Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Rewatch Episode 28 Discussion

Rewatch: **Blu-Ray Version**

Quite interesting how last episode showed all the examinees that Series failed outside of Fern. While the rest seemed to pass. The first notable one is Denken. Series loved the fire in her because he thought about how  he would fight her. The fire in Denken is more for his goal of being a first-class mage being motivated to visit his wife's grave. Still, his comment of feeling powerless because this privilege could have been a miracle to save his wife. It is cool to see how Frieren opened his mind to the joys of magic when he more than likely was a typical politician who used it as a means to an end.

Wirbel is the other one; he that passes is interesting. Given his backstory from earlier in this season, it follows that he prefers no magic to another. Essentially a tool to be used. Which we know is the kind of thing Series is looking for.

Though it is his conversation with Frieren that is the most interesting. He mentions how important Himmel helping folks with everyday stuff was so impactful for him because those are the stories people talked about in Wirbel's village more than the famous stories of the powerful demons that Himmel conquered. Sure, those stories sound cool, but those weren't the things that impacted your life. That was the real motivation for Wirbel to be the kind of mage he is now. It is quite interesting that despite how different their personalities are, the good nature of Stark & Wirbel is similar. Both of these characters feel like the new generation Himmel.

Serie is truly a tsundere. The line of a student she took on a whim, and while that is true. Sometimes that whim can leave an impression on you that stays with you your whole life. For Lernen, it makes sense to fear that his death  might make people forget about Serie. Which draws a similarity to what Himmel said to Frieren about creating the statues so she isn't lonely. Series clearly cares for all her students, and sadly she just can't be open about her feelings. It's obvious Serie is prideful, and the big difference between the current Frieren and Serie is that Frieren doesn't let her pride stop her now. An example of that being about Fern's staff last episode.

Frieren talking about Himmel would always have quick goodbyes. The simple line is, it would be embarrassing if we met again. As the farewell is only temporary, so is the confidence that we will meet again. Of course, in cases like with Frieren in episode 1, it took such a long time for Himmel to see Frieren again. The line is more so an outlook on the positives of the time you spent, and you can't wait to see them again, rather than I am going to miss you. As the latter implies, you don't think you will meet again.

Episode 28 finished chapter 58 as well as chapters 59 & 60. I liked how they added more to the people reaching out to Stark because it shows how adored he can be by the public. Also, the Himmel flashback when Frieren was talking to Wirbel was nicely extended.

Well, while I was busy with the holiday rush, I couldn't continue participating in this rewatch, but now I have some free time and can finally join in! ... To the final episode.

While I was away, a very long *~~chunin exam~~* I mean, *~~hunter exam~~*, i mean, the mage exam arc happened. Many new colorful characters appeared who will be important in the future development of the story, ***many*** battles took place, Freiren turned out to be a secret badass again... *several times*, even, and Stark finally learned the way of the warrior thanks to the old man. We also met Serie, who, in my opinion, was the most interesting character in this arc, as she is the polar opposite and parallel to Freiren herself, being someone who doesn't really seek connections with others and having a very different approach to the magic. And with an overall fascinating characterization, mainly thanks to the final episode. So yes, it was an arc full of events and characters, and now I can finally talk about it!

...it was *fine*.

Now on to the final discussion!

**First-timer, subbed**  

So we do get to see Denken's interview with Serie and the rest of the test takers too. And he passes and so do all the other strong mages that made an impression. 

Land sending only clones to take the exam was quite the ballsy move and Serie passes him just for that. Interesting that Ubël couldn't tell.

Wirbel's story of how Himmel inspired him to be more helpful to those in front of him and Frieren's reaction to it (one of her simple "so" responses but then later when she's alone going, "Himmel you've changed the world" or something on those lines) was very heartwarming.

Denken treating Fern and Stark to tea and sweets and telling them that it was Frieren and her feats with the Hero's party that inspired him was sweet.

