Frieren Episode 3 "Killing Magic" | Reaction/Review

#frieren
Fern celebrates her birthday and Frieren uses an ancient mage of the Demon King to demonstrate a history lesson. Enjoy!
0:00 Intro
3:00 Reaction
15:12 Discussion
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[@charlesbaldwin3166]

There's so many great moments to come in this show, but I love seeing people react to Eisen saying he likes sour grapes.

[@chanelolahragabangsa251]

yes

[@arghanothername]

When you realize the three spells are for her three companions: cleaning Himmel’s statues, making Eisen’s sour grapes, and creating a warm cup of tea in memory of the recovering alcoholic Heiter.

[@bobislav85]

Qual was a genius. He was sealed for 80 years and for 2 seconds he figured the defensive magic out, its weaknesses and how to circumvent it. Imagine if he was not frozen for 80 years. BTW the gift was with the form of butterflies. And Fern made magical butterflies in previous episode when Fern and Frieren were discussing magic.

[@Raven-zz4zt]

honestly I have to respect Qual for that

[@pr0x1madigital]

Its his spell after all.

[@sachin7701]

​​@@pr0x1madigital That defense magic was not his spell

[@craidiefin]

Not only that, Qual would have gotten through Frieren's shields, she wouldn't have been fast enough. Even Fern only barely got the third shield up to block the big attack.

[@KanohiVahi]

Damn didn't realize the shape of the hair ornament being tied to the butterflies. So many small things and details in this story are not just relevant, but really important! It's amazing!

[@Paulo.Spiegel]

I love it when someone reacting to Frieren notices the "sour grapes" part because 90% of the people I saw reacting to Frieren let this pass. They didn't pay attention to the previous episode when Fern mentioned the spell about it, at the moment when she was listing the awkward spells they had collected. This serie has a lot of detailed scenes that, at first glance, seem unnecessary, but later are referenced in some way. There are also many facial expressions and eye stares that convey more than words in some scenes. All of this improves the immersion and intentionally adds more layers to the story and the plot. I think you guys will absorb most of these nuances and be able to delve deeply into the series' layers and fully grasp the story.

[@javierflores09]

yeah, this is the 12th time I am watching Frieren along with a reactor and a lot of them miss the details, not only with Frieren but with anime in general. Though to be fair, there's a lot of details I only got to know thanks to the comments in these reactions, the sour grapes one I can grasp but the more subtle ones like the clock tower in ep 14, that I wouldn't have caught without someone else pointing it out, which is why I like watching these reviews and more so with a show like Frieren where there is so many subtle details in the show as a whole

[@Newborn_God]

My gosh! I was about to comment the exact same thing! We love the silly spells and we love reactors who get what Frieren is all about!

[@cw_hyuk]

It is definitely appreciated when we see reactors pick up all the subtle scenes. Maybe it helped because they aren’t waiting a week to react to the next episode. It definitely helps if you watch multiple episodes in one sitting. Though there are some reactors would catch the subtle scenes regardless :)

[@Airwave2k2]

@@javierflores09 rookie number

[@pwarner]

Fern and Frieren agreeing that they somewhat like magic reminds me a ton of being an artist. You get into art/music/whatever your craft because you love it. As you take it seriously, that love changes because your relationship with your craft changes. You rely on your skills to provide for yourself, and you work hard to train your skills for the same purpose. Your motivation changes from passion to something else, and it's not easy to maintain your love and pure joy for something you work so hard at. Throughout the show there are discussions about different character's love for magic at different points in their life. It's a really interesting reoccurring theme to notice throughout the show. As someone who has made a living off of art, it really resonated with me. Those conversations are super accurate to the experience of being an artist/craftsman/whatever.

[@ImFrelled]

Some people say to find what you love and then find a way to earn money doing that, and you'll never work a day in your life. Other people say, never earn your money doing what you love, because then it just becomes your job. Pick your poison, I guess with how you want to live your life.

[@jmhaces]

Yeah, Frieren always complained when Heiter patted her head but she does it to Fern all the time as a gesture of affection.

[@Stefan-xt5sk]

Despite protesting against the headpats back then, she probably misses them now. It's one of the small things that you only learn to value once they're gone.

[@Trehek]

I also believe Frieren's headpat was a silent continuation to the conversation. Himmel trusted Frieren to defeat Qual, and the villagers trusted Himmel's word that she would. And Frieren trusted Fern and pats her because she did well against Qual.

