Serie is such a Tsundere elf, it's great to see, also, those feet, the animators knew exactly what they were doing, and i'm glad they did Frieren cares a lot a lot about others, even when she doesn't know to demonstrate it
Ed just focuses on Fern seeing through Serie's mana suppression and doesn't acknowledge that even though Serie was suppressing her mana it was equivalent to Frieren's full mana. How truly, truly disappointing.
Personally I disagree with the idea that Serie fails Frieren just because she doesn't like her, she judges Frieren with the same logic as everyone else, and I'd say she actually gives Frieren preferential treatment during the 3rd exam. What serie is judging here is something repeated throughout the past exams as well: the ability to make the impossible possible (or in mage-term: visualize yourself achieving something everyone else would think is impossible). All those who failed before Frieren are mages that thought "this is impossible" as soon as they understood the difference in power between them and Serie, Frieren thought the same thing, just for different reasons. Fireren GAVE UP the moment she heard Serie was proctoring the 3rd exam, she limits herself by thinking "this is impossible" -> "there is no point in me trying". But she is actually wrong in thinking "Serie will fail me WHATEVER I say" because Serie asks her what is her favourite spell (and then being disappointed in the answer), this implies that there ARE answers that Frireren could have given that would have convinced Serie to pass her. Frieren's tendency to give up is something we have seen multiple times during the show: guard says we can't pass? nothing we can do we'll just wait here until they open the gates again; too late for me to go on a quest to kill the demon king, I forgot how to fight; she still has a rookie flaw that every mage can correct with a bit of practice but she just gave up 'cos "I was never too good at it". In many cases Frieren needed a push from her companions to make the attempt (and then succeeding despite her prior belief to the contrary) By asking the question of her favourite spell Serie is actually giving Frireren a 2nd chance at a test she should have already failed (a 2nd chance she didn't give to the other test takers before her). Also, the whole theme of the episode "the era of humans" is about how this is the moment humans are surpassing the elves in magic, simbolized in Fern. This makes sense if Fern succeeds in something that Frieren fails at, it would undercut the message if Frieren failed just because of Series personal gripe with her.
While you do make some good points, I would like to point out some things that I disagree with you on: (1) Frieren has achieved the "impossible" on more than one occasion. The most recent example being breaking Serie's barrier, which even Serie compliments her on. So, I disagree with you on "Fireren GAVE UP the moment she heard Serie was proctoring the 3rd exam, she limits herself" (2) I also agree that Frieren is not a go-getter type of person, however, her judgement on Serie is correct imo. Frieren was already more than qualified to be a first-class mage during their first meeting ~1140 years ago. But having rejected Serie's offer back then and showing how their views on magic and life are different, has at the very least displeased Serie. (3) Frieren is a peaceful mage and sees value in magic for the purpose of bringing happiness to others. Whereas Serie is a warmonger mage, who for the most part sees value in individual strength and only strength for strength's sake. Therefore, Serie does not approve of Frieren's way of life. (4) I also disagree with you on "By asking the question of her favorite spell Serie is actually giving Frieren a 2nd chance at a test she should have already failed" and "I'd say she actually gives Frieren preferential treatment" because both Serie and Frieren know what her answer would've been even before the question was asked. Unless if Frieren suddenly undergoes a massive character change in that moment (which is impossible), her answer was always going to be the flower spell. Serie only asks that question out of spite to "prove" to Frieren why she's being failed. (5) "Frieren's tendency to give up is something we have seen multiple times during the show: guard says we can't pass? nothing we can do we'll just wait here until they open the gates again;" This is not giving up. This is an example of Frieren with her elf sensibilities looking at a few years like it's nothing. She also wanted to stay in town to study/research magic. (6) "too late for me to go on a quest to kill the demon king, I forgot how to fight;" Don't be too quick to judge anyone whether irl or characters in a story without knowing the full context. There is more to this scene shown later in the manga. (7) "she still has a rookie flaw that every mage can correct with a bit of practice." But, she's not a combat mage at the end of the day. And even in combat situations, it will only matter if she's fighting at least 2 opponents with one of them being around her level. Otherwise, this flaw may as well not exist. Now, I also agree that she could try harder, but you also have to remember Serie's own words about how elves can easily delay decisions/actions for a 1000 years without being hindered in any way.
