WEBVTT 00:00:05.139 --> 00:00:08.500 You're listening to the After Hours Arc, your 00:00:08.500 --> 00:00:13.439 new anime podcast. My name is Anti, and I'll 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:18.500 be your host. Join me as I review, recap, and 00:00:18.500 --> 00:00:22.859 relive anime, one arc at a time. And as always, 00:00:23.239 --> 00:00:27.140 these are all manga -free point of views. And 00:00:27.140 --> 00:00:30.800 before I get into today's episode, I just redid 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:35.359 my setup so I am really excited to record this 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:38.520 episode. Hopefully it is good on your ears. If 00:00:38.520 --> 00:00:40.579 you enjoyed this episode, make sure to leave 00:00:40.579 --> 00:00:43.719 me a comment and let me know. Today we are talking 00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:48.000 about Freerun Season 1. This is one of those 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:51.280 animes that I assumed I knew what it was going 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:55.859 to be about until I watched it. immediately I 00:00:55.859 --> 00:00:58.979 realized it was very different from a lot of 00:00:58.979 --> 00:01:02.520 the fantasy animes I've been watching. The Demon 00:01:02.520 --> 00:01:05.980 King is already defeated, the heroes have saved 00:01:05.980 --> 00:01:09.400 the world, the adventure is over, and that is 00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:13.599 where the story starts. And I really enjoyed 00:01:13.599 --> 00:01:16.760 that concept. I thought it was very entertaining. 00:01:17.859 --> 00:01:22.459 Instead of big battles and power scaling, The 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:29.859 show is more focused on time and memory, regret. 00:01:31.019 --> 00:01:35.439 Freerun is basically a fantasy story about realizing 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:38.920 what people meant to you after they're already 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:43.939 gone. So to really understand why this show is 00:01:43.939 --> 00:01:48.000 so good, we have to start with the original party. 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:53.200 Now, this first episode made me cry like a baby. 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:59.120 It was so emotional. And I have no problem admitting 00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:03.780 that. I really enjoyed it and I got hooked immediately. 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:07.900 But this legendary group involves Freerun, this 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:12.300 elven mage, Himmel, the hero, Heiter, the priest, 00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:16.409 and Aizen, the warrior. They defeated the Demon 00:02:16.409 --> 00:02:19.509 King after a 10 year journey. Coming back to 00:02:19.509 --> 00:02:24.349 the capital, they are being celebrated and revered. 00:02:24.969 --> 00:02:28.330 And what's very important about this whole scene 00:02:28.330 --> 00:02:31.750 and setup is there's a very special meteor shower 00:02:31.750 --> 00:02:35.569 taking place. One that only happens every 50 00:02:35.569 --> 00:02:39.789 years. So they watch it together and they're 00:02:39.789 --> 00:02:42.879 all enjoying it. But Freerun is talking about 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:45.879 how the light pollution is ruining it. And we 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:49.500 have Himmel who's basically telling her not to 00:02:49.500 --> 00:02:53.620 kill the vibe. So what Freerun does is she offers 00:02:53.620 --> 00:02:58.300 to take them in 50 years to the spot that will 00:02:58.300 --> 00:03:01.460 give them the best view of the meteor shower. 00:03:02.139 --> 00:03:06.840 To Freerun, 50 years is nothing. She is over 00:03:06.840 --> 00:03:11.000 a thousand years old. That is literally an insignificant 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:14.620 amount of time to her. But to the others, 50 00:03:14.620 --> 00:03:17.719 years is literally the rest of their life. They 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:20.620 might not even make it. Getting into Himmel, 00:03:20.939 --> 00:03:25.680 he is very vain. He has blue hair, and he thinks 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:29.639 he is the most handsome hero to have ever lived. 00:03:29.780 --> 00:03:32.719 It's actually pretty great. I love it. But he 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:37.759 is genuinely kind. He is constantly helping villagers. 00:03:38.110 --> 00:03:43.530 and doing small but very meaningful things. And 00:03:43.530 --> 00:03:46.750 as the show goes on, they do a really good job 00:03:46.750 --> 00:03:50.509 showing how much of a legacy all these small 00:03:50.509 --> 00:03:54.909 acts of kindness really were. I really enjoyed 00:03:54.909 --> 00:03:59.610 it. The show jumps forward 50 years and I love 00:03:59.610 --> 00:04:02.479 how they did this. because it was like a time 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:06.500 lapse, but it was so entertaining to watch, like 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:11.000 the sky and the stars. I was really happy with 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:13.919 how they did that. But this is where everything 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:17.759 changes for Free Ren. Everybody reunites to watch 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:22.819 the meteor shower, but now Himmel's old, like 00:04:22.819 --> 00:04:26.139 he lost three feet at least. I don't know how 00:04:26.139 --> 00:04:29.220 he got so short. The other ones are old too. 