Sweeter still was Fern choosing the clean clothes spell for her privilege for passing the exam. Frieren approves while Serie can't believe it lol. A true student of a master who loves the commonplace beauty of magic. 

The bit about not saying tearful goodbyes because it'll be awkward when you meet again was a nice meta note to end the season on given the continuation was already decided. I'm looking forward to season 2, especially if it's more like early Frieren with the journeying and slice of life stuff. Bring it on!

**Repeat Journeyer**

Turns out, Land never even left home to take the test! What a cheeky guy!

Übel certainly has no problem seeing herself as a first-class mage, crazy as she is. (She's been flirting with a clone this whole time. I guess the real Land is safe from her... for now.)

I'm so glad Denken passed. As you may have surmised from my comments here, he's my favorite character among the test takers. [Friren manga, likely covered in S2] >!I *really* can't wait for the Golden Land arc. I'm so hyped right now!!<

Wirbel shares Serie's philosophy regarding magic.

Methode succeeds through sheer audacity.

After the interviews are over, our two sweets lovers, Fern and Laufen, finally get to enjoy sweets together thanks to Laufen's adoring grandpa.

Wirbel's words to Serie don't quite seem to match his actions. He talks tough and is certainly pragmatic, but he's a good guy at heart.

*"Death isn't the only goodbye in life."* is a great quote. I think back on people I used to talk to and hang out with every day, but for one reason or another as life went on, I haven't spoken to in years.

Lernen sure has guts to challenge Frieren. But turns out he's just super awkward, and Serie is truly a tsundere for the ages.

Serie's face when handing Fern the laundry spell pleases me to no end. Do all elves make that face when exasperated? We need Kraft back to check.

And so we're back on the road again. Frieren doesn't subscribe to the tendency to say goodbye, and then spend another hour talking in the driveway.

> 1) Fern passed, so mission complete?

Yep. They can continue northward now.

> 2) Denken also passed, so is he satisfied now? Any opinions about him as all the missing pieces now complete regarding his backstory?

Imagine having to pass a test to be allowed to travel to visit your wife's grave.

> 3) Did Serie give a pass to Übel because of her dangerous way of looking?

She's what Serie is looking for in her mages.

> 4) How cool that was Land is just taking an distance exam from home?

When you take your exam via Zoom

> 5) Wirbel having the guts, is this what made him pass?

He also has the beliefs that Serie is looking for.

> 6) How did Methode just pass?

Oneesan energy

> 7) Do you agree that the tales and deeds of Himmel an the hero party really influenced the life many people (like Wirbel) even after his death?

Yeah, we've seen that numerous times as the part retraces their steps.

> 8) Do Serie really hates Frieren or just pranking her?

The two mages just really don't understand each other.

> 9) Do you agree that Lernen should have better chances if he was born in the past?

His philosophy would have served him well then.

> 10) Is Serie is somewhat childish inside? Remembering all of her students is what making up of her poor social skills and being tsundere?

The ten-thousand-year old child.

> 11) Fern's laundry magic, is this a useless spell?

*Definitely* not. It's the most useful spell they have.

> 12) Rate the third exam

5

> 13) Which exam you prefered over the three? Overall opinion this arc?

I like the third exam. It feels so much more "Friereny" than the first two.

> 14) The in-credits scene, any opinions?

Nice to see a bit of all the characters going off and resuming their lives after the exam.

**First Timer: Beyond Dubbed’s End**.

I nearly choked on my rice, hold the tuck up, he ***never left his hometown?***

Are you

Wait

Wat

**Wat**

*THAT’S NOT HIS REAL BODY?!*

Land is amazing. But I have *so* many questions.

Yay, grimoires without needing to take your chances with a mimic.

More and more, I see why people IRL also found inspiration in Himmel.

I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it that he has always saw fluctuations!

Whaaaaaat the fuck, why is this happening, what on earth

Serie really is such a strict grandma.

Stark is such a hero. Himmel would be proud.