@Johnithinuioian (4) I can agree with "never say never" in general, but it doesn't mean that it applies everywhere (similar to other sayings). So, I still stand by the statement that a person irl or a character in a story can't/won't undergo a complete character change within a moment's notice (especially without a very significant stimulus). (5) I don't know if you're joking or not, so I'm gonna assume you were being serious. And my answer is that Frieren has been shown to be a law-abiding person. Why would she blast through the barrier? There is no logical argument for it imo. (6) I wasn't trying to flex my manga knowledge. In fact, I didn't give a single piece of info, because I absolutely hate intentionally spoiling something whether I am on the spoiling side or the spoiled side. I was just saying that judging fairly is incredibly difficult, and that one shouldn't even attempt to do it unless you're very well informed about the circumstances/context/background and so on. But that's just my opinion. A lot of people are unfortunately quick to judge and that's on them. (7) While I can understand your point. Consider it like this; the more a habit is ingrained into you, the longer/harder it is to change it (regardless of how big or small that habit may be). A habit you picked up recently can also be fixed quite easily/quickly, however, a habit that you've had since your early years, will be much more difficult to change and there's always the possibility of "relapse". In Frieren's case, she probably had that habit before Flamme met her. Therefore, it's both a "childhood" habit (which makes it even more difficult to change) and also something that she was doing for probably 500 years. See my (anime) timeline below: Frieren's timeline: Age x : Meeting Flamme & then meeting Serie in quick succession Age x + 50 : Flamme dies & meeting Serie for the 2nd time Age x + 1050 : Meeting Himmel (for the 2nd time), Eisen, and Heiter Age x + 1060 : Seeing the era meteor shower & then leaving the capital Age x + 1110 : Seeing the era meteor shower & Himmel dies Age x + 1140 : Current time Furthermore, we know that at age x+50, Frieren said "only 50 years ago" to Flamme when talking about loving magic or not. So, 50 shouldn't be a significant fraction of x. Finally, base mana seems to be different for each person (otherwise, you can't explain how Flamme and Heiter had way more mana than their actual age), however, mana still grows with the amount of training time (which is in direct correlation with age assuming constant practice). Now, Frieren's mana at age x after having defeated Basalt the Throne, looks somewhat comparable to Aura the Guillotine's mana in the current time. And Aura was about 500 years old. So, putting all of this together, it's fairly reasonable to assume that x is about 500 (it could be a little less or a little more, however, Frieren's overall age must not exceed 2280 since she says that she's been suppressing her mana for most of her life and we know that she started suppressing it ~1140 years ago, which makes x
Its so odd when people dont notice that serie is suppressing her mana to be equal to that of Frierens mana when it isnt suppressed, that just shows what a beast serie is
I mean, ... There are bad tropes, but you can execute then well. And everyone calling something bad "because tropes" as a blanked statement, just demonstrated his lack of understanding. Tropes are exist for a reason.