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:33.060 Heiter is old, and so is Aizen. But Heiter didn't 00:04:33.060 --> 00:04:36.240 shrink, and Aizen's a dwarf, so I guess they 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:38.899 lived to be a couple hundred years. So I didn't 00:04:38.899 --> 00:04:40.819 really think he looked that old. I think they 00:04:40.819 --> 00:04:43.600 might have given him a couple lines around his 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:46.540 eyes, but it was really hard for me to tell. 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:49.779 Then we have Freyrin, who just looks exactly 00:04:49.779 --> 00:04:52.480 the same from the moment she left them 50 years 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:56.819 ago. So this spot... is about a week's journey 00:04:56.819 --> 00:05:00.899 away. They get there and it was a very beautiful 00:05:00.899 --> 00:05:05.439 scene. I loved watching it. Himmel's reaction 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:09.079 was just so beautiful. He's watching the meteor 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:12.639 shower and these sparks just dancing in the sky. 00:05:13.100 --> 00:05:16.699 He's thanking Freerun for giving this old man 00:05:16.699 --> 00:05:20.759 one last adventure. It was so intense and I knew 00:05:20.759 --> 00:05:24.740 he was gonna die. Whether he died from watching 00:05:24.740 --> 00:05:27.459 that or when he got back to the Capitol, I have 00:05:27.459 --> 00:05:31.259 no idea. But then we have a funeral. Which again, 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:35.199 I knew this was gonna happen. I literally was 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:39.540 sobbing. It was so intense. But Freerun, she 00:05:39.540 --> 00:05:42.420 doesn't break down in the church. It's when he's 00:05:42.420 --> 00:05:44.939 getting buried. Like she had been processing 00:05:44.939 --> 00:05:48.240 this this whole time. And then she just breaks 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:52.459 down. This moment works? because she realizes 00:05:52.459 --> 00:05:56.399 she traveled with Himmel for 10 years, but never 00:05:56.399 --> 00:06:01.800 truly tried to understand him. For Himmel, those 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:05.379 10 years were everything, but for Freerun, it 00:06:05.379 --> 00:06:10.779 was gone in a flash. This entire series is basically 00:06:10.779 --> 00:06:15.959 Freerun slowly realizing just how important Himmel 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:19.519 actually was. One of the important things that 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:22.860 the show established early on is why Frevrin 00:06:22.860 --> 00:06:25.579 is going to be traveling north, and it has to 00:06:25.579 --> 00:06:29.500 do with Himmel. Her destination is Enda, which 00:06:29.500 --> 00:06:31.860 is a place that's really far north. It's where 00:06:31.860 --> 00:06:35.720 the Demon King's castle is. In the world of Frevrin, 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:40.040 we find out that Enda is a place where souls 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:44.579 can be spoken to after death. The idea is if 00:06:44.579 --> 00:06:47.939 Frevrin reaches Enda, she might be able to speak 00:06:47.939 --> 00:06:51.000 with Himmel again. And not in a metaphorical 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:55.759 way, but literally. That goal is what frames 00:06:55.759 --> 00:06:59.620 the entire journey of this show. Freeren isn't 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:03.339 just wandering anymore, she is traveling to a 00:07:03.339 --> 00:07:06.879 place where she hopes she can finally say the 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:09.579 things she never got to say to Himmel when he 00:07:09.579 --> 00:07:13.759 was alive. And along the way, She keeps encountering 00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:17.079 places that remind her of their old adventure, 00:07:17.740 --> 00:07:20.939 villages that Himmel helped, people who remember 00:07:20.939 --> 00:07:25.199 the hero's party, small acts of kindness he did 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:28.519 that Freerun barely noticed at the time. It was 00:07:28.519 --> 00:07:32.560 all tied together and I, I loved it so much. 