Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Episode 11 Review

The Pious Mage

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Episode 11 didn’t have any exciting action. And yet, it may have been better than Episode 10. I say “may have been” because Episode 10 was very good. I particularly liked the scene when Frieren turned the tables on Aura.

At this point, the structure of Frieren episodes is starting to get a bit predictable. That’s not a bad thing, though. Each episode brings something new to the table. What’s predictable is that we’re going to focus on how Frieren has grown over the past 80 years in some way.

That sounds obvious. But, in the moment, it can sometimes be hard to see. Every episode highlights a specific trait of Frieren’s that makes her who she is. And, this episode’s trait is her ambiguous belief in the Goddess of Creation and the afterlife.

Right at the start of the episode, we see Frieren praying over the armor of the soldiers controlled by Aura. At first, this doesn’t seem that unusual. But, throughout the episode, we learn that this wasn’t always normal behavior for her. Even now, she still doesn’t tend to associate herself with anything religious.

This is highlighted when she, Fern, and Stark are living in the cabin with Kraft the Monk for 6 months. We got a montage of them eating together. And, before every meal, Kraft, Fern, and Stark prayed. Frieren, meanwhile, didn’t at the beginning. But, over time, she slowly begins joining them.

Toward the end of the episode, Frieren reaffirms that she still doesn’t believe in the Goddess. However, she also reveals how Kraft isn’t the first person to tell her that he’ll praise her in the Goddess’s place. Heiter said the same thing 80 years earlier. And, apparently, she told him her life’s story.

Milet x Evan Call

What was the best part of Episode 11? That’s right, it was the Milet x Evan Call crossover. This was the insert song that played during the montage of Frieren’s party around town. That was literally the best part.

As we should all be aware, Milet is a great musical artist. The ED for this series is by her. And, she’s had songs featured in other anime, too. Notably, Vinland Saga and Fate/Grand Order – Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia. Milet also has a pretty unique voice, so it’s easy to tell when it’s her.

Evan Call is someone I expect fewer people to be aware of. Not because he’s any less skilled than Milet. But, because, unlike Milet, he’s not a singer. Evan Call is a composer, which means he works on all the other music.

Composers generally aren’t getting the same amount of attention as singers. But, a great composer can make a huge difference for a series. And, I’d say that Evan Call is one of the best composers to work on anime. If his name sounds at all familiar, you likely know him from Violet Evergarden.

Violet Evergarden has one of my all-time favorite soundtracks. There are a lot of great songs from that series, with my favorite being Adamantine Dreams.

Of course, there are some composers whom a lot of people know. I’d be surprised if you didn’t know who Kevin Penkin was by now. But, he’s the composer of the Made in Abyss soundtrack, among others. And, there’s Yuki Kajiura, another top-tier composer. She’s worked on a lot of anime, including one of my favorite series, Madoka Magica.

Anyway, it was awesome to hear a song by Milet and Evan call in this episode.

Frieren the Youngster

Let’s get back to the episode. Kraft said a few interesting things to Frieren that I want to go over. The first was when he asked if Frieren knew who he was. She said she didn’t and he said that he didn’t know who she was either.

Why is this interesting? Well, he said this after being told that she’s the Frieren from the legendary Hero’s party. Even with that information, Kraft didn’t know of her. And, based on what Kraft says about himself, his exploits are at least on par with Frieren’s. So, why hasn’t she heard of him?

It’s kind of for the same reason that most people Frieren encounters don’t recognize her. They know of the Hero’s party since 80 years isn’t that long ago. And, of course, there are still statues of the Hero’s party around. But, 80 years is still beyond the lifespan of most people.

Most people who were alive 80 years ago and are still alive are almost dead. And once they die off, the Hero’s party really will be just a legend. What I took away from the things Kraft said is that this is how Frieren views him.

Kraft calls Frieren young. Frieren is over 1,000 years old, and he called her young. So, we can assume Kraft is far older than she is. He’s so old that whatever exploits he’s famous for, even Frieren wasn’t around to see them.

And, Frieren might have given us a hint at exactly how old Kraft is. She mentioned that the Goddess of Creation hasn’t appeared since the Age of Mythology. And, just as Frieren wants to meet Himmel in the afterlife, Kraft wants to meet the Goddess in the afterlife. Did he actually know her?

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Episode 11? Are you expecting Frieren to change her mind about believing in the Goddess of Creation? Did you like the Milet x Evan Call insert song in this episode? And, just how old do you think Kraft is? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 12 is available now.