[@jmhaces]

@@Trehek Yes, it was an acknowledgement of what Fern had said and the whole situation.

[@AndragonLea]

I love how Qual seems like such a relic of a bygone era. He's a genius mage and prodigy of his time, but he looks more shamanistic than scholarly because he's been frozen in time. By comparison demons of modern times dress and act mostly like humans do.

[@r.a.fgattaiguy845]

he´s probably really old too considering modern demons look just like humans while he just looks like a monster

[@AndragonLea]

@@r.a.fgattaiguy845 Yeah, the show really pays a lot of attention to detail. Makes the story feel alive!

[@wilpalkia]

Yes qual was a genius, if frieren didn’t kill him qual would have become really strong in short time

[@rudygb17]

"I think we're going to learn more about Himmel but since he's dead it's going to break my heart", laughs crying in episode 14

[@Girichoko]

I'm waiting for them to react to that moment. 😂

[@kiler273]

exactly what I tought :D

[@Admiral_Briggs]

Iykyk

[@ObiwanNekody]

Just wait until season 2 😢

[@0ptriX]

Speaking of Himmel, did you guys hear of the Taiwanese guy who helped stop a knife attack, saying "It's what Himmel the Hero would have done?"

[@annabethchase2569]

Was coming down here to comment just that. "We haven't been to a single place where Himmel hasn't left his impact." Those places include the real world too because of this Taiwan story.

[@Girichoko]

That's kind of legendary 😂

[@ObiwanNekody]

13:38 that music is indeed awesome. It's name is 'Zoltraak', and it is the standard fight track for the show. Qual should be proud.

[@BeardyBaldyBob]

Argh, can't wait for them to see the Aura arc!! And so glad they commented on the music. The sounds design and music on Frieren is amazing and really adds to the show.

[@Newborn_God]

Yes! I was waiting for you guys to see this Ep. Your my fav reactors for Frieren hands down, your smiles tell me more than your endless comments about how much you love the show and the characters. I already knew that both of you would notice the sour grapes! The sour grapes man! For me, that's the test that marks if you really get what Frieren is all about, The silly spells of Frieren, and that the destination is not what's important it's the journey and the MOMENTS that we share along the way. Man I love you guys, can't wait to see the next video, please go on! Frieren is my fav of all time and seeing reactors who genuinely are invested in the show it's a way to trick my brain into thinking I'm watching the show the first time!

[@TexasSnyper]

One really important part of the "party of heroes" that isn't about Himmel is that Heiter often used diffused social conflicts by drawing attention to his "corrupt priest" aspects. Like in EP 1 when the rando voices were putting down Frieren he jumped in and said "haha we aren't crying either". I think its a beautiful and often missed aspect of the social dynamics of the party.

[@offthewall2017]

My favorite part of the show is freiren having normal conversations with somebody and then flashing back to realize himmel was hitting on her. very relatable.

[@YOOT_JJ]

Fun fact, these first four episodes aired as one long 2 hour special at first. This is indeed your prologue. :>

[@astrojudebob]

You two are great. Enjoyed your video. I was going to comment on how awesome it was that you got the "sour grapes" reference, and then saw 2 others already mention it. 😅

[@aediusbarbatus]

I think the dynamic between Frieren and Fern is like sisters who recognize each other's strengths and each of them sort of takes charge in different situations. If you think about how we met Fern, it makes sense that she would be focused on household stuff - she was helping an old man in his late 90s take care of his house. I like how early you're coming to the idea that maybe some of Frieren's personality is specific to her, and not just because she's a member of a long-lived species. I think a strong case can be made that she's autistic-coded, but even if she's not, every individual is shaped by their life experience; we've seen her SKIP more time than the average human lifespan without seeming to age a day, so how much life must she have experienced? (Possibly a little overdramatic, but I was trying to phrase that in a way that made my point without spoiling anything.) Oh, and the two little piles of rocks were a quick throwaway joke about breasts. This show isn't *entirely* above stuff like that. It *is* still an anime, after all. 😅

[@LibrarianTheWolf]

I've reviewed this amazing series once again, it was nice to do it in your company. And by the way, you are a wonderful couple, I am glad for you, and thank you for the flow of emotions during the viewing

[@PintoConrad]

Love that you guys are paying attention and catching on all the little details. You'll love the show even more.

