Frieren Episode 27 "An Era of Humans" | Reaction/Review

[@feral_fenrir]

The episode starts with Fern incredibly pissed off with Frieren to the point where she doesn't respond to Richter's "You're Freiren's student right?" but ends with Fern proudly declaring to Serie that she's Freiren's student.

[@Danny01474]

Even better it was the absolutely instinctual "What? No." when asked if she wanted to become Serie's student. It went from her being so pissed she couldn't answer that she was Frieren's student, to instinctual instant refusal to become another's student.

[@KoresyOchotan]

I wanted to say this for a long time to a reaction channel, and finally I found you guys. Out of all the anime reaction videos I've watched, you guys are the only ones who pay attention to detail and respect each character, you don't just know a character but also want to understand the character, I love you both so much and hope this channel will continue to grow because I will never stop supporting you. You guys are the only anime reaction channel I subscribe to, so please upload more or please tell us if you guys have any other platforms, can't wait for more of your reaction videos ❤🥺

[@labrynianrebel]

Check out AutoSave, they had a great reaction to this series as well.

[@KoresyOchotan]

​​​​​@@labrynianrebel thank u for your recommendation btw, really appreciate it, but I already saw their reaction videos and I do like it, but they have a different method while reacting to an anime where they are often writing the details to talk about it later which is pretty good but sometimes it's just that they're not paused the video and missed some of the conversation while writing and not play it back so yeah, there's some scene of important information in the subtitles and they missed it but overall is good. Sorry I have OCD that's why I wanted everything to be perfect even though sometimes I'm tired of myself:)

[@Ryuu44]

LM Reactions would also fit your description, so you might enjoy giving them a shot. They're currently doing Frieren as well, and are on 1x13 at the moment.

[@fajarkurniawan9434]

unfortunately this series is their last reaction together but she will continue this channel going forward and I will keep support this channel

[@KoresyOchotan]

​​​@@fajarkurniawan9434how did you know that?, are they told us before about what you just said there...that this series will be the last of their reaction? Or you just meant that they will not be able to make videos reaction together in one frame? Pls tell me more of this information and how or where did you know about this🙏🏻 Are they have any other platforms

[@fr0stbound]

In case you've forgotten., this isn't the first time we've encountered Lernen's name. He's the creator of the escape golems.

[@mbpoblet]

And Ehre's grandfather.

[@pr0x1madigital]

and he is the grand-father of that mage Fern beat from 1st test

[@artboymoy]

well, we did see that he knew what the holy relic was that Frieren had to get accepted to take the test. Although I didn't know he was Ehre's grandfather. I must have missed that.

[@pouf6463]

@@artboymoy it's never really said. Ehre said that Fern is like an old mage and that she herself trained with her grand-father who is a 1st-class mage and in the epilogue of the last episode we'll see Ehre introducing her team to Lernen making more clear that he's her grand-father

[@InstantSilence]

@@artboymoy Spoilers if you haven't seen the final episode. We get a brief glimpse of it in episode 28. During an ending montage, we see Ehre with Wirbel and Scharf talking to Lernen, presumably to discuss how to travel to the northern plateau by sea. Ehre had previously mentioned that her grandfather is a first-class mage and can help them travel.

[@zoddmark5873]

I think the "I was lucky" line from Frieren was even sweeter than how you took it. The ways Serie said it, she was using "you got lucky" as a way to diminish her achievement, but Frieren responding with "That's right. I was lucky", saying she was lucky to have such amazing companions and friends.

[@onetom2222]

It's similar to her looking at the sunrise and recognizing that she wouldn't have made it if she'd been on her own. She survived and came this far, because of the amazing companions that she was blessed with

[@PlusOneGamer]

What I love about that moment with Himmel as a child and Frieren is the impact it had on Himmel's character. It's obvious that moment of kindness stuck with him, he even spent the time to learn what the language of flowers was. Maybe that was just general knowledge he has since he would go out to pick herbs, but I feel like the show is subtly trying to tell us he learned about that because of Frieren. I think the show might also be implying that Himmel learned a great deal of his kindness from Frieren going out of her way to comfort him. Also, in the second episode in the flaskback, we can see Himmel is the only one in the party not surprised by the field of flowers spells. He just softly smiles at Frieren. Very subtle foreshadowing that he may have seen it before, but also could just be a totally normal reaction from someone. LAST thing I'll say about that scene. When he says magic is beautiful. He's not looking at the flowers when he says it.

[@Raidanzoup]

I'd like to think your last point also has more legitimacy because of Japanese literature and the author who turned the phrase "the moon is beautiful" into a euphemism for "I love you" because saying it so directly "wasn't very Japanese".

[@MxMoondoggie]

Denken is not randomly pulling stuff out. He's actually suggesting books and magical items that will help him improve in the next 3 years in a subtle way while giving that pep talk lol. They don't subtitle it because maybe they don't catch her mumbling in her sleep but she mumbles "sorry Fern" in her sleep, just another subtle sign that she cares a lot about Fern even if she doesn't always understand her feelings. Serie sitting there like Master Yoda delivering a lecture to her students on mana is genuinely one of my favourite scenes.

[@NekoJet91]

Pretty sure Frieren is mumbling "Kowai yo, kurai yo" and is dreaming of mimics

[@jaskey]

Thank you for mentioning what Denken is doing there. I didn't notice at all and thought it was a bit random that he just pulled out stuff and left it there.