@@hulmhochberg8129 personally i always hated ditzy childhood friend and tsundare trops but then i watched steins gate and realized, ot was bad writing that i always hated
About what you said of how people might resonate differently depending on the point they are of their life (and how close they might be to their death), I decides to share some of my own experience with this manganime. To start, I have to say I suffer from thanatophobia (phobia to death, or to be lore concrete for most cases, phobia to the idea of ceasing to exist) so I get quite moved and shaken by some themes and situations, such as the time passing, getting old, close ones dying, etc. I was absolutely broken by episode 1, but what made me feel even more deeply connected was Heiter in episode 2. I think there's a second part that is often overlooked on the meaning of his name (something like cloudy iirc) that makes me thing that he uses humor as a way to deal with his own struggles, and also so that others don't worry about him. I think this is further reinforced in episode 14 when we learn how Heiter pretends to be a functional adult to be a good role model, specially for Fern. And what I noticed at episode 2 is that he genuinely felt afraid of dying. And this wasn't only because of Fern (though that clearly made him wish to be able to live longer), this was already a thing when Himmel died, and thus, before adopting Fern. I felt touched by the show portraying this, because normally we see people being quite estoic and heroic about the idea of dying or sacrificing. We also get some characters that are in peace with that, and I like it nonetheless, but I'm glad for having a character like Heiter and, in general, for how they display different perspectives and experiences for things. As an extra about Heiter, I want to adda subtle detail that reminds me of Eisen's bravery when dealing with his own fears: despite being afraid of death, Heiter's main objective when asking Frieren to decipher Ewig's tome is Fern. He might have some hope of being able to live longer, but when Frieren tells him that she doubts about the existence of a spell like that and, later on, confirms it, his expression and voice doesn't change a bit. He doesn't put a somber expression even when Frieren says it while not looking at him. I think that's a beautifio detail about Heiter, who's genuinely thinking about Fern over his own fears without a smide of doubt because of self-interest.
I know it might not be possible but man I would be so down for you to analyze one piece psychologically... Maybe when the Wit Studio remake comes out perhaps? *copes harder*
Guess im the first comment! Im so unsurprised you love this series. I recently finished it the other day and its so genuinely great. its no Monogatari or Mushoku Tensei, but i can tell that Frieren is a genuinely special series that will have the same kind of impact. Its really a show that sticks with you!
0:42 I've recommended Frieren to a friend and she said it's, too little gore and action and characters are just Demon Slayer copies. Ofc she also simped for Lügner. Ya know, technically zoophilia 😅
18:47 Historians will say they were very good friends.
Serie's suppressed magic is equivalent to Frieren's unsupressed, so she is far far stronger then Frieren
Serie is such a Tsundere elf, it's great to see, also, those feet, the animators knew exactly what they were doing, and i'm glad they did
Frieren cares a lot a lot about others, even when she doesn't know to demonstrate it
Ed just focuses on Fern seeing through Serie's mana suppression and doesn't acknowledge that even though Serie was suppressing her mana it was equivalent to Frieren's full mana. How truly, truly disappointing.
But where is my Gushing #10!!?! Have a good day.
Personally I disagree with the idea that Serie fails Frieren just because she doesn't like her, she judges Frieren with the same logic as everyone else, and I'd say she actually gives Frieren preferential treatment during the 3rd exam.
What serie is judging here is something repeated throughout the past exams as well: the ability to make the impossible possible (or in mage-term: visualize yourself achieving something everyone else would think is impossible).
All those who failed before Frieren are mages that thought "this is impossible" as soon as they understood the difference in power between them and Serie, Frieren thought the same thing, just for different reasons.
Fireren GAVE UP the moment she heard Serie was proctoring the 3rd exam, she limits herself by thinking "this is impossible" -> "there is no point in me trying".
But she is actually wrong in thinking "Serie will fail me WHATEVER I say" because Serie asks her what is her favourite spell (and then being disappointed in the answer), this implies that there ARE answers that Frireren could have given that would have convinced Serie to pass her.
Frieren's tendency to give up is something we have seen multiple times during the show: guard says we can't pass? nothing we can do we'll just wait here until they open the gates again; too late for me to go on a quest to kill the demon king, I forgot how to fight; she still has a rookie flaw that every mage can correct with a bit of practice but she just gave up 'cos "I was never too good at it".
In many cases Frieren needed a push from her companions to make the attempt (and then succeeding despite her prior belief to the contrary)
By asking the question of her favourite spell Serie is actually giving Frireren a 2nd chance at a test she should have already failed (a 2nd chance she didn't give to the other test takers before her).
Also, the whole theme of the episode "the era of humans" is about how this is the moment humans are surpassing the elves in magic, simbolized in Fern.
