Sousou no Frieren – Episode 06

Episode Synopsis:

Stark shows up to distract the dragon for 30 seconds as promised. He ends up defeating it on his own which seems to have been Frieren’s plan all along. The trio leaves the village and ends up in a town that blocks them from continuing their journey north. Frieren is content to shop and sit around for the two or so years it would take to re-open the checkpoint. Fern on the other hand…is not. She and Stark journey around town looking for a way to get through the checkpoint and continue onwards.

Review:

I’m enjoying this show quite a bit and I’m glad it hasn’t fallen into the same trap as another show we watched featuring a white haired mage (*cough cough Elena is the worst). Episode 6 features some excellent subtle storytelling I’m becoming accustom to with Frieren, but it also features a few odd missteps that I’ll mention below.

For starters, the battle with the dragon is fantastic. The camera moves along with Stark as he swings under the beast, runs up mountains, and flips into the air. While the battle is short, it’s dynamic and cool and the celtic sounding accompanying music brings it all together. Hell’s Paradise sure could learn some lessons from it about how to stage a fight from this!

The close out to the dragon arc is a lecture on fear. Fear is the mind killer after all and thus far, has been an emotion that Frieren has yet to show. I wonder if that’s just how elves are or if Frieren is some sort of exception. Stark’s fear of the dragon locks him in place in terms of growing as a person and a warrior. It’s only through acknowledging and facing one’s fears that true growth happens. Frieren knows this from her time with her previous party (specifically from Eisen, Stark’s mentor), and has already tested this theory on Fern. It’s a sign that she believes in her companions and that is a huge step for someone who understood so little about what makes traveling with others special.

Unfortunately after the dragon’s defeat we get the first misstep of the episode. The spell Frieren was after was one that allows the user to see through a person’s clothes. While this show has had it’s comedic moments, they are usually a result of some personality quirk of Frieren’s, or a clash of personalities between herself and Fern. I certainly didn’t expect THIS to happen.

Uhhh…what?! Was this supposed to be funny guys?!

Writers, please. Let’s keep the comedy to the level of class this show portrays in all other aspects of its existence.

Magic is still on display here in Episode 6 as being a thing of wonder, but also a thing of just plain fun. In addition to the x-ray vision spell which was silly (minus the above nonsense), the flashback with Frieren making snow cones with Heiter is just adorable. I love the idea the show is peddling which is that even on the most stressful journeys, it’s important to find and take advantage of those little fun moments. They are what make life worth living after all.

The stay in the town feels very blah. I would say its story beat was definitely the other misstep of the episode. First and foremost, I am unclear on Fern’s problem with Stark. She gives him the side-eye like he’s some sort of ecchi protagonist (girlfriend, let’s recall the part of the episode where YOU peeked under his clothes without his consent), and the whole atmosphere they have is unearned discomfort. Another odd note I made was the music used in the tavern scene when Stark and Fern are eating. The background music is something I’d expect in a silly jaunt through the woods our characters were taking or a comedy skit scene. Nothing about this two characters talking is comedic in nature. What was the idea here?!?! This poor sound placement is especially strange given how lovely the rest of the foley work and music has been in the show thus far.

The journey around town Stark and Fern take is mostly told through montage so I guess it was meant to showcase that Stark is pretty agreeable (and also good at talking to mercenaries/thugs)?. It allows Fern and Stark to chat a little which seems to soften her stance on him a a touch but again, she’s so oddly hostile towards him for no reason (or is it all just teasing because she’s just as much of a troll as Frieren?!) so this all feels roundabout and unnecessary.

I suppose we as viewers learn something about his reasoning of being in a hurry. It’s so he can share his own fun adventure with Eisen before the latter’s passing. I think it’s a lovely thing that Stark cares about Eisen without knowing the latter’s reason for hitting him. My expectation would have been that he’d be a bit vengeful or leery of Eisen after that event.

This actually brings up an interesting point of why Fern constantly wants to move forward. Sure, Fern needs to keep Frieren from burning her human lifespan with her flights of fancy, but what does she herself want at the end of all this? Maybe that’s just another part of the journey we are taking here.

Regardless of the odd quirks to this episode I greatly enjoyed the little surprise at the end that allows the trio to get through the checkpoint and out of town. Oh Frieren, you adorable little troll. I just love the little faces you make when you are nervous or confused. You’ll have to watch to see what the incident is, but I certainly chuckled a little to myself, and that’s what keeps me coming back to this show. A great cast and a ridiculous and fun journey.

Summary:

There were some missteps to this episode but I’ll forgive the show as a whole. I still really like these characters and I’m enjoying the journey they are taking. It was nice to get some background on Stark’s relationship with Eisen and understand their dynamic. I was a little concerned at first glance, but Stark himself seems like a solid addition to the team. I hope Fern stops acting so unnaturally mean to him for no apparent reason.

---