[@Jay-ix9bc]

Good catch on the sour grapes! Haha It's one of the tiny details that bears a lot of emotional attachment to the personalities on the show. 💕

[@pr0x1madigital]

Before the stone scene there's a little scene where frieren looks at ferns chest. And frieren talking about that it doesn't make any sense cos they have similar diet. two stones = ferns bobba 😅🤣, yep! this show give subtle comedies too 😅 but the stones can also be scene with Eisen scene at episode 4.

[@artboymoy]

I like how they flesh out the magic in this series. Demons have their magic and humans have their magic and humans were able to take a spell that seriously did alot of harm and made it their own in a "brief" time. Also i'm happy to see you guys caught onto the sour grapes reference. A number of reacters I've seen missed it. Such a fun tidbit that has meaning now. As far as Frieren's age... all shall be revealed.

[@elbaraaabuaraki327]

Watching Frieren made me realize how other anime traumatized me about quiet moments I got anxious but as the show progressed I appreciated them more and more

[@oceante]

this show changed my life, its good at this point. your reaction are so precious, thanks for the video guys.

[@artisinventable]

Absolutely love how attentive you are. There is really rarely a wasted scene - everything illuminates everything else. There is care and thought put into everything in this anime. (Also you have great on screen chemistry.)

[@jaesaces]

I think that Frieren is not immature, but more that she's socially awkward. We'll see more of her past in later episodes, but even in these early episodes we know that she doesn't often travel with company.

[@djankowski]

Experienced adventurers always know where the good stuff is in town.

[@maizeman90]

Lol I wondered how you'd react to the "sour grapes" and you did not disappoint

[@ulysses0123]

You guys are great at finding that right balance of reacting and expressing your thoughts. Your channel is gonna blow up, calling it now. Subscribed!

[@DarwinAwardWinner]

It's a testament to Qual's genius that even after defensive magic was developed specifically to counter Zoltraak, it's still the most useful offensive spell according to Frieren. It's the one she had Fern practice for years until she mastered it. It's "ordinary offensive magic" for a reason: because it's still really good and everyone who wants to be good at combat magic learns it. My favorite animation touch in this episode is during the battle, when Qual shoots a big continuous beam of Zoltraak straight at Fern. Fern casts a big shield to block it, and then immediately pre-casts a 2nd shield behind it to get ready for when the beam broke through the first shield. It shows that she was able to not only block the beam but also quickly recognize that one shield wouldn't be enough and she needed to reinforce it.

[@Bukidsm]

And if you watch it closely, she casts a 3rd shield because two shields weren't enough. She was about to get killed if Frieren was slower. Frieren made look like he was weak, but he was a big threat.

[@DarwinAwardWinner]

@@Bukidsm Oh, you're right, I thought that was just the 2nd shield getting pushed back, but yeah, the 2nd shield actually breaks and she throws up a 3rd one at the last second.

[@Odd_Taxi_epi04]

Qual seems to have done many small variations testing the shield, until one broke, and then he smiled and launched the huge attack that broke the two big shields. There is a lot to be seen in this fight going frame by frame. And the last words of Qual take a different meaning looking back with the knowledge of a few episodes ahead.

[@JA-vw2wy]

Himmel is a german word that means "heaven". And if you notice at the end of the episode when Frieren and Fern are talking about Himmel they keep looking up at the sky (and will continue to do so many moments in the show).

[@pevaneyn]

As someone who also known German, the names of people and places in this show are just too funny but are often spoilers to future events. (no spoilers below) For example Qual means something like agony, being in pain, Eisen is iron, while Heiter is cheerful, Himmel of course is sky, and makes me thing more of a clear blue sky, but also heaven, Frieren is 'too freeze' or 'to be cold'', Fern is strange to me: it means 'far away', for example a TV in German is Fernseher (lit. seeing far away)

[@Girichoko]

​​@@pevaneyn That's becouse Fern doesn't know how to open herself easily. She's always so distant.

[@pevaneyn]

@@Girichoko Ah very interesting. I would never consider this meaning to 'Fern' personally, I always see it as spacial. The words I would use for her distant demeanour would be 'distanziert', 'reserviert' or 'zurückhaltend' in German, which probably don't work well as a name. Being a semi-native speaker here is probably a disadvantage and your reasoning makes more sense. Thanks!

