Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End – Episode 22 Review

Good day, readers! This episode review is a week late, but I hope you still enjoy it!

Normally, I have two sections in my episode reviews – recap of events and discussion/ notes – but this time I’m in a hurry to catch up. Plus, it wasn’t one of those action-filled or information-heavy episodes that requires a detailed recap. The episode focused on the interactions of the test takers in their downtime before the second exam. With that in mind, I’ll move right into my notes and discussion.

Episode 22: Future Enemies

At several points in this episode, Fern is in a bad mood, making Frieren and Stark desperate to lift her spirits. It’s nice of Fern’s companions to go out of their way to help sooth her unreasonable anger. Plus, her pouty face is funny. But I’ve dealt with people like Fern in real life and I can tell you that there’s nothing humorous about having to walk on eggshells and trying to please a short-fused, passive-aggressive person. It’s one of those things that’s funny in anime, but not in real life.

There were two emotional and sweet moments that made up the heart of this episode. The first one was in the restaurant, where Frieren and her two companions ordered as much delicious food as they wanted. It was so cute to see Stark delighted over omelette rice while Fern was gorging out on desserts. They’re both adorable when they’re happy.

Over eighty years ago, Frieren visited this same restaurant with Himmel and the others. The chef at the time assured Frieren that his establishment would last for hundreds of years, and that his superior flavors will carry into the future. As she eats the steak and remembers Himmel, Frieren realizes the flavors have changed after all, but in a good way. The chefs have improved.

The other heartwarming moment was when Kanne and Lawine met with Frieren and thanked her for allowing them to pass the first test. Frieren remembers Himmel saying that it’s good to try to change people’s lives in small ways. Just as the young villagers in the past thanked and praised the hero, the new generation of young mages are thanking and praising Frieren. She had a lasting positive impact on their lives. As Himmel said, “To live is to be known and remembered by others.” So, you might as well leave happy memories and be known for kindness.

Speaking of the young mages, it was great to see Lawine and Kanne again. I’m quite fond of both characters. We learned a little bit more about Lawine in this episode. She comes from a rich family in the royal capital, and has several older brothers. They like to spoil her and make her dress up in fancy, girly clothes. Lawine isn’t too happy about the clothes, finding them restrictive and unneccesary. She just puts up with it to make her brothers happy, which is admirable. Regardless, Lawine looks very cute.

The warm, fuzzy feelings in these scenes were great, but that wasn’t my favorite part of episode 22. The element that interested me most was a bit darker as well as highly fascinating from a psychological perspective. Of course, I’m referring to Ubel. We learned of her hidden magical talent: she can mimic spells from anyone with whom she has empathized. For instance, because she empathized with Wirbel for a moment, she can now use his spell of binding that holds people in place as long as they are in sight.

Characters with empathy-related powers are generally interesting. But unlike the typical “empath,” Ubel thinks very little of killing others. The dialectic way in which she can be both empathetic and bloodthirsty at the same time is fascinating. I think Ubel has an absolutely brilliant character concept. She isn’t a sociopath because she can feel empathy – however, her empathy is fickle, and she may still decide to kill. Ubel’s scene was my favorite part of episode 22.