REVIEW: ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ Episode 16 — “Long-Lived Friends”

Having refilled their coffers, the party is once more on the move. As they continue their trek north, Frieren (Atsumi Tanezaki) decides to stop and visit an old friend, Old Man Voll. While a warm welcome awaits her when she is reunited with her old companion, an unsettling truth also comes with it in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sōsō no Furīren) Episode 16, “Long-Lived Friends.”

Once again, this week’s episode is split into two journies, with the first half focusing on the party’s visit to Old Man Voll. At 400 years of age, the dwarf has surpassed his race’s expected lifespan by 100 years. Voll is a fun mix of a kindly old man and a stern teacher. While the party stays in his village for a week, Voll splits his time reminiscing with Frieren and training Stark (Chiaki Kobayashi). In one of the series trademark montages, we see both sides of the dwarf depicted wonderfully as Frieren Episode 16 manages to craft a lot of narrative through fantastic visual expression.

As the party’s time with Voll ends, Frieren has one last heart-to-heart talk with her old friend. This scene delivers a subtle moment that shows us an emotion presented by Frieren that we haven’t seen before – fear. As she talks with Voll, he confesses to her that he can no longer remember the face of the human wife he loved. He has watched over the village he lives in for centuries because of her love for it, but her face, her voice, and even her eyes have slipped away from him.

Upon hearing this, we see Frieren stricken with a look that, given the extremely muted way she presents any emotion, feels like stark terror on her face. The elf has made promises to carry the memories of her human friends into the future with her so the world would never forget the names of the Hero’s Party. But seeing her old friend in the state he is in reminds her that, as long-lived as she may be, even she will one day fade.

This moment in Frieren Episode 16 is incredibly impactful, not just for Frieren but for the viewer as well. It is easy to begin seeing Frieren as effectively immortal, given how long she lives. The way the show handles this moment works not just to remind us that she will face the fate all things do at some point, but it subtly highlights how it will be even worse for her in the end. When the time comes for her, and she begins to lose those memories, she will be the only one bearing any first-hand knowledge of those people or events. Important individuals like Flamme and Himmel will truly fade into myth when the memories finally slip away.

Once the party sets out from Voll’s village, their next stop finds Sein (Yûichi Nakamura) seeking clues to the location of his absent friend, Gorilla Warrior. Despite having not passed through the area for nearly a decade, thanks to his striking personality and unique name, Sein is able to find some clues to his friend’s potential whereabouts, though not without some measure of toil to do so.

While working to uncover leads to point Sein in the right direction to find his friend, Frieren Episode 16 gives the viewer a few more glimpses into Sein’s past. These moments provide charm and help to flesh out more about the priest. The only thing that feels a little off in these memories is the presence of Heiter. While it has been established already that Heiter and Sein knew each other, it feels odd that the show seems hesitant to craft a flashback sequence that doesn’t involve a member of the Hero’s Party.

While Heiter is as enjoyable as ever to see, his being there starts to make the series feel a bit too interconnected between its characters. With Sein’s loose attachments to the core cast, it is a bit far-fetched that every significant moment in his past seems to involve Heiter.

With that one minor gripe, Frieren Episode 16 delivers an otherwise strong entry into the show’s narrative. It continues to expand upon the world while fleshing out its cast. Frieren’s emotional revelation is striking, giving the character a moment of vulnerability we haven’t seen since Himmel’s funeral.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 1 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.