Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Episode 27 Review

Preparing for the Final Test

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Episode 27 started off as I expected. After the first test of the First-Class Mage Exam, we got a “cooldown” episode. So, it makes sense that we’d get the same thing after the second test of the exam.

But, we only got half of a cooldown episode. Only the first half of Episode 27 caught up with mages who took the second test. And, we only got to see a few of them: Kanne, Lawine, Denken, Richter, and Laufen. Where was Wirbel, Übel, Land, and Methode?

Something I liked about this part of the episode, though, was that we saw a combination of winners and losers. Kanne passed the second test, while Lawine didn’t. Likewise, Denken and Laufen passed the second test, while Richter didn’t. This is important because it reinforces that failing the exam isn’t the end.

As long as you’re alive, you can take the exam again in three years. And, this is something Denken makes sure to point out to Richter. He says that Richter is a strong mage who got unlucky. And, in three more years, Richter will be even stronger.

Speaking of Richter, we also saw him repair Fern’s staff in his shop at Frieren’s request. Initially, Frieren told Fern to get a new staff because repairing hers wasn’t worth it. And, Richter even says the same thing. But, both Frieren and Richter come to realize that they’re wrong.

Sure, a new staff would be better than Fern’s old staff. But, a new staff wouldn’t be Fern’s staff. This staff is important to her. She’s had it since she started training as a mage. And, she’s taken good care of it over the years. In the world of magic, that probably counts for something.

The First First-Class Mage

Who was the first First-Class Mage? Thanks to Episode 27, we know his name is Lernen and he still serves as a First-Class Mage today. Typically, he’s the one who proctors the third and final test of the exam. But, this year is going to be a bit different.

Do we know anything else about Lernen? Well, we know that, until this episode, he was the most skilled of the First-Class Mages. How do we know this? Serie herself holds him in high regard. And, he’s also the only one of the First-Class Mages who knew Frieren was suppressing her mana.

None of the others realized she was doing this. They simply thought that, despite being an elf, she had the same mana as a human mage. Lernen noticed her mana output waver for a moment and recognized this as evidence of mana suppression.

He hasn’t seen what Frieren’s true mana output is. But, he estimates that it’s on par with Serie’s. However, in doing so, he reveals his own limitations. Serie does indeed output a massive amount of mana that seems to be on par with Frieren’s unsupressed. But, that’s not Serie’s true mana output.

You see, despite saying that this kind of mana suppression is useless, Serie does it, as well. The vast amount of mana that Serie puts off is what remains after she suppresses her mana. So, I can’t even imagine how much mana she truly has. She might have the most of any living creature.

Also, since Lernen has never noticed this, we can assume Serie is even better at suppressing her mana than Frieren. Frieren’s mana wavered in such a way that Lernen noticed it. Serie’s never has. And, this is why Lernen is no longer the most skilled First-Class Mage.

An Anomaly Calls for an Anomaly

Frieren ruined this year’s First-Class Mage Exam. She’s too skilled of a mage. But, how does that work? How does one mage being too skilled ruin the exam? Shouldn’t it simply mean that she has an easier time passing? Yes, but there’s more to it than that.

The problem is that Frieren dragged other mages along with her who aren’t First-Class material. For example, Kanne and Lawine. Without Frieren on their team, they likely would have failed the first test. And in the second test, you could, as Serie does, argue that Frieren carried everyone who passed.

Yes, if Frieren wasn’t there, then the replica of Frieren also wouldn’t have been there. But, Frieren (and Fern) dealt with Frieren’s replica alone. And, they helped the others come up with a plan. So, at the end of the day, having Frieren there was a net positive.

This is why Serie chooses to proctor the final test herself. She needs the test to be so hard that almost none of the remaining mages pass. And, her test of choice is a one-on-one interview with her. If she decides the mage she’s talking to is too weak, they fail.

Kanne is the first mage we see get tossed out. She fails immediately because Serie senses that Kanne is too overwhelmed by her mana. This is the same for everyone else we see other than Frieren and Fern. Frieren still fails for personal reasons. But, Fern passes.

Fern is the first person (we don’t know about Frieren), who realized that Serie was suppressing her mana. That’s why I said Lernen is no longer the most skilled First-Class Mage. Fern usurped him. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Denken meet Serie. So, he may have passed the test, too.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Episode 27? Were you expecting to get the final test in this episode? How do you think Lernen compares against Frieren and Fern? And, do you think Denken passed the test? I’m expecting to find out in the final episode.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. And, I’d like to thank Key Mochi for supporting at the Senpai tier. To learn more about the perks of supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

My review of Episode 28 is available now.