So, the penultimate episode 27 of the anime “ Frieren and the Journey to the Beyond ” (Sousou Frieren), titled An Era of Humans, began as expected. After the first test of the first-class mage exam, we kind of expected a more relaxed episode. And that's what happened after the second test as well.
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Check out our analysis of episode 27 of Frieren
The thing is, we only got half of episode 27 of Frieren in peace. Only the first half of episode 27 followed the mages who took the second test. And we saw the group with: Kanne, Lawine, Denken, Richter, and Laufen. Where are Wirbel, Übel, Land, and Methode?
One thing I liked about this part of the episode was that we saw a mix of winners and losers. Kanne did well on the second test, while Lawine didn't. Similarly, Denken and Laufen passed the second test easily, while Richter did poorly. This is important because it shows that failing the exam isn't the end of the world.
As long as you're in the area, you can try again in three years. And that's something Denken made sure to emphasize to Richter. He said that Richter is a strong mage who had terrible luck. And, in another three years, he'll be even stronger.
And speaking of Richter, we also saw him fixing Fern's staff at his shop at Frieren's request. At first, Frieren told Fern to get a new staff because fixing hers wouldn't be worth it. And Richter even agreed. But both Frieren and Richter realized they were wrong.
Sure, a new staff would be better than Fern's old one. 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 counts.
The First First-Class Mage
Who was the first First Class Mage again? Thanks to Episode 27, we learned that his name is Lernen and he's still doing well as a First Class Mage today. Normally, he's the one who supervises the third and final test of the exam. But this year will be a little different.
Do we know anything else about Lernen? Well, we know that, up until this episode, he was the most seasoned of the First Class Mages. How do we know this? The series itself holds him in the highest esteem. And, he's the only one of the First Class Mages who noticed that Frieren was holding back her mana.
None of the others noticed this. They simply thought that, despite being an elf, she had the same mana as a human mage. Lernen noticed that her mana output faltered for a moment and saw this as evidence of mana suppression.
He's never seen Frieren's true mana output. But he thinks it's on par with Serie's. However, by saying that, he reveals his own limitations. Serie does indeed release a huge amount of mana that seems to be on par with Frieren's without suppression. But that's not Serie's true mana output.
You see, even though I say that this mana suppression is a bad idea, Serie does it too. The absurd amount of mana that Serie releases is what's left after she suppresses her own mana. So, I can't even imagine how much mana she actually has. She might have more than any other living creature.
And since Lernen never noticed this, we can imagine that Serie is even better at suppressing her mana than Frieren. Frieren's mana fluctuated in a way that Lernen noticed. Serie's never fluctuated. And that's why Lernen is no longer the most seasoned First Class Mage.
One complication leads to another
Frieren ended up ruining this year's First Class Mage Exam. She's "too much of a mage." But wait, let me try to explain. How does being too much of a mage ruin the exam? Shouldn't it just mean she has an easier time passing? Yes, but there's more to it than that.
The problem is that Frieren ended up bringing other mages along who aren't all that great. Like Kanne and Lawine. Without Frieren in their area, they probably would have done poorly on the first test. And on the second test, you could argue, as the series did, that Frieren carried everyone who passed.
Yes, if Frieren hadn't been there, the Frieren replica wouldn't have been either. But Frieren (and Fern) managed with the Frieren replica on their own. And they helped the others come up with a plan. So, at the end of the day, having Frieren there was a positive outcome.
That's why Serie chose to handle the final test herself. She needs the test to be so tough that almost none of the remaining mages pass. And, her chosen test is a one-on-one interview with her. If she finds that the mage in front of her is too weak, that's it.
Kanne is the first one we see being kicked out. She failed at the last minute because the series felt that Kanne was very upset with her sister. And the same thing happened with everyone we saw, except Frieren and Fern. Frieren also failed for personal reasons. But Fern passed.
Fern is the first person (we don't know about Frieren) who realized that Serie was holding back her own mana. That's why I said that Lernen is no longer the most seasoned First Class Mage. Fern surpassed him. But we didn't get to see Denken encountering Serie. So, he may have passed the test as well.
So, what did you think of Episode 27 of "Frieren and the Journey to the Beyond"? Were you expecting the final test in this episode? How do you think Lernen compares to Frieren and Fern? And, did Denken pass the test? I'm really looking forward to finding out in the final episode.
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