Anime 52991 Sousou No Frieren Reviews Sort Suggested Filter Check Filter Hide Preliminary On Spoiler Off P 2

I feel strongly that this is one of the coziest anime's that I've had the pleasure in watching. The story follows Frieren in her journey to understand life and its meaning in a very 'Tolkien of the east' type of way. The only difference here is that there is no end-of-the-world plot device at play, no mythical item to be found or boss to be defeated. How this anime will be remembered largely hinges on if they can find a landing that resonates with the viewers. I feel the one central question this anime tries to examine is, "What is life all about?"

The show begins ... following Frieren and her adventuring party after they've defeated the Demon King, making clear that the world is now entering an age of relative peace. As a nearly ageless elf, she watches her original companions age over time and laments that she didn't actively value the 10 years adventuring they had spent together and saving the world. After some time has past and some of her party members have passed away, she sets out to form a new party and relive the path north to relive her epic journey in an attempt to commune with those who are no longer living. Upon departing, she takes a young mage apprentice named Fern who, to me, is a fantastically written character that reminds Frieren to stay on task and questions her at every turn to think about her actions. We watch Fern grow up with Frieren as a mentor and almost sister like figure which is unique when considering their sizable age gap. Eventually, the duo begin to fill the party out with a typical fantasy lineup with a tank and healer who you can watch for yourself as the anime progresses.

While the shows premise sounds like many other anime that have come before it, it really separates itself from the pack by having an intense focus on the human experience and our connections to one another. More time is spent in this show around conversing with party members and notable characters, figuring out what characters want, and even eating/sleeping more than this show will ever focus on battle or combat. Suffice to say, the show still contains some great fights and the battles tends to carry a much heavier weight with the audience proportional to how much you've connected with the characters. While the lack of combat might be a deal breaker for some, those who stick around will surely be rewarded by the shows emotional highs of solving problems, uncovering memories, and appreciating time spent with each character.

The show often brings up Fririen's original party's journey and while it is a similar route traveled, this plot device allows her to discover many of the things in her life that she has taken for granted. Whether it be a festival or celebration with her party she missed due to sleeping in, or not telling someone how she felt in a powerful moment, we are able to emotionally relate to her as a viewer. Who hasn't chosen sleep over an important life moment at some point in their life?

The question to me still remains to be see about what Frieren's answer to her life will be. It has all of the makings of an anime masterpiece, from its art, to its music, and emotional writing. Once she has her answer from those she loves and she can put her life into perspective, we will know if this show will remain a masterpiece for years to come. I will be happy to update this review when that day comes but for now, I highly suggest you watch the show and find out why so many people like myself have fallen in love it.

So when exactly is this supposed to get interesting? Admittedly, I haven't watched that much, but so far we have the main character with a personality rivaling ChatGPT, an orphan whose entire tragic backstory is summed up in a 10 second flashback, and some other side characters that are entirely defined by the single quirk they possess: character A is a drunk, character B is overly confident, and so on.

All of this would be somewhat acceptable if there was a lot going on in the series, but there isn't. It's supposed to be focused on the characters and their interactions, yet they somehow managed ... to make the dialogue incredibly dull and generic. Take the encounter with the ancient, powerful and wise demon in episode 3 for example, who greets the protagonist after 80 years with the jaw-dropping line: "Hey, it's been a while, what happened to my boss? Now you must die".

The art is nice and beautiful to look at, and the animation is mostly good except for the characters faces which I think is lacking in expression. The soundtrack is pleasant to listen to but doesn't stand out in any way.

I have nothing against slow-paced series, but it needs to be built on substance and depth, and so far this doesn't cut it. I might give this another try later so see if it grows on me.

