Greetings and thanks for visiting Anime Rants. This installment of Frieren second season was rather slow-paced and uneventful. I don’t say “boring” because I love these characters and their interactions even when there’s little to no action happening. Let’s rant about Frieren season 2 episode 3!
Episode 3: Somewhere She’d Like
Episode Rating: 8/10
Frieren and company were in an unusually temperate area of the North. Due the volcanic activity in the vicinity, the air was warmer and there were hotsprings in some towns. The village that Frieren remembered from her journey with Himmel was gone. The springs dried up and the people left about thirty years ago. Only one family remained in a cottage. The old man at the cottage said there was a hidden hotsprings in the Etwas Mountains about a week’s journey away. Frieren and Fern agreed to go there because Stark wanted to see the hidden hotsprings. He seemed to know the name “Etwas” from some memory, but he didn’t elaborate until later in the episode.
(Side Note: “Etwas” means “Something” in German. My German friends think the naming in Frieren is pretty dumb and/or cringe. Personally, I think it’s interesting to have Germanic word inspirations for world-building, but I wish the author of Frieren had better naming sense. “The Something Mountains” sounds … stupid. It’s possible the author was trying to say, “The small/scarce Mountains,” but that is a much less commonly used meaning of “Etwas.” People would normally assume “Something.”)
The group traveled and the scenery was gorgeous. On the way to the hidden hotspring, they encountered a monster with an interesting reptilian design. Frieren pointed out that it was not a dragon, but didn’t explain what the differences were. I think it didn’t count as a dragon because it had no special breath power (like fire breath) and no wings. Frieren, rather coldly, used Stark as bait, making him run around and get chased by the monster. Then Frieren and Fern killed it from above. Safe from the monster, the group continued traveling. Soon, they reached the Etwas hotspring.
Frieren had warned them that it wasn’t really much of a hotspring, and sure enough, it was only deep enough to be a foot-bath. Nevertheless, the group enjoyed the tiny hotspring. As Stark pointed out, the fact that it was a shallow bath meant they could all enjoy it together. Also, the view of the mountain range from the hotspring was strikingly beautiful. Stark remembered hearing about this place from Eisen. Long ago now, Frieren took this same detour with the Hero’s Party and witnessed the same awesome view. The experience left a lifelong impression on Eisen, so he told the story to Stark.
That was basically the first half of the episode. In the second half of the episode, the focus was on Stark and Fern – though it did start with a scene of Frieren finally enjoying a hotspring. I was relieved there was no fan-service. There was also a really cute moment where we saw Frieren licking a popsicle. Her expressions are so derpy and adorable! Anyway, the group had finally just arrived in a town that offered hotsprings baths. While Frieren was bathing, Fern was complaining about Stark being “inconsiderate.”
Stark found himself wishing again that Fern wasn’t so harsh all the time. For the record, I agree with him; Fern is difficult to deal with and fussy as hell. People with Fern’s personality type tend to get on my nerves sometimes. Even if it comes from a place of abundant care, I react badly to overbearing people. That doesn’t mean I don’t like Fern, though. There are times I really appreciate her character, and even when I don’t, she is objectively well-written. Nevertheless, she’s way too cold and mean toward Stark.
Thinking a prank would be good pay-back, Stark asked Fern on a date. He meant it as a joke, but she took it seriously, said yes, and then walked away. She also dropped her book when asked out, which could be read as flustered surprise. Adding to that idea, Fern left her book behind, and she’s usually not forgetful. Stark was confused by Fern’s reaction, having expected her to be angry. Again, I think she was flustered, but I get why Stark was thrown off. Feeling overwhelmed, he asked Frieren for advice.
Frieren’s first question was whether Stark was right in the head for asking her for dating advice. This was a funny moment but also sort of impressive, since it shows how Frieren has developed more self-awareness. She and Stark were sitting at a tavern and talking. During their conversation, Frieren complained about how Stark compared her to a grandmother. If Stark were to insult her age one more time, Frieren threatened to break down and cry. We then saw a flashback of sometime in the past, when the elf girl threw a tantrum over an unspecified issue. She cried and wailed for three days and three nights. Even Himmel the Hero was frightened of Frieren’s tantrums.
(Side Note: Many folks on the Autism Spectrum or otherwise neurodivergent people like myself have “claimed” Frieren. She is a good example of a neurodivergent character. As for myself, I was never diagnosed with ASD, but I suspect I qualify. ADHD, Major Depression, and anxiety disorders are my main diagnoses, though I have more, lol. All that to say, Frieren’s “tantrums” were introduced as a semi-comical thing, but they nevertheless strike me as similar to the meltdowns that some autistic people experience. I have meltdowns myself when I’m too overstimulated. Meltdowns don’t last for days on end, as far as I am aware, but they can be very loud, dramatic and tearful, depending on the person. TLDR: More evidence that Frieren is on the Spectrum.)
Frieren showed Stark where to take Fern and what to do on their date tomorrow. It was like a practice run where they went around town together looking at shops and eating sweet snacks. Frieren kept pointing out things about Fern. Stark was impressed that Frieren knew so much about Fern’s preferences, but Frieren clarified that she learned all this from Heiter before he died. However, as Stark pointed out, it was still impressive that Frieren remembered all this. She’s very good at retaining information.
Later that evening, Fern told Frieren that she’d been asked on a date. She was humorously shocked when Frieren said she had experience with dates. We then learned Frieren’s definition of a date, which came from her master, Flamme. She thinks a date is when people of the opposite sex hang out with each other. I disagree because 1) dates can be between people of the same sex, and 2) I think there has to be romantic intent for something to be a date. Anyway, Fern could not sleep that night, lending credence to the idea that she’s overthinking and anxious about being asked out. To be continued!
~Thanks for reading~
Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants
Anime Rants 
Interesting the Etwas thing. The monster obviously was neither a lizard but an Hydra cause the multiple heads and the thing about having to kill them all at once.
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