[@FAMIB]

@@NekoJet91 I think you are right.

[@Jay-ix9bc]

You guys are the best reactors for Frieren. So balanced on how you pay attention and truly connect with the heartfelt storytelling of it. The wonder of this anime is just phenomenal. 💕

[@KoresyOchotan]

Couldn't agree more!👍🏻

[@mitchhamilton64]

i recommend LM reactions if you havent checked them out already. they get so invested in the characters like mothers who view them as their actual children.

[@ruuin]

20:30 this scene basically made me realize that in episode 10 when the party first met, it wasn't from a rumor that a "long lived elf" lives in these woods. It was himmels very own memory as a child. also that ost will forever prime me into tears after this show. they used it in the same scene with flamme teaching her about the flower spell among others OST: a sunrise worth seeing

[@chrismanich3063]

I think he searched specifically for her, but the rumor pointed him to where she lived because i believe she didnt live in the same area where Himmel met her as a child

[@Ryodraco]

To clarify a bit, Serie doesn’t fear the era of humans, her philosophy is simply one that values talent and magic progress as a priority. Indeed she adores talented people, hence her enthusiasm when seeing Fern's potential. On the other hand, she hates to see people "waste" their talent (or what she interprets as wasting). Hence how Frieren states she is still not the mage Serie wants her to be. To Frieren magic is a means to kill demons, and a hobby to enjoy, she has no drive to devote her life to advancing magic the way Serie and her students have. To Serie this means Frieren is not as skilled as she could be, which she sees as a waste of talent.

[@kpetalis]

Which is true in a sense. What we see here is that Frieren as a person wants to enjoy life and learn magic as a hobby for herself. But at the same time she is not advancing a discipline that could potentially help the whole world. To a mage like Serie that is a waste of potential. Frieren is extremely gifted at analyzing magic, breaking it down to it's basic components and learning how it works and finding weaknesses in it like she did with Serie's barrier or reverse engineering Zoltrack. In real life terms that is like having Einstein or Newton or Aristotle not pursuing philosophy or knowledge but go out there and party all the time wasting their lives away. That is what she hates about Frieren. As a mage she has the potential to become a mage that could perhaps one day surpass her, but, because of her attitude and general aloof personality she wastes her time looking for household cantrips when she could help propel magic research in the equivalent of the industrial revolution in their world. That is why she says that Frieren is relatively unskilled for her age as an Elf. Because an elven mage of her age group would be far more powerful. And that is why Serie didn't pass her. Because she judged her with the criteria she has for an Elven mage, not a human one. Frieren might seem impossible to beat to human mages, but for an Elf, she is average at best.

[@Ryodraco]

@kpetalis while I mostly agree, I don't think I'd go as far as to call Frieren average by elf standards. "Relatively unskilled for her age" by Serie's standards seems more apt. I mean Frieren was the strongest elf in her village despite being a quite young elf at the time, and elves in general were massacred by the demons so most of them must have been weaker than Frieren. Unless her village was very below average, Frieren can't be called average. Serie's standards are simply very high, for both elves and humans.

[@UltraHD.7]

Exactly. I always see Serie as a disappointed parent who sees the huge potential of her kid, to become a doctor or a scientist, but instead "wastes" her time lazing around and wanting to be, lets say, a KZbinr 😉 But that's nothing wrong from both of them, it's just that they are completely different characters with different views on life.

[@Aznarel]

@@Ryodraco Not all elves were mages. Kraft, for instance, is a monk. Frieren was barely able to defeat even the Demon General that attacked her village and Flamme dispatched 3 demons more powerful than him easily, with just element of surprise on her side. Frieren was likely the only mage in her village and an untrained one. For 1000 years, her casting speed is slow and she makes elementary mistakes (as Fern notes in the dungeon). It is just the sheer length of her training gave her absurdly vast mana. She can now brute-force almost anything. Does not make her skilled.

[@Ryodraco]

@@Aznarel it wasn't simply surprise. Flamme was far more powerful than those demons, and more powerful than Frieren at the time. Her skill factored in being able to hide that strength, as otherwise the demons would likely not pick the fight to begin with. As for casting speed, Frieren is not slow. Fern is simply very fast, and even then Frieren had to force a big enough opening for Fern to be quick enough to get past the clone of Frieren's reaction time. Anyway, point remains from what little we know of elves in this setting I don't see any evidence Frieren is below average. Serie never calls Frieren unskilled or weak, she merely states that she had the potential to be more skilled than she is. Her perspective is not infallible either, as shown when she apologizes to Sense for having believed all the other test takers were unworthy.

[@a_melon8754]

It’s interesting that this episode reveals that Flamme’s combat teachings were pointless. Flamme told Frieren to “live in obscurity. You must not leave your name in history until you have killed the Demon King.” She was betting on Frieren mastering mana supression and surprising the Demon King in an ambush, like how Flamme nuked the demons in episode 10. But… Serie mentions that the Demon King saw through Frieren’s mana supression at first glance. In the end, the thousand years that Frieren spent supressing her mana and living in obscurity were pointless. The Demon King immediately saw that Frieren was a powerful mage, and the ambush that Flamme was betting on became impossible. Instead, what defeated the Demon King was Flamme’s Flower Spell. It brought Frieren to her companions, and Frieren says that if even one of them weren’t there, they would have lost. The spell wasn’t useless, without it, the Demon King wouldn’t have died. And because of that, Flamme’s teachings, and by extension Serie’s… failed. They truly could not have defeated the Demon King by themselves, because they couldn’t have made the companions that Frieren did.

