Sousou no Frieren – Episode 24

Episode Synopsis:

Deep within the tomb where our heroes face their latest trial lies a fiend capable of creating perfect replicas of the mages within the dungeon. Different parties encounter these copies, each one deadlier than the last, and one by one the examinees use their golems to flee.

Meanwhile, Frieren, Fern and Sense complete their leisurely tour of the dungeon to meet up with Denken’s crew, and they begin devising a strategy to deal with what may be the most dangerous replica of all – that of Frieren herself. Luckily, it appears that Fern may have a solution to their doppelganger problem.

Review:

First of all, let me get this off my chest.

Now that I’ve appropriately dated my sense of humor, this episode was a great exercise in building up the confrontation we all know is coming. We encounter a number of duplicates, each as skilled and crafty as the person they mimic. Each encounter teaches us new things about how they act, and much more about the different mages involved in the test. Übel faces off against own clone in a brief but spectacular battle, while Wirbel’s team engages in a mirror match against their own duplicates. While the techniques and skills on display are perfectly matched, each of these groups has enough dirty tricks up their sleeves to pull out clever and satisfying wins.

Episode 24 also brings Frieren, Fern, and Sense back into contact with Denken’s party, who were forced to retreat from the Frieren clone and are now at an impasse. The mage Methode examines the elf, trying to determine if she has any weaknesses that could be exploited to defeat her double (much to Fern’s adorable consternation), and surmises that a mage specializing in hypnotism might be able to subdue the replica, assuming it has a mind to command.

Unfortunately, that plan goes out the window moments later when the hypnotist Edel and her team run into a copy of Proctor Sense.

As I mentioned in my previous review, there’s been talk about how first-class mages are almost inhuman in their power and detachment, and the duplicate Sense is a perfect example of this. When we first see her, she appears as nothing but a mass of hair, waiting menacingly in a large hallway. The setup is almost Dark Souls-esque, with an unknowable foe blocking progress and only revealing how powerful it is when it strikes, quickly tearing through the defenses of Edel’s party. Not only does this provide a spectacular mid-episode shock, but it also lets us see some of what Sense is capable of without having to contrive a reason for the pacifist to attack the other mages

Without knowing whether or not Edel is still in play, Frieren and company try to find another way to defeat their own adversary. Frieren takes a very neutral approach here, allowing the others to ponder a strategy. Our girl has been positively beaming throughout this episode, showing how much dungeon delving meant to her as part of her travels with Himmel, Eisen, and Heiter.

Eventually Fern raises her hand to propose a way to deal with clone-Frieren, but we’ll have to wait until the next episode to find out what the plan is. I’m crossing my fingers that it’s trapping her in a room with a mimic and hoping that she has the same stubborn curiosity as the real Frieren, but only time will tell. Let’s just say, if that does happen, I will be cheering from the damn rooftops.

Summary:

This was a fantastic episode full of solid action, world- and team-building, and it sets up the upcoming fight wonderfully. This test has been much more interesting than the first, and I’m far more engaged with the different parties now that they’re not all brutalizing each other on the whims of some goddamn wizard. I’m excited to see how the confrontation with Frieren and the rest of the dungeon dive goes soon!

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