Life Lessons from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End - Episode 11 (Part 2)
We live in the golden age of anime. With over 60 shows airing every week, I enjoy "slow viewing," where I carefully select only a few titles to rewatch multiple times and write down my thoughts.
In particular, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is a series that I feel would have changed my life if I had encountered it sooner.
Bold text in quotes represents life lessons or important lines, while normal text is for commentary and the like. Comments are welcome.
Past articles are available in the magazine below.
This time, we are covering the second half of Episode 11, "Winter in the Northern Lands." It is nearly 1,500 characters longer than usual, but the dialogue between Frieren and Kraft is so important that I decided to keep almost all of it.
Can I leave him behind?
Stark is on the verge of losing consciousness from the cold.
Fern: Stark-sama, please wake up. If you fall asleep, you'll die.
Stark: Was the Jumbo Berry Special always this small?
Fern: I have no idea what you're talking about.
Because of the strong wind, they can't use magic to fly, so Fern has no choice but to carry him.
Fern: He's heavy. Why is this guy so heavy?
Stark: You smell nice.
Fern: Can I leave him behind?
The difference in her reaction compared to when she carries Frieren later, lol.
They aim for a shelter built 80 years ago amidst the blizzard.
There's a pervert inside the cabin
When they arrive at the shelter, they hear a voice from inside.
Kraft: Hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph!
Fern: I sense someone's presence. Could there be someone else here?
When they open the door, they find a man with his upper body bare, doing squats.
Kraft: Good! That's it! I'm starting to warm up! Hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph! ...Hmph, hmph...
Kraft's voice gets quieter, lol.
Frieren calls out, "Excuse us," but Fern immediately closes the door.
Fern: This place is a no-go. Let's look for somewhere else.
Frieren: Eh? Why?
Fern: Because there's a pervert inside.
Kraft: Calling me a pervert is quite offensive.
They just met, and Fern is already being so harsh, lol.
Come to think of it, Heiter also called Frieren's magic "so-so" when they first met, which made her angry... I guess the rudeness was passed down from the master.
Frieren realizes that Kraft is of the same race, an elf, and he calls out to her.
Kraft: It's been about 300 years since I last met one of my own kind. I thought elves had already gone extinct.
Frieren: Me too.
Kraft: It's lucky that I was able to meet a mage. It must be the guidance of the Goddess.
Kraft, a monk, had lost his fire source while crossing the mountain range and was warming his body by doing squats.
Frieren: I see.
Fern: I don't really get it.
Fern is still suspicious lol
That old guy has a great physique
Hearing that Frieren and her party's destination is Aureole, or Heaven, Kraft is impressed, saying, "It's a good thing to have strong faith." However, Frieren is skeptical.
Meanwhile, Stark develops hypothermia. He was having a dream.
Stark: It's warm and comfortable. Plus, such a huge Jumbo Berry Special...
The sight of Eisen giving a thumbs up under a giant Jumbo Berry Special is hilarious lol
When he wakes up, he finds he was sleeping with his head on Kraft's arm.
Stark: Huh? Oh... who is this old guy!
That's terrible to say to your savior lol
This party is so rude. Frieren is the only adult here.
Kraft: After I went through the trouble of warming you up with my own body heat, what an attitude.
Stark: Body heat... Oh, this old guy has a great physique.
Wait, lol
The way you say things!
Fern: Stark-sama.
Stark: No, I didn't mean it like that... It's just a well-trained, great physique. You must be incredibly strong, right? Old man, what's your name?
Kraft: Kraft the monk.
Stark: Never heard of you. But you must be a renowned monk, right?
Kraft smiles with a slightly lonely look. Frieren, Fern, and the three of them carry Kraft's food, which was buried in the snow, to survive the winter together.
Kraft: By the way, Frieren. Do you know who I am?
Frieren: Not at all.
Kraft: I figured. I don't know a single thing about you either.
Fern: She is the mage from the Hero's party.
Kraft: And before that?
Frieren: What are you trying to say?
Kraft: It means we are elves.
Since elves live more than ten generations longer than humans, no matter what great deeds they accomplish during their time together, they will eventually be forgotten.
A conversation between elves
Their life together in the cabin begins. Kraft trains Stark and teaches Fern about the Goddess. Frieren seems uninterested.
At first, only Kraft and Fern pray before meals. Eventually, Stark, and finally Frieren, join in the prayers as well.