Who is this old man 😭

Uuuuuugh I want that spell so badly

Oh my god her face 😭 I’m too afraid to look at fanart out of fear of spoilers, but I’ll be so happy once I can to see Frieren and Serie both making that face together.

Kraft! And Seine!

Uuuueeeeeergghh whyyyy am I crying my head hurts now

***

**A Spell for Additional Thoughts**

If I had nickel where “The End” was about meeting the demon king, I would have two nickels—which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird it happened twice. Though that first time was such a shock.

Quick character thoughts:

* **Land**: I’m just…gooped, gagged, and flabbergasted that he was in his hometown the entire time. Part of me thinks Übel suspected it once she saw how powerful his clones were. But he’s not even pressed, not sweating—he’s having *tea* while doing this. I’m assuming something was important for him to not leave home, or someone is trying to kill him.
* **Denken**: I’m sure his wife had a beautiful heart. I hope he maintains his relationship with his “granddaughter” and Richter.
* **Wirbel**: Seeing past him recontextualize what it meant to be the hero, to be Himmel, was so beautiful. He’s such a soft guy.
* **Grandma Serie**: She’s just such a grandma. Dismissive, cunning, and has high expectations, but she still cares for all her “children” in her own way. I hope to see her again. She was a delightful antagonist, if a petty one against Frieren. She feels like my friend’s grandma.
* **Fern & Stark**: They really are shaping up to be such fun combinations of Frieren and Heiter for Fern and Eisen and Himmel for Stark (though Stark isn’t gloating about his handsome looks). There really is no doubt that Fern is Frieren’s apprentice and that Stark is a heroic warrior.

The lady who called Serie small and adorable makes me giggle. Serie’s pajama fit is so cute.

***

**QotD**

1. Yeah.
2. He isn’t. He has the power to help his love who no longer is part of this world. I’m still curious about Young Denken, but what we received currently is enough for me.
3. Serie knows what Übel’s about. Better to pass her and send her on her way than fail her.
4. Girl I’m still shook at this.
5. Serie specifically smirked/grin when Wirbel answers that magic is to be used as a tool and that spells aren’t to be liked or disliked.
6. That I’m curious about myself.
7. Oh yes! And we see that.
8. Not hate. Serie is being a tsuntsun Granny.
9. Maybe?
10. I think she is a touch childish. And I’m very curious about what her childhood was like.
11. **No**. I would kill god for that spell.
12. Serie deserves a head pat for it.
13. The third. If we removed the mimics, the second.

**Rewatcher**

And so the story ends (for now)


Land's balls so big and heavy they generate gravity.

I absolute love Serie pettiness towards Frieren though I wonder if Fern got banned as well after requesting a non-combat spell. We saw how displeased Serie was so I don't rule out establishing another magical organization in the not too distant future.



1) Fern passed, so mission complete?

* Yes. That was the objective from day one, after all, this is Fern's time. Besides, Frieren knows this certification will be useless after a short (for her) time ~~not to mention she rather stay a clandestine mage so she doesn't pay taxes~~

2) Denken also passed, so is he satisfied now? Any opinions about him as all the missing pieces now complete regarding his backstory?

* Yes. I didn't like Denken on first watch initially, as a matter of fact I kinda hated him during most of the first exam but second exam onwards changed my view towards him. I respect him.

3) Did Serie give a pass to Übel because of her dangerous way of looking?

* Yep, also because Übel fits her standards.

4) How cool that was Land is just taking an distance exam from home?

* Absolutely based.

5) Wirbel having the guts, is this what made him pass?

* He's like Übel in that regard but he helps people

6) How did Methode just pass?

* she pushed the dere button

7) Do you agree that the tales and deeds of Himmel an the hero party really influenced the life many people (like Wirbel) even after his death?

* That's what makes heroes close to people.

8) Do Serie really hates Frieren or just pranking her?

* Who knows? at this point I think it's a little of both.

9) Do you agree that Lernen should have better chances if he was born in the past?

