One Detail in Fern & Stark's Relationship You Probably Missed in Frieren

Summary:

• Fern doesn't know how to interact with others, which is why she's so shy around Stark.
• Stark himself is very similar.
• This ties thematically into the topic of interactions.

Stark x Fern is among the most popular ships in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sousou no Frieren). It's fair: after all, the two are in the same age group, and their dynamic very slowly (but naturally) develops towards romance.

However, with how their relationship is often in the background, it's easy to miss certain things about it.

The anime itself often uses the "show, don't tell" approach, and for some people, things that are implied (but not spelled outright) can be hard to figure out. One of them is the reason why Fern is so shy, especially around Stark — a huge part of the reason is her background.

Fern Doesn't Know How to Talk to Others

Fern has never actually had much interaction with people her age — let alone boys. She spent her entire childhood in a remote house, being taught magic by Heiter. After that, she went on to travel with Frieren, who isn't really the best conversation partner or role model.

She traveled with Frieren for years, and during those, largely had no interaction with others. Of course, she'd be shy around Stark, and probably won't recognize her feelings towards him for a long time.

This is shown in the series when Stark suddenly puts his hand on her shoulder, scaring her — and she can't bring herself to tell him what's wrong.

Stark Isn't Much Better

Ironically enough, Stark himself is in a similar situation. While he lived normally and had enough potential to interact with others, he was focused on a single thing his entire life.

He was trying to prove himself to others, including his brother — he hardly had any time to learn about romance. As such, his behavior around Fern is similarly oblivious.

How This Is Thematically Relevant

For both Stark and Fern, this is practically the first time they can properly interact with others. As such, there are a lot of misunderstandings — but not the annoying kind. These are caused by a lack of proper communication, and Stark and Fern growing closer to each other shows how they learn to understand people.

Learning to understand others is a crucial theme in the series in general — in fact, that's what Frieren herself does.

She travels the world, reflecting on her past experiences and meeting strangers. The anime showcases the importance of interactions between people, and the relationship between Fern and Stark is important for that theme.