Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End episode 11 has premiered, and despite serving as an epilogue and epilogue to the “Aura the Guillotine” arc, it continues the trend set by the previous episodes—a masterclass Teacher of storytelling and role playing. At the start of the episode, as Frieren walked down the pile of armor with nothing but the echoing sound of his footsteps, I had the surreal feeling that we were once again in for another cinematic experience.
An honorable conclusion to the Arc
After defeating Aura and saving the town, Frieren and her group decided to stay in town a little longer to get to know the locals and allow them to express their gratitude to their heroes. While there are glimpses of the new party interacting with the townspeople, the ethereal background melody of Milet’s voice adds the perfect touch that makes the entire sequence immersive and breathtaking. It’s a fitting ending to this arc.
Of course, this episode is not completely serious and wholesome because the funny jokes, led by Stark, are back in a special way because we have extremely urgent serial episodes. His funny reactions still make me laugh and the way the anime weaves it naturally is as awesome as ever.
I think the climax of all of this is when everyone gathers and pays their respects to the knights who sacrificed their lives to protect the town. This is why I emphasized the action that Frieren did in episode 9. If she completely destroyed Aura and the army she took control of, there wouldn’t be any symbols or characters to respect. The pendant on each knight’s armor serves as an identifier of who they are—it’s a nice touch to the overall impact of the scene. Every townie, including Frieren and her group, was there to pay their respects. When combined with the climax of Milet’s song, it’s a melancholy but respectful scene.
Another Elf
As the journey continues, Frieren and her group meet another elf, Kraft, a monk who may have lived for over a thousand years. Voiced by the legendary Takehito Koyasu, he is definitely an interesting addition to the episode as his interactions with them are quite interesting and heartwarming. The way Kraft casually mentioned that he hadn’t seen a goblin in 300 years shed more light on the goblins’ different perspective on time. We now know that it is not only the Frieren who have a distinct view of the passage of time, but rather that this view is also shared by other long-lived races, such as the elves.
We’ve also established that elves have absolutely no romantic interests whatsoever. The two elves sticking together for six months could have at least rekindled Frieren and Kraft’s romantic feelings, but nothing came of it. Even though Kraft is actually a monk and Frieren is Frieren, and on top of that, their age gap might as well be huge. Frieren still looks like he’s in his teens despite being a thousand years old while Kraft looks like a man in his 30s.
Anyway, another highlight is that Heiter also left his mark on Frieren. Even after all that time on the road, with the constant teasing and everything, Frieren still holds those memories dearly and shows that her attachment goes beyond Himmel. It became more and more clear that the group held a special place in her heart.
One more thing I need to mention is that as the new team and Kraft are now continuing on their own journeys, Kraft’s mention of a future reunion with Frieren in a few centuries carries with it some implications. . This makes me feel empty inside because when they meet again, Fern and Stark will no longer be with Frieren.
Frieren Episode 11 remains entertaining despite the mundaneness
Overall, Frieren episode 11 doesn’t have any action at all and it just shows the mundane life of the new party. However, Frieren has managed to make it so dramatic and engaging that it doesn’t feel like a filler episode or a chore to watch. It continues to succeed in conveying the captivating feeling of an engaging story. It’s reminiscent of how Bocchi the Rock (the same director as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End) also elevated the entire production of the series to make it more entertaining and interesting for viewers.
Screenshot via Muse Asia
© Yamada Kanehito, Abe Tsukasa/Shogakukan/“Sousou no Frieren” Production Committee