Nice focus on Stark in this episode because he knows Genau’s attachment to his hometown. As Stark’s hometown was also attacked by demons. He knows that even though the village is in ruins, Genau will still defend it. He trusts Frieren to flee where Genau might be stubborn here. Really shows how kind Stark is, much like Genau’s last partner.
One of the things with demons is how logical they have always been. The Demon General knew that humans have a tendency to protect homes even if they have been destroyed. Despite demons not being able to understand emotions like humans, they can create logical patterns from them. We have noticed that before with the Demon Girl, who in the flashback in the beginning of S1 cried to “her mom” even though she didn’t have a mom. It will be interesting how the rational side of demons makes them evolve and how dangerous they can become.
So this episode adapted chapter 73, the last portion of 72, and the first few pages of 74.
NGL, pacing-wise I am starting to get bothered because Frieren rarely went below 2 chapters adapted per episode, and this is the 3rd time. Last episode and this one barely were above 1 chapter. It feels like they are structuring this arc so it can have a theater release, and honestly, it would be more enjoyable as a theater release.
The episode was still good, but it feels now like something that would be more enjoyable to watch in a binge. Where I thought S1 hit the sweet spot in being perfect for weekly but obviously great for a binge as well.
- They extended the flashback for Genau. In particular, they added a lot for his former partner that isn’t in the manga. Nice job comparing him to Stark even though Stark isn’t as expressive as him.