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:36.420 The journey to Enda becomes less about the destination 00:07:36.420 --> 00:07:41.810 and more about Freerun slowly understanding who 00:07:41.810 --> 00:07:44.709 Himmel really was. But she isn't alone on this 00:07:44.709 --> 00:07:48.430 journey. Fern is who we get introduced to as 00:07:48.430 --> 00:07:51.290 her first companion. Frevrin was going to pay 00:07:51.290 --> 00:07:54.689 her respects and dump some liquor on the drunk, 00:07:55.050 --> 00:07:58.629 corrupt priest's grave, but Heiter wasn't dead. 00:07:59.009 --> 00:08:03.170 Not yet. So she is lost in the woods and that 00:08:03.170 --> 00:08:06.610 is when we met Fern, who was a very small child 00:08:06.610 --> 00:08:09.680 at this point. She leads her to Heiter, and that 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:13.439 is where the next five years, Frevrin is trying 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:17.660 to decipher a grimoire for Heiter, but this is 00:08:17.660 --> 00:08:21.420 only a con. Heiter had asked Frevrin to take 00:08:21.420 --> 00:08:25.160 Fern with her as an apprentice, but Frevrin refused. 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:28.139 She wasn't going to bring a child to her certain 00:08:28.139 --> 00:08:32.580 death, especially a child her friend had entrusted 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:35.919 to her, so I totally understood. But then he 00:08:35.919 --> 00:08:38.899 made up this bullshit about the grimoire having 00:08:38.899 --> 00:08:42.840 some spell for immortality or resurrection, I 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:45.659 forget which it was. But she bought it, hook, 00:08:45.720 --> 00:08:48.700 line, and sinker. She spent five years deciphering 00:08:48.700 --> 00:08:52.879 it. Part of that deal was in her free time, if 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:55.960 she wouldn't mind training Fern, the ways of 00:08:55.960 --> 00:08:59.120 being a mage. Because Heiter being a priest can 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:02.799 use healing type of spells, but he's limited 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:06.460 as far as magic is concerned. So Frevrin definitely 00:09:06.460 --> 00:09:10.529 agreed. But by the time Heiter's gonna die, Fern 00:09:10.529 --> 00:09:14.669 is a proper mage and can be her apprentice. So 00:09:14.669 --> 00:09:17.529 I was really happy Heiter pulled a fast one on 00:09:17.529 --> 00:09:21.809 her. Fern's backstory is a little sad. She is 00:09:21.809 --> 00:09:25.730 an orphan from the war and lost her parents and 00:09:25.730 --> 00:09:27.889 she was about to kill herself. She was going 00:09:27.889 --> 00:09:31.110 to jump off a ledge and Heiter stopped her and 00:09:31.110 --> 00:09:34.029 saved her. This was all because of Himmel, because 00:09:34.029 --> 00:09:37.250 this is what Himmel would have done. I loved 00:09:37.250 --> 00:09:41.169 it. Himmel was a real one. Fern's personality 00:09:41.169 --> 00:09:46.370 though. She is very disciplined. Extremely responsible. 00:09:47.210 --> 00:09:50.409 But she's a bit of a brat. Especially in the 00:09:50.409 --> 00:09:53.470 English dub. I haven't heard it as much in the 00:09:53.470 --> 00:09:57.549 Japanese. I watched all of season 1 with English 00:09:57.549 --> 00:10:00.070 dub. I've not watched it with the Japanese voice 00:10:00.070 --> 00:10:04.409 actors. But season 2 is airing. So I've had to 00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:08.190 watch that and... I definitely think I prefer 00:10:08.190 --> 00:10:12.870 her dub, mannerisms, and bratty undertone. I 00:10:12.870 --> 00:10:15.330 think it gives the character something that really 00:10:15.330 --> 00:10:19.330 works, that should really annoy me. Parts of 00:10:19.330 --> 00:10:22.789 it does, but for the most part I think it works 00:10:22.789 --> 00:10:26.250 for her character as a whole. Especially in contrast 00:10:26.250 --> 00:10:29.970 to Freerun, who oversleeps, is terrible with 00:10:29.970 --> 00:10:33.490 her time, and collects all these weird spells. 00:10:33.769 --> 00:10:37.049 It is her hobby. But Fern has to become the responsible 00:10:37.049 --> 00:10:40.870 one. In the process, though, she has Fririn, 00:10:40.889 --> 00:10:44.789 who is this great mage, as her master. She is 00:10:44.789 --> 00:10:48.470 learning about precise mana control, efficient 00:10:48.470 --> 00:10:52.669 casting, getting extremely strong with her discipline. 00:10:53.110 --> 00:10:55.389 But the group is still missing something very 00:10:55.389 --> 00:10:58.250 important, which is a warrior, a frontliner. 00:10:58.649 --> 00:11:01.330 Two mages is not going to cut it. So that's when 00:11:01.330 --> 00:11:04.210 we get into Stark, who was Aizen's apprentice. 00:11:05.080 --> 00:11:09.539 Aizen, the dwarf warrior, I loved him. I thought 00:11:09.539 --> 00:11:13.259 he was just such a good friend to Freerun. I 00:11:13.259 --> 00:11:15.860 still couldn't tell, like, how old he was. He 00:11:15.860 --> 00:11:19.019 didn't seem that old for how long it had been. 