When you tell an entire story in 9 minutes 

The other incredibly important moment in this story is the second bottle that is poured out. That is the last bottle that Heiter ever had to drink. He was holding the bottle when he saved Fern, and it was partially drunk. The previous episode tell us that he is aware that drinking is cutting his life short, but that he is fine with it, all up until the moment he chooses to save Fern. It is the second bottle poured over his grave signifying that in the moment he chose to save Fern was also the moment that he gave up drinking. Choosing then to preserve his life as long as possible for this child.

2:27 - a blink and you'll miss it moment that has to also be remembered to hit home, or picked up on a second viewing. If you're not distracted by Heiter standing in the sun almost naked, you see Frieren drawing a circle around Fern. If you remember this, you might figure out what it means later, in episode 10. Apart from the various magical spells, one of the main things Frieren passes on to Fern is the lesson to keep her mana suppressed. This circle represents how much she wants it to be restricted to. Also, look out for child Fern creating the magical butterflies, which is why that's the motif Frieren chooses for her hairpiece later, as it's the one other spell we see her performing as a child. It has meaning to her.

This is my favorite part of the whole show. When he says "because that's what Himmel the Hero would have done" and you get that flashback of Hieter looking on while Himmel comforts the children... Absolutely makes me cry every time

I loved Frieren from minute 1. Each episode is so dense with story they feel like mini movies, but don't drag because the pacing is so on point. Each beat stays for exactly the right amount of time to be taken in and absorbed but not so long as to outlive its welcome. The entire show is like this. The fights are snappy they feel like they last for hours and only a few seconds at the same time. The slice of life moments flow naturally, and the comedy beats are pitched just right that they lend levity to a sequence but don't feel like they intrude on the serious parts.

this part of the story in the source material is called "The Priest's lie" and its a huge favorite of manga readers. thanks for encapsulating what we all felt when experiencing this story for the first time

Frieren is a masterclass in skilled exposition. There's just so much told via just visuals, small little cuts, or meaningfully chosen words, it's truly incredible. This is an instant classic, one that will be studied for years to come because of how efficiently it tells the stories it wants, at the pace it wants, being seemingly slow paced, yet also rewarding the viewer's attention.

It constantly blows my mind how adept the author of Frieren is at quickly and efficiently fleshing out the characters and telling the episodic stories of the series. You are absolutely invested in these characters by the middle of the first chapter, and then you realize that only one of them is going to be the focus of the story-the titular cute elf (or eldritch horror, if you're a demon) Frieren-as the others start to die off of old age. We get new characters, of course (who thankfully stick around a bit longer from the perspective of the narrative), but we also see a lot of the old ones, through probably the best (and among the most prodigious) use of situational flashback in recent memory. The old party, already mostly fleshed out within the first episode, helps to give insight and perspective on the new, and often vice versa. And each individual tale tends to be done within a manga chapter (or half an episode). It's quite reminiscent of 4-koma, except rather than being (entirely) comedically focused and offering you a little hors d'oeuvre of story (or stringing a few of them together) like 4-koma does, Frieren gives you a full meal each chapter, or at least a decently sized sandwich. And when the story does decide to shed its episodic, slice-of-life appearance for the occasional story arc, the author is just as deft at that slower burn of a writing style, though there is still that uncanny ability to get us instantly interested in characters we've just met.

What really blows my mind is not the fact they tell a whole story in half an episode, but the fact they did it twice. In the first two episodes.

What surprised me most is the fact that this was just 9 minutes it totally felt like it was way longer when I watched it a common theme in Frieren's episodes is that they feel so long that each episode leaves you with the same emotion you get from watching a movie (or two)

Makes so much sense. I remember showing My sister the anime and when at the end of that story she saw we had half an episode left she was surprised because it felt already complete and satisfying for her.

The pacing on Frieren is amazing. I watched a few episodes by myself and realized that my gf should watch it as well, so I started rewatching it from the start with her. In my mind with all the story and character development that had been shown I thought I was 5 or 6 episodes in. After we watching it together I realized I had only finished episode 2. Each half of am episode for that beginning arc feels like a complete story.

great video as always, I haven't actually thought about why the second episode felt so god damn satisfying, but I sure as hell knew that it was a good lead in into the story at hand, but you basically cleared up the entire reason behind why that is. Also, the editings been great on this one!

I hope this channel thrives. These videos are phenomenal.

I'm rewatchjng frieren with a friend rn and the first time they really cried while watching was when they introduced old man voll. A character they have in the show for less than 13 minutes, and it had us both sobbing at the end. There's something so impressive about that.

"pey talks anime" does in 8 minutes and 45 seconds exactly what Episode 2 is doing in it's 9 minutes. The complex of emotional swirls around the heads of Fern, Heiter, and Frieren have no better witness than in this analysis of story telling, actually doing what it is talking about. Bravo!

This is the first time I have heard about these brackets. It would be great to analyze shows like monster with this in mind.

All this tall about brackets makes me thing of computer languages.

That was a wonderful analysis. Realizing how all these stories wrapped up so beautifully started to make me tear up. Well done.

wait youre kinda goated

wow a masterfully created graph sir you've outdone yourself!

This is your second Freiren video I’ve watched, and I just wanted to say that these are great, good work.

