Sousou no Frieren – Episode 08

Episode Synopsis:

Frieren handily escapes Draht’s clutches to rejoin her companions, sending the pair off to deal with Lügner while she focuses on stopping their mistress. Later that night, Stark and Fern sneak into the castle to rescue Graf Granat, seriously wounding Lugner in the process. Outside of the city, Frieren faces off against Aura the Guillotine and her army of headless knights. Soon we’ll see why the demons refer to the elf as Frieren the Slayer.

Review:

Frieren has always had more teeth than its soft art style and gentle music might suggest, but when bares its fangs, it’s a sight to behold. While there have been moments of violence throughout earlier episodes, this is where things get genuinely deadly. The show handles this fantastically, using quick bursts of violence to demonstrate the dangerous situation our heroes have found themselves in. That violence is almost a punctuation in the dialog between characters, and I found it gripping.

The first moments of the episode set this tone as the demon Draht tries to kill the imprisoned Frieren. His overconfidence proves his downfall, and Frieren doesn’t even give him the chance to respond before she annihilates him. Her actions are lethal and efficient; utterly ruthless in a way we’ve rarely seen from her before, and demonstrating why she was an invaluable member of Himmel’s quest to defeat the Demon King.

Moreover, it reinforces her statement that demons are simply monsters that learned to speak in order to fool humans and hunt more effectively. They have no real interest in peace and appear completely detached from the world, but Lügner can put on a smile and contain his contempt just long enough to get what he wants or let his prey walk into his reach, which helps him capture Graf Granat in an attempt to lower the magical shields protecting the town from demonic attack.

I’m normally not a fan of the “inherently evil race” trope in fantasy. It usually flattens morality and limits storytelling opportunities, and in especially bad situations, can play into real-world bigotries. In this case, it feels like the writers genuinely considered how a species of intelligent, self-serving predators would actually operate, and it feels both intentional and well-considered. I’m curious to see if they’ll ever buck this rule and show demons who aren’t monstrous, but as it stands, it makes them frightening villains even if they don’t have much individual personality.

Stark’s reaction to Lügner is a great example of how this plays out within the show. He’s rightfully afraid of the demons, but is willing to face them anyway for the sake of the town and his own pride. He and Fern sneak into the castle, with her magical skills contrasting with his physical strength in entertaining ways.

When Stark confronts Lügner, the demon looks past or through him, rather than at him. It seems like unearned confidence, but we’ve seen how lethal demons can be against ordinary mortals. Despite being more than your average human, Stark ends up pinned by his opponent’s magic. Even the praise Lügner offers him when Stark gets a hit in is delivered with a perfect level of condescension. It’s only when Fern delivers a surprise magical attack that the smug smile is finally wiped off the demon’s face. Mages and warriors are a terrifying combination when they play it smart.

Summary:

Frieren is balancing its action and its drama very well, and this episode is a great release of the tension that was built up previously. It forms a balance with the more character-driven adventures we started with, which leaves both feeling stronger for it. The action is punchy and shocking without feeling gratuitous, and it’s fun to see Fern and Stark putting into practice what their teachers have instilled in them. I’m excited to see how this fight proceeds, especially now that Frieren’s in a position to release her full powers without risking innocent casualties.

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