It’s been a rather long time since I got to catch up on Frieren. The anime is currently at Sense’s test storyline. I haven’t watched the latest three episodes, just to keep my curiosity on how they would animate it. I have a lot to catch on it seems.

But now, let’s see what happens after the first exam is over. It’s been a while too after the last time we saw Stark, I suppose he’s been living what Frieren loves, lazing around. And, honestly, there’s nothing wrong with doing that every once in a while.

Until, Fern shows up and immediately makes him regrets his decision to relax. Well, now it’s up to Stark and Frieren to cheer Fern up. Fern’s mood swing is really the main driving force for the plot in this episode.

Fern’s pouting face has become a sort of mascot in this anime. A cute face on a bad mood has been one of anime’s trademark, seemingly even since its inception. However, what baffled me, a few weeks ago, there was a notion spreading in social media saying Fern is a toxic and unhealthy character.

Well, quite a few of my fellow Frieren fans quickly jumped into a crusade defending her. However, I think that notion posed a quite interesting insight on how non-anime fans perceive female characters in anime. I think it’s quite something to highlight in this episode’s review.

It All Started With Heiter

Right from the beginning of the episode, Fern immediately got frustrated by Stark, knowing how he spent his days without her and Frieren. Seen from a surface level, her anger seems to come from a caring nature.

She doesn’t like anyone waking up late, doesn’t like the fact Stark has been staying up late at night, and she got even more upset knowing him slurped some sweet drinks at night. If anything, it sounds like she’s being a caring “mother” to Stark albeit a bit overbearing.

However, we have to acknowledge why she behaves the way she does. Fern didn’t grow up in a normal childhood, she’s a war orphan. Heck, the first time we met her was when she’s about to jump off of a cliff, as a child! Luckily, Heiter was there to comfort her, and eventually raised her until his passing.

Since then, she became accustomed to taking care of an elderly man since she’s little. Heiter was still actively working as a priest when he adopted Fern. But, as we know, his health deteriorated quickly, especially after Frieren’s arrival, which brings me to the next point.

What Isolation Does To A Child

It’s safe to say that the trio, in general, is no stranger to isolation. Frieren loves her alone time, and she spent most of her life living peacefully by herself before she met Himmel. In Stark’s case, he might be not completely alone in his village, but he definitely was ousted by his own family other than his brother.

However, I think the effects manifested worst in Fern. By far, she’s the worst communicator among Frieren’s group. Not to slander her or anything, every character has their own quirks and flaws, after all. But, it’s quite obvious that she expresses her anger and negative emotions in the worst way possible.

I knew things would go downhill after Sein left. I genuinely think he could be the bridge between Fern and the rest in terms of establishing a good-natured communication style. But, as we see in this episode, Frieren’s party is so dysfunctional without Sein.

That being said, sometimes the brightest mind can have the craziest personality, which brings us to the next highlight of this episode. Behind all these deadly spells, there are interesting personas and personalities. This anime does a great job in showcasing the traits behind every character.

Übel, Her Character, And The Craze Around Her

Lately, I’ve been seeing a craze over Übel. Seriously, her character design has a huge impact on the whole goth girl train. Interestingly enough, she turns out to have quite a delightful personality. Yes, I may or may not have said she’s quite the psycho in the past. But, among her group members in the first test, she seems to be the most talkative. Well, granted, it’s Land and Fern we’re comparing her to.

There is one thing that I didn’t expect, though. Übel might be an empathic person, more than I thought. Her encounter with Land in this episode revealed that she can copy any spell she has seen. But, she must relate to the person whose spell she’s copying on an emotional level.

It makes sense that Übel copied Wirbel’s spell almost immediately. Both of them would use necessary force whenever it’s needed, both of them are competent fighters and can’t be underestimated. So, it makes sense that she can make some sort of connection with Wirbel. What would be interesting, though, what if she meets a person with an extremely different background, and she tries to copy their magic. What is going to happen, I wonder.

Aside from Denken, Übel might be another side character that really caught my attention. There is a lot of depth in this anime towards many of the characters, which is its strong point, surely. Also, there has been another character that has been circulating around my social media timeline. I’m pretty sure her name is Methode. I may not have been watching Frieren as much as I used to, but how the story seems to unfold really makes me want to catch on with the anime.