[@Bayard1503]

Oh, I'm pretty sure there were a lot of those combat spells as well... Frieren didn't just spend 500 years suppressing her mana, she learnt many many spells. Otherwise she wouldn't have such an encyclopedic knowledge of folk magic.

[@gojicandle8188]

​@@Bayard1503i think the point stands, tho i would say living in obscurity wasnt pointless, it just manifested in a way flamme couldnt visualise, but the mana suppression was of no aid like flamme intended.

[@pierluigidipietro8097]

​@@gojicandle8188 mana suppression was useful for defeating all demons, except the demon king. That is, very important, but not decisive.

[@mattar8432]

mana suppression was important because without this skill the team would probably never have gotten to the demon king, thus deceiving and defeating many demons on the way to him

[@gojicandle8188]

@@pierluigidipietro8097 fair point, but its still a neat tidbit that flamme, who said herself she couldnt defeat the demon king, created a strategy that would work on pr much all demons aside from the demon king.

[@RoryMitchell00]

Baby Fern receiving her staff and almost tipping over has to be the most adorable image ever. It's funny how I never really noticed that consciously until watching your reaction. The idea that Frieren feels more comfortable communicating through her magic (like when she conjured up the flowers for Himmel) that you discuss hearkens back to my thoughts - which I wrote out in a comment to your episode 25 reaction - that magic is often used as a metaphor for artistic expression in this incredible story. Music, painting, etc, is sometimes described by its practitioners as a different language all its own, which is used to convey ideas and feelings that words cannot. Also, it can be a language that some creative minds feel more comfortable operating within. Perhaps, in a sense, the writer of this story is simply recognizing their own difficulties throughout their life at failing to make those simple human connections, and then is commenting on the fact they had to turn to the creative language of writing a manga to fully communicate their feelings of regret at not being able to properly share their thoughts with others. Verbal language - whether written or spoken - can feel quite limited when compared to the soul-touching presence of music, or painting, etc. The way magic is regarded in Frieren does have that same sense of grandeur and personal expression that art does here in the real world.

[@huesosdelmonte]

This is beautiful, that idea of magic as a certain form of art that expresses the unspeakable is astonishing.

[@somebodyoutthere]

I know you probably don't read this comments section to avoid spoilers. But just want to say you're the sweetest reactors and one of my favourites. I hope after Frieren you can find another masterpiece to react to. I did find it hard myself to watch a new series since Frieren just set such a high standard, that most things I'd been planning to watch didn't seem that appetizing anymore. But I'll stick around whatever you're watching next ❤

[@FTF-Media]

oh my gosh thank you, that honestly means so much to john and me !! this is such a nice comment :’) as for what will come next, i am planning to put out a poll here soon with a few options ! i can’t wait for some more amazing anime :)

[@jameslong6813]

@@FTF-Media I suggest Apothecary Diaries for the poll and just a suggestion in general. Season 1 finished up this year and Season 2 starts in January. I thought it was a great follow-up watch to Frieren.

[@hemagionaltovao5291]

It's here, the reason why Himmel loves flowers. His knowledge of them, his enjoyment of them, makes flower crowns, all because Frieren tried to calm his nerves. "I finally saw that magic was beautiful" He says, not looking at the flowers at all. He was planning his love for her all his life. You can't spell Himmel without HIM.

[@zenmastermtl]

Also worth noting, if Serie's suppressed mana is like Frieren's unsuppressed mana, then that means unsuppressed, Serie would be like 10x as powerful as Frieren. With the knowledge of all spells. There's a reason she was referred to as being the closest thing to a living goddess. Serie is scary powerful.

[@stephenvoss6092]

She could be 5-7x as powerful as Frieren, we know Frieren has been doing it most of her life so Frieren is better at suppression than Serie.

[@sleepingbee8997]

Serie criticizing the mana suppression technique, yet doing it herself, is so much fun. Cause it's arguably a masterful expression of the technique. The point is that no one is ever supposed to know that you're using the mana suppression technique until it's too late. And if Serie had said anything positive about mana suppression in a room full of the most intelligent and calculating mages, one of them would surely have asked "Then why don't you do it? Especially since your long life would negate the inefficiency of it?" And they would almost certainly conclude that she _is_ doing it, they just can't tell. By showing nothing but contempt, she's ensuring that her secret is safe.