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:24.360 But moving on, Stark is extremely nervous and 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:28.500 easily panics. Super dramatic. He's just a total 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:31.519 wimp. But we meet him because we have to fight 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:35.470 a dragon. So Freren sees this grimoire and a 00:11:35.470 --> 00:11:39.830 dragon's nest, and this dragon apparently stopped 00:11:39.830 --> 00:11:43.889 attacking this town once Stark showed up. Stark 00:11:43.889 --> 00:11:46.830 didn't even move. He just stood there. His knees 00:11:46.830 --> 00:11:50.190 were buckling. I guess he couldn't move. That 00:11:50.190 --> 00:11:53.049 is his character concept. It does get a little 00:11:53.049 --> 00:11:57.509 old, but it's not too annoying. Again, like Fern, 00:11:57.889 --> 00:12:00.889 I think it works for him. But Stark is terrified. 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:04.179 He ends up stepping up to this fight, and he's 00:12:04.179 --> 00:12:06.940 only supposed to hold off the dragon, and Freeren 00:12:06.940 --> 00:12:10.320 and Fern are gonna finish it off. Well, he's 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:13.220 got it pinned down, and he's like telling them 00:12:13.220 --> 00:12:16.539 to go for it. They're not doing anything. So 00:12:16.539 --> 00:12:19.539 he ends up calling Freeren an old hag. But it 00:12:19.539 --> 00:12:23.419 turns out, the dragon was already dead. And it 00:12:23.419 --> 00:12:27.740 was a really good scene. I enjoy the subtle humor. 00:12:28.059 --> 00:12:31.480 So that was great. But this moment, it defines 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:35.039 his character. Because courage in this story 00:12:35.039 --> 00:12:40.559 is not about being fearless. It's about acting 00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:44.320 through the fear. And the Fern and Stark dynamic 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.860 is pretty fun as well. There's a lot of bickering, 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:52.259 and awkward tension, and very subtle hints of 00:12:52.259 --> 00:12:55.340 romance. But one of the things that makes Freeren 00:12:55.340 --> 00:12:59.519 really stand out for me... is how magic works 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:03.460 in this world. Magic in Freerun is knowledge 00:13:03.460 --> 00:13:07.600 that has been accumulated over centuries. Freerun 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:10.759 herself has collected countless spells. A lot 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:14.259 of them are really ridiculous, like ones to remove 00:13:14.259 --> 00:13:18.960 rust or clean a bronze statue or make grapes 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:22.000 sour, but these are really important because 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:24.700 she even says that she collects these spells 00:13:24.700 --> 00:13:28.370 because some fool once praised me for them. So 00:13:28.370 --> 00:13:32.169 one thing about Friren and her mana is that she 00:13:32.169 --> 00:13:35.190 intentionally hides it and this is something 00:13:35.190 --> 00:13:37.929 that she learned after centuries of fighting 00:13:37.929 --> 00:13:41.970 demons. That leads perfectly into one of the 00:13:41.970 --> 00:13:44.649 most fascinating parts of the series and I wish 00:13:44.649 --> 00:13:49.509 we got more of her and that's Flama. Flama was 00:13:49.509 --> 00:13:53.210 a legendary human mage who lived over a thousand 00:13:53.210 --> 00:13:56.960 years ago. She was the person who originally 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:00.500 took Freerun on as an apprentice. When Freerun 00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:04.039 first meets Flama, Freerun was still young by 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:06.899 elf standards. Maybe like a hundred years old? 00:14:06.919 --> 00:14:09.440 I don't even know. She didn't look much different, 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:12.460 but the voice actor did tweak their voice a little 00:14:12.460 --> 00:14:15.299 bit to make them sound a little bit younger. 00:14:15.419 --> 00:14:18.120 I'm not really sure. Like, they didn't get too 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:20.820 into it. But Freerun doesn't understand humans 00:14:20.820 --> 00:14:25.919 at all. Flama sees potential in her. Not just 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:30.679 with her power, but with her longevity. Freerun 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:34.240 is going to live for centuries. So Flama begins 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:38.360 teaching her magic with a very long -term mindset. 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:41.340 Flama believed magic shouldn't just be about 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:45.519 power. She believed magic should benefit humanity. 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:48.600 And she is actually responsible for a lot of 00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:51.860 the magical foundation. in the modern world. 00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:56.080 This included magical research and advancing 00:14:56.080 --> 00:15:00.759 human -mage education. A lot of the magic systems 00:15:00.759 --> 00:15:04.840 that exist in Freerun's present timeline trace 00:15:04.840 --> 00:15:09.340 back to Flama and Flama's teachings. Flama had 00:15:09.340 --> 00:15:11.980 a bigger reason for training Freerun though. 