Why does it lead to so much confusion?
Summary:
- The series strongly hints at Himmel’s feelings for Frieren.
- A number of viewers missed it.
- Frieren’s style of storytelling might not be for them.
Even though it was pretty obvious early in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sousou no Frieren) that Himmel was romantically interested in Frieren, there are a number of fans who don’t really see where it all came from and don’t understand their connection.
But why is that so? And was this romantic line not as obvious as some think?
Before you start throwing things at the clueless ones, calling their perception of the story a lack of media literacy, let’s discuss a few things.
The series doesn’t tell you things
Frieren is a type of series that wants to make you think and connect the dots between all the hints that you’ve been given. It doesn’t explicitly tell you that Himmel is in love with Frieren. No, it gives you the flower scene instead. Or shows you how Himmel buys Frieren a ring.
Of course, the ring scene was the biggest clue to realizing his feelings. He gets down on one knee to give it to Frieren after all. What is it if not a metaphorical proposal? However, it’s not as simple as it may look.
Don’t get us wrong, we do think that Himmel really was in love with Frieren. Moreover, we think that she might have felt something for him, too, without even fully realizing it. But there’s no point in the anime where it was officially stated. Only hinted at.
Show, don’t tell
Frieren chose a “show, don’t tell” narration strategy, where the viewer doesn’t necessarily have to hear something to understand it. And while so many fans usually praise this strategy and think it’s the only one that can be considered good writing, it just doesn’t work for a number of viewers.
This is what happened to some members of the Frieren fandom. Himmel and Frieren were never a canon couple, their feelings weren’t openly revealed, so it’s easy to miss this or misinterpret them for just platonic affection between two friends.
Frieren has quite a wide target audience, it doesn’t involve any gore or sexual themes, so it’s completely appropriate for a younger audience, too. Some don’t try to look for romantic clues everywhere and the idea that Himmel and Frieren’s relationship was of that nature has never crossed their minds.
That doesn’t make them stupid or unperceptive, it just means that Frieren’s storytelling technique is not for them, and that’s absolutely fine.