Sousou no Frieren

[MFauli]

She asks for a quirky spell because she's quirky, having been raised by two goofs in Heiter and Frieren.

I've said this a couple times in irc but the entire series is this way. Practically, Frieren could just take off and fly to her destination, she doesn't need to do any of this shit. Practically, Fern shouldn't ask for dorky little spells. She shouldn't even be doing this exam; there is presumably no penalty for heading north without a first-class mage, since the problem is you will just be killed by a monster, and even if there were a penalty, who could enforce it against the Frieren gang?

These are character moments.

Guys, you're literally, unironically excusing the boy selling the cow of his dead for 3 beans instead of the money their family needed. Except these aren't magical beans in this case. "But he felt like accepting the beans, it's a cute character moment!"

:/

Fern and others need some parents to punch them some sense into.

[Kraco]

Fern and others need some parents to punch them some sense into.

Fern and the others have already taken down multiple big name demons, which is more than Serie ever achieved in her life of thousands of years, despite the magicians' association worshipping as holy relics any chairs Serie ever sat in. You might criticise Fern and Co based on theories, but in practice they are performing beyond any expectations.

[Y]

Guys, you're literally, unironically excusing the boy selling the cow of his dead for 3 beans instead of the money their family needed. Except these aren't magical beans in this case. "But he felt like accepting the beans, it's a cute character moment!"

:/

Fern and others need some parents to punch them some sense into.

Yes, that's also a character moment. Characters acting impractically or suboptimally is not a writing error. You were a real terror at bedtime if you complained that Jack should obviously have sold the cow for the appropriate market value.

EDIT:

It's also funny to criticize fern's spell selection from a practical aspect because asking Serie for a spell as part of the graduation ceremony is presumably this heavily ritualized and formal process. You're presumably supposed to ask for a spell that embodies your ethos towards magic. It's a symbolic beseechment/blessing as part of your promotion. It's not like she's a genie and you're supposed to find the correct phrase to ask for infinite wishes.

[Y]

Guys, you're literally, unironically excusing the boy selling the cow of his dead for 3 beans instead of the money their family needed. Except these aren't magical beans in this case. "But he felt like accepting the beans, it's a cute character moment!"

:/

Fern and others need some parents to punch them some sense into.

I missed replying to this one.

Are you complaining about the lack of tactical realism in Jack and the Beanstalk dude? What kind of example is this? Yes, to be clear, it is absolutely good storytelling that the simpleton Jack's credulity leads to actual magic, instead of a lesson about the dangers of the barter economy as he starves to death. Similarly, Frieren is a better story because the characters waste time and do stupid emotion and nostalgia-driven things as compared to a lifeless version of this story where they are just tacti-cool badasses.