Fern and Stark is Romance Done Right

Frieren is basically a fantasy story where every trope is played straight. We've gotten so used to the subversion of those classic tropes that seeing them played straight feels like a subversion.

It needs to be appreciated that in last week's episode Fern is okay with letting Stark go out with the boys and just have fun. By 'have fun' we mean slaying monsters but still, she trusts him that much.

Just to be clear: Stark did NOT forget Fern's birthday, he just didn't know what to get her and wanted to pick something together, hence why he didn't get anything beforehand. She just thought he forgot it, or didn't care, that's why she was mad.

It’s crazy how simple writing good romance really is. Step 1: write two characters who would reasonably care about each other’s wellbeing and/or enjoy each other’s company. Step 2: make them interact. Step 3: make them grow closer over the course of those interactions. That’s literally it. I mean easier said than done, but also it’s not any harder than writing good friendships, rivalries, or even just good characters. Which is why it baffles me how so many stories have bad romantic subplots and treat “liking someone” as a baseline character trait.

Heiter and Eisen: Just as planned.

And even better both of them are equally badass and competent young heroes in the making. You don't have one who's vastly more powerful than the other. Both of them are extremely powerful and complement each other in battle. They work together as a real equal team. Their power might be different, one an exceptional mage and the other a physically powerful warrior. But they each have the same high level of power within their specialty.

At the beginning of their friendship, I was surprised by the casual way they treated one another. They were simply hanging out as friends and the romance developed naturally, without feeling forced. That's so rare to see in fiction! Usually, the male and female characters tend to treat each other completely different - just because of their gender. What sets Fern and Stark apart is that they can be themselves around the other. It's so refreshing!

A fun thing is that in general these two have something that happens irl too. They fall for people similair to important people in their life like their afopted fathers, heiter like stark is cowardly but very caring and often did see him as weaker than the others while stark likely sees in fern that same calmness yet directness his master had too

"Meathead" "Himbo" Why does bro keep violating him?! 😭🗣🗣💀

"Most Socially Oblivious Creature in Human History" That is one heck of a description for Frieren.

“EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE! I’LL GIVE HALF OF MY LIFE TO YOU IF YOU GIVE HALF OF YOURS TO ME!!” Still one of the awkwardest yet most adorable love confessions I’ve seen. Ever.

the best part about these two is that their relationship continues to grow even when the focus on the story isn't on them. there are so many background details in the anime of these two where they would just interact and help each other.

It's crazy how real-life long-term relationships would be way more successful if we viewed them like this. Two people who are the main characters in their own lives that happen to fall in love. Not one person existing solely for the other. Too many shows and movies create the dynamic where one person lives for the approval/recognition of the other person, which ultimately leads to unhappiness and discontent in real life.

I also love how Sein is the one who helps Stark and Fern to get in touch with their own feelings... They are completely hopeless and need some guidance and Frieren can't really understand them. He gives them some good advice and they get closer... Sein saying "Just date already!" basically voices all the fans...

That line about how 'we got the big romantic reveal through small romantic moments' really encapsulates my perspective on Frieren as a whole. As a series it embodies the idea of The Big Picture is Made Up of Small Pictures, how the big momentous things would not exist or have meaning without the little, intimate moments (such as how Frieren and by extension Flamme's favorite spell to make a field of flowers is what drew Himmel's attention to Frieren long ago, leading to him inviting her on the quest to slay the Demon King).

Even though. Don't forget. lol. When Fern learns the spell to see through someone's clothing, she looks towards a particular area of Stark's body, and says "So Small!" 🤣😂😅

The amount of subplots that are happening in this show is crazy. And the fact the literally any one of the three main characters could have been the main character of the show is even crazier. Stark’s redemption and (I’m assuming) rise to be the real chosen hero, Fern’s ark of learning how to love life and of course frieren’s story, they are all equally encapsulating. Not to mention the romance subplot, both Fern and Stark’s as well as Frieren’s. It’s all balanced so well I’ve never really seen a show do it so good. It’s hard to undersell how intelligent you have to be to make it work. I’m a sucker for slow burn romance that pay off and this is the new gold standard for me, like you said neither Fern nor Stark overshadow each other, neither are made to be the constant punching bag, they both have their own weaknesses and strengths and both are really clumsy and childish as times. I’ll admit the show took some time to hook me but boy howdy I’m so sold on this show. Top 10 show ive ever watched no doubt about it

what i like is that they have corny moments but they react like normal people, not by blushing crazily and going to hide in a corner. When Fern sees Stark naked she makes a little joke and Stark plays the offended role, but that's it. When Stark kneels to ask Fern to dance, she makes a small comment that both reflects her personality very well, but also displays how close they are and how well she knows him.

You can also tell by their dialogue because they talk like normal people, and the animators established their expressions really well. We as the viewers can immediately tell when Fern is angry or in a bad mood with her chubby pout, and the cold stare she gives when she is disappointed. Stark has that defeated look in his eyes when he knows he did something wrong but can't tell what, and that blank wide eyed look when he's totally innocent and clueless.

I searched up this video after a youtube commentor said "I cant wait for the documtary of Fern and Stark is Romance Done Right" under an AMV of them