I think it is time to step away from the adventure and take a moment to think about what is beyond it .. Frieren seems to forget to learn and to know about her companions because she doesn't consider the time as she thinks: there is still a time ..until there is no more .. it is a lesson to learn: that the road is more beautiful than the goal, also to cherish the time that we are spending with our beloved ones before it is too late to do that. A lesson to learn to love every moment we are living now , ... because sooner or later it will be a memory.
This anime from the first episode holds a lot of emotions, and then Evan call -the music composer- has come to make these emotions doubled..
Frieren is now trying to re-live the adventure again .. and to meet an old friend to know him more ..hopefully she will not do the same mistake and she will learn about her friends this time

Frieren is an anime that I’ve been meaning to review for months, but I wanted to wait just a little bit for the emotions and hype to settle down. There’s a LOT to discuss when it comes to Frieren, but not all of it directly has to do with the anime itself. Firstly, I’m reviewing this on MAL and that means by necessity that I must address the elephant in the room. Frieren accomplished the unthinkable in unseating Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood from its highly controversial 15-year reign. Why was it controversial? Vote brigading my friends. It was artificially kept at number 1 by a ... highly obsessive faction of MAL users and…it’s a long story.

The first thing you need to know about MAL is that this site and its user base have always been incredibly image conscious to an obsessive and often downright comical degree. While MAL is Japanese owned, the early MAL userbase was overwhelmingly Americans and a lot of MAL’s culture was shaped by the perception of anime and anime fans in the United States in the 2000s. MAL users existed largely in isolation from the “offline anime community”. The people you meet at your local comic book shop buying battle shonen manga and monster girl ecchi or cosplaying at your local anime convention. In contrast, MAL has always aligned itself with the “Elitist” faction of the anime fandom who define themselves as the antithesis of the “weaboos” who formed the image of the Western anime fandom back in the 2000s. The weaboos were constantly getting dunked on back then and were widely perceived as pervy, horny, stupid, immature, manchildren. MAL users followed the lead of the European anime community on 4chan /a/ and desperately wished to be seen as well-cultured, sophisticated intellectuals who only appreciate a select few anime that have artistic value. With this kind of attitude and site culture being enforced, it was no surprise that Galactic Heroes rose to the top of early MAL. However, there was a problem. For there was another anime that began with a G. While the Americans and Europeans on early MAL would have been happy with Galactic Heroes staying on top, Japan and for some reason a huge chunk of the developing world happen to really, REALLY like a certain series called Gintama, which is famous for its irreverent, highly referential humor. The image obsessed elitists would be God Damned if they allowed “Japanese Family Guy” to become the highest rated anime on the site, so the first massive rating bombing and Great Fandom War began. This war threatened to tear MAL apart, but a new faction was forged in the fires of war: The Order of Brotherhood. A loosely organized group of MAL users decided in the forums that a 3rd anime should be deliberately upvoted to number 1 to keep both Galactic Heroes and Gintama from that spot. This anime should be a largely neutral, inoffensive work that presents a respectable face for the anime community but is still accessible and isn’t snobby enough to chase people away. The popular shonen Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood was chosen for this role. It would be like The Shawshank Redemption on old ass IMDB. It’s a peacekeeper title everyone basically at least likes. However, the Order of Brotherhood began to abuse their powers. Every single time a new anime briefly gained the number 1 spot, it was absolutely bombarded by 1 and 2 ratings until it was no longer a threat for the top spot. For 15 long years this happened. It got to be such a well-known meme that a youtuber asked his followers to get Interspecies Reviewers to number 1 just to mess with these guys and MAL had to completely change how it calculates ratings and how many anime you must watch before your opinion even counts. I think it’s at least 50 now. Throughout all this time, The Brotherhood firmly believed that they were keeping the peace and instilling order. Despite all their efforts, the downfall of the Brotherhood was inevitable simply because time doesn’t stop. While anime popularity in the US was in sharp decline in 2009, this is no longer the case in 2024. For most of the world, anime has never been more mainstream. Anime certainly still has a bit of a stigma in more rural parts of the US, but the image of the typical anime fan is no longer homogenous. A person’s first mental image of “anime fan” is just as likely to conjure up a famous athlete, rapper, or social media personality as it is the images in Filthy Frank’s “Weaboo Song”. If the anime fandom doesn’t have a huge image problem, there is no need for self-loathing, hyper self-conscious anime fans to gatekeep everything and bully others to try preventing the entire community from being bullied. Another factor is that the percentage of active MAL users who are American has dropped substantially over the last 15 years. The Brotherhood was and still is overwhelmingly composed of American users obsessed with image and “elitist vs weaboo” bullshit from a million years ago that doesn’t even apply to the anime experience and history of countries like India, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, China, Indonesia, etc. Random anime like Oshi no Ko were sneaking to number 1 more and more often and the effort it took to ratings nuke these newcomers back out of the top 50 kept increasing. Frieren just happened to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

