I think the reason you thought Stark's brother would be a dick is because of some clever use of writing. We like Stark by now (or at least we should) so when he says his family didn't celebrate his birthday despite them being a tradition, we immediately get a negative impression of them.
Then we get a flashback firstly showing the family respects strength while showing Stark's Brother is an exceptional one, even specifically mentioning that his clothes haven't even been stained from his fight. We see the father has a clear preference for Stark's brother when he briefly compares the two.
When Stark's brother says he'll help him practice, he uses the words "foolish brother". This helps keep that negative impression of his family alive. Then we have the following scene which defies those expectations. Firstly, we see Stark accidentally splash mud on his brother's robe.
Since we saw it being unmarked as a commendable trait in the family and we get a brief pause as he checks the stain, we assume the worst. This is where our expectations get subverted as we see first-hand that his brother doesn't treat Stark coldly.
We see his brother commend his focus but also lightly criticize his form and start helping him. We then return from the flashback where Stark admits that his brother might have been different.
The show used our positive opinion of Stark which made us biased toward his family before we ever saw them. We saw a couple scenes which reinforced these feelings by having the father overcritical of other warriors as well as Stark. We get the brief impression that his brother is the same only for him to actually be the chilliest guy you've ever met.
It's a clever use of subverting out expectations with just a few scenes.
Sean PaulT60
2024-06-19 00:17:46 +0000 UTC
If that "hero's sword" is some legendary item, why does it look like it's about to snap in two just from rust?? 😅
V_VMat
2024-06-18 23:29:00 +0000 UTC
how the fuck does it make me tery eyed in one moment and then five second later making me laugh?!
Halfdan Bach
2024-06-18 20:00:22 +0000 UTC
Yea, Fern's throwing of the "perv" stones is actually pretty funny!
Spaz Boys Comedy
2024-06-18 17:00:14 +0000 UTC
Let's see...
Kraft is a perv for doing shirtless squats in a cabin to avoid freezing to death.
Stark is a perv for being curious about a potion that he doesn't even know the function of.
But Fern is NOT a perv for... *checks notes* using a spell to see through clothes to look at Stark's junk.
Something seems a little off here 🤔
Also, in one of the first episodes, you can see Frieren actually buying it if you look hard enough. The details in this show are almost at an obsessive level.
Jarrod Atkins
2024-06-18 13:38:52 +0000 UTC
Happy Birthday, My Friend!!
Spaz Boys Comedy
2024-06-18 12:48:37 +0000 UTC
😁😁
Spaz Boys Comedy
2024-06-18 12:48:18 +0000 UTC
The hero’s sword can only be pulled by the hero who will defend against a world destroying calamity. It still being in the stone implies that whatever that threat is hasn’t happened yet
White Lightning
2024-06-18 12:34:35 +0000 UTC
The more I rewatch the series with you the more I realise they're setting up some clear parallels between Stark and Himmel, it's going to be interesting to see where it ultimately goes.
so if Himmel the Hero wasn't "the hero" who was meant to draw the sword, you have to wonder who it's actually meant for, and what disaster is worse then the Demon king (though it does seem like they're foreshadowing it's Stark). Also in terms of references it's a pretty clear reference to King Arthur, but because it's a Japanese fantasy series it's also a mix of Zelda's master Sword, with a design similar to a sword from Dragon Quest.
Chrome
2024-06-18 12:27:50 +0000 UTC
My man Himmel beat the game with a 3rd party controller.
Also, so close. The birthday episode a day short of my birthday.
Some guy named Chris
2024-06-18 11:52:23 +0000 UTC
Fern calling Stark a Perv, when the first thing she did after using the see through clothes spell was check out his junk. Stop projecting Fern!