[@sayu8795]

I have to comment that I am so happy to have found your reactions to this series and your channel!! I loved your discussion to all the episodes up until now and your reaction to finding out it's fern's birthday was so funny. so so so looking forward to the rest of this series with you two!

[@sayu8795]

also i think the rocks representative a different type of growth of fern and frieren that is shown to be different between them... haha

[@sayu8795]

also i think the log thing does--like you said--just exists to show the mundane parts of their adventure, but also it is a character moment if you look at the difference in confidence each of them has when getting on the log perhaps showing a difference in experience (life, battle, adventuring, etc.)

[@thinkingdevil]

I find it fascinating to see how different human minds work regarding what a person notices and what goes over their heads. We have a great example here: You immediately got the sour grapes reference which was mentioned in the previous episode. Kudos for that, many reactors did not get that. 😃👍 But both of you were utterly flabbergasted by the two stones visual which literally was an obvious hint to tell the audience that Frieren has a bit of boob envy going on, which she talked about in that scene before the stones were shown. Fern has grown in areas where Frieren hasn't and she wonders why that is the case as they have the same diet (in Frierens words). While she says that she holds her hand to her chest and also looks at Ferns chest. 👀 The two stones were sort of the "Do you get it now?" for people who found Frierens comments and body language too subtle... It's funny to see how the efforts of writer, voice actress and animators flew right over your heads! 🤣 You also didn't pay too much mind to Himmels freakout when the boy flipped Frierens skirt except for it being a funny scene. It was much more than this. It shows us something about Himmel we may have suspected but didn't know before this scene. Lets see: The normally well-composed and very softspoken hero goes totally berzerk and wants to hurt a child for a harmless prank so that Eisen and Heiter have to calm him down, showing us two things: He is very protective of Frieren and he really is envious that the little boy looked under her skirt. He even says so: "You saw something I wanted to see the whole time!" 😇 Yeah, that is more than just some platonic care for the wellbeing of his female party member. This was, like the flower crown in the previous episode one more very clear sign that he has romantic feelings for Frieren. 🥰 Anyway, I really like your reactions and especially that you take the time to talk about the episode afterwards! Keep it up! I'll keep watching! 😊

[@RoryMitchell00]

The way I look at Frieren's sometimes immature behaviour is that she - and indeed any being that lives for thousands of years - would have to retain a childish sense of wonder and curiousity about the world to prevent themselves from mentally disengaging and wasting away. It reminds me a bit of an observation biologists make about the human species: one of the most striking things that separates humans from animals is the exceptionally long development time it takes for us to become independent adults. Even after we are no longer defenseless infants, the period where we are still growing, learning, and depending on our parents for our survival, is surprisingly long. And it lasts for a significant percentage of our expected lifetime too.

[@eddipl5055]

Yes! I believe when frieren touches ferns head is a sign of affection. Like heiter used to do to her

[@killuazoldyck4742]

Those shots of Frieren looking up the sky is a small cute detail bcuz Himmel's name means "sky/heaven" in german

[@DeltaDrifter2201]

Good catch with the sour grapes

[@chernoalphaspunch]

Zoltraak basically a non elemental magic that specialized on instantly kill living being, basically like "avada kedavra" in Harry Potter. Fans theorized that word Zoltraak maybe corruption from word "soul track", which define how the magic works.

[@Odysee89]

"Soultrack" is the actual name from the manga, they changed a couple of spells names (mostly the demons spells), dont know why, but i was suprised finding out after i read the mange once i got hooked on the show

[@chernoalphaspunch]

@@Odysee89 in the website that i went to read manga, it still pronounced Zoltraak in romaji not Soultrack.

[@chernoalphaspunch]

@@Odysee89 i go to Reddit and they said, Zoltraak is official translate

[@volrath77]

Zoltraak. From a fearsome legendary killing magic turned into what is now 'ordinary offensive magic' due to the creation of improved defensive magic. In other words, human mages are now basically throwing around killing spells left and right like cheap candies. Some like Fern even spam it like there's no tomorrow. When you think about it, it's like...turning Avada Kedavra (using Harry Potter-verse as example) into a basic combat spell. Scary isn't it?

[@IsMirDochLattens]

10:13 Frieren looking at the sky thinking about Himmel (German word for sky) 💔

[@quarvo23]

Episodes 1, 10 and 27 are perfect episodes, no qualifier. Looking forward to you getting to experience them.