The connection you’ve made in this video with Up scratched an itch in my head for sure. I was like that felt familiar in the way it makes me bawl but couldn’t stick a pin to connect them. Thank you so much Also Kaguya, Bocchi and Frieren have been my personal top 3 since returning to anime in the past year-ish and those videos immediately popped up upon investigating your channel. Yet to go through the Kaguya one but the others have been amazing. Subscribed and hope your channel and endeavors pop off bc you deserve it

You're sneaky playing this music in the background! Great analysis and video!

the heck this is an amazing analysis video

Dude your analysis’ are actually really good n has such good formatting plus the text on the screen going w the beats of the song n like being behind Frieren n stuff ITS ALL SO GOOD- I can tell you put so much effort into it n just know that your work worth taking the time to appreciate it

What a wonderful analysis. This made me appreciate Frieren's 2nd episode so much more.

Man wtf u made me teared up more than the actual episode's had to deliver, such a beautiful analysis

your channel is incredible. i adore listening to you breakdown this frankly DENSE masterpiece. its so.... HxH at times that it makes sense its already my second favorite anime of all time (second to HxH of course)

good video pey, will be here for next week's one

I wasn't expecting such quality from a small channel but I am blown away! Incredible video

This bit always hits so hard. Even your narration of Fern finally blasting the hole made me tear up a little.

I love Frieren so much! So, I beggan liking anime again because of it!

Very well analysed; I was a little teary by the time it ended. I love how you limited the video to about 9 minutes as well!

Ayy, fire video. This helped me remember that episode 2 really made me fall in love with the show. I liked your writing and what you talked about with the brackets and sub-brackets. I'll definitely check out your other vi- oh shit, I just looked at the sidebar and see you did an hour+ long video on Kaguya?! Lets fucking gooooo lol

Well said! Will look forward to other videos

many poeple say i look like a young version of the old guy from Up

Well explained.

Such a great breakdown of this episode, impressive.

Really good video, you got a new subscriber👍

This is an awesome video. I just had to stop watching towards the end bec remembering Heiter's death is making me tear up...while I'm at work. Lol. Looking forward to watching your other videos!

Great video, very well said! Your voice is very soothing :)

Would love to hear your take on current story telling in movies/tv shows over the last decade You've earned a sub

This reminds me of the shortest character arc I've ever seen in mushoku tensei with the unfriendly mother at the dinner /dance in season 1, the story made that lady go through the shortest arc I've ever seen

I was watching Avatar The Legend Of Aaag, and I could say that, each chapter is an story of their own. Very hermetic, but also they are a part of a whole purpose.

Great video! Can't wait for the next season of Frieren, and personally I'm hoping they use the escape golems more because those were cool as hell. I saw this in my feed and I was like... "There's no way he managed to make another video since the Kaguya video" and then I went to your channel and saw that you managed to have yet another video done in that time. I don't know how you managed to do that, just try not to burn yourself out too much please. 😭I recently set myself a similar goal of releasing at least one song per week, but it only lasted about 2 months before I couldn't keep up, and I imagine it'd be even harder with video essays (especially when each one involves so much extra time just watching the series' they're about) Nonetheless: as a consumer, I must admit getting a video essay a week is pretty awesome

bro instant sub!

this is amazing! I was going to say the irony or double meaning behind the title of this video is that through analyzing frieren's 9 minute story, you too, created a 9 minute story with incredible insights! keep up the great work!

beautiful video

talk about the pacing of this video! well done.

What a well made Video

Beautiful story 👍

Im happy im not the only one who compared the pacing to avatar, hell i did so yesterday to a friend

I wish everyone could see this video!

another 15 seconds and you could have explained a 9 minute story in 9 minutes as well!

How do you want us to be focus on your awesome video after remembering Up intro ? I cannot recover emotionnaly now

The best anime I have ever seen

Great video, it should have been 9 minutes though xD

beggining

at 3:52 beginning is spelt wrong :(

A manga reader commented in another video saying that in the manga Heiter taught Fern to suppress her mana. In the anime we weren't shown this particular scene and yet it is implied across two other scenes. In their first encounter Frieren paused briefly and looked at Fern intently as if she's puzzled by the very low mana level emanating from her. In the orphanage flashback scene Heiter admitted he knew Frieren have been suppressing her mana all this time. Not only Heiter showed that he tried to emulate Himmel's values by saving Fern but he also imparted to her what he had learned from observing Frieren during their 10-year long journey.

I have only one thing to say, a manga like frieren get the difference and use it well between beeing long ass slow and simply taking your time. Frieren narrate stuff and take its time to do so, so you gets in because its interesting and there things to tell, but in general manga and stories those day, have nothing to say and they just stretch everything, thats what makes it boring, because its simply slow and making it realy long. Its so bad that sometime even something that only last for 2 minutes feels like a whole life, its painfully long, while frieren an episode pass in a blink while you have the feeling of living a whole full life of emotion.

Sanderson books are special to me

when you tell a whole story in 9 minutes and then spend the next several years meandering aimlessly

It's not much but here's a like and a comment keep spreading art 😊

Also known as the thing Adventure Time (and many other cartoons) did literally hundreds of times.

I'm quite confused, like, what "beggining"?

when talking about bad backstories you only used sangatsu no lion footage, you have to be trolling lmao

A good video, thank you, I learnt something, and I am sorry you cannot spell.

F

Man, up sucks