Sousou no Frieren – Episode 12

Episode Synopsis:

Struggling through a blizzard, the party makes its way to the Village of the Sword; a settlement famous for protecting the weapon wielded by Himmel against the Demon King. Frieren fulfills her duty to fend off the monsters that surround the village before she and her companions continue their journey north. At a later stop, Fern learns that it’s Stark’s birthday and tries to come up with a present for him, learning more about the young warrior as they wander the town.

Review:

Now that we’re deeper into the northern lands, Frieren’s journey has resumed its familiar pattern. In the first half, we learn some key details about her previous party, then get to spend time with our current troupe and discover more of their backgrounds and motivations.

We open with the crew fighting their way through a blizzard to reach the next stop on their travels, when Frieren passes out and drops like a sack of potatoes. When Stark offers to carry the elf, Fern calls him a pervert and picks up Frieren herself. It’s not the last time in this episode that Stark gets called out like this, and it feels really unfair. From what I can recall, he’s done nothing to make anyone think he’s a letch, so why such a specific insult?

My partner suggested that it might actually be jealousy, and based on the way Fern reacts to Frieren and the time they’ve spent together, I think she may be right. While it’s still uncertain if Fern has any romantic feelings towards either of her companions, she’s been shown to have a petulant streak, and I can totally see her as unwilling to share Frieren’s version of affection.

After Frieren wakes up, the group reaches the Village of the Sword, and they use their combined strength to defeat the monsters prowling near the cave where the Hero’s Sword was said to rest before Himmel used it to defeat the Demon King. Stark discovers that the sword is still there, and that Himmel was never able to pull it from the stone it rests in. In flashbacks, we see Himmel seemingly unfazed by this, and ready to continue his quest even without the powerful relic.

Himmel was a hero because of his own actions; not because of some preordained destiny or ownership of a magic artifact. He and the others won against the demons without the sword, which demonstrates more courage and heroism than the if he had used it. However, history likes its heroes uncomplicated and pure, so only Frieren, the villagers, and now Stark and Fern know the truth. Everyone else assumes Himmel was the true hero of myth, rather than a normal person who rose to meet the challenge of his era. To me, that’s far more inspiring than someone who had their destiny carved in stone.

Some time later, the party arrives at another village on the road north, and Fern learns from Frieren that today is Stark’s birthday. She’s annoyed that her mentor never told her, and unsure of how to choose a proper gift. Frieren has her own idea of what would make Stark’s day – the clothing-dissolving potion she purchased earlier in the season. Fern puts a definitive stop to that idea before going off to find Stark. The gag feels a bit jarring, but it gets us two in-credible faces from Frieren, so I’m cool with it.

Once Fern catches up with Stark, he tells her a bit more about growing up in a village of warriors. His brother was a brilliant fighter and the envy of the town, while he was looked down on as a disappointment from a very young age. Even so, his brother showed him the love and attention their father wouldn’t, and we eventually learn that he told Stark to run when the village was destroyed by a powerful demon.

With this revelation, Stark’s insecurities and fears all make sense. He’d convinced himself that he fled out of cowardice, when it was really his brother urging him to live and keep fighting another day that saved him. This ties in with what we learned about Himmel – both he and Stark earned their strength through hard work and noble deeds, succeeding in spite of what others saw as failure.

Summary:

This episode really captures a lot of what I enjoy about this show, tying Frieren’s past and her search for closure with the growth of her mentees. Stark and Fern get more time to play off each other, which is generally quite fun to watch. Some of the jokes do seem a bit crass and out of place, but they’re delivered so deadpan that I still got a chuckle out of them. In the end, they don’t drag down an otherwise excellent entry in an outstanding show, and I’m excited to see where we go as this initial run comes to a close.

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