‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ Season 2 Episode 3 review: “The Places She Would Like”

For all the endless worldbuilding and magical implications the series possesses, Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 3 boils the story’s success down to a few simple elements. The first, our resident elf mage, for all her immense ability, is a silly, ridiculous creature whose reactions and facial expressions fuel, at least, 50% of the show’s humor (a positive, not a negative.) The second is that, ultimately, we care about this world not for its lore or political systems, but for the lovable characters whose stories we follow. It’s almost as if the series has been saying it all along: it’s about the journey, not the destination.

It’s why it’s hard to take anyone seriously who thinks the show is about nothing due to its patient pacing when, in fact, it’s about everything. Everything that makes us tick and drives us to move forward throughout the world. So much of “The Places She Would Like” encompasses the day-to-day rituals, conversations, and experiences our protagonists, Frieren (Atsumi Tanezaki), Fern (Kana Ichinose), and Stark (Chiaki Kobayashi) experience. And it’s not deadly excursions or intensive face-offs (though Stark is used here as a lure for a three-headed hydra.) Instead, it’s about getting to know one another and learning from those who taught you about how to see pockets of beauty along the beaten path.

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 3 is specifically about the little, leisurely moments that are just as eye-opening as the climactic, chapter-defining ones. To the point where it almost seems like the series is winking at us. As the trio comes across a small village best known for its hot springs, it inspires Stark to encourage the party to find a hidden hot spring buried in the mountains.

The series embraces moments of unexpected quiet.

Stark recalls his mentor, Eisen (Yōji Ueda), remarking that it was these little moments he cherished most, even if they sometimes required the greatest effort. And it’s these brief respites that Frieren can now better appreciate in the wake of Himmel’s (Nobuhiko Okamoto) death and her ever-evolving understanding of humanity’s significance and brevity compared to her long life. The little moments only seem little in the moment, but become crucial in making up the patchwork of our lives.

And yes, they remark later that it took more effort than it was worth, but the image of the three sitting and looking out at the expansive skyline is highly effective. The series maintains a striking confidence in its use of silence. Obviously, not silent in the obvious sense because there’s no undercutting the beauty of Evan Call’s score. But the series allows the characters to simply sit with one another and process what the others say. That reliance on physicality and expressive character acting adds definition to the world. We see it in Stark’s palpable joy at indulging in this blend of past and present.

It’s also one of those moments when the different styles of the character designs, backgrounds, and landscapes shine. There’s a palpable sense of whimsy in the contrast between the lightly lined characters and these expansive, endless backdrops. Frieren loves to frame the characters in the center, looking up, with their faces or silhouettes standing stark against the endless blues or purples of the sky, while the other surroundings are either out of frame or softly focused. Providing us with a visual reminder of the limitless possibilities they might encounter and how mighty the world around them is. It’s grandiose and epic without forcing the issue.

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 3 push Fern and Stark in a new direction.

But then it cuts to a hilarious, gorgeously storyboarded flashback of our resident elf having a three-day meltdown. A tantrum that she is, self-admittedly, smug over. The series isn’t melancholy for the sake of evoking a forced sense of emotion. And it doesn’t go for easy humor. Instead, it finds this fabulous blend of sweet and silly that makes it feel real despite the otherworldly beings at the core.

All of which comes together in the most significant sequence of Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 3. Fern’s habit of berating (re: flirting but not knowing it) Stark comes back to bite her as he calls her bluff. Only for him to then be called too. She’s bored and wants attention, so he asks her on a date, and she says yes. Unsurprisingly, both panic and both go to Frieren for help – a reminder of the more mature guidance Sein (Yuichi Nakamura) provided in his brief stay in the party.

While Frieren is helpful to Stark, her aloof attitude makes her a funny mentor in this regard. Understandably, Fern reacts in shock when she learns her mentor has been asked out and has gone on dates in the past. But, more than anything, these interactions highlight the growth Frieren has undergone in her dynamic with Fern.

Subtlety brews magic for this contemplative, often silly, story.

As she helps find places and activities that Stark could take Fern on their date, Stark points out how much she knows about her charge. It’s another sweet, understated interaction that doesn’t overplay its card. The emotional responses the show gleans come through time and subtlety rather than whacking us over the head with obvious Big declarations.

Season 2 Episode 2 exemplified it perfectly. It wasn’t the Hero of the South (Kazuhiko Inoue) saying he knew the future, or that history would repeat itself, with Himmel later coming to ask Frieren for help. It was his simple, chill-inducing promise that, even if he can’t save the day for Himmel, he will clear him a path.

The characters bonds, the lessons they learn from one another – Stark from Eisen, Frieren from Himmel, etc. – is what makes the story so evocative. It’s proof of life and how we impact others through big and small moments. All with a silly, tantrum-throwing elf at the center.

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 3 is available now on Crunchyroll. 

Images courtesy of Crunchyroll / Madhouse. 

Allyson Johnson

Based in New England, Allyson is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of InBetweenDrafts. Former Editor-in-Chief at TheYoungFolks, she is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. Her writing has also appeared at CambridgeDay, ThePlaylist, Pajiba, VagueVisages, RogerEbert, TheBostonGlobe, Inverse, Bustle, her Substack, and every scrap of paper within her reach.