[@DarwinAwardWinner]

It's not the main point of this episode, but one recurring theme I like from this show is how often the same character gets called both young and old. Frieren calls Sein young, but also calls him a proper adult. Everyone who knows talks about how old Frieren is, but Fern also talks about how sometimes she feels like Frieren's mother. Frieren talks about how Fern was so young and tiny just a few years ago and how she needs to stop thinking of her that way. Lawine calls Richter an old man while Denken calls him an insolent youngster. It's all over the place if you look for it. As for the flower spell, Frieren isn't just saying that it brought the party together, she's going even further. She said that if anyone was missing from the party, they couldn't have defeated the demon king, so she is drawing a direct line from the flower spell to defeating the demon king, in response to Serie calling the spell useless. We also heard from Serie in this episode that the demon king saw through Frieren's mana suppression, which means that of the two major things that Flamme taught Frieren, the one she taught Frieren for killing the demon king was a failure, while the one she taught Frieren purely for fun is the one that defeated the demon king. As for Fern and her staff, there's also a subtle juxtaposition in this episode: in the first half, Richter asks if Fern is "Frieren's kid", and Fern remains silent, unable to say yes in that moment. So in the second half, when Fern boldly declares to Serie that she is Frieren's student, it's not merely confirming what we already know, it's reaffirming something she wasn't sure about just half a day earlier. We can imagine that in an alternate timeline where Frieren didn't care enough about Fern's feelings to get the staff repaired, Fern could plausibly have accepted Serie's offer. We can also speculate about why Frieren doesn't have her own spell for repairing a staff, like Richter does. We've already seen that Frieren has difficulty understanding the value of physical things (statues, rings, etc.), because to her they are all temporary. She's "used to losing things." So it makes sense that she wouldn't be interested in trying to artificially extend the lifetime of her physical possessions. Who cares If her staff lasts 150 years instead of 100? For her, the only difference is cost. If repairing is more expensive than replacing, then throw it out and replace it. That's basically what she said that made Fern so mad.

[@RoryMitchell00]

That's quite an insightful observation that I'd never heard before. Thanks for sharing it!

[@boboyo3140]

She doesn't have a spell for repairing staffs because she's not Serie. Frieren has a lot of spells, but NOT all of them. In the next episode we learn that she also didn't have a spell for cleaning clothes.

[@DarwinAwardWinner]

@@boboyo3140 I'm just saying, if it was something she valued, she could have found the time at some point in the past millennium to work on it.

[@Credemis]

5:23 a cute part about this scene is Laufen offers a donut to Richter, but if you remember after the first exam, before they went to the restaurant where everyone ended up at, Laufen has donuts from Denken and says she isn’t sharing any lol

[@FuzzyMuffin1]

Laufen runs on Denken Donuts

[@_2fcd_978]

5:24 I love that despite her having a basket full of donuts, she chose to offer him the one she's already eaten. Like, just give him a full donut.

[@PeterButchens]

Serie is a menace, and I love it. Also, I'm glad you take your time to analyse what happened. Catching all the little details along with you is super fun.

[@DavidGarcia-kw4sf]

Serie is like an 8th-degree black belt. No need to demonstrate anything. Everyone knows she can kick butt.

[@nachot6592]

The pacing and writing of this anime are something else. How can a slow, talking-only episode can be so friggin engaging?!

[@pierluigidipietro8097]

Because there are good characters, good writings, and good stakes in play

[@windwalker5765]

I believe Serie says Frieren is relatively inexperienced for her age because she spent 700-800 years of her life as a hermit in the woods, from when Flamme passed away to when Himmel recruited her. If she'd spent that time traveling, fighting, and using her magic (other than day to day utility spells and suppressing her mana) she'd have more practice with more spells. It's not her raw power that is lacking, it's her ability to use it in a variety of ways.

[@Sinvare]

Such a brilliant way to have Fern pass. Fern was able to do something that no one else could, so she passed. It doesn't need to touch on if Fern is more powerful than Mage X, Y and Z. There is vague scientific parallel to Fern's abilities. Microscopes. Microscopes allowed humanity to see small things and revolutionize our understanding of the world. Fern's ability to detect minute fluctuations in mana might be able to do something similar with magic, open up a new understanding of it's functions. Ironically, Fern only has that level of perception because Frieren "wasted" her time mastering suppression of her magic. Fern as the apprentice observing their master's spell casting had to pay attention to minute changes.

[@umi1724]

When child Himmel said that it was the first time he thought magic was beautiful, he wasn't even looking at the flowers... but at Frieren XD. Nice reactions from you two, I really enjoyed your videos.

[@David-cg1lh]

I love the serie mana suppressing bomb drop cause it's just like ohhh... So you're a god then lol.

[@Tamtarter]

I genuinely thought that she was doing the opposite when I first heard it; she's actually weirdly weak and is artificially *amplifying* her supposed aura, staying in charge purely on reputation and knowledge. It took a good while for me to accept it probably isn't a double bluff

[@thejester7834]

Serie is such a tsundere. Saying that Flamme's field of flowers spell is such a waste of magic despite taking care a whole house of plants and flowers. She may have high standards but she may not realize that every student she's taken on has imprinted themselves unto her. I'm starting to see a trend with the elves we've encountered so far except for Kraft, Frieren didn't realize how much of an impact a mere 10 year journey has on her and Serie doesn't realize or refuses to accept how much of an impact each and every student she's mentored has on her.

[@kkhchannel4813]

3 little details: 1) Fern hesitated when Richter asked her if she's Frieren's student. This shows how Fern was struggling with her identity as Frieren's student. But at the end, she proudly told Serie she's her student ❤. 2) Frieren didn't defend herself when Serie mocked her, but she stand her ground when it comes to the hero's party. Just like when Voll asked her if she remembers Himmel, she defended it. 3) Go watch ep2 again, when Frieren showed them the flower magic, Himmel's face was nostalgic!!!

[@feral_fenrir]

Serie goes from "I should never take on a human student" to salivating over Fern and saying "become my student"

[@BlackWACat]

Serie is a poor liar she has SO MANY human students

[@exander77]

@@BlackWACat It's a guilty pleasure. She knows she shouln't.

