Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2020)
[葬送のフリーレン]
Volume 2
Author: Kanehito Yamada
Artist: Tsukasa Abe
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics
Synopsis:
Given an objective in their journey, Frieren and Fern continue on their way, picking up a new companion as they go.
Story/Characters:
By meeting with Eisen, not only do we get a concrete goal to work toward but we also get a moment to reflect on how Frieren has changed and how big of an impact her short time (from her perspective) with the Hero's party has had. From there, we get an interesting little episode about a monster that uses illusions to catch its prey and then we come across a dragon which proves to be a little more than two mages can easily handle on their own, and so we're introduced to Eisen's apprentice Stark. Besides improving the tactical balance of the party, Stark adds a lot to the dynamic because he's not as reserved in his expression as Frieren and Fern are and it makes for a nice counterbalance. I do rather like how the subject of fear, especially fear in combat, is handled.
The next big event is the gang arriving at a town where the local lord is attempting to negotiate with the resident remnants of the Demon King's forces. Now, if you know any German (and it's a handy thing to have for this series, or at least handy access to a dictionary), Lügner's intentions are quite clear just from his name. I like how demons are handled in this series. You've probably gotten used to a lot of series portray demons sympathetically. They're just like us, maybe even more moral than us, just with horns and such. Well, this series is having none of that. Demons are completely, irredeemably evil. Any word that comes out of their mouths (if they deign to speak at all) only serves to further their goal of killing people. Actually, "evil" may not be the correct term, as we see from a flashback that what we would see as horrible is simple logic to them. They can't comprehend humanity. All they can do is mimic whatever is effective to further their hunt, such as playing on family ties. Because their instinct makes any true peace impossible, they're closer to being rabid dogs, and the only thing you can do with a rabid dog is put it down. This is definitely Frieren's own position, defined by a lifetime of experience, and it's interesting setting her perspective against Graf Granat, who is actively fighting his instincts in a bid to sue for peace. Now, this treatment of demons has apparently caused some controversy outside Japan, but maybe it says more about the people who are sympathizing with demons.
Lügner's plot would have likely gone farther if one of his subordinates didn't jump the gun, but this also speaks to demonic nature. Fern and Stark are set to deal with Lügner and his remaining subordinate while Frieren herself goes to deal with their boss, one of the Demon King's Seven Sages of Destruction, Aura. Also, Lügner remembering who Frieren is gives us a title drop (in the Japanese) for the finale.
Art:
We get some nice action shots and reactions. Especially with the inclusion of Stark, those reactions become even more pronounced. I love the dead-eyed look Frieren gives the demons, a great shift in her character that really sells what serious business dealing with them is.
Conclusion:
In all series that rely on an ensemble cast, each step in building the roster is a big deal. Stark is a fine addition to the cast and we get some good thematic material by having him along. We get to really deal with demons for the first time and this is something that makes this series stand out almost as much as its handling of (nigh-)immortality. Unless you're one of those people taking the demons' side, this is just as much worthy of a place in your collection as the previous volume, so be sure to get it.
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