Following on from last week’s great episode, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End once again delivered a great week, although episode 15 had a different focus. This time, it’s not as beautiful in terms of nuance and parallelism that the previous installment brought, instead it shows us how much the studio and staff really love this title by turning our attention to the two male members of the new film for a moment. party.
Sein action
In Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End episode 15, we saw Sein in action while also highlighting the important role priests play in a group. Usually, in fantasy RPG series, priests or healers are often overlooked because watching a side character can be very boring. However, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End succeeds in positioning Sein as the group’s savior. It is also explained that the curses in this series involve magic unknown to humans. Priests, protected by the goddess, can withstand these curses and even though Sein may be the weakest in terms of strength and fighting skills, he still becomes the one who helps the group defeat the monster Cursed. Without him, Frieren would not have been able to defeat the monster on her own, even though she was so powerful.
At the same time, Sein demonstrated his maturity by logically evaluating how Frieren could handle the situation when he only had 5 seconds to counterattack. He questions whether Frieren can make a quick attack and control it without harming the nearby village or destroying the forest. Despite initial doubts about Frieren and the new addition to the group, Sein handles the situation quite well. While understanding Frieren’s thought process is challenging due to her unique perception of time, that does not make her unreliable. She can outwit the demons by limiting her mana, but it’s important to remember that demons are the only race she despises because they were responsible for her family’s deaths. We, the viewers, already know what Frieren is capable of, we know that she can be trusted to deliver on her promises. And now, Sein also belongs to those who believe in Frieren the Slayer.
Stark’s Development
Once again, this episode focuses on the two male members of the new team, with the second half specifically diving deeper into the character of Stark. While this arc may initially seem like fun or merely an opportunity for Madhouse to show off his animation abilities in this series (which I’ll get to in a bit), there’s more to it than meets the eye . We were previously introduced to Stark’s past in episode 12, where he came from a warrior village and was overshadowed by his extraordinary brother. In this episode, he has the opportunity to demonstrate how he has changed from a weak person to a strong and mature warrior.
Stepping into the role of the eldest son of the earl, Stark somewhat played the role like his late brother and, unsurprisingly, he performed his role very well. His growth as a character can be attributed to the influence of Eisen’s teachings and his journey with Frieren, which shaped his overall personality and past. His past no longer defines him. Now he admits his weaknesses and plays to his strengths. Furthermore, he gains a deeper understanding of the challenges fathers face, drawing parallels with his youth.
Developments and similarities like these really make Frieren Beyond Journey’s End a great show to watch. Beyond the character storylines, what stands out is the staff’s extraordinary effort to ensure that this adaptation ranks among the best to date.
Madhouse Is on Another Level
While Sein’s contributions in the first half were notable, the standout moment of this episode was undeniably the dance between Fern and Stark. What makes me say this is a highlight is that this entire dance sequence serves as a testament to the studio and staff’s unwavering passion for this title. In the manga, the dance actually only has two panels, with no scenes of Fern and Stark dancing together. However, the anime goes a step further by devoting an entire scene to this mesmerizing dance, as if it were something out of a Disney movie.
Madhouse requested a dance school to provide it choreography and references for this scene showed how much they cared about this scene. Evan Call, the composer for the anime, also went above and beyond once again, creating a completely new score specifically for this scene. The animation team also meticulously timed the cuts to harmonize with the music. Evan even revealed that the string players were animated correctly, aligned with what was recorded during the recording of the waltz. And the fact that none of this is CGI just shows the dedication and hard work that went into bringing this anime to life is beyond amazing. Truly, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is pushing the limits of what the medium can achieve as well as the ceiling of how adaptations can be done.
Screenshot via Muse Asia
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© Yamada Kanehito, Abe Tsukasa/Shogakukan/“Sousou no Frieren Production Committee”