have to assume the next episode will be Frieren's chance to get a really cool win again.
Poor Stark. He's super strong, but because of his nerves he's always been an underdog. Even defeating the dragon a couple episodes it was like "wow, I can't believe such a weak guy's so strong". And then this episode, he actually has a chance to show his strength with some confidence, but keeps getting knocked down because of his master's moves. He wins in the end, but easily comes out with the most hits of anyone, including the two losers of the battles lol
- A lot of the damage Stark receives in this fight is ultimately his own fault. He was finally able to end the fight by committing to a finishing blow and accepting some pain in return. He could have done that at any time if he had the confidence. I kind of like how Stark's self confidence wasn't fixed by one event (even if it was slaying a dragon). These kinds of hang-ups aren't fixed easily and take time (at least from a human perspective).
  Agreed on Fern being the winner of this episode though. She was stone cold the whole fight sequence. Would this be the magical equivalent of a zerg rush?

I really like this series for its depth. Every character has more than one layer, many things connect. The only thing I don't like is the one thing that stick out like a sore thumb: The demons are just one-dimensionally evil.
- I think that demons aren't necessarily one-dimensionally evil in Frieren, but are more meant to be incomprehensible and alien. I also think that if they were to add too much complexity to the antagonists in this story, it risks taking away the focus on characters that the author wants to focus on. At the end of the day, we (the reader/viewer) are meant to be on a journey of self-reflection and discovery with Frieren as she learns about humans, her companions (past and present), and what she feels about them. Other things in the story should complement that end goal.
  That being said, I understand the criticism. The nature of demons and how they interact with humanity is a recurring theme in this series. Without spoiling anything specific, the later parts of the story dealing with it do offer more complexity in human/demon interaction. I am not sure how far this adaptation will make it through the story, but I think these demons, being our first exposure to them in the story, is meant to be a bit more clear-cut morally.
  
  Fern pointed it out this episode: Lügner could have killed her in the first strike, but he was too prideful and deliberately missed to get revenge on her catching him unguarded earlier. Not sure which act would be more evil but this says that demons do have personalities.

What amazing way to animate a double battle - with the action flinging back and forth between Lügner x Fern and Linie x Stark, with the first becoming fireworks for the second, only to deliver the finishing blow of both fights.
Relevant detail, on the names of the demons:
Draht (dead) - German for "wire". Remember his power?
Lügner - German for "liar". It's what he does - he lies to humans.
Linie - German for "line". It includes line of battle; she's basically like multiple infantry in a single demon.
Aura - mostly the Latin word for "air" or "wind", but also associated with the esoteric belief of some energy around your body. If you think on how anime/manga usually represents qi, mana etc., it is a lot like aura, and that she basically measures that "aura" of hers vs. her opponent's.

7 comments