So…is Frieren actually the best anime of all time? Personally, I would say no. Not even close. However, there is some substance behind the hype. There is a reason the Frieren was able to unite the terminally online with offline casuals, liberals with conservatives, male viewers and female viewers, and Japanese otaku with the rest of the world. Frieren has many aspects that it does remarkably well. Before we even talk about the characters and plot and all that stuff, let’s look at some of the technical aspects. Frieren is a GORGEOUS anime that represents a triumphant return for Studio Madhouse as the king of quality anime. A title which had been slipping from them over the last few years. Frieren is also the 2nd mega hit in a row for young director Keiichirou Saitoh following up on his incredibly well received debut: Bocchi the Rock. He is only 31 years old and is now one of the most in-demand directors in the entire anime industry! Every scene in Frieren is not only visually appealing and directed in a way that squeezes every bit of emotion it can get from the source material, but it also has the confidence to pace itself as if it’s going to run for 6 seasons. Even though that’s far from guaranteed in the anime industry. Fortunately for Frieren, its Japanese merchandise and figurine sales are quite strong and further seasons seem like a safe bet. It is always tragic when you get a Promised Neverland situation where the director poured their heart out and they either get cut off completely or given WAY too few episodes to wrap up the story all because Japanese consumers didn’t buy enough dakimakura and didn’t care as much as the gaijin so the studio fucks it over! Frieren’s soundtrack was outsourced to an American composer named Evan Call and it sounds much closer to a Hollywood mega film than a shonen anime. Have you ever actually bought an anime soundtrack? There’s the main theme, the battle theme, and a few main character themes that you can instantly recognize and are REALLY good compositions. Then you get to the comic relief scenes and it’s like listening to a cat walking on a synthesizer and farting up a storm. Kaoru Wada is especially guilty of this. The Inuyasha soundtrack for example has some BEAUTIFUL tracks and then some of the worst auditory vomit you’ve ever heard in your fucking life. The vast majority of anime soundtracks have always been like this. There are one in a million exceptions like Cowboy Bebop, but music was a major theme of that anime. You’re not going to get a seasonal fantasy anime where the OST sounds like the LOTR movies and every single track in every single scene is good. However, Frieren is actually able to accomplish just that!

So Frieren is gorgeous, has an amazing OST, and is super well directed. So what? How is the world building? This is a shonen that deals with magic, so how is the magic system? This is once again an area where Frieren triumphs. Frieren is very happy to take a pause and explain minor aspects of its world and history but never in a way that bores the viewer. It gives enough details to keep us engaged but there is still a LOT that we want to learn. As for the battle system, some characters in Frieren have a higher base level of mana and can cast bigger and flashier spells, but it avoids the vertical power scaling pitfalls of previous shonen titles. Frieren is very strong, but she’s not invincible. Someone with a lower level of overall mana but the right spell at the right time could easily kill Frieren. This isn’t a series where strategy just goes out the window and it’s all about who has a bigger number. Frieren also manages to avoid one of the huge traps of bad fantasy writing where one spell is SO much better than anything else, that it ruins the magic system and makes everything else essentially irrelevant, so all battles end up looking the exact same. Stuff like fireball in the original D&D, Balefire in Wheel of Time or the Avada Kedavra in Harry Potter. Frieren actually pokes fun at this while adding to its own recurring theme about the passage of time. You have this super arrogant demon who has been frozen in stone for 50 years. He developed this killing curse that’s similar in essence to the Avada and he absolutely decimated the wizard population of 50 years ago so temporarily sealing him was the best they could do. He gets utterly humbled by an apprentice mage because his world beating spell became the new standard by which all offensive magic is judged and all defensive magic was developed against, so after 50 years it’s very average instead of remarkable. This tends to be how real-life weapon advances work and describes the relationship between armor and weapons development.