00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:15.399 She knew Freerun would outlive everyone so she 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:19.259 had hoped Freerun would become someone who would 00:15:19.259 --> 00:15:23.980 protect humanity long after Flama was gone. This 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:27.019 is also why Frevrin eventually joins the Hero 00:15:27.019 --> 00:15:30.419 Party to fight the Demon King. Flama basically 00:15:30.419 --> 00:15:33.059 planted that whole seed, and one of the most 00:15:33.059 --> 00:15:36.080 important techniques that Frevrin learned over 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:40.059 the centuries and thanks to Flama, was mana suppression. 00:15:41.220 --> 00:15:45.220 Basically, Frevrin intentionally hides how powerful 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:49.289 she is. Most mages naturally radiate their mana, 00:15:49.929 --> 00:15:53.210 but Frevrin, she learned to compress and hide 00:15:53.210 --> 00:15:56.669 her mana, so it looks so much smaller than it 00:15:56.669 --> 00:16:00.909 actually is. And that reason goes back to fighting 00:16:00.909 --> 00:16:06.250 demons. Demons often judge opponents purely based 00:16:06.250 --> 00:16:10.370 on their mana levels. So if a demon senses that 00:16:10.370 --> 00:16:12.629 someone has less mana than them, they're going 00:16:12.629 --> 00:16:15.870 to assume that they're stronger and they attack 00:16:16.029 --> 00:16:20.750 so confidently. They are a prideful bunch. So 00:16:20.750 --> 00:16:23.169 Freeren develops this technique where she just 00:16:23.169 --> 00:16:26.250 keeps her mana suppressed constantly. And this 00:16:26.250 --> 00:16:28.809 makes the demons believe she is so much weaker. 00:16:29.129 --> 00:16:32.750 This gives her such a massive advantage. Because 00:16:32.750 --> 00:16:35.710 when the moment comes to fight, she suddenly 00:16:35.710 --> 00:16:38.830 releases her true power. That's exactly what 00:16:38.830 --> 00:16:42.009 happens during the aura arc, where the demon 00:16:42.009 --> 00:16:46.360 aura realizes too late. that her mana is on a 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:49.659 completely different level. This technique also 00:16:49.659 --> 00:16:54.200 shows how much experience Free Wren has. She 00:16:54.200 --> 00:16:57.580 is not just powerful. She has been studying demons 00:16:57.580 --> 00:17:00.980 and fighting them for centuries. She's learned 00:17:00.980 --> 00:17:04.880 how they think and just how to defeat them. And 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:08.900 understanding how demons think is actually really 00:17:08.900 --> 00:17:11.940 important because the demons in this world are 00:17:11.940 --> 00:17:14.869 very different from what I am used to seeing 00:17:14.869 --> 00:17:18.650 in fantasy animes. The demons in Free Rin are 00:17:18.650 --> 00:17:23.109 extremely unsettling. They are cold. There is 00:17:23.109 --> 00:17:26.549 no gray area. There is no maybe. They're good. 00:17:26.910 --> 00:17:31.509 They are all pure evil. And with Aura, she has 00:17:31.509 --> 00:17:35.390 this ability that is the Scales of Obedience. 00:17:35.829 --> 00:17:38.589 What that does is she compares her mana levels 00:17:38.589 --> 00:17:41.980 with an opponent's. If your mana is less than 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:45.519 Aura's, you become her puppet. And Aura assumes 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:49.680 Freirin is weak, which was a huge mistake. Because 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:53.740 when Freirin releases her mana, I was so excited. 00:17:53.920 --> 00:17:57.119 It was better than I expected it to be. And Aura 00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:00.319 realizes that she is facing somebody who has 00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:03.900 been practicing magic for over a thousand years. 00:18:04.859 --> 00:18:09.289 Freirin, it says the coldest line. in the whole 00:18:09.289 --> 00:18:13.390 season. Once she takes control of Aura, she just 00:18:13.390 --> 00:18:16.769 starts walking away and says, Aura, kill yourself. 00:18:17.170 --> 00:18:20.910 It was so intense. I wasn't expecting her to 00:18:20.910 --> 00:18:25.769 be so cold. After this arc, the show shifts into 00:18:25.769 --> 00:18:29.349 the first class mage exam. We get introduced 00:18:29.349 --> 00:18:32.930 to a ton of new characters, and I'm not exactly 00:18:32.930 --> 00:18:36.880 sure if they all are gonna matter. A couple of 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:39.460 them pop up in season two, and I won't say who, 00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:42.700 because we're keeping this to season one. But 00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:45.299 who we were introduced to, we have Denken, who 00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:48.220 is this older... I believe he was an Imperial 00:18:48.220 --> 00:18:51.579 mage? He was very, like, high -ranked as it was. 00:18:52.299 --> 00:18:55.339 Then we have this green -haired girl, Ubel, and 00:18:55.339 --> 00:19:00.319 I really enjoyed her. She is also very dangerous. 