REVIEW: ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ Season 2 Episode 9 — “Himmel’s Memoirs”

Frieren Season 2 Episode 9, “Himmel’s Memoirs,” sees Fern (Kana Ichinose, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury), Stark (Chiaki Kobayashi, The Summer Hikaru Died), and Frieren (Atsumi Tanezaki, Persona 3 Reload) face off with dangers, as well as walk down memory lane. But even as they continue their journey, hints of a looming threat begin to take shape.

Right off the bat, Frieren Season 2 Episode 9 sprinkles in several hints about the next major plot beat. The opening scene reintroduces Denken (Jirô Saitô, One Piece Fan Letter) as he travels to an unnamed location. Shedding his entourage to go on alone, we get the impression that there is something dark ahead for the Imperial Mage. 

Other small hints also build on the unknown threat. Comments about an apparent Golden City conjure memories from Frieren’s past of a heavily shadowed figure, lending credence and malice to the rumor. One thing is for sure: whatever may come of these hints, fans will have a long way to wait. With only one episode left in the season, any resolution will have to wait for the next leg of the journey to Ende. 

Breadcrumbs throughout Frieren Season 2 Episode 9 start to flesh out a looming threat.

Despite the potentially lengthy wait for a payoff, Frieren Season 2 Episode 9 incorporates its narrative teasing well. These moments are brief, allowing the episode to focus on the major beats it presents rather than future stories. This avoids the feeling of having an episode in an already short season feel wasted for later reveals. 

Catching up to the party, we find them asked to slay a flight of dragons that has attacked a small town. Frieren is hesitant at first, commenting that the townsfolk should just move. In response, Fern and Stark counter with an emphasis on home and helping others. 

This moment in Frieren Season 2 Episode 9 serves as a wonderful callback to an earlier episode this season, when Stark questioned why some would struggle to cling to homes in such dangerous territory as the Northern Plateau. Now, with the roles reversed, it showcases the growth and understanding that the journey has imparted on the younger members of the group. Frieren relents, but only after being offered a grimoire in exchange for their services. 

Fern and Stark show remarkable growth when presented with a task to slay some dragons.

Frieren Season 2 Episode 9‘s battle with the dragons is brief but gorgeous. Focusing mainly on Stark, we see the warrior flex his dragon-fighting prowess as he moves between his foes, slashing and hacking as he goes. And of course, when the situation does begin to get out of hand, timely magical backup is there to keep him safe. 

While the battle is exciting, the payment is the more important element of the story. As the trio leaves the town, Fern asks why Frieren always insists on payment for jobs. Frieren gives a familiar reply, though in this context it will surprise most. She states, “It’s what Himmel always did.”

At first blush, the idea that the generous and empathetic Himmel would force people to pay seems preposterous. Even with the party’s need as it marched towards its final destination, Himmel has always felt too carefree to worry that much about maintaining supplies or other, non-greedy motivations.

The dragon battle is short in Frieren Season 2 Episode 9, but showcases MADHOUSE’s great battle animations once more.

What the explanation ultimately is is as perfect as it is unexpected. The sweet logic behind Himmel’s insistence on getting some measure of pay, no matter how meager, fits perfectly with the unique personality of the hero. Just when you think Himmel couldn’t possibly become more charming, he finds a way. 

The back half of Frieren Season 2 Episode 9 sees the party stranded in a town waiting for foul weather to break so they can cross a massive lake. Once they can, the ferryman tells them he’ll take them across if they break a barrier surrounding an old monastery said to house Himmel’s memoir. 

As it turns out, the book contains no great elements of the hero’s life, but is simply a journal of everyday entries. Upon seeing Frieren’s reaction to finding the tome written by her old friend, the ferryman tells her to keep it, as it reveals to him who she is. And besides, there is a treasure trove of other books there that are likely worth their crossing anyway.

While Himmel’s memoir captures his everyday thoughts, it’s still teeming with valuable insights.

While the kind gesture and Frieren’s warmth at the memories that come back to her through the book create the highlight of this short story in Frieren Season 2 Episode 9, it also serves to call greater attention to an ongoing element of Frieren’s world that I, and probably many others, have completely overlooked: Just how much the world prizes knowledge. 

The barrier that Frieren must break down here was left by monks who had to abandon the place after a monster attack. It was erected simply to preserve the books within. Everywhere Frieren goes, books and grimories are always present. And it is not just the number of them, but what they contain as well.

The prioritization of preserving knowledge is a reminder of what we’re missing in our world today,

Whenever Frieren is paid with a grimoire containing some silly spell, the series always frames the moment from the perspective of Frieren’s obsession. But think about it. Someone took the time to write out a book devoted to that silly spell. Materials for books would likely be expensive, yet even the most innocuous magic spell is preserved within a grimoire. I wish our world, which must put far less work into preserving knowledge, could value it half as much. 

Frieren Season 2 Episode 9 brings adventure, humor, warmth, and hints of things to come. It continues to evolve its characters, showing how they are growing before our eyes, as their long journey moves ever forward. 

Frieren Season 2 Episode 9 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

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