In terms of characters, Frieren once again does a good job. The anime hops back and forth through time between the current day, Frieren’s adventure party from over 50 years ago, and Frieren’s time with her teacher around 1000 years ago. In each time period, we see little ways in which Frieren has developed as a character and been impacted by those around her that she grows to care about. While Frieren gets the most development and character investment, Fern, Stark, and others are also allowed plenty of room to grow. Having said this, Frieren is still a shonen and once you reach the first tournament arc…yes course there’s a fucking tournament arc…you do get some characters that are less impressive. For example, we get this grumpy, middle aged bastard named Richter who not only is willing to kill 2 teenage girls to pass his wizard exam, but he goes out of his way against the orders of his superior to try do so and seems to revel in it. Then this sadistic and murderous aspect of his personality is just kind of dropped and is never mentioned again. Another wizard is a murderous psychopath, but this is largely played off as a joke and her personality never really evolves much beyond “lol, what a psycho bitch!” The demons are also kind of boring and shitty antagonists, but they’ll get their paragraph later. Don’t you worry!

Frieren is a shonen in terms of its core demographic and it uses several of the familiar trappings of popular shonen manga, but also a deliberately slower pacing in order to place just as much focus on its themes as it places on kickass fights. Frieren at the end of the day is a series about mortality and the bonds we form with other people. Even if we’re not immortal like Frieren, we all know a grandparent, a friend, or someone else who passed away and we would do anything to have spent more time with that person. We care deeply about the people that we love and recognize on an intellectual level that we only have a very finite, precious time to spend with those people, yet it’s still so easy to take our time on Earth for granted and neglect our personal relationships. Frieren captures a fundamental human struggle that’s both universal and powerful. When it’s at its best, Frieren is an emotionally moving series that inspires us to live our lives better and not shut ourselves in.

Sadly, we must now talk about the other controversy surrounding Frieren besides its unusually high MAL score. This controversy surrounds the demon race, who are the primary antagonists of the series. Frieren needed some kind of external conflict to add danger and keep things from getting too boring. So, the writer of the Frieren manga took the easy route and created a generically evil fantasy race that wants to wipe out or enslave all the other sentient species and must be stopped at all costs. However, this evil species isn’t like the goblins from Goblin Slayer. Those little bastards are a semi-sentient walking virus who can’t even naturally reproduce on their own without raping the females of other species and murdering the male population. They are simply a fantasy disease. Frieren’s demon race are a civilized, intelligent, fully sentient race who are simply evil and must we wiped out. Who cares? They’re literally demons, right? Well…sort of. They’re not demons in a Christian sense. They’re a naturally occurring, sentient species of humanoids with a slightly higher base level of magic who all just happen to be jerks and normal humans refer to them as demons. Unlike Warhammer demons and other Christian inspired demons, they don’t literally come from Hell. If you kill a Frieren demon, they die permanently with no afterlife. If you kill a Warhammer demon or any Christian inspired demon, they just kind of go back to Hell. The demons in Frieren have no interest in corrupting Humanity or deceiving humans into doing horrible things. They trick other species like Elves, humans, and dwarves into feeling sorry for them or giving them a chance before immediately betraying and kill them. Then the demons cry crocodile tears when they finally get what they deserve. The concept of an innately evil species that needs to be wiped out is one that fantasy has largely been trying to leave behind for about 40 years now. Tolkien is sometimes credited as the architect of this trope, but with him it comes from a very different place. Tolkien’s writing is always heavily influenced by his devout Catholicism. The orcs, trolls, and Easterlings aren’t evil because God made them that way. The God of Tolkien’s universe known as Eru Iluvatar didn’t create any being specifically to be evil, let alone an entire species. Tolkien’s equivalent of the Devil was jealous of God’s creations, so he took stuff that Iluvatar created and made his own warped mockeries of those things. However, even the Orcs in Tolkien’s belief are not entirely beyond redemption since they still retain the gift of language, which shows that part of their original souls are intact. Frieren is entirely secular in its morality and advocates a genocidal solution purely based on what seems to be rational.