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:03.579 Every time I saw her on my screen, I figured 00:19:03.579 --> 00:19:06.799 shit was gonna go down. She was a little bit 00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:10.220 of a wild card, I think. I don't really know. 00:19:10.220 --> 00:19:14.039 She doesn't fall into that good guy category, 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:17.900 but also doesn't fall into the villain. So I 00:19:17.900 --> 00:19:21.859 liked her whole dynamic and vibe. We also have 00:19:21.859 --> 00:19:25.420 Land, who he's all about cloning himself, and 00:19:25.420 --> 00:19:28.779 I really enjoyed that he didn't even step foot 00:19:28.779 --> 00:19:32.400 onto the testing site. That was amazing. I wasn't 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:35.839 expecting it. so I really enjoyed that. We also 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:39.220 have Warble, who he really did nothing for me. 00:19:39.740 --> 00:19:43.859 I really didn't care about him. And lastly, we 00:19:43.859 --> 00:19:47.420 have Method, who I really liked her at the end. 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:50.380 In the beginning of meeting her, I wasn't quite 00:19:50.380 --> 00:19:52.880 able to get a good read, but towards the end 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:55.680 of the season, I think she's pretty funny and 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:59.019 I couldn't wait to see more of her. Each one 00:19:59.019 --> 00:20:02.019 of them has a different view on magic. So with 00:20:02.019 --> 00:20:04.900 the first part of the exam, they have to capture 00:20:04.900 --> 00:20:08.900 this rare bird, uh, Stella. This challenge focused 00:20:08.900 --> 00:20:15.019 all on alliances and strategy and teamwork. After 00:20:15.019 --> 00:20:18.660 that, though, we end up getting the dungeon trial, 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:22.980 which was really where the show showed me what 00:20:22.980 --> 00:20:25.539 magic is supposed to look like. Because even 00:20:25.539 --> 00:20:29.420 with the aura fight, it was very low -key And 00:20:29.420 --> 00:20:32.059 even Friarin says she used to cast all these 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:35.839 flashy spells. So what we saw wasn't very intense. 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:39.019 But in this dungeon, there are magical clones. 00:20:39.619 --> 00:20:43.140 So we have Friarin versus Friarin, and it was 00:20:43.140 --> 00:20:46.299 such a good showdown. I loved them squaring up. 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:49.839 They could read each other's movements so well. 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:53.259 It was very entertaining. The spells they used 00:20:53.259 --> 00:20:57.440 were so destructive. It was so intense. I was 00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:00.500 definitely excited. I was definitely not expecting 00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:03.740 the animation to be as good as it was, because 00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:05.960 I hadn't really seen anything. But at the end 00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:09.019 of the arc, this is where we really get to see 00:21:09.019 --> 00:21:13.000 Zarya, who is even older than Freeren, and I 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:16.299 absolutely loved her. The first class mage exam 00:21:16.299 --> 00:21:20.079 is run by the Continental Magic Association. 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:24.819 which is led by Zeri. Zeri is one of the oldest 00:21:24.819 --> 00:21:28.240 and most powerful mages in the world, and she 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:31.279 is basically the opposite of Freyrin as far as 00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:34.200 personality. Freyrin collects strange little 00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:38.339 spells and studies magic out of curiosity, where 00:21:38.339 --> 00:21:42.140 Zeri believes magic should be used for power 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:46.700 and domination. Zeri also has a long history 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:49.680 with Freyrin. Where Freyrin was trained by Flama, 00:21:49.950 --> 00:21:54.430 Flama was Zeri's apprentice. So there's this 00:21:54.430 --> 00:21:58.710 indirect lineage, but Zeri never really approved 00:21:58.710 --> 00:22:02.450 of the way Freyrin approaches magic. To her, 00:22:02.809 --> 00:22:06.230 Freyrin wastes her potential. What makes Zeri 00:22:06.230 --> 00:22:10.230 interesting is that she is representing a completely 00:22:10.230 --> 00:22:15.509 different philosophy of magic. To Zeri, magic 00:22:15.509 --> 00:22:20.319 equals power, where for Freyrin, Magic is sort 00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:23.980 of equaling memory. After the dungeon trial, 00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:27.440 the remaining mages end up moving on to the final 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:30.640 stage, which ends up being an interview with 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:34.000 Zeri herself. And this is all because of Freerun. 