[@k.t.4613]

​@@exander77It's more of a bad coping mechanism. She keeps taking on students hoping one of them could surpass her one day but none of them ever did. She has genuine hope for all of them to be the bestest there ever was but no one can come close to her level. So she keeps taking on students, keeps genuinely hoping, and keeps being disappointed (and keeps being left grieving for them when they die but Serie herself probably doesn't realize this part).

[@boboyo3140]

28:35 Serie said she shouldn't take on human students because they DIE TOO QUICKLY, and in Lernen's case, he's soon going to die just after having reached such a high level of magic.

[@brokenrecord1323]

Farewell John. Hope to see you again in the future. Stay safe always and i hope you find the success you deserve. Awesome reaction. Looking forward to the next adventure, Kim!

[@FTF-Media]

thank you so much !! that means the world to both john and i :) ! i’m also really excited for the next adventure :) thank you for wanting to watch with me !

[@HansWurst-lg1ws]

@@FTF-Media Will he be back for season 2 tho?

[@feelinfresh-v5n]

Season 2 gonna be pure GOLD!

[@PlusquamPerfekt256]

i see what you did there

[@pr0x1madigital]

Manga Spoiler:: cant wait for the Serie moment "I've walked this earth for so long your kind has forgotten to fear me" 💀

[@Lunaticxsl]

Do not spoiler but, can u tell is season 2 gonna be lit than Season 1??

[@k.t.4613]

​@Lunaticxsl ABSOLUTELY. There are 2 upcoming major arcs in the manga that are, so far (because the manga is still ongoing), the Peak of this story. The first of those 2 arcs is guaranteed to be ss2's main focus. If we're _really_ lucky and if the anime team get really good at episode time management then we _might_ get the second arc too though I'm keeping my hope carefully low. But either way, ss2 is guaranteed to be better than ss1 I kid you not.

[@Lunaticxsl]

@@k.t.4613 Thanks so much for the information, i have more question ... Is Evan Call still on it?😅 In season 2??

[@feral_fenrir]

The pile of books and materials that Denken "window shopped" and left behind in front of Richter are research materials and things he can improve on that Denken wanted to slyly leave behind for him in my opinion

[@falx1975]

Here it is, the culmination of the meaning of magic in the world. On one side we have, magic is meant to create joy and beauty and bring peace. The other side, magic is a tool... a weapon and symbol of ambition and strength. Neither is wrong or weaker than the other, but the era we are in means they must clash. I love this anime.

[@jmhaces]

Knowing this, it makes sense why in Episode 2's flashback when she does the flower spell Eisen and Heiter are really excited and surprised but Himmel just smiles calmly like he already knew about the spell.

[@Raidanzoup]

A great call and response in this episode is Fern seemingly not wanting to confirm it when Richter says she's Frieren's student, but later on, after she's gotten over their little disagreement, she firmly declares she's Frieren's student in front of Serie. I also love the parallel to the sentence structure and, I guess, shot composition(?) of Flamme instructing Frieren on how to deceive demons with her mana and Frieren instructing Fern on how to deal with Serie's demands/propositions. I love how you two have been on the ball with the whole magic as a tool for war vs magic as something joyful the past several episodes, and right as I paused it you were pivoting into the humans of Himmel's time growing up during the long war, but you gotta wonder how it was for Serie who's seen so many of the powerless perish. Whether it's elves or demons, the ones that have lived a long time must have had the means to do so.

[@fershowfershow3164]

I know you will cry with the final episode when you know what happend and those memories comes to your mind you start to cry like a baby and when I saw that final man I didnt expect to cry so much

[@mr.non-existent8137]

Assuming that Serie applies the same principle that Flamme taught Frieren, her supressed mana should only be a tenth of her actual mana. Which is crazy to think, considering that it's almost equal to Frieren's unsuppressed mana-- I can't even imagine how much she actually has in it's unsuppressed state

[@Winterfallx4444]

And lernen could see frieren suppressing her mana the moment he sees her. Same lernen couldn't see serie and they are together for at least 50 years

[@strongholdd4962]

​@Winterfallx4444 it just shows you how much potential fern has, because she saw right away that serie is suppressing her mana

[@RoryMitchell00]

Serie really feels to me like the living embodiment of the concept of _cognitive_ _dissonance_ in humans. She says - and believes! - that mana suppression is a waste of time, yet she learns and does it anyway. She says that training human mages is a waste of time, yet she remembers each of her student's favourite spells and gets excited at the thought of taking Fern on as her student. She calls the "field of flowers" spell useless, yet surrounds herself with a well-maintained garden. Or maybe her behaviour is just a commentary on the fact that if someone were to live as long as Serie has, they would naturally change their minds about many such things, given how recent experiences sweetened or soured them on those ideas.

[@boboyo3140]

In the manga, Lernen says that Frieren's full mana is ALMOST equal to Serie's mana (without knowing that Serie herself is concealing her mana). So the "almost equal" in question is comparing Frieren's full mana to Serie's restricted mana 😱

[@fjoergyn]

i wanna see a flamme cosplay :3 When any time a RL-Movie comes out you have to be flamme, no one fit so perfect

[@Saxit]

Another fantastic reaction, and yes the writing is amazing. Himmel as a kid meeting Frieren is fantastic. You guys are also one of the few reactions I've seen that understood that Serie's suppressed mana is as big as Frieren's full mana. A lot of other reactions seems to not understand at all that Serie's suppressing her mana too.

