I've wondered at what stage of life Frieren is, as it kind of always felt the other elves she bumped into would treat her as if she's still fairly young by their standards.
Okay her ears are technically a part of her body she can technically move them but I think it should add to her height just being devil's advocate here
Gunsmith Cats shifting to a simpler artstyle is one of the most obvious examples of animation studios cutting corners in the mid-90s when the Japanese economy was collapsing and the OVA market died off.