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:37.700 Freerun broke this magical barrier, one that 00:22:37.700 --> 00:22:41.279 Zeria had put up. And that basically disqualified 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:44.059 her because she is way too powerful to be taking 00:22:44.059 --> 00:22:48.390 this test. So I really enjoyed that. But Zerea 00:22:48.390 --> 00:22:51.750 is personally going to decide which one of these 00:22:51.750 --> 00:22:54.809 people becomes a first -class mage and who doesn't. 00:22:54.930 --> 00:22:58.390 Because during the dungeon phase, basically everybody 00:22:58.390 --> 00:23:02.069 passed and it was all thanks to Freerun. So Zerea 00:23:02.069 --> 00:23:05.329 could not believe this and was going to decide 00:23:05.329 --> 00:23:09.289 for herself. What's interesting is that she doesn't 00:23:09.289 --> 00:23:13.549 just judge magical ability, she judges philosophy. 00:23:14.049 --> 00:23:18.089 She wants to know... how each mage views magic, 00:23:18.410 --> 00:23:21.650 and what they intend to do with it. This is where 00:23:21.650 --> 00:23:24.210 we got to see all the different personalities 00:23:24.210 --> 00:23:28.789 really stand out, and I enjoyed it so much. Some 00:23:28.789 --> 00:23:32.609 of the mages were extremely ambitious, some were 00:23:32.609 --> 00:23:35.630 ruthless, like Worble. I actually really enjoyed 00:23:35.630 --> 00:23:38.930 their interaction, because when Worble says magic 00:23:38.930 --> 00:23:42.490 is just a tool for killing, Zarya's grin and 00:23:42.490 --> 00:23:45.319 ugh. I rewound it and watched it a couple times. 00:23:45.640 --> 00:23:50.859 I love Zarya. I love her attitude and I wish 00:23:50.859 --> 00:23:54.380 I got to see more of her in season one. During 00:23:54.380 --> 00:23:58.140 Freerun's result though, she knew right away 00:23:58.140 --> 00:24:01.420 that Zarya was not going to pass her. But when 00:24:01.420 --> 00:24:03.619 she's talking with Zarya, they must not have 00:24:03.619 --> 00:24:07.400 seen each other for like a thousand years. Pretty 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:10.539 much when Flama died. and technically Freerun 00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:13.759 only entered the exam because she wanted Fern 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:18.039 to get her first class mage qualification. They 00:24:18.039 --> 00:24:21.519 needed a first class mage to travel north. It 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:24.119 was so dangerous that that was actually a requirement. 00:24:24.819 --> 00:24:28.160 Zarya could not deny Fern though because Fern 00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:33.059 is such a powerful and experienced mage at such 00:24:33.059 --> 00:24:36.019 a young age and the amount of potential that 00:24:36.019 --> 00:24:39.319 she has There was no way Zarya could let that 00:24:39.319 --> 00:24:42.740 go to waste. And this is a huge accomplishment 00:24:42.740 --> 00:24:46.200 based on her age. There's only a handful of first 00:24:46.200 --> 00:24:49.960 -class mages. Thanks to Fern, this party can 00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:53.319 now continue moving north. The mage exam arc 00:24:53.319 --> 00:24:57.119 was really important because it did a few big 00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:01.799 things for the story. For me, it definitely expanded 00:25:01.799 --> 00:25:05.210 the whole magic system. and it introduced a couple 00:25:05.210 --> 00:25:07.750 powerful new mages which I was super excited 00:25:07.750 --> 00:25:12.190 about. It also showed just how strong Freerun 00:25:12.190 --> 00:25:16.730 really is compared to these modern mages. It 00:25:16.730 --> 00:25:20.250 also establishes Fern as one of the most promising 00:25:20.250 --> 00:25:25.190 mages of her generation. It shows that even after 00:25:25.190 --> 00:25:30.289 centuries of history, Freerun is still a mysterious 00:25:30.289 --> 00:25:33.349 figure in the world of magic. But even with all 00:25:33.349 --> 00:25:37.210 these arcs, the emotional center of the story 00:25:37.210 --> 00:25:41.670 always comes back to one person. One of the most 00:25:41.670 --> 00:25:46.829 subtle but powerful parts of Freerun is the relationship 00:25:46.829 --> 00:25:50.529 between her and Himmel. The show never turns 00:25:50.529 --> 00:25:54.210 it into an obvious romance, but the more flashbacks 00:25:54.210 --> 00:25:57.970 we got, the more it became clear that Himmel 00:25:57.970 --> 00:26:01.049 was in love with Freerun. He wanted to hit that 00:26:01.049 --> 00:26:05.380 so bad. But jokes aside, he really was in love 00:26:05.380 --> 00:26:08.059 with Friren. There are small moments throughout 00:26:08.059 --> 00:26:11.920 the show that hint. Himmel constantly invites 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:14.599 Friren to travel with the group. He tries to 00:26:14.599 --> 00:26:18.700 show her beautiful places, make sure she's included 00:26:18.700 --> 00:26:22.220 in moments that matter. There's also a scene 00:26:22.220 --> 00:26:26.119 where Himmel gives Friren a ring, which she assumes 00:26:26.119 --> 00:26:29.779 is a random gift. But, I mean, he got down on 00:26:29.779 --> 00:26:34.299 one knee and literally proposed her. She's an 00:26:34.299 --> 00:26:37.819 elf, though, who does not understand romantic 00:26:37.819 --> 00:26:43.140 interests or, really, how a human mind works. 