[@anagramhound]

Serie suppressed her mana and it's still that huge, what a monster of a mage.

[@InstantSilence]

I like to joke that by association, Flamme's parents are the most influential individuals in the world for making the spell to create a field of flowers Flamme's favorite spell.

[@KaerunoDimension]

Omg, guys, you're almost there!! I've been loving the journey so far with you! You two are the best ❤️

[@martuafsamosir8677]

Flamme and Frieren is the flower, Fern is the butterfly and Serie is the gardener.

[@SO-zc8ic]

もう少しでフリーレンを見終わってしまうなんて悲しい😭😭 毎回の更新を楽しみにしていました♡

[@michaeljakeusman]

serei: supressing mana to deceive demons is too troublesome, could take 1000 years... (did it herself) serei: useless flower spell.... (the whole room is filled with flower spell) serei: i wont take another human student....... be my student fern.

[@David-cg1lh]

You guys are honestly my favourite reactors. Especially perfect for anime which is fun and emotional and kooky. You are both charming funny attentive to detail in character and story and emotioannly open I love you e how much you love the characters I love to see you shed a tear and how happy you can be it all makes a perfect mix. 😊

[@FTF-Media]

oh my gosh thank you so much, that is so very nice of you to say :’) john and i have loved getting to watch frieren with you all and comments like yours mean the world to us !!

[@David-cg1lh]

@FTF-Media oh I should have asked did you do anything for Halloween and what excuse could you have for not dressing as flamme 😉. Seriously you guys are great frieren Mor ethan other shows has gotten people to be emotionally open in their reactions but you guys are Soo genuine it just makes watching you a joy.

[@jaskey]

Might be worth noting that Fern calls herself Frieren's "deshi". It translates into 'student', but from what I understand(from martial arts) it's closer to English's word 'apprentice/disciple'. You live with and do things for the teacher/master to learn not only the skill they teach, but to understand all of their lifestyle(so that they are able to most closely imitate anything that makes that master great) to become the next lineage holder of the teacher/master's skills. So Fern is not only deciding to stick with Frieren here for personal attachment, but also rejecting the Serie's approach to magic favoring Frieren's approach and lifestyle.

[@LuizBarrosPoa]

That piano in the field of flowers is so delicate.

[@masterbin1886]

it's so poetic that, the flower spell was what brought the party together, so in a sense the flower spell was what defeated the demon king. A fitting spell for a peaceful era.

[@GrandHarrier]

My personal reading on the "lucky" comment is that while Serie thinks she "lucked" into strong companions that made up for what she sees as Frieren's weakness relative to her age, Frieren turned it around to mean she was "lucky" to have met, been apart of, and been so changed by these people that she is discovering through her journey. For Serie everything is about strength and power. For Frieren it's that intangible connection between people. And in Serie we see someone with all the immense power in the world, likely second only to the Goddess herself, and yet a deep abiding loneliness that she desperately yearns to be filled by another Mage who could stand at her level. Human Mages die to soon to reach that height and Frieren doesn't desire it.

[@bossl6982]

Yup. Frieren took being lucky to mean being blessed with good people around her. It's very sweet.

[@UltraHD.7]

I also think the "you've been lucky" comment was mainly to provoke a reaction from Frieren for not letting her pass, to see some fighting spirit in her. When they first met, Serie said "that girl lacks ambition" and she still thinks that way.

[@David-cg1lh]

I love serie envision her past students moment and music you make that golem my boy!!

[@Dan-vo7vc]

Frieren planted the belief that Fern would pass in both Fern and Serie, thus ensuring that she would pass. Frieren understands magic better than anyone! She spoke it into being.

[@UltraHD.7]

I know she's controversial and some even see her as a kind of evil elf, but I love everything about Series character so much. Yes, she's rude and harsh and cold, but she has her principles and she can always explain why she thinks and acts the way she does. And you have to admit, she's not wrong. I just enjoy such a perfectly complex written character so very much, you don't encounter that very often.

[@k.t.4613]

Serie's writing is SO GOOD I agree she's my favorite character too. She's in charge of a huge organization and has many devoted followers and is supposedly the closest to the mythical Goddess AND SHE IS AT ODDS WITH OUR PROTAGONIST. That's such a brave choice to made because that's a textbook "this character is made to be hated". Yet, we have seen that Serie is not a cruel person; she didn't need to come all the way to proctor the third test had she really give no shit for human lives. We have seen that Serie cares, in her own way, for her students; her disappointment (and sadness) that her students would soon pass away without reaching their full potential, that flashback with little Flamme. Serie is written in a way that it is absolutely understandable if someone hate her, but there's also no problem if you like her either. The narrative never actually told you how to feel about her, despite her having all the traits for an antagonistic character. The story just presented Serie as she is: An elf whose actions contradict her words but she's so old we might never understand why it is so -we can, it's because she's a tsundere :v-

[@patbracken]

*Kanne pokes her head through the door.* Viewer: Oh sweet summer child... you're not passing this test.

[@kaigaikarano]

The only "peaceful" spell magic that Flamme teach to Frieren. Lead to era of peace. Flower is symbol of hope, growth, and peace afterall.

