One thing that I loved about this episode of Frieren was the design for Revolte, the four-armed demon. He is similar to a Naga in that his lower half is the body of a huge snake. His eyes are covered by a mask, but it has three dark red slivers that could be windows to three eyes. There’s a cool burn-like scar on his attractive face and his hair is long and silky. Also, the demon is ripped as hell. I’m very (not) sorry if this makes anyone comfortable, but in my opinion, Revolte is fuckin’ hot.
I absolutely love demons and creatures who are part snake. It’s a bonus if their voice is sexy. (Revolte’s VA, Shinichiro Miki, has an incredibly attractive voice, if you ask me.) No, I’m not actually rooting for any of the demons on Frieren, nor do I expect any of them to live long. But if Frieren is going to insist on having sexy monsters, then I will enjoy them and their awesome designs for as long as I can in my own way.
Maybe this seems like a strange or silly introduction. It is, but I just don’t care anymore about being seen as weird. With everything happening with the US right now, my mental health is a mess, so I try to keep things as simple and enjoy myself whenever possible. I don’t have the energy to care about pretending to be normal. So yeah, I’m going to enjoy some lewd fantasies with Revolte. With that out of the way, let’s take a broader, more sane look at Frieren season 2 episode 7 (or episode 35 total).
Episode 7: The Divine Revolt
Episode Rating: 9/10
We started with a flashback to sometime earlier, when Genau and Methode were being sent out by Serie. It seemed like Genau didn’t like Methode very much. His attitude was so bad he wouldn’t shake hands with her without being prompted by Serie. But if I understand Genau, he was probably thinking that he didn’t want to get attached because Methode was likely a “good person” and thus, in his mind at least, more likely to die. After all, his partner, who was virtuous and naive, was just killed by demons a few days ago. Meanwhile, callous people like Ubel lived on unhindered. Genau is already an interesting character with many layers despite the fact that we’ve seen him so little compared to the main cast. Learning about his partner was both enlightening and sad.
While we’re on the topic, Genau later said something to Stark that was interesting and slightly confusing. He stated, “My hometown’s been destroyed, but I feel nothing.” That was after he also claimed he was not a good person because he had done whatever needed to be done to survive in the harsh northern lands. Genau had gotten used to death and now felt numb to the deaths of others – even those close to him, like his younger partner. But there is something wrong with what he said. It isn’t that he doesn’t feel anything. He just lacks a strong emotional response, which is a psychological defense mechanism used by those who have to fight for their lives. And that defense mechanism can be very important for keeping oneself alive and functional in dangerous times.
All that to say, someone who truly felt nothing would not be agonizing over his supposed numbness, nor judging himself negatively for being good at surviving. In addition, if Genau’s magic aura had any meaning, then it’s clear he was feeling rage toward the demons in the previous episode. Genau has feelings and there’s nothing wrong with him. He’s just a person who grew resilient and logical in a dangerous occupation surrounded by death and risk. As usual, Frieren continues to impress me with its character writing.
Speaking of characters, the group surmised that they were dealing with four demons. One of them was obviously the leader, the four-armed demon who called himself the Divine Revolte. The other three have not yet been named in the show, but MAL lists them. The one that looks like a pink-haired little girl is Yun. She is extremely curious about everything – even the humans on which she preys. The third demon is Hermon, who resembles a fair-skinned boy and wields a mage’s staff. Last but not least is Zorida, a demon resembling a young woman with a dark mask over her eyes. All of these demons will most likely die in the next couple of episodes, but they all have unique and cool designs. Besides Revolte, my favorite so far is Yun. I’m only interested in Revolte for his smokin’ monster bod, but for Yun, I’m excited to see her character developed.
Getting back to the events of the episode, the group decided to split up. They thought the demons might be hiding in a nearby abandoned fort, so Frieren headed that way with Fern and Methode. Genau stayed behind to guard the bodies of the dead that still lay in the church. Stark stayed with Genau and they shared some conversation in front of the fire that evening. It was cute and interesting to see Stark doing his own thing in this episode and spending some time apart from his usual party. Other than that, I think I’ve already said all that I need to about this talk. Before long, Revolte arrived. He looked so amazing and cool when he came charging out, his half-snake body both quick and strong. In true demon fashion, he tried to trick the humans into talking a bit first – but Genau and Stark knew better than to listen and immediately initiated combat.
Meanwhile, with Frieren’s group, there was a hilarious moment while they walked in the woods. Methode asked if she could pet Frieren. The elf declined until she was offered a rare and random spell, after which she said Methode could do whatever she wanted. Methode loved petting Frieren’s hair, holding her, and nuzzling her head. Fern grew jealous (“Mistress Frieren is my elf!”) and tried to pry Frieren away from Methode. It was such a funny moment to see the girls fighting over Frieren. I actually laughed out loud at this part. We needed the humor.
The humorous mood ended abruptly as Frieren and company sensed the demons. Hermon and Zorida attacked with powerful spells from their position in the air. They were masters of flying, as most demons were by nature. (Frieren explained to Fern that demons took to flight almost as well as they did to walking, so they didn’t consider it a specialized type of magic. This exposition felt slightly out of place, but I’m always eager to learn more about this show’s fantasy lore.) While Zorida engaged Methode, Frieren and Fern faced Hermon. The elf told the human girl to handle the fight. Though Fern was not confident, Frieren had perfect faith in her ability to win.
Back in the ruined village, the battle with Revolte continued. Genau revealed that he could fly using a spell that allowed him to manipulate a pair of magic wings. It looked epic when he leaped up and unfurled his dark, raven-like wings, scattering feathers in the moonlit night. It was a beautiful way to end the episode. There’s always so much to say about Frieren and its awesome characters, but that’s all I’ve got in me for today. And remember: in this crazy world in which we must live, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying hot anime demons. Sayonara until next time!
~Thanks for Reading~
Written by 7Mono at Anime Rants
Anime Rants 