00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:47.339 Later, it becomes clear that the design of the 00:26:47.339 --> 00:26:51.819 ring actually represents eternal love. Freeren 00:26:51.819 --> 00:26:55.250 didn't understand that at the time. It was because 00:26:55.250 --> 00:26:58.349 Stark ended up getting Fern this bracelet for 00:26:58.349 --> 00:27:01.630 her birthday. But that is sort of a tragedy, 00:27:02.369 --> 00:27:04.710 because she really didn't get it at the time 00:27:04.710 --> 00:27:08.829 of their relationship. Because Freeman's lifespan 00:27:08.829 --> 00:27:12.609 is so long, she never realized how important 00:27:12.609 --> 00:27:15.589 those moments were while they were happening. 00:27:16.589 --> 00:27:19.990 It was only years later, after Himmels gone, 00:27:20.250 --> 00:27:23.849 that she starts looking back and understanding 00:27:23.849 --> 00:27:27.190 what those memories actually meant. That is why 00:27:27.190 --> 00:27:31.650 the journey to Enda matters so much. Because 00:27:31.650 --> 00:27:35.630 in some way, Frevrin is hoping that if she reaches 00:27:35.630 --> 00:27:38.710 that place, she'll get to speak to Himmel again, 00:27:39.210 --> 00:27:41.990 and maybe tell him the things she never realized 00:27:41.990 --> 00:27:45.170 she needed to say. And when you really think 00:27:45.170 --> 00:27:49.029 about it, That is what makes Himmel such an important 00:27:49.029 --> 00:27:52.789 character in this story. Throughout the journey, 00:27:53.390 --> 00:27:56.670 Freerun remembers Himmel. She realizes Himmel 00:27:56.670 --> 00:27:59.650 wasn't great because he defeated the Demon King. 00:28:00.109 --> 00:28:03.549 He was great because of how he lived. Helping 00:28:03.549 --> 00:28:08.410 strangers, protecting innocent people, and doing 00:28:08.410 --> 00:28:14.549 all those small but impactful things. Freerun... 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:18.880 slowly begins living the same way. Freerun isn't 00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:22.559 about saving the world. It is about understanding 00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:28.740 people before they're gone. I thoroughly enjoyed 00:28:28.740 --> 00:28:35.059 this series. Getting into it, I was just so immediately 00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:37.960 hooked. I thought it was done so beautifully. 00:28:38.740 --> 00:28:42.609 I thought the quiet pauses and moments really 00:28:42.609 --> 00:28:46.809 made me reflect on what was happening. The way 00:28:46.809 --> 00:28:50.869 that they go back and forth between the present 00:28:50.869 --> 00:28:56.049 day reality and Freerun's flashbacks, I thought 00:28:56.049 --> 00:28:58.970 it was done in such an amazing way because a 00:28:58.970 --> 00:29:02.569 moment would happen, say Fern and her are having 00:29:02.569 --> 00:29:06.470 dessert and she just looks up and her mouth opens 00:29:06.470 --> 00:29:10.349 and she's literally having this memory real time. 00:29:10.519 --> 00:29:15.400 I enjoyed that so much. Freerun Season 2 has 00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:18.960 been so good so far, but as much as I have been 00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:21.640 looking forward to it, and I've said this a couple 00:29:21.640 --> 00:29:26.279 times, this is on me, the Japanese dub is not 00:29:26.279 --> 00:29:29.900 taking me on the journey that I was expecting. 00:29:30.700 --> 00:29:34.099 But it is very on par with how Season 1 went. 00:29:34.559 --> 00:29:37.660 Season 2 has been wonderful, so I can't wait 00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:40.799 to continue watching that. Don't forget, every 00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:44.720 Friday I am uploading recap videos covering this 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:48.920 current season of Jujutsu Kaisen. I am also going 00:29:48.920 --> 00:29:52.460 to be doing the Witch Hat Atelier that is starting, 00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:55.819 I think during the core break, like that Friday. 00:29:56.539 --> 00:29:59.460 So I'm gonna jump right into that one. I'm so 00:29:59.460 --> 00:30:02.759 excited. If you couldn't tell, I really enjoy 00:30:02.759 --> 00:30:07.980 fantasy animes. So I cannot wait the trailer. 00:30:08.269 --> 00:30:11.450 Ugh, I watched it again. It looks so good. And 00:30:11.450 --> 00:30:13.549 it seems like a lot of people are really excited 00:30:13.549 --> 00:30:16.089 about it too. Again, because I don't read manga, 00:30:16.289 --> 00:30:20.150 I have no idea about the story. I have zero clue 00:30:20.150 --> 00:30:23.289 what the plot is. I'm assuming it has something 00:30:23.289 --> 00:30:27.190 to do with pointy hats, but I am so excited for 00:30:27.190 --> 00:30:30.069 that one. Hopefully you enjoyed this podcast. 00:30:30.549 --> 00:30:32.789 Until next time, I'll see you then.