[@idkskills3800]

Yes Serie knows that if Lernen and Frieren fought LERNEN would win. Thats how skilled and strong he is. And yes Serie was surpressing her mana. Serie taught Flamme and she taught Frieren. It only makes sense that the masters master was even better at concealing her mana. So we dont even actually know how big Serie mana is. And the fact that Lernen didnt see Series fluctuations makes Serie feel disappointed in her student. So if SERIE and FRIEREN fight......SERIE WOULD WIN. This show is amazing you have to pay attention and put things together. W video 1 left LFG🥶🕺

[@kiku6525]

ゼーリエは、長いこと生きてるのに、自分の思ってる事を正直に言葉で伝えられない所が可愛いですよね。弟子の事が可愛くてしょうがないのに、あんな言い方しかできなにのが微笑ましくもあります。

[@aguscm4175]

Next ep my boy Land makes fucking LANDFALL. Let's gooooooooooo

[@StephenRansom47]

😂 “An Era of Humans… a time for them to shine ✨… A century or two of that will be just fine.” Frieren 😊

[@shinwaku5507]

Denken casually selects some items and books to help Richter improve his magic and places them on the desk.

[@IOADESTOYER]

Very rare a reaction channel doesn't fake reactions to get a following. Nice both of you, the fact you understand or try to understand what you watched shows your reactions are real.

[@dredgenrur3190]

As you've noticed, yes, Serie's been suppressing her mana as well. And if she's using the same suppressing rate as Flamme, Frieren and Fern, she's only showing 10% of her actual mana. My theory is that Serie could've easily killed the Demon King by herself, but being the magic junkie she is, she preffered to have him in the world as a threat to hummanity and other races just so there would be progress in most fields with the goal to be able to fight and defeat him. Then again, I could be wrong and she's just halving her mana output, still makes her a mosnter, as she would be as strong as 2 Frierens. We still don't know, but one thing's certain, don't mess with her, no matter what. Also, now that you've seen Frieren and Himmel's first encounter, go back to episode 2 and watch the flashback of Freiren using the flower field spell on and abandoned/destroyed church. Heiter and Eisen watch in awe, as it could be the first time seeing magic used for something so beautiful, but Himmel, he just smiles in rememberance of that night in the forest where he met Frieren, and fell in love with her.

[@Ryodraco]

It's a neat theory, but Flamme stated Serie (and herself) could not kill the demon king, not that she chose not to kill him. It could be as simple as Serie not being able to imagine killing him because she couldn't imagine the age of peace, and this innately limited her power against him. Flamme seemed to imply that. It could also have been some innate special ability the demon king possessed, after all he lived for well over a thousand years when usually even half that is considered a long life for a demon.

[@johnlabu1154]

I like the 'fallen out of love for magic' takes. Makes me wonder if frieren only teach fern one offensive magic so fern will learn more beautiful peaceful magics so that she will never learn the dark side of magic.

[@stephenvoss6092]

Fern only needs basic offensive magic to win fights. Thats Frierens belief. Fern has taken that basic offensive magic and made it very effective and efficient in use.

[@druidicdwarf]

this is probably the best reaction i've ever seen for this episode. amazing. thank you so much for sharing. eager to hear your thoughts and analysis on the last episode of season 1

[@jerryjerot2273]

Thats call the butterfly effect. Every small decision will make a big result ❤

[@tulk3747]

Notice when Himmel said , it was the first time he thought magic was beautiful, he was looking at her and not the flowers. :). . . :(

[@5HeadTaste]

16:20 lmfao. I feel like most reactions I've seen didn't put that together. Yes, Serie is OP.

[@MilhafreTuga]

Almost ending the first part of the journey and you are de best react channel that pay attention to all details that this show. So now think on one little thing. Fern also suppress there mana... No One saw or talk about that. I think that she is the best hidden mana, best to see the others mana and see the fluctuations and also hide there own fluctuation

[@kiryukaimemorial]

you guys know how to have fun and entertain each other, while also staying on topic, providing insight and analyzing the story. I look forward to your Frieren uploads to the point that I pause all my other tabs so I can pay attention to yours! Thank you for dropping these last two episodes earlier than expected! *wink wink nudge nudge wishful thinking*

[@FTF-Media]

oh my goodness thank you for the nicest comment !! your words mean so much to john and me ! hearing how much you enjoy watching with us honestly puts the biggest smile on my face ! thank you again :’) !!

[@Jungkith]

Yall remember me when your channel is big😌🥰

[@Zerald-Nihilum]

When Himmel murmured "Beautiful...", he was looking up towards Frieren instead of down towards the flowers.

[@johnnynoise7897]

Between Kraft, Serie and Frieren, the fact that Frieren is the youngest always amazes me

[@NinjaPopeXue]

Himmel's philosophy as a "hero" is to do all of the little things. No matter how small the action, you never know what kind of impact it could have on someone's life. I wonder if this mindset stemmed from the emotions he felt when Frieren made the field of flowers for him seemingly "on a whim." It all ended up looping around in a beautiful way, and they saved the world.

[@Jude-yk9uc]

Frickin love u both as always. Glad i got to see your experience with this beautiful show

[@lemmonsinmyeyes]

Serie has been around for a long long time, and is/was insanely powerful when the demon king was causing problems. But she did not go or do anything about it. So it would seem that she intentionally allowed this horrible force of evil, death and destruction to be inflicted upon mankind as a means to make them stronger. Magic as a weapon. Which is probably why she hates Friren, a mage who is also very powerful in magic as a weapon, but she basically disowns the power in favour of a freaking flower spell. Freiren is the antithesis of Serie's very existence and sense of self.