* If Frieren says so

10) Is Serie is somewhat childish inside? Remembering all of her students is what making up of her poor social skills and being tsundere?

* Tsundere does tsundere things.

11) Fern's laundry magic, is this a useless spell?

* For combat? yes. For adventuring? hell no!

12) Rate the third exam

* 9.2/10 because Land

13) Which exam you prefered over the three? Overall opinion this arc?

* Third one but not by much. Despite teamwork being important, how mages react, or would face a more powerful opponent is more important. I liked this arc, even if I wanted to see what Stark was doing during the exam time.

14) The in-credits scene, any opinions?

* It's not a farewell, it's a see you soon ~~space cowboy~~

Darn, I fell way too behind throughout the rewatch and didn't catch up until now.

But otherwise, may they part paths for now! And be "embarrassed" when and if they have a reunion

**Rewatcher (Dub)**

* If they don’t bring back Denken in the future, I am rioting.
* I would’ve loved to see another Frieren fight, but the way she disarmed Lernen was even cooler. She told him about a side of Serie that he had never known, and it was such an amazing way to introduce Serie’s softer, more human side.
* It’s so perfect that they ended on the topic of short and sweet farewells. I think the dialogue almost felt like the people working on the show telling us that there’s still more of the story left to tell, and it has me so excited for what is to come that I might read chapter 61 of the manga just to get an idea of what’s next.
* I have many things I want to talk about, but I think it’s better to leave them for the overall discussion tomorrow. I’ve changed my perspective on a good chunk of the exam arc.

Cool, I finished a series, and right before the new one’s scheduled to come out, too.

First time watching it with subtitles.

I can’t help but wonder if Serie isn’t just a little jealous of Frieren and takes it out on her a little:

* Just as her student’s student turns out to be the most renowned mage in history that defeats the Demon King, that student has a brilliant student who’s probably the youngest mage ever to reach first class. Serie hasn’t managed to achieve this by raising a student as such.
* Frieren’s maintained a love of magic. It’s implied that Serie has some of this love, but has pushed it out of the way as “inappropriate” (possibly due to her role as the sitting top mage of the council) and otherwise does not think of magic as something to do “for fun”. And Frieren, despite her approach, managed to defeat the Demon King.

As always, Frieren does a great job of making you think about characters and character relationships and acknowledge how events of the past are affecting the decisions of the present.

Sooooooon

**Rewatcher (Sub)**

And with that, we reach the end of the season. This was a nice way to tie up the stories of the Exam arc. Of the people who still had to learn their fate, I'd say my favorite moments came from Denken and Land. I'll be honest, I'd actually forgotten about Land not even being at the exam in-person, which was pretty funny. And Denken continues to be the best addition to the cast during this arc. I liked how he passed because he at least briefly considered fighting Serie. And then hearing about his past with his wife, and how he views magic was nice.

We also return to the theme of people wanting to leave their mark on history in different ways. There's Wirbel, who was inspired by the stories of Himmel's adventures. In fact, I thought this did a good job of basically summarizing a major theme of Frieren as a whole, where yes we get these big moments of heroics and strength like with the Aura arc, and the bigger parts of the Exam arc. But there's more to heroes and adventures than that, and it's often the little moments of helping people in their daily life that can stick out just as much, if not more so in people's hearts. Then we learn that Lernen also wants to make his mark on history, but in his case as an extension of Serie. I thought this was interesting because while the brief action we got was good, as Frieren points out, it's not actually necessary. He's already important to Serie, and she will remember him either way. And I appreciated the little exchange between Frieren and Serie, showing that she uses the flower magic herself despite her own views on such frivolous uses for magic, showing how much Flamme (and others by extension) leave their marks on her, whether she wants to admit it or not.

