Warning: This article contains spoilers.

Before I dive into a mini review of one of the best anime series of the last couple of years, a brief on Sakura Screenings.

Years ago, I wanted to develop it as a series of posts just reviewing the shows that I love. I ended up doing only one, on The Promised Neverland. Since then, I’ve been thinking about it a lot and feel it wouldn’t really be what I want to do. I learn a lot from anime when the show I watch is good and I sometimes even meditate on certain aspects that impress me. Then I decided – I will pick out only moments or episodes that of shows that really impress me and talk about why they stand out. I’m looking to make short to medium-length posts. Anime at times explores themes we don’t see anywhere else in other types of cinema and animation, and I wish to explore that.

***

Beyond Journey’s End begins with an end. It’s interesting as in the first episode is like a montage of the highlights that Himmel the Hero, dwarf warrior Eisen, priest Heiter and elf mage Frieren share on their journey. The friends spend a decade together and Frieren promises to reunite with them after 50 years. But she is granted an extraordinarily long life, and Eisen will also not feel it as too long. But the other two are humans, so after 50 years, they are very elderly and soon pass away. Death comes as a revelation to Frieren and she realises that regret could not make up for missed opportunities. But before the priest dies, he leaves her a war orphan, Fern, under her care and the elf promises to make her an apprentice. That is a short background.

I would like to, however, focus on episode 10 because it really stopped me in my tracks the first time I watched it. We get to see what happened to Frieren when she was a child. She was taken in by a human mage called Flamme after she finds the young elf the sole survivor in a village attacked by demons. Frieren had killed the demon and Flamme recognises her potential.

In the decades to come, Flamme trains Frieren but her main technique is unexpected. The supernatural abilities, or the potential, in this universe is called mana – opponents can see it in an aura-type glow around the person’s body. Frieren is mighty and even at a young age, the scope of her mana is impressive but Flamme teaches her to supress it to a tenth to its volume.

“I know they are an arrogant and overconfident breed,” Flamme says of demons.

“I deceive and kill my enemies by allowing them to miscalculate my power.”

She teaches Frieren to do the same and centuries later, the elf uses it as a surprise tactic against a powerful demon, Aura. At first, Aura sees only a tiny amount of mana pouring out of Frieren and thinks she has won before the mage lets her full potential explore in front of the stunned demon and obliterates her. Through the power of deception, Frieren wins.

I thought about this a lot – it is not advice we hear these days – to not be like an open book and wear our full armour as such; to not immediately reveal all the treasures inside us.

Flamme said it best: “The stronger an individual is, the more desperate they are to show it off.”

Pride in one’s abilities is natural but too much of it creates arrogance and in the best case scenario, it makes us miss out on opportunities to learn from others, as we waste them talking about what we know or are capable of. Discernment on when and how much of your abilities to use, how much to reveal of yourself, is a superpower that would solve so many problems and would prevent even more. It is not just the case of modesty or obedience, it is about judging what is best in each situation, what would be best even in the long run. That is a real skill that we see Frieren master to perfection.

“You must never seek to leave your mark on history. There’s safety in obscurity,” says Flamme.

That is the essence of, in my opinion, the best episode of the series – sometimes, less really is more.

***

Beyond Journey’s End is on Crunchyroll.