[@akanshpatel4296]

what you guys are watching next, i am really excited to see you both.

[@FTF-Media]

hi, kim here :) after frieren ends, john has decided that he will be stepping away from the channel, so it is just going to be me going forward (we have a little community post that hopefully explains things a little better). i will be putting up a poll with a few options to watch next, so i hope that you will want to watch with me in the future! thank you so much for your comment :)

[@blackflowers5996]

Please watch Skip and Loafer or Violet Evergarden

[@mhrehl]

Wow, i do appreciate the fast/early uploads. Just gonna miss our bro John soon....

[@volrath77]

That flower spell? The beginning of Himmel's 'eternal love' for the dense elven maiden he had hopelessly fallen for.

[@artboymoy]

What a great test! Serie is pretty scary with the amount of mana she must have if she's suppressing it as well. For me this episode really solidifed that Flamme could see the future for Frieren in that she would defeat the Demon King and may have set things up for her with her teachings and directions. She may have even seen her favorite spell in planting the seed in Himmel to pick Frieren when Himmel was looking for a mage. What a great flashback.

[@RoryMitchell00]

Wow, a new reaction already? You're really spoiling us with these videos!

[@feral_fenrir]

Freiren's unsuppressed mana = Serie's suppressed mana

[@Overlord734]

You can rewatch party's first reaction to the Frieren first time casting the flower spell. Heiter and Eisen were surprised and overjoyed, while Himmel was calm and pensive.

[@crapko1449]

they say it several times through the series. That which cannot be visualized cannot be. Serie and Flamme couldnt defeat the demon king because they cant visualize a peaceful time. That's why Flamme knew it would be Frieren.

[@feral_fenrir]

Magic 80-90 years ago was like a tool/weapon of war for most of humanity. Freiren's field of flowers thus was magic being just aesthetic/beautiful for kid Himmel. If you think about it, magic is the world of visualization and imagination. Himmel and party killing the DK and bringing the era of peace can be directly attributed to Flamme/Freiren's flower spell inspiring Himmel to be a Hero

[@Ozai75]

From that moment Himmel loved Frieren. From that very moment and it's beautiful.

[@Jungkith]

Kinda embarrassed im the one sobbing at the first 10 mins😭

[@-quoreo-7196]

I'm not sure if this is true or just a theory but apparently the stuff that Denken pulled out from Richter's shop are materials for him to study to be stronger.

[@judefachop]

i like how Serie started selling herself to Fern. Girl, I'll treat you real nice! I can teach you crazy spells!

[@imafknloser4268]

I think flamme is keeping that garden together using flammes flower spell, in a roundabout way shes acknowledging its usefulness and its beauty just by having those flowers there in the first place.

[@imafknloser4268]

Serie not flamme in the beginning sorry.

[@squirrelanimationstudio2547]

If you pay attention, in the chapter when Fern and Frieren are searching for the blue Petal for the Himmel statue, Frieren tell to Fern about the Spell of Flower showing the old companion of Heiter, Heisen and himmel, the expressions of Heiter and Heisen was absolutely surprise but not in the face of Himmel. He saw it before... with her ;)

[@GeneraliE]

The Himmel kid flashback always brake me in pieces

[@ruuin]

woah we're going for a record here. Another one, yay!!

[@pub1]

As you're approaching the end of this series, I wanted to throw a potential recommendation in the hat for what you watch next: Eighty-six It's another mix of action, drama and strong writing and relationships. I think it would be right up your street

[@FTF-Media]

thank you so much for the suggestion!! i have heard amazing things about 86 and would LOVE to see it :)

[@ninnikuprobability]

I keep hoping we someday get a scene with Frieren and Scharf (from Wirbel's party) fighting some big bad just because of his synergy with the flower spell, he'd probably be able to spam those steel petals.

[@indrajeetroy6464]

This anime have changed my life in a good way. And it probably will keep changing my life in future. I'm a better version of myself now

[@StephenRansom47]

The gifts we give in secret are the best. 😭 10:27 I would love to take Frieren to my favorite book store - The Iliad in Los Angeles, California. A used book store the size of a Target City. 👍

[@JackDemons]

I'm looking forward to season 2! The manga is soo good! 😊

[@cartmantke]

Now link the through line that Frieren showed Himmel the beauty of magic by showing him a spell of flowers, Himmel learning the "language" of flowers. Himmell intentionally seeking her out, the ring, and the fact that he never married. Hummel loved her and was quietly faithful and true to her his entire life.

[@manjiimortal]

And if you go back to episode 2, on the flashback where Frieren shows off the Flower Bed Spell to her party, you can see Eisen and Heiter looking at it in wonder and surprise, but Himmel has a look of fond nostalgia instead, because that wasn't the first time he had seen the spell!

[@davidbeneda9886]

I love that simultaneous look at 16:20 I LOVE IT XDD

[@I_Stay_Blunt]

Take a shot every time she smacks his leg lol..... Also Serie a hypocrite she says suppressing mana a waste of time yet she does it herself, she kinda of a tsundere and doesn't express her emotions.