And finally, we get some nice moments with our core trio before heading off on their adventures once more. We see how much Stark has left an impression on the townspeople since they arrived, again reflecting the themes of leaving a mark through the little things. Also, seeing Fern's choice of spell shows how much Frieren has been rubbing off on her, despite her initial exasperation of Frieren's choice of spells (which in turn brings to mind Serie's attitude towards such spells, as seen earlier). And I liked how they gave time for Kanne and Lawine to say goodbye to Frieren, given the time they spent together. The bit about not having an extensive goodbye because they might see each other again was a nice little moment to end on.

I'm currently doing my own personal rewatch, I didn't intend to rewatch the show AGAIN so I skipped this rewatch, and I only started it because I was rewatching Skip and Loafer and one of the episodes had no internal monologue for the first half of the episode despite there being considerable amount of internal monologues throughout the season and was almost instantly reminded that Frieren also has very little internal monologing and wanted to see how long it took. The show also doesn't go overboard with monologuing in general. Lots of visual story telling.

Just another good reason why this show is so good. Very little needless internal monologuing with people only internalizing thoughts instead of vocalizing them.

I'm still only about halfway through on my rewatch, but will definitely be finished by the time season 2 begins.

Rewatcher

Okay i have to hand it to Land for skyping the whole time. Also Himmel was wrong about one thing those little things he did actually did end up mattering. And yeah Fern picked up an extremely useful spell, Serie not seeing it as useful comes off as her not getting out much.

Also Serie now has to make sure the CMA lasts 1000 years and that everyone working there is aware of who Frieren is and what she looks like for at least that long for the ban to actually work.

**3rd Ranked Rewatcher**

Final episode day, always a rough one...

[](#toradorasalute)

We start off by following the remaining few first-rank mage candidates through their interviews with Serie: Denken, Übel, Land, Wirbel, and Methode. Unsurprisingly, they all pass, though for different reasons.

I need to give props to my boy Land here for having single-handedly the most hilarious reveal in the entire show. We've never seen him in person, it's literally been clones the whole time. Fucking phenomenal. Before this point, I honestly didn't think much of Land either way, but Serie revealing his secret immediately bumped him up to one of my favourite characters from this arc. Just sheer perfection.

[](#justright)

Methode also got a lot of character points in this scene for the revelation that her first thoughts of Serie were that she is small and cute. Somehow it just feels completely on brand; Methode doesn't seem to be one to give in easily to fear or be overwhelmed by power. Denken's and Wirbel's felt pretty right for them, nothing too surprising. As for Übel, I would have liked to know more of Serie's thoughts on her, but given Serie's bias towards combat mages, it's not too difficult to imagine why she gave Übel the pass.

Our winners also get to pick a spell of their choice to learn, but we don't learn all of their answers, only Fern's. Proving that she really is her master's student, Fern choose an extremely old and legendary spell to clean clothes. Absolutely perfect. (I want it, too. /sigh)

The rest of the episode is spent more or less gathering up the old standby party of Frieren, Fern, and Stark together, and saying our goodbyes to the town and the other characters we've met while here. Some of these goodbyes we spend more time on then others (I think the scene with Wirbel is the first time that the show actually confirms that it was Himmel's death 29 years ago that started up the slew of recent demonic activity), but they're all fairly simple, leading to the overall message of this final episode, one of saying goodbyes, but not long ones.

Honestly, the whole little section of the story talking about farewells is so perfect for the ending of a season. I'm half convinced that Frieren got two back-to-back cours like it did solely so they could end on this section. It really is a beautiful conclusion to a long arc and a nice way to say goodbye to the show without making a big fuss about it. After all, it would be embarrassing when we meet again with the next season, now coming in just under two weeks!

Anyway, I guess that's it for this final episode write-up. I'll save further comments for the questions and the overall series discussion.

1) Yes! At the end of the day, all we really needed was for at least one of Frieren or Fern to get the first-class certification so they could continue their journey northward. Now that this is done, we're back on track on our mission to Aureole.

