@-Raylight
The moment he's out of magic and basically said something like "But I'm not out of option" he just stole the show and our heart xD Plus he treated his younger teammates like his grandchildren ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ¤£ Can't wait for Denken in season 2! People will finally understand why he has golden heart xD
@twelfthknight
He's also a concise display of the core themes of Frieren as a story. Denken is admirable, not for his cool magic powers or his rank, but for trying to be a better man past the age where most people believe they'll never change. With Laufen we see his kindness, with Richter his wisdom from a life-lived for ambition, and with his quest the strength to challenge his biggest regrets rather than bitterly accepting them. He doesn't have the ages Frieren has - which adds a sense of urgency to his actions in the story - but there's a lot of familiarity between the two.
@vovinia
Honestly, I was explicitly pleased to finally see a military age male actually show some crosstraining for once. The structure implied as an imperial mage means so much more than simply 'does human magic good.' Another banger by Frieren.
@blshouse
It is a quibble, but Denken never saw, much less recognized Frieren's holy symbol. You were thinking of Denken's best friend, Lernen, Serie's current apprentice and the first of the First-Class Mages.
@fleurdemur
A detail I haven't seen anybody mention yet is that when Frieren breaks the barrier dome, there's a cut to Denken and Laufen where we see that Laufen has her eyes closed because of all the debris flying their way, and Denken has his eyes wide open. This is something that would obviously take a lot of effort from him, so why does he do it? It's because he's seeing something he's so invested in that he couldn't possibly look away or even blink. That's my favorite Denken moment.
@RevilloPhoenix
While Denken started turning heads in the "I Cast FIST!" moment, honestly he solidified himself for me truly after the tournament. When he sat down with Stark and Fern for some cookies and tea, grandpa you initially would have thought to be a stick in the mud arrogant elite mage is actually a cool grandpa with some wisdom to dispense and his own version of kindness towards people.
@TerryBradstreet
It wasn’t just that Denken was willing to fight, it was that he saw getting into a fistfight as the proper price to pay for the wounded pride of his opponents who had lost the exam. He respected them for getting that far and for refusing to give up out of love for their lost teammate. When a character SHOWS respect, they EARN respect. And then he also shows tender care to his own teammates, treating them like children… and he also shows tough love by not dignifying the younger man’s pity party, while also encouraging him to try again the next time.
@SomeoneNooneTomatoes
Normally I watch these passively while doing the dishes but I saved this one for bathroom.
@dreiak
I knew I would like Denken immediately. I also had a hunch that fern was not just a normal mage, despite only being taught basic magic. You don't really get to understand how strong she is as a character until her fight with the demon. Even then, if you aren't paying attention you can miss it. The demon reasoning and rationalizing how she could seemingly have so little mana and still lose, how hard it is to find fern. Fern was so good at concealing mana, she didn't even know how strong she was herself until facing other mages, especially when she spent so much of her life around Frieren. Denken is the pinnacle of magehood for mankind for most of the people there, and on top of this he is a complete gigachad. He is the Marcus Aurelius of Frieren and he allows us to actually understand how strong Fern is.
@Frostman411
Denken gets such a good set up to become essentially a central character of the next major arc. And they set that arc up so well with his goal, that only a First Class Mage can approach his homeland. He's a man who has a lot of regrets, but still so much fire despite his age. And really the best thing about him and many of the other high ranked mages is the lack of ego they have. They know who can beat them, they know they have weaknesses, they know with the right amount of preparation that they can be defeated, even by non mages. Like, Frieren knows if Stark got in close, she would die, and that there are monsters that they cannot beat without him. Denken epitomizes this lack of ego, as opposed to Richter, who underestimates the capabilities of his adversaries because he held an advantage.
@BlueCorvidae
"I may be a periphery character, but I can still get video essays written about me" - Denken probably
@blitzer12x
Finally, someone sponsored my goat Pey!
@icecreamorc
Also lets not forget, he has one of the most wholesome reasons for wanting to pass the exam.
@LiteDnBFnatic
I like Denken because he's not like everyone else in the tournament arc. He's a veteran mage, with convictions and a deep longing to get somewhere that's only important to him. His goal is nearly antithetical to what the mage exam was designed to do but he's also VERY experienced in life. He recognizes his weaknesses and tries to work around them with what he knows. If anything, he sounds like a protagonist in a story we'll never get to see.
@black_nyello7663
I'm so excited for season 2 to see more of my GOAT Denken! Best arc incoming y'all, anime-only fans had better steel themselves to witness peak cinema
@carby6831
It's cool as a viewer to see you use your polls in videos. Like I participated in both of those polls and my monkey brain appreciates you bringing them up
@justsomeannoyingredpanda
Glad you got a sponsorship Pey! And great video as always 😊
@bluesbest1
The dynamic between Denken and his teammates, especially after the first stage, was probably the main highlight of the arc for me. It's just such a delight how he and his "granddaughter" simply fall into their roles.
@TheShadowOnline
Thank you for making this video. Denken "throwing hands" was my favorite scene of that arc. It was so unexpected while also being completely logical and reasonable in retrospect. Can't get enough of Frieren, so after the anime I read the manga.
@samfisher6606