The second mage test is underway, but, even without the spectre of direct competition, there isn’t much honour amongst this bunch. When the stakes go higher still, several applicants rise to the occasion, but how many is too many?
As if I didn’t love that running gag of Frieren’s butt hanging out of something, they actually work it into a minor plot point this volume in a brutally amusing joke and a lesson on being too focused on playing the odds. Automatic five stars.
The second mage test is brilliantly clever, if utterly hypocritical, as a pacifist puts the candidates in a dungeon that is decidedly very okay with the notion of using force. The interplay between all these various personalities we’ve come to know has been a lot of fun.
It’s hard to overstate how perfectly in balance everything in this series feels. Just enough humour, just enough action, the enigmatic nature of Frieren and her evolving relationship with the world. Stark gets shifted to basically a cameo appearance, but this section isn’t about him.
And what really stands out is how Frieren interacts with everything and everyone in such an alien way. She’s learned so much from her time in the hero’s party, but she does not see things as humans do, both for good and for ill. It’s a dichotomy that makes the character fascinating.
While her ancient ways have been mostly seen as a blessing, it becomes clear that she is not without her weaknesses and the way she has structured her centuries of learning have left her with some gaps. Fern comes into her own her even more than she had in the prior book.
It’s such a strong volume. The mage test is just as fascinating and makes the point that no plan survives first contact with the people who concocted it when their bonds are tenuous at best. Humans are still so very human.
The black-clad mage, Ubel, has been present throughout this and while we don’t see the conclusion of her story this volume, I have a suspicion of where it might be going and I’m pretty okay with it. She is clearly out of her mind, but to what extent that turns her to evil, which I admit is pretty likely, is kind of a question mark.
It’s not quite as strong as the first volumes, sure, but only by the slightest of degrees. Frieren still reminisces, she still tries to figure out how humans work, she recognizes that she is not the greatest mage, but despite her reputation, she’s also never said that either. She is a brilliant character surrounded by a strong cast and a great premise.
5 stars - perfect, as always, and still my all-time favourite manga series. I’m already getting excited to complain about every single change they make with the anime adaptation.