The tension that Frieren was able to create with Aura the Guillotine in the earlier episodes was outstanding considering how powerful Frieren was compared to her. Having Fern and Stark take on her own upper tier soldiers added further to those episodes, but THIS arc has brought the tension and creativity to another level.
Considering Frieren as of now is the strongest character by a good mile, the introduction of a monster that creates perfect imitation's of others being the primary roadblock in the king's tomb was brilliant, as Frieren being the main obstacle herself makes the stakes much higher.
One of my favorite things about this show is the patience it not only has with character building, but with building up a climax to a battle / fight sequence. The primary example of this was Frieren's monologue with her master giving a glimpse of her backstory and how they came to meet earlier in the season. Then Flamme illustrating to her how she should hide her mana so her power is hidden unlike demon's who wouldn't think to do such a thing, and that tying into the downfall of Aura. It was so brilliantly done and while there were constant cuts to the past, it made perfect sense for the story and never felt forced.
Going back to the tomb, essentially giving the characters an entire episode into planning on how to beat Frieren's clone is extremely realistic and deserves its flowers for not rushing that process. While it's not as detailed as the Flamme backstory scene, it still shows that this anime isn't cutting corners.
But the best part of this episode was having Fern be the one to create the perfect opening on the clone, giving Frieren the opportunity to deal the final blow. It was perfect in the sense that it literally took the both of them making the one and only perfect opportunity. Fern breaking the shield, and while not being able to overpower the clone one on one, it's ultimately irrelevant because she gave them the opening to win. An amazing student outplays the teacher moment in a way that's not unrealistic but does justice to both characters without making either of them look weak.
Beginning this episode with Serie and Frieren's last conversation was a great way to begin this episode, considering Serie's differences in Flamme and Frieren's beliefs. Then Fern, a human, being the one to create the killing blow near the end was the perfect icing on the cake to end it off. Also loved the Übel and Sense portion of this episode. It subverted my expectations making me think Sense's imitation was going to be stronger, but just like the man with the "unstoppable cloak" Übel cuts right through the clone. The monologue between the two was great as well and hopefully we see more of Übel, Wirbel, Denken and the new first-class mage's going forward.
Considering Frieren as of now is the strongest character by a good mile, the introduction of a monster that creates perfect imitation's of others being the primary roadblock in the king's tomb was brilliant, as Frieren being the main obstacle herself makes the stakes much higher.
One of my favorite things about this show is the patience it not only has with character building, but with building up a climax to a battle / fight sequence. The primary example of this was Frieren's monologue with her master giving a glimpse of her backstory and how they came to meet earlier in the season. Then Flamme illustrating to her how she should hide her mana so her power is hidden unlike demon's who wouldn't think to do such a thing, and that tying into the downfall of Aura. It was so brilliantly done and while there were constant cuts to the past, it made perfect sense for the story and never felt forced.
Going back to the tomb, essentially giving the characters an entire episode into planning on how to beat Frieren's clone is extremely realistic and deserves its flowers for not rushing that process. While it's not as detailed as the Flamme backstory scene, it still shows that this anime isn't cutting corners.
But the best part of this episode was having Fern be the one to create the perfect opening on the clone, giving Frieren the opportunity to deal the final blow. It was perfect in the sense that it literally took the both of them making the one and only perfect opportunity. Fern breaking the shield, and while not being able to overpower the clone one on one, it's ultimately irrelevant because she gave them the opening to win. An amazing student outplays the teacher moment in a way that's not unrealistic but does justice to both characters without making either of them look weak.
Beginning this episode with Serie and Frieren's last conversation was a great way to begin this episode, considering Serie's differences in Flamme and Frieren's beliefs. Then Fern, a human, being the one to create the killing blow near the end was the perfect icing on the cake to end it off. Also loved the Übel and Sense portion of this episode. It subverted my expectations making me think Sense's imitation was going to be stronger, but just like the man with the "unstoppable cloak" Übel cuts right through the clone. The monologue between the two was great as well and hopefully we see more of Übel, Wirbel, Denken and the new first-class mage's going forward.