[@HaibaneRakka571]

Heiter looking down from heaven like "Atta girl Fern, be the badass you were destined to be"

[@dabuuh8582]

Great reaction! :) and i recommend that you take notice of the color of Zoltraak :D

[@kiryukaimemorial127]

"This was a good episode~" I'll have to keep a running counter of how many times you all say that. :) My two favorite world building shows of all time are currently Arcane and Frieren. I look forward to something de-throning them, because that would mean it is one AMAZING show..

[@gilgameshlfx7006]

"27 years after the death of our lord and savior, Himmel the Hero"

[@bill0g]

Yeah, the rocks are just to signify how close they are 😂. Just ignore the conversation before that. 😅

[@david_hsu]

Original Zoltraak casted by Qual is black. When Frieren killed Qual with "Zoltraak", it's white. Keep an eye on this fun little detail. It'll come back in just a few episodes. (Some of the most epic ones too!)

[@steelawake923]

I know this is a reaction I will watch till the end of the season because they noticed the sour grapes reference.

[@rumaristo129]

Fern's line about being like Frieren's "older sister" is a bit of a mistranslation in my opinion. The Japanese word 'oneesan' technically means 'older sister' but it can also mean 'young lady' or 'young woman'. In this episode's context I think Fern means she has grown to be a young lady, not Frieren's older sister.

[@cah1-kr9eb]

Yeah, the sound track by Even Call has to be one of the best I've ever heard in an anime series. Full list here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaSQmoiDpdVmj6M Animation and visual quality will drop off a bit for some scenes after the first 4 since it would be impossible to keep that level of production quality up for 28 episodes. Compromises had to be made, but it still won't disappoint on the whole, especially relative to other series. Audio production stays close to flawless IMHO.

[@kevingibson393]

The upcoming episodes (7-10) should be watched in the same day. Even though you can post your reactions separately, the experience of the upcoming arc is better seen at one time. If you want to figure out Himmel’s and Heiter’s ages you have to guess at their ages before leaving on their 10 year journey, add 10 years to complete their journey, add 50 more years for the ERA Meteor Shower and finally add 20 years for Frieren to meet Fern. If you want to know how old Fern is during the anime just subtract 11 from the years since Himmel’s death. In episode 3 Fern says that she is 16 years old and that is when it was 27 years since Himmel’s death.

[@corvscorner6208]

You guys have AWESOME chemistry :)

[@hawlkman]

I am really enjoying the reactions =)

[@michaelwilliamng2373]

Episode 4: Fern: Frieren Sama, I'm practically your mom

[@davidflanders3345]

The earings, frerien wears. Are actually very important to her, once you realize whom they belong to.

[@pwarner]

no spoilers please I haven't read the manga, but I can't wait for the show to show us the moment she gets them and starts wearing them. It's obviously important to her given the context we know later on in the show

[@mabelkim7729]

Love the Videos ❄️

[@ObiwanNekody]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@DavidGarcia-kw4sf]

Yes, Fern is Frieren's mom. 😎

[@rumaristo129]

And vice versa.

[@Rannos22]

I'm pretty sure the two rocks are just a subtle boob joke

[@glenngilbertdonald9106]

episode 14 gonna break you guys...i cant wait for it XD

[@BCPvideo]

The rocks represent...well, reread Freiren's lines and see where she's looking and touching... You can figure it out, don't look! BOOBIES!!

[@CW_78]

Hi :D

[@belly2020ish]

Can you please watch 2 more anime the first is same kinda sentiments, the weakest tamer began a journey to pick up trash the second one is pure funny as hell chios school road a seriously laugh a second classic more people should know

[@neretilderem7029]

You guys didn't get the 2 rocks reference.... ? Just moments before Frieren has a boob envy moment... the two rocks look like.... never mind

[@Airwave2k2]

Get power creeped.

[@paulobasso8530]

Hii 😂

[@SantaClaus-kk8zr]

4 views in 2 minutes FTF fell off /s

[@StephenRansom47]

😭 This now my third reaction to this beautiful show. - I am having the hardest time Not Crying at how tender it is- how tender my heart gets. ❤️ This tiny Elf has taken possession of me- for ever and ever. 😊 ~ and to you two. Sub’d for this and Brotherhood. ❤️‍🩹 😅 ps- I’ve watched dozens of reactions to FMAB. 🤷🏼 it’s an addiction. To see y’all become MORE human with each episode, it’s intoxicating.