Frieren season 2 continues to deliver what the series does best, and reminds us to stop and smell the roses rather than rushing towards our next destination. The series doesn’t try to reinvent, or introduce completely new elements, but instead builds upon the strengths that made season 1 so compelling. The characters remain as earnest as ever, with our current party now growing closer, and their bonds growing deeper. The core themes stay true to Frieren, but are now given small twists that offer fresh perspectives on lessons about Heroism, living in the present, the value of the journey, and words vs actions. The world building regarding the world of magic, demons, and how past predecessors paved the way for people of the future.
While themes, and world building elements in Frieren are fun to discuss, the characters are what gives them weight and meaning. Just like in season 1, one of Frieren’s charms is how sincere the cast feels. The series stays true to how the characters are, and making their interactions feel genuine. As I’ve previously stated in my previous review, the show presents them through their actions, and their words tend to lie about their intentions.
Methode was also an interesting addition to the Revolte troupe’s fight, where her method of beating Zorida was also a contradiction to Serie’s philosophy on magic being used for combat. Methode’s approach to magic shares similar traits with Frieren and Flamme where magic’s true value is placed on the enjoyment of the user. Methode used a non-lethal spell to clear the fog, which allowed Fern to cook, highlighting Methode’s intellect, and her experience with Fern during the mage exam. I also find it interesting that the best episode of this season has Frieren completely sidelined, and instead focused on the side cast.
Stark is another character who came in full swing both in his characterization, and his development. His growth from season 1 is demonstrated during the Revolte fight when he let himself get hit to assist Genau, reminiscent of his duel with Linie. I also appreciate the subtle moments whenever they visit a town. Frieren and Fern are inquiring for useful information they’ll need for their journey, while Stark spends his time helping out the locals, and interacting with the children, also reminiscent of the personality Himmel The Hero possessed.
Another aspect this season highlights more clearly is how each character has their own way of displaying affection, or love language. Starting with Frieren, embodies quality time, which is also the heart of her journey. As an elf, she has slowly learned to understand the limitations of human mortality, and cherish the memories she took for granted, while making the most out of the gift she has now, called the present. On the other hand, Fern expresses affection through gifts, such as Heiter’s staff (which she was visibly distraught with when it got destroyed during the Mage Exam), Frieren’s butterfly bracelet, and Stark’s lotus bracelet. Each gift carries its own symbolism: Fern’s staff being aesthetically simple and plain reflects the philosophy that basic spells are enough to survive the mages of today (I fear not the mage who knows a thousand spells, but the mage who has casted the same spell a thousand times), the butterfly bracelet represents Fern’s metamorphosis from childhood to a grown adult, and the lotus bracelet a quietly blossoming romance.
The Hero of the South was a surprisingly fitting addition into the world of Frieren. I initially felt his future sight being revealed would undermine the narrative, however his self-sacrifice became a powerful demonstration of heroism. Rather than use his future sight to escape from an outcome that would result in his early demise, he ultimately chose the path that led the future generation to defeat the Demon King. That doesn’t mean his foresight was perfect, as despite his belief that he would be buried in history, the present refused to forget him. The use of puppetry felt very intentional too, where both Schlacht and him were bound by strings of fate.
The Hero of the South’s foresight could parallel Flamme's impact in Frieren’s life. Just as Flamme predicted a human (Himmel) would make her want to learn more about them, Hero of the South foresaw that a human would be the reason to break her centuries of detachment. I was worried Hero’s foresight would be a thematic detriment against Himmel being a fake hero, but then again he didn’t foresaw his legacy living on either, so his idea of a hero probably wasn’t Himmel. Both icons serve the same theme: that the past plants the seeds for the present to blossom, just like how learning the spell of flowers helped humanity bloom into a peaceful era.
Another key theme from Frieren since season 1, has always been about the value of the journey, rather than the destination (tropey I know). However, the series constantly adds a subtle yet unique spin into the idea. For this season specifically, it focuses more on how companions sharing your sentiments can make an arduous journey feel worthwhile, even if the destination leaves you disappointed. The Fass episode is an example of this, where he spends centuries searching for an alcoholic beverage that an elf from a millennia ago hyped up just to troll whoever finds her message. Instead of wallowing in despair, he shares his discovery with the rest of the town, and showing gratitude with his journey. Then, we have Himmel’s memoir which was sought after by the ferryman since it contained records of Himmel’s experiences. Rather than recounting grand tales of slaying dragons, exploring dungeons, or fighting glorious battles against demons, the memoir contained mundane moments in their travels. Through the first person perspective shots, it placed emphasis on how Himmel valued his bonds with his companions rather than the heroic feats the whole world boasts about. An interesting twist to this is how the memoir suddenly stops, as Frieren continues flipping through the pages hoping there’d still be more. Although it was shown that Himmel lost the book in the middle of their travels, I thought it can also be interpreted that it was Frieren’s turn to continue the story through her new party.
AND HOW COULD I FORGET ABOUT THE MAIN SHIP, STARK AND FERN. I mean the first episode shows how much both Frieren and Fern trust Stark for their lives, and while running away from the monster in the crystal cave, Fern held onto Stark’s gift to reflect the comfort and safety he brings to her. It’s even pointed out that Fern is the reason Stark took the courage to leave the village, and slay the dragon, because he had someone who believed in him. Well, their relationship definitely took at least one step forward where they finally had an official first date together, showing their gradual comfort in each other.
The magic of Frieren wouldn’t be possible without the talented hands working in MADHOUSE. Frieren fans are blessed to have an influx of industry talents working on this series, from the directors to the key animators, down to the ethereal OST from Evan Call. The contrast between the anime adaptation, and the manga is night and day, especially with the Revolte battle being so dynamic, and possibly one of the most fluid non-rotoscoped fights I’ve seen. Beyond the animation quality, the directorial choices elevate the spectacle. For example, Fern’s zoltraak blending with the full moon was both a flashy, and an intriguing way of reinforcing her speciality in stealth, and precisions (someone show her Sniper Elite). I mean what else is there to say about Evan Call’s OST? The man always delivers.
Overall, season 2 continues its character-focused narrative through bits of slice of life episodes. Although this season doesn’t attempt to break the mold the series has already established, I still feel it’s a worthy continuation of a formula that has yet to overstay its welcome. By introducing slight variations of similar stories, it reinterprets its existing core themes in ways that feel fresh and meaningful. This stopover arc gave less catharsis compared to season 1, but it still packs all the elements fans enjoyed out of the series. Personally, I’m just happy we even got to see a season 2 due to MADHOUSE’s trend of discontinuing popular series such as One Punch Man, and No Game No Life. And with season 3 marked for October 2027, and the buildup towards the Golden Land arc, it’s going to be interesting what the future holds for this series. A bit of a glaze score, but for now I’m feeling a: 95/100
135 out of 151 users liked this review
