Alas, it’s the end of the amazing anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End – but only for now. Obviously, the journey to Ende will continue. Now that Frieren’s group has Fern as a First Class Mage, they can legally traverse into the northern lands where demons dwell. Hopefully, another season will be announced soon. In the meantime, it’s sad that I won’t have this series to look forward to every week. Alas. Such is life.

This final episode was not super exciting, but it didn’t need to be. It was just for tying up the loose ends of the mage exam arc. I have a lot of thoughts on this episode, starting with a list of people who passed the third test. These six people became First Class Mages: Fern, Denken, Ubel, Land, Wirbel, and Methode. Although that’s only half the number of people who passed the second test, I’m still surprised at the success rate. By Serie’s own admission, this year’s batch of mages are amazing.

The test-taker that suprised me most was Land. I didn’t think he would be qualified. However, there was another trick up his sleeve that nobody noticed till now. Land can create more than one copy of himself at a time, and can control those copies even from many miles away. In reality, he never left his hometown. Both versions of Land who came to the test were just copies. That’s impressive, and the power is sure to have many uses. Plus, I like the nerve of this trick. Well done, Land.

This episode showed us a peek into the mind of Wirbel. Despite being a fearsome warrior, he wants to help others whenever and wherever possible. When he was growing up in a small village, Wirbel frequently heard stories about Himmel the Hero. It shaped his identity as a person. Interestingly enough, Wirbel was most touched by the stories of Himmel helping the villagers with small odd-jobs. That’s what was inspiring for Wirbel: the tiny acts of service, regardless of whether Himmel saved the world from the Demon King.

Wirbel also said something that I’m not completely sure I understand. He told Frieren to treasure her encounters, because death is not the only kind of goodbye. This threw me off for some reason. But after considering it for a bit, I think Wirbel is stating the simple truth that people don’t always meet again after parting. It’s not even death that prevents it – rather, it’s distance, practical concerns, or other difficulties. Frieren should treasure each encounter because even if the people she meets don’t die, she may never see them again.

Later in the episode, Serie’s best student (Lernen) approaches Frieren. He explains that he needs Serie to remember him, so he’s going to leave his mark on history as the one who killed Frieren. For an old man, Lernen is still insecure and awkward. He knows nothing but battle. Frieren refuses to fight him and explains that Serie remembers every student she’s ever had: their face, their name, and even their favorite spell. She told Frieren so during the third test. This information soothes Lernen, and he stops trying to fight.

This brief event with Lernen felt a bit out of the blue, but it was definitely in keeping with the major themes of the anime so far. People want to be remembered. Even a powerful and wise old mage can make stupid decisions when driven by the desire to “leave his mark.” In addition, I also liked this little encounter because it showed the soft side of Serie. She can’t tell her students honestly, but she loves each of them. She’ll never forget them or regret taking them on as apprentices.

After Fern receives her privilege – any spell she desires – from Serie, she and Frieren and Stark head out of the city. They are finally leaving Auberst behind. If you’re wondering what spell Fern asked for, it was the spell which perfectly cleans clothes. It will make laundry easy forever. I thought this was a hilarious choice, and very much something Fern would choose. Although Serie thought Fern was insane, Frieren was very proud of her student. A weird teacher and a weird student being weird together – very wholesome.

On the way out of town, Frieren and her group bid goodbye to Kanne and Lawine. The farewell was short and simple, just like Frieren likes it. The reason she does it this way is that Himmel used to do so as well. He argued that a long, emotional goodbye would be embarrassing to remember when they meet again. Frieren took this to heart. She thinks of Himmel fondly as she walks, hoping to meet him again somehow.

Before I saw it, I thought the last episode of Frieren might make me cry. But it ended with Frieren smiling. The last episode had some amusing humor and not that much emotionally evocative content. I think this was very intentional on the part of the writers. In a way, I felt that Himmel was talking to the audience as he said, “Tearful goodbyes are not our style.”

~Thank you for reading~

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PATREON