Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End – Season 1 Episode 27 Recap & Review

An Era of Humans

Episode 27 of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End begins with the same elderly fellow from a previous chapter visiting Stark and offering him advice. The elderly man leaves and Fern arrives. Stark notices Fern’s not in the best of moods and asks her why. Fern tells Stark that she and Frieren got into an argument. Fern wants to repair her old staff but Frieren suggests she buy a new one. 

Fern doesn’t want to get rid of the staff because Heiter gave it to her. We cut to Kanne reflecting on what the future holds for the First-Class Mage Exam competition. Lawine is upset that she didn’t pass the exam. Kanne pats Lawine’s head and realizes she’s in a tough spot. The two notice Frieren and rush toward her. Kanne asks Frieren what she’s carrying.

We shift to Denken and Laufen visiting Richter in a shop. Richter tells the two to leave his shop. Denken tells Richter that he shouldn’t be upset over his loss and that he got the short end of the stick. Richter shares crude remarks toward Denken. Denken shares his honest thoughts about Richter with him. Before he leaves, Denken tells Richter that he shouldn’t let this loss discourage him. He feels Richter will be a stronger mage in the future.

Denken and Laufen depart. Frieren enters Richter’s shop and asks if he can fix Fern’s staff. Richter says Frieren should give up on the staff. Before she leaves, Richter tells Frieren he can fix it. While Richter repairs Fern’s staff, he apologizes to Frieren for calling it garbage.

We shift to Fern and Stark wandering through town. Fern wishes Frieren understood her more and Stark tells Fern Frieren’s trying her best. The two stumble upon Richter. Richter tells Fern that Frieren stopped by and asked him to repair her staff. Fern returns to the Inn and notices her staff on the bed. The next day, everyone arrives at the final exam phase’s location.

We cut to Serie and Sense chatting in a room. Serie is not happy that 12 people passed the second exam phase. She blames Frieren for it all, deeming her far too powerful. Serie says she’ll proctor the third test and says it will be a peaceful selection. Serie discusses Frieren’s mana control and individual talent with Lernen and Falsch. Before she departs, she confirms Lernen was the first First-Class Mage. 

Despite his achievement, Serie’s upset that he’s still as timid as he was when she first met him. Also, she’s not happy that it took him a long time to achieve the things he has today and regrets taking on more human students. One of the proctors tells everyone what the third test will entail. Frieren tells Fern that Serie may fail them. 

Kanne enters Serie’s quarters and Serie fails her. She proceeds to fail everyone else until Frieren enters the room. Serie knows Frieren’s aware that Serie won’t let her pass. However, Serie offers Frieren a slight chance and asks her what’s her favorite spell. Frieren tells Serie her favorite spell. Since it’s the same spell Flamme adores, Serie fails Frieren. 

Before Frieren leaves, Serie is baffled that Frieren didn’t stand her ground. Additionally, she doesn’t believe she defeated the Demon King. Frieren tells Serie that she didn’t defeat him alone. She says she, Heiter, Eisen, and Himmel defeated him together. Serie tells Frieren that she defeated the Demon King out of pure luck, and Frieren agrees. 

We cut to a flashback involving Frieren, Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen. Frieren asks Himmel why he recruited her to his party. Himmel says he wanted a powerful mage. Although he could’ve chosen any mage, Himmel specifically wanted Frieren to join his party due to their rich history. Although Frieren doesn’t recall meeting Himmel in the past, Himmel shares details about his first encounter with her. 

Essentially, Himmel got lost in a forest when he was a child and Frieren stumbled upon him and pointed him toward the proper direction. Additionally, Frieren created a field of flowers with her spell, showing Himmel the beauty of magic. Before Frieren departs, she tells Serie that Fern will surpass her expectations. 

Fern enters the room and Serie’s not impressed with Fern at first. However, upon further inspection Serie notices something about Fern that catches her eye. She asks Fern if she can see what’s going on with her mana. Fern tells Serie that she knows her mana is fluctuating. Serie asks Fern to be her student but Fern refuses. Fern tells Serie that she’s Frieren’s student and Serie tells Fern that she’s passed. 

The episode closes with Serie asking for the next test-taker to enter her quarters. 

The Episode Review

Unlike most series that opt for an exhilarating tournament arc climax, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End leaned toward the peaceful spectrum of things. Instead of an intense one-on-one competition, this exam phase is all about meeting a high entity’s expectations. This entity is the great mage herself, Serie. From her interaction with the test-takers to her discussions with the exam staff, it was exciting getting to see more of Serie’s character here. 

Moreover, fans will be delighted to receive more intel on Frieren and Himmel’s history together. The meeting between Himmel and Frieren was unexpected and insightful. This small bit of intel will keep viewers guessing and wondering if Frieren had encountered Heiter and Eisen earlier. Additionally, this series continues to make Fern feel like Flamme’s successor in ways.  

Whether in battle or town, Fern’s caught the eye of many important figures in this world. It’ll be interesting to see how the author will expand upon her character in a future season. Coupled with some minor comedy involving Stark and his elderly friend, this was a marvelous chapter of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.