Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Episode 5 Review

Dragon’s Grimoire

Frieren and Fern set out on their journey to Aureole in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Episode 5. But, it doesn’t take long for Frieren to get sidetracked by a grimoire. And unfortunately, this grimoire isn’t going to be easy to acquire.

The pair comes across a sleeping Solar Dragon, which, under normal circumstances, they would avoid. But, Frieren spotted a grimoire within the Dragon’s nest. And once she sees a grimoire, she needs to have it. However, it’s unclear how Frieren knew what the grimoire contained just by looking at it.

It’s possible that she recognized the cover of the grimoire from her research. Or, she may have been able to understand what the text contained based on magic “feel,” or something. Or, it’s also possible that this run-in with the Solar Dragon wasn’t an accident, after all. She may have known the grimoire was there from the start.

So, since Frieren knows what spell is in the grimoire, what is it? It turns out that it’s a spell that allows one to see through clothes. Of course, Frieren claims that this is actually a very useful spell. Depending on how it’s used, one could see hidden weapons.

But, I’m probably not alone in assuming hijinks will ensue once she gets the spell. For example, Fern might also learn the spell — for defensive purposes. And then, completely by accident, she may use it on Stark and get flustered when she sees more than she bargained for.

Why was the grimoire in the Dragon’s nest, though? As we all know, Dragons collect gold and other treasure. So, does a grimoire count as a treasure a Dragon would want to collect? According to Frieren, no. Dragons use magic items to create their nests.

Phantoms of the Dead

Before their run-in with the Dragon, Frieren and Fern come across another monster. While not as destructive as a Dragon, the Einsam is just as dangerous. It uses illusions of the dead to lure in its victims and then devours them.

The good news is that Einsam aren’t all that dangerous to mages. A solid blast of attack magic is enough to dispel the illusion and reveal the monster. And another blast is enough to defeat the monster. The only problem is with being able to shoot attack magic at the illusion, in the first place.

Frieren tells Fern of another time when she came across an Einsam. That time, the monster created an illusion of Frieren’s teacher, Flamme. And the illusion of Flamme was begging for her life. But, this didn’t phase Frieren as she was used to Flamme doing that — so she blasted the illusion.

From this story — and Frieren saying that mages can easily handle an Einsam — we might assume they’re a non-issue. However, Frieren wanted to avoid running into the Einsam, if possible. So, at some level, she recognizes the possibility that it could show her something she can’t blast away.

And, that almost happened this time. Fern saw an illusion of Heiter, which she expected. But, what she didn’t expect is that the illusion also incorporated her memories. That’s what made it difficult for her to attack. It was only thanks to Frieren’s own attack that Fern was able to snap out of it.

Now, the illusion Frieren saw was of Himmel. She comments on this meaning that she’s changed since her last Einsam encounter. But, what I found interesting was that the illusion told her to shoot. The Einsam was too good at mimicking Himmel’s personality.

A Good Warrior

Earlier in the review, I mentioned Stark. He’s the new party member Frieren and Fern are recruiting on Eisen’s recommendation. Well, more like on Eisen’s request — Stark is Eisen’s apprentice. And, based on Eisen’s description of Stark, he’s a good warrior in Frieren’s eyes.

Eisen describes Stark as a coward who was the only one to flee his village when it was attacked. But, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as Eisen said Stark’s cowardice reminded him of himself. The implication I got from that is that Eisen fled whatever killed his parents.

But, how does being a coward make Stark a good warrior? Well, because Stark reminded Eisen of himself, Eisen taught Stark everything he knows. And we know Eisen is a strong warrior. However, that’s not all. Eisen also said that Stark is now someone who can protect others. This is why Frieren called him a good warrior.

So, Frieren knows that Stark has skills since Eisen taught him. And she knows that Stark’s the kind of person to stand up for others. Now, all she has to do is help him get over his cowardice. And what better way to do that than by having him be bait for the Solar Dragon?

At least, that’s the plan Frieren proposes. She says that she can defeat the Dragon if Stark distracts it for 30 seconds. But, I have a feeling that Frieren isn’t going to be the one to defeat the Dragon. Instead, that’s going to be Stark.

We saw that Fern’s attack magic did nothing to the Dragon. So, I have to assume the same would be true of Frieren’s attack magic. But, we saw that Stark is strong enough to cut through a cliff. The Dragon should be no match for him.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Frieren: Beyond the Journey Episode 5? Do you think Frieren knew the grimoire was in the Dragon’s nest from the start? Was it any surprise that the illusion Frieren saw was Himmel? And, what’s your first impression of Stark? Do you like him? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 6 is available now.