Will the anime end after this arc?
Summary:
- The First-Class Mage Exam exists to grant mages the highest possible qualifications.
- It has a high failure rate, but the characters had to take it anyway.
- Both parts of the exam so far sounded simple, but were actually very complicated.
The First-Class Mage Exam Arc in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) gave viewers a nice change of pace from slower, more relaxing arcs. The arc is full of action and introduces many new characters we haven’t seen before — but some fans find it a little too confusing.
What’s the exam and why are they taking it?
The exam itself was initially established by Serie to find powerful mages to potentially fight the Demon King. That said, by the time the events of the anime take place, it’s just an exam to obtain the highest qualification among mages — which allows access to more magical knowledge, as well as permits the mage to travel to otherwise restricted areas.
The journey to the Northern Lands requires one of Frieren’s party to be a first-class mage. And no, Frieren herself technically doesn’t have that qualification, despite her immense powers.
In fact, she wasn’t even qualified to take the exam in the first place: you need at least a fifth-class qualification to even attempt it. But she was given an exception due to her achievements.
The exam is notorious for having a high failure — and mortality — rate. Despite that, there are no strict rules to it, and the examinees can’t really prepare for it: the proctors can choose the task as they see fit.
Part 1
The first part of the exam featured randomized teams of three trying to catch stille — a small species of bird. Sounds simple, right? Well, the bird is nearly immune to offensive spells, and flies at the speed of sound and can sense mana.
The task required exceptional teamwork and the ability to think on the spot. Of course, it also resulted in teams fighting each other.
Part 2
The second part is much more interesting, however. The proctor, Sense, hasn’t passed anyone in the last four exams. The task is also deceptively simple: the examinees had a day to reach the center of the Ruins of the King's Tomb.
Of course, the tomb was basically a labyrinth — filled with traps, mimics and other obstacles — but this isn’t even the hardest part.
The demon in the tomb is able to create perfect copies of those who enter the tomb. That means, of course, that to defeat them, you also need to think smart — as well as work together.
Fern seems to have figured out the trick, though — the exam arc isn’t over in the anime, and we’ll see how many people actually pass. We still have 3 more episodes to go. It’s safe to assume that the anime will end with the arc’s end — and fans can’t wait for Frieren to meet Serie once again.