Nearly half a year has passed. The sun finally begins to peek through. Kraft entrusts Frieren with a pendant carved with the Goddess, asking her to give it to Fern.
When Frieren asks why he believes in the Goddess, Kraft counters by asking, "You don't believe in her, do you?"
Frieren: Except for the age of myth, the Goddess of Creation has never once appeared in the long history of this world.
No appearance equals no existence. It is a very Frieren-like, physical way of thinking. Kraft says he used to be the same, but now he believes with all his heart.
Kraft: No, I need her to exist.Everyone who knew the great deeds I have accomplished and the justice I have upheld is dead and gone.
That is why, when I die, I will go to heaven and have the Goddess praise me. She will say, 'Well done, Kraft. Your life was a wonderful one.'
Unlike Frieren, who lived alone after Flamme's death, Kraft seems to have always been involved with humans.How many meetings and partings must he have experienced?
Later, Frieren and her party see a statue of Kraft and his companions, who left behind some achievement but have since been forgotten.
Kraft: You understand, don't you, Frieren? It is too cruel that the path one has lived is remembered by no one. We are here because we have walked long lives.
Frieren: Kraft. That is just our (elf) wishful thinking.
Kraft: I suppose so. Even about heaven?
It may be wishful thinking. However... Kraft has seen off generations of companions. Perhaps he started believing in the Goddess as a companion for a life that is too long to spend alone.This overlaps with Heiter from episode 4, who said that 'heaven should exist'.
Snow falls on a fox, and scenes of dead, eaten beasts are shown from time to time. Life goes on.
Kraft: Well, never mind. Tell me about your life. I will tell you mine. If you don't believe in the Goddess, I will praise you in her stead.
Is there anyone who will praise you?
Frieren recalls an exchange with Heiter when she provided funds for the reconstruction of an orphanage in a village, citing that she was an orphan herself.
Heiter: Surely the Goddess will also praise me for living a pure and righteous life.
Frieren: What is this corrupt monk saying while drinking alcohol?
The classic Heiter style.
Heiter: Frieren, is there anyone who will praise you?
Frieren: Why the sudden question?
Heiter: Since you don't seem to believe in the Goddess, if you tell me about your life, I will praise you instead.
Heiter had noticed that Frieren, who claimed she had 'just been living aimlessly and had nothing to be praised for,' was constantly suppressing her mana.
Heiter: That looks like the result of blood-sweating effort to me. It is as if you have staked your life on it.
Frieren: You noticed?
Heiter: How many years do you think we have been traveling together?
The only ones who noticed Frieren's mana suppression upon first meeting her were the Demon King and Lernen, a first-class mage who appears later. There is no depiction of Himmel or Eisen noticing it, even when they were together. Heiter is truly impressive.
Frieren: It's not an interesting story.
Heiter: I don't mind. Besides, it will be useful for my future studies.
Frieren: Why?
Heiter: Perhaps my child might become a mage.
Frieren: Monks are supposed to be celibate for life, aren't they?
Heiter: Hahahaha...
This interaction leads to Fern, 80 years later, performing such exceptional mana control in her childhood that it surprises Frieren—the very result of "blood-sweating effort."
The teachings of Flamme that Frieren learned were passed down to Fern through Heiter, even before they met.
Also, it is precisely because Heiter praised her that Frieren is able to properly praise the young Fern and Stark.
Frieren smiles as she remembers her interaction with Heiter.
Frieren: Why are people who serve the Goddess so strange? I'll pass.I've already been praised by someone else.
Kraft: I see. You had a good friend, Frieren. Treasure that.
Frieren: No, that person is already...He is in heaven now.
Frieren believes Heiter is in heaven, a place she was once skeptical about. This also connects to the idea that "heaven should exist."
Kraft: Then, you will meet again someday.
Frieren: That's true.
For Frieren, the journey to Aureole is not just about Himmel, but also a journey aimed at reuniting with Heiter.
Under a clear sky, they tidy up the shelter and set off.
Kraft: Frieren. I don't think this is a final farewell. Let's meet again in a few hundred years.
Stark: Take care, old man! It was fun.
Fern: Thank you for the pendant.
Kraft raises his hand without looking back.
Summary of this episode
Humans are creatures who want others to know who they are.
If there is someone to praise them, people can feel rewarded.
In today's world, where praise is visualized through the development of social media, have we stopped praising those close to us in favor of seeking praise from people far away?
I reread this until the very last minute before the scheduled 7:00 AM and added the final point. What do you all think?