This makes sense if Fern succeeds in something that Frieren fails at, it would undercut the message if Frieren failed just because of Series personal gripe with her.
While you do make some good points, I would like to point out some things that I disagree with you on:
(1) Frieren has achieved the "impossible" on more than one occasion. The most recent example being breaking Serie's barrier, which even Serie compliments her on. So, I disagree with you on "Fireren GAVE UP the moment she heard Serie was proctoring the 3rd exam, she limits herself"
(2) I also agree that Frieren is not a go-getter type of person, however, her judgement on Serie is correct imo. Frieren was already more than qualified to be a first-class mage during their first meeting ~1140 years ago. But having rejected Serie's offer back then and showing how their views on magic and life are different, has at the very least displeased Serie.
(3) Frieren is a peaceful mage and sees value in magic for the purpose of bringing happiness to others. Whereas Serie is a warmonger mage, who for the most part sees value in individual strength and only strength for strength's sake. Therefore, Serie does not approve of Frieren's way of life.
(4) I also disagree with you on "By asking the question of her favorite spell Serie is actually giving Frieren a 2nd chance at a test she should have already failed" and "I'd say she actually gives Frieren preferential treatment" because both Serie and Frieren know what her answer would've been even before the question was asked. Unless if Frieren suddenly undergoes a massive character change in that moment (which is impossible), her answer was always going to be the flower spell. Serie only asks that question out of spite to "prove" to Frieren why she's being failed.
(5) "Frieren's tendency to give up is something we have seen multiple times during the show: guard says we can't pass? nothing we can do we'll just wait here until they open the gates again;" This is not giving up. This is an example of Frieren with her elf sensibilities looking at a few years like it's nothing. She also wanted to stay in town to study/research magic.
(6) "too late for me to go on a quest to kill the demon king, I forgot how to fight;" Don't be too quick to judge anyone whether irl or characters in a story without knowing the full context. There is more to this scene shown later in the manga.
(7) "she still has a rookie flaw that every mage can correct with a bit of practice." But, she's not a combat mage at the end of the day. And even in combat situations, it will only matter if she's fighting at least 2 opponents with one of them being around her level. Otherwise, this flaw may as well not exist. Now, I also agree that she could try harder, but you also have to remember Serie's own words about how elves can easily delay decisions/actions for a 1000 years without being hindered in any way.
@Johnithinuioian
(4) I can agree with "never say never" in general, but it doesn't mean that it applies everywhere (similar to other sayings). So, I still stand by the statement that a person irl or a character in a story can't/won't undergo a complete character change within a moment's notice (especially without a very significant stimulus).
(5) I don't know if you're joking or not, so I'm gonna assume you were being serious. And my answer is that Frieren has been shown to be a law-abiding person. Why would she blast through the barrier? There is no logical argument for it imo.
(6) I wasn't trying to flex my manga knowledge. In fact, I didn't give a single piece of info, because I absolutely hate intentionally spoiling something whether I am on the spoiling side or the spoiled side. I was just saying that judging fairly is incredibly difficult, and that one shouldn't even attempt to do it unless you're very well informed about the circumstances/context/background and so on. But that's just my opinion. A lot of people are unfortunately quick to judge and that's on them.
(7) While I can understand your point. Consider it like this; the more a habit is ingrained into you, the longer/harder it is to change it (regardless of how big or small that habit may be). A habit you picked up recently can also be fixed quite easily/quickly, however, a habit that you've had since your early years, will be much more difficult to change and there's always the possibility of "relapse". In Frieren's case, she probably had that habit before Flamme met her. Therefore, it's both a "childhood" habit (which makes it even more difficult to change) and also something that she was doing for probably 500 years. See my (anime) timeline below:
Frieren's timeline:
Age x : Meeting Flamme & then meeting Serie in quick succession
Age x + 50 : Flamme dies & meeting Serie for the 2nd time
Age x + 1050 : Meeting Himmel (for the 2nd time), Eisen, and Heiter
Age x + 1060 : Seeing the era meteor shower & then leaving the capital
Age x + 1110 : Seeing the era meteor shower & Himmel dies
Age x + 1140 : Current time
Furthermore, we know that at age x+50, Frieren said "only 50 years ago" to Flamme when talking about loving magic or not. So, 50 shouldn't be a significant fraction of x.
