Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End - Episode 29 [Review]

Animereview

Jan 18

Nearly two years after its triumphant first season concluded, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End returns with episode 29, fittingly titled “Shall we go then?” It wastes no time reminding us why this series earned such affection. The pacing is gentle, the emotions precise, and the fantasy texture quietly confident. This is Frieren back in stride, unhurried and assured, inviting us to settle into its rhythms as if no time has passed at all…after all, what’s two years to an elf?

The episode opens with a practical problem that feels very Frieren. Money is tight as the party continues toward Ende. Opportunity appears in the form of a massive underground cavern filled with an immense deposit of an extremely valuable mana-nullifying crystal…which also happens to be a natural hazard that immediately flips the party’s usual power balance. With Frieren and Fern stripped of their magic, the burden of survival falls squarely on Stark to defend the party. A powerful beast lurks in the dark, and the threat triggers memories for Frieren of earlier misadventures with Himmel and her original party. Once the danger passes, the group encounters Wirbel, newly anointed as a first-class mage like Fern, preparing to return home to defend his land against an escalating demon threat. He sees Stark for what he is, a rare and reliable frontline warrior, and once again attempts to recruit him. The offer lingers, and Fern cannot help but imagine what it would mean if Stark were no longer at her side.

What elevates “Shall we go then?”, which is seen throughout Frieren as a whole, is how it transforms these small beats into something resonant. Stark is the emotional anchor of the episode, framed not as comic relief or brute force, but as a trusted core of the party. In the cavern, Frieren sleeps peacefully while Fern quietly spirals, unable to even sense mana. Stark notices her unease, puzzled by Frieren’s calm, until the monster strikes and Frieren awakens with a clarity that cuts through the tension. She trusts Stark with her life. She says it plainly. She even reminds them that running away is acceptable, so long as they all run away together. It is an oddly tender affirmation, and Stark responds by doing exactly what he has always done, putting himself between danger and the people he cares about.

Wirbel’s presence keeps that spotlight on Stark. An awkward bathing mishap leads to icy silence and comic discomfort, but the emotional weight arrives later, when Frieren wonders aloud if their party might be too restrictive for him. Fern’s reaction tells the real story. She grasps the lotus bracelet Stark gifted her last season, and the episode later flashes back to her clutching it while helplessly slung over his shoulder. Alongside it, she carefully maintains Frieren’s hairpin. These objects matter because of what they represent. Fern has lost so much to war, and what she has now is fragile, precious, and worth protecting. Her affection is not loud or declarative, but it is deeply felt, extending to Stark and Frieren alike, and to the shared moments that bind them together.

Technically, the series remains exceptional. The animation is restrained but expressive, and the music leans into a whimsical, almost hobbit-like calm that makes each misadventure feel intimate rather than epic. It is fantasy as lived experience, not spectacle for its own sake.

Frieren Fridays are back, and if this return episode is any indication, the season ahead will be a quiet delight. With this series alongside Sentenced to Be a Hero, fantasy fans have a lot to look forward to.