2) I'm very happy for Denken, and not just because he was always one of my favourites from the mage exam arc. He's certainly getting up in years and seems to have one of the more sentimental/emotional reasons to want to head north. [Post-S1-anime Frieren manga spoilers for things that will likely occur in S2] >!It's interesting to see Denken again and be refreshed on what we know of him before the upcoming Golden Land arc where he plays a large role. He really is such a cool and fascinating character and I'll be interested to see what anime-onlies think of this new arc and Denken's role in it when the time comes.!<

3) I think it's more because Serie has something of a bias towards combat-oriented mages and likes the potential that Übel offers.

4) 12/10, no notes.

5) Again, we see a bit of Serie's bias here. She likes how serious, focused, and goal-oriented he is.

6) Methode's interview seemed like it was played for laughs as much as anything else, but as for her actually passing the test, I think Serie was mostly intrigued at the total lack of fear in Methode's thoughts and actions.

7) Definitely! I mean, we've been seeing the evidence of this already throughout our journey, and likely we're going to be hearing more of it as we go on, as it feels like these northern lands seem to have experienced the worst of the troubles (which would make sense if the Demon King's base was in the far north anyway).

8) I certainly think this is far beyond a prank or teasing or whatever. They just have clashing personalities.

9) It does indeed seem like he's primarily focused on combat, but that may be a result of him being Serie's apprentice and the first first-rank mage as well, which would entail certain obligations.

10) There is definitely a childishness to Serie, despite her long years. Perhaps a combination of her personality, lack of socialisation, and the way she's lived her life over the years. No matter how old you are, you're still a product of your environment, and if you stay mostly by yourself, you're not going to be very good at dealing with others.

11) No way at all. Hell, would *you* want to be doing all of your laundry manually in a river while you travel the continent? *I* don't even want to do my laundry when I have a practically magical machines that washes and dries all at once. So far, this has seemed one of the most useful and practical spells we've seen in all of Frieren so far.

12) 13/10, no notes.

13) I think I've said this a few times already, but this third exam has always been my favourite.

14) We haven't really gotten too many of these scenes skipping the ED in Frieren, but it felt fitting this time, still getting the song while we're leaving the city and saying goodbye as we go. (And we alright.)

Didn't have anything to say about this episode. But I rewatched the last scenes. We saw three of Serie's students.

3\. Lernen, who makes healing golems

2\. Somebody who makes spells to bind birds

1\. Somebody who makes water dance?

How disappointing for Serie.

Fern's staff repair was intensely familiar but I couldn't place it. It was of Phosphophyllite being put back together, one tiny sliver at a time.

### Second-time watcher and your host (subs),

I think the questions will suffice for now.

> 1) Fern passed, so mission complete?

Yes.

> 2) Denken also passed, so is he satisfied now? Any opinions about him as all the missing pieces now complete regarding his backstory?

Yes. He can return to home to pay respects to his wife. As a first-rank mage, he can command even bigger authority.

> 3) Did Serie give a pass to Übel because of her dangerous way of looking?

Yes.

> 4) How cool that was Land is just taking an distance exam from home?

The world of magic allows this.

> 5) Wirbel having the guts, is this what made him pass?

A first-rank mage is also a first-rank warrior.

> 6) How did Methode just pass?

She did not afraid of Serie.

> 7) Do you agree that the tales and deeds of Himmel an the hero party really influenced the life many people (like Wirbel) even after his death?

Yes, because they are also folk heroes.

> 8) Do Serie really hates Frieren or just pranking her?

Fundamental differences in magic theory.

> 9) Do you agree that Lernen should have better chances if he was born in the past?

Maybe not.

> 10) Is Serie is somewhat childish inside? Remembering all of her students is what making up of her poor social skills and being tsundere?

Can agree to that.

> 11) Fern's laundry magic, is this a useless spell?

Not tat useless, but for Serie, it is a yes.

> 12) Rate the third exam

9/10

> 13) Which exam you prefered over the three? Overall opinion this arc?

Fun arc, but the first and the second were the better ones.

> 14) The in-credits scene, any opinions?

Everybody is fine.