‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 4’ review: “Someone’s Home Town”

With so much action happening in Frieren, it can be hard to remember that love is at the core of the series. The first half of Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 4 delivers on this in spades. And then, the second half reminds us exactly how powerful our main party is in the universe. It’s well-rounded and proves exactly why it’s one of the best anime of the season.

First and foremost, the much-anticipated date between Fern (Kana Ichinose) and Stark (Chiaki Kobayashi). Will there be people who are upset about how their date went? Of course, but from this perspective, their date was par for the course for two teenagers. Both Fern and Stark are, especially compared to Frieren (Atsumi Tanezaki), young kids. Neither of them has any experience with dating, so it the awkwardness is expected.

Stark’s concern with making the date go right is so extreme that he ignores how Fern actually feels. It’s clumsy but extremely accurate for a teenager. He desire to impress her blinds him to everything else. It’s adorable.

Fern and Stark embark on a perilous new adventure: awkward first dates.

Fern and Stark’s relationship growth is one of the best parts of the series. Seeing them evolve from Season 1 to where they are now almost gives us a vantage point on what it must look like for Frieren. Their relationship is constantly changing – however subtly – and even more so now that they’re dating. They will only continue to grow together and individually.

But they’re not the only ones undergoing constant, if understated, change. Frieren’s flashbacks throughout the series are a pivotal element in how the story unfolds, paralleling her and Himmel with Fern and Stark as the series progresses. Most of those flashbacks revolve around Himmel, but here these flashbacks carry much more weight. It’s well known by now that Frieren has realized her feelings for Himmel, and looking back on their date is precious to her. Frieren can only express her feelings through her closeness to her new companions, a sad reality for our favorite elf. The flashback tugs at every fan’s heartstrings in the best way possible. However, romance isn’t the only focus of this episode.

After waiting so long to see the trio fight together after Season 1, Season 2 is doing a great job of highlighting how their teamwork develops through multiple bouts of combat. “Other People’s Homes,” in particular, showcases how much they’ve learned since the sword demon, as well as how much the trio still has to learn moving forward.

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 4 finds our trio facing greater threats.

The magic animation really stands out in these fight scenes. They never default to being overtly flashy or nonsensical for what’s happening in the scene. The animators do a really great job of making it work without making viewers suspend their disbelief too much. And, if nothing else, it’s always hilarious to see Stark carrying one or both mages.

An easy-to-overlook element that Frieren always does well with, but exceptionally so here, is the soundtrack. The music in Episode 4 wonderfully conveys the emotions the characters are going through but also amps up the audience for what is happening on screen. There are so few anime that manage to do this as well as Frieren. Evan Call, the composer for Frieren, isn’t new to composing soundtracks for anime (Violet Evergarden, My Happy Marriage), and his accolades speak for themselves. He has a great ear and imagination, which only makes the show that much more emotional.

Frieren Season 2 Episode 4 is a banger. It’s jam-packed with all the things that make fans love the anime: whimsy, action, and character development that doesn’t bog the episode down to the point of heaviness. “Other People’s Homes” marks a turning point as well, letting the trio know that things are only going to get that much harder on their journey.

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 4 is streaming now on Crunchyroll. 

Images courtesy of Madhouse. 

Kayla Chu

Made up of feminism, sports, and cheap wine.
Questions, comments, inquries please be sent to kaylamchu@gmail.com