Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I figured we’d stop in with Frieren and the gang, and see how their journey towards the land of departed souls is progressing. When last we left off, the team had run into a snag in the northern territories, with Frieren ending up imprisoned due to her unwillingness to make nice with demons. Unfortunately for everyone, it has since been made clear that Frieren was actually right to distrust, as apparently the illusion of civility is simply a garb demons adopt in order to lower the guards of their enemies.
In the abstract, this style of “humanity’s enemies are inherently evil” worldbuilding has fallen out of fashion in recent decades, for understandable reasons. Intelligent races that are “born evil” simply don’t tend to facilitate interesting stories, and instead naturally evoke a sort of “we are right to conquer the savage natives” colonial queasiness. Robbing cultural clashes of their moral complexity is a dicey proposition, so I’m hoping this particular choice dovetails in some meaningful way with Frieren’s thoughts on aging and legacy, the realms in which it truly shines. Let’s see how our sleepy elf is getting on!
Episode 8
We continue where we left off, with Aura the Guillotine’s executioner Draht taking it upon himself to execute Frieren
The storyboarding offers subtle indications of how the two of them are scoping each other out as they talk. High-angle shots convey the limitations of their environment, the bars beside them making a fence of shadows across the ground separating them. A classic trick: separating the camera’s focus from the characters’ faces tends to naturally emphasize the distance between what is being said and what is being considered
The followup emphasizes the results of this focus: Draht was spending the conversation sneaking his wires behind Frieren, so he could string her up before she even started to fight
“Demons these days are hopeless. They lack actual battle experience.” This demon has never fought a meaningful opponent, and thus never needed to refine his technique. An echo of the demon whose killing magic became the foundation for humanity’s attack spells, and also an interesting point of contrast between this demon and Frieren – while he has grown complacent in a time of peace, the alleged peace-bringer Frieren has remained a honed instrument of war
The fight is over in moments, Frieren swiftly disabling her opponent and crushing his throat. Effective combat technique is not flashy, it is efficient
More satisfyingly textured backgrounds as we check in on Fern and Stark outside. I appreciate how the architecture shifts as we head further north, with buildings now composed of thicker walls and topped with heavy insulating roofs. It’s remarkable how much this production weaves worldbuilding texture into the margins of the active narrative, proving at every turn how much the substance of your world can be contained in its smallest details
That texture can easily inform the stakes of the main narrative, as well. The incidental background details of life in this town lend weight to Fern’s words, when she declares that they must free Frieren in order to save this place
Stark notes that Lugner’s indifference to anyone but Frieren demonstrated his certainty he could kill them at any time. I appreciate that Stark’s fears are an ongoing aspect of his character, not just a hurdle to overcome
Ooh, love this overhead shot of the main fort. They really put some work into the architecture of this building; it looks both authentic and functional, an aesthetically pleasing mixture of conical roofs, arched walkways, and squat halls
Graf Granat is smart enough to understand Lugner’s man killed the guard, but sadly too confident to wait for Frieren and the others before confronting him. His men are swiftly killed by Lugner’s delightful blood whip
“Now that violence has become the only way to resolve this mess, I’m overjoyed.”
“Graf Granat, what are words? How are they different from swords? No matter what we use, the weak die.” I do appreciate this explication of his philosophy – survival of the fittest is the rule of nature, regardless of our claims to act otherwise. It is not that demons are particularly deceptive with words, they just see all words as deception, an elaborate dance cloaking our base intentions
As always, particular care is taken in lighting the different stages of the day, an aesthetic strength that echoes Frieren’s thematic preoccupation with appreciating the small miracles of each ordinary day. Lovely salmon pinks and oranges light up the village as sunset approaches
Stark and Fern meet up with Frieren, who declares that “this has become a pain. I’m leaving town.” Her conscious philosophy is nearly as pragmatic as the demons
She suggests her companions fight the demons instead. She enjoys a private smile as the two head off, their protests echoing the bickering of her old companions, her tutelage carrying that spirit on to a new generation
Frieren actually seems in higher spirits than we’ve basically ever seen her. Fighting these demons seems to her to be a reminder of her old adventure, and likely also a source of clear, inarguable direction in an era when she’s frequently uncertain of the best way forward. An interesting complication, given how she keeps insisting her opponents are the ones with an inherently violent nature
“Should we really be sneaking into the mansion like this?” “Would you prefer to tell the gate guards that we’re here to kill the peace envoys?” Fern is a good bit like Frieren; more connected and sympathetic to humanity, but nonetheless prone to blunt, pragmatic calculus like this
God, the character animation is so ridiculously generous in this production. It’s normally less ostentatious because they’re mostly just marching down the road or observing things, but sequences like this mansion infiltration emphasize what absurd care is taken in articulating the precise body language of Stark and Fern
Lugner tells Graf Granat that he “loves magic.” He states that demons dedicate their lives to mastering single forms of magic, a constant study that bears fruit through their steady improvement over years and years. Another way to find purpose in a long life: turn your lifespan into a weapon, and your past into a smith that forged the power you possess today
Of course, that’s precisely the sort of thing Frieren was doing back when she was just wandering around collecting grimoires. It was her ultimate feeling of emptiness regarding that pursuit, in the face of Himmel’s gravestone, that led her to alter her course. Perhaps if we didn’t feel connections to others, it would be easier to find purpose in dedicating our life to a single craft. But because we feel love, loss, and loneliness, we must cast our nets more broadly in seeking a happy relationship with the past
Apparently it is Flamme’s barrier that protects this town. Meaning continuing to guard it is for Frieren a way of remaining connected with her absent teacher – magic as a link between souls, not a solitary craft
“Sometimes a spell cast by a genius a thousand years ago outmatches spells of the present. I despise geniuses.” Of course – the effortless superiority of a genius can undercut the value of all the effort a diligent craftsman put in to mastering their spells
After Granat refuses to talk, the demons head off in search of a grimoire that might disable the town barrier. No problem too big for the proper grimoire
Stark’s hands are still trembling as he attempts to cut Granat’s bindings
“He must have come to petition me without realizing the mage he was with escaped. What a stupid kid.” Granat’s phrasing emphasizes his frustration at his legacy’s end, as well as his regret at letting his son slip away
As before, I love how swift and final combat is in these circumstances – Stark and Lugner exchange perhaps three blows, and then Fern excavates Lugner’s torso with one punishing blast. Combat is not framed for an audience’s appreciation, but to end the battle in as few moments as possible
“This is Zoltraak? Don’t be ridiculous. Demonkind overcame Zoltraak over a hundred years ago.” Though Lugner prides himself on continuously honing his magic, his understanding cannot compare to humanity’s collective study. This is the benefit of collaboration – rather than acting as solitary predators, mankind’s ability to pool their knowledge has overcome the demonic method
And Done
Thus our battle moves towards its final stage, with Frieren the Slayer and Aura the Guillotine facing off at last. This episode’s further explanation of demonic philosophy fortunately didn’t validate my worst fears, mostly because the show doesn’t actually seem to agree with Frieren; demons are certainly indifferent to human lives, but they have their own values and society, an individualist yet strength-respecting martial culture that places a premium on personal study and achievement. Seeing Lugner’s perspective contrasted against Frieren’s actually offered some interesting parallels regarding the concept of “misused” time or talent, which managed to tie this faceoff into the production’s overall thematic wheelhouse. It frankly still seems like this whole racial morality argument is basically beyond the author’s abilities, so I’m going to take “less bad than it could have been” as a victory here, and look forward to the sure-to-be-spectacular final battle that will hopefully put this arc behind us!
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