Finally, base mana seems to be different for each person (otherwise, you can't explain how Flamme and Heiter had way more mana than their actual age), however, mana still grows with the amount of training time (which is in direct correlation with age assuming constant practice). Now, Frieren's mana at age x after having defeated Basalt the Throne, looks somewhat comparable to Aura the Guillotine's mana in the current time. And Aura was about 500 years old.
So, putting all of this together, it's fairly reasonable to assume that x is about 500 (it could be a little less or a little more, however, Frieren's overall age must not exceed 2280 since she says that she's been suppressing her mana for most of her life and we know that she started suppressing it ~1140 years ago, which makes x
Its so odd when people dont notice that serie is suppressing her mana to be equal to that of Frierens mana when it isnt suppressed, that just shows what a beast serie is
0:41
there is no such thing as bad trop
just bad writing
(obviously you have preferences, that doesn't make trop you don't like bad)
I mean, ... There are bad tropes, but you can execute then well.
And everyone calling something bad "because tropes" as a blanked statement, just demonstrated his lack of understanding.
Tropes are exist for a reason.
@@hulmhochberg8129
personally i always hated ditzy childhood friend and tsundare trops
but then i watched steins gate and realized, ot was bad writing that i always hated
About what you said of how people might resonate differently depending on the point they are of their life (and how close they might be to their death), I decides to share some of my own experience with this manganime. To start, I have to say I suffer from thanatophobia (phobia to death, or to be lore concrete for most cases, phobia to the idea of ceasing to exist) so I get quite moved and shaken by some themes and situations, such as the time passing, getting old, close ones dying, etc. I was absolutely broken by episode 1, but what made me feel even more deeply connected was Heiter in episode 2. I think there's a second part that is often overlooked on the meaning of his name (something like cloudy iirc) that makes me thing that he uses humor as a way to deal with his own struggles, and also so that others don't worry about him. I think this is further reinforced in episode 14 when we learn how Heiter pretends to be a functional adult to be a good role model, specially for Fern. And what I noticed at episode 2 is that he genuinely felt afraid of dying. And this wasn't only because of Fern (though that clearly made him wish to be able to live longer), this was already a thing when Himmel died, and thus, before adopting Fern. I felt touched by the show portraying this, because normally we see people being quite estoic and heroic about the idea of dying or sacrificing. We also get some characters that are in peace with that, and I like it nonetheless, but I'm glad for having a character like Heiter and, in general, for how they display different perspectives and experiences for things.
As an extra about Heiter, I want to adda subtle detail that reminds me of Eisen's bravery when dealing with his own fears: despite being afraid of death, Heiter's main objective when asking Frieren to decipher Ewig's tome is Fern. He might have some hope of being able to live longer, but when Frieren tells him that she doubts about the existence of a spell like that and, later on, confirms it, his expression and voice doesn't change a bit. He doesn't put a somber expression even when Frieren says it while not looking at him. I think that's a beautifio detail about Heiter, who's genuinely thinking about Fern over his own fears without a smide of doubt because of self-interest.
I know it might not be possible but man I would be so down for you to analyze one piece psychologically... Maybe when the Wit Studio remake comes out perhaps? *copes harder*
Guess im the first comment!
Im so unsurprised you love this series. I recently finished it the other day and its so genuinely great.
its no Monogatari or Mushoku Tensei, but i can tell that Frieren is a genuinely special series that will have the same kind of impact. Its really a show that sticks with you!
himmel wil be foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
0:42 I've recommended Frieren to a friend and she said it's, too little gore and action and characters are just Demon Slayer copies.
Ofc she also simped for Lügner. Ya know, technically zoophilia 😅
EILF