“There are no women and children. Get it through your head. These are mere animals who imitate human forms. They convince the whole world to feel sorry for them and each and every time it’s just a trick so they can attack us again the moment our guard is down. The solution is obvious. We should just kill them all!”

While this quote is very close to one spoken by our favorite Elf Waifu, a quote that the series does EVERYTHING to perfectly validate her on, this isn’t actually a Frieren quote. This is a quote from some random old lady that got interviewed by CNN last month. The language that Frieren uses casually and without much thought by the mangaka is used almost word for word to advocate genocide in real life. It’s not just bad timing and bad luck that Frieren was released when it was. There is no time period where this aspect of the series’ writing would have been praiseworthy. Frieren in regards to this sub-plot engages in writing so lazy and so regressive that it stumbles into uncomfortable territory. Imagine for a second if you would that some political party in some country was actively planning a campaign of genocide or ethnic cleansing. However, they know that such actions are no longer seen as acceptable in any circumstances by an overwhelming margin of society. So…they decided to finance an addictive and popular show that (while not being the focus of course) subtly promotes genocide in a rational light and tries to shift the thinking of young audiences. This isn’t what happened of course, I already said that Frieren’s case is one of criminal laziness. However, that show would look EXACTLY like Frieren and that’s not a good thing.

Overall, I’m giving this series an 8 for now…but it would be more accurate that I’m giving it an I for Incomplete. I think Frieren promises to be a strong franchise and has all the potential in the world if it can avoid shooting itself in the foot. However, I wouldn’t have written that lengthy previous paragraph if Frieren was safe from monumental errors of judgment. The series could very well turn out to be a disaster that I will be embarrassed that I ever enjoyed. Or it could be absolutely amazing, and we will all just kind of forget some of the less ideal aspects of S1. The future of Frieren has not yet been written. Most of my offline buddies haven’t seen Frieren and don’t want to watch Frieren. To be honest, I’ll probably hold off shoving it down their throats until I get a better grasp on which way this franchise is headed.

I’ll keep this review brief. I was drawn to this anime by the glowing 10/10 reviews, but unfortunately, my experience left me profoundly disappointed. Here’s why:

Main Character Lacks Depth: The protagonist feels like an empty shell. Throughout the series, we’re bombarded with what seem like profound character revelations, but they fall flat. None of it feels earned, and the main character remains uninteresting to watch.
Superficial Depth: The anime is rife with scenes that attempt to be deep, reminded me of Avatar 2 honestly. However, these moments lack authenticity. Instead of being thought-provoking, they induce boredom. It’s like expecting a masterpiece and ending up with a ... cheap imitation.
Promising Premise, Mediocre Execution: The show’s central idea is intriguing, but its presentation falls short. The execution feels basic and uninspired, leaving much to be desired compared to other stories that handle similar themes more effectively.
Uninspiring Character Development: Most of the characters remain dull and underdeveloped. The writing lacks spark, failing to engage me. While I respect those who enjoyed it, I can’t help but feel that the hype around this anime set my expectations too high.

<This review was edited to be in compliance with the review guidelines>

I'm confident that the rarity of some event and the significance of that event are correlated. Take a meteor shower for example, if it happened every night it would stop being exciting. And just like seasons die one after another, every year at least several shows get the status of being a "modern classic". However, it stopped being about the quality because it always happens when the show is still airing and it gets overshadowed by yet another show afterwards. And this time it's Frieren beyond journey's end, which doesn't deserve the community's love ... given terribly misleading title. For Frieren the journey is nothing but endless, and the title would perfectly fit for a side character spin-off. On a serious note, the story has some serious issues I can't get past past.

The anime is set in a fantasy world, however, there is no wars or politics it usually expected given the genre. The story begins after all of that took place and is mostly episodic, where arcs' lengths range from 10 minutes to several episodes. It's not a bad thing per se it's just about keeping your expectations in check instead of anticipating the best plot ever written. On the other hand, the focus is the characters; even the side characters who appear for a single episode have their backstories and personalities. And the main cast feels so natural in the way they communicate and behave. But the centerpiece of the story is Frieren, whose whole personality is so distinct from other characters because her life span exceeds generations and her character arc is about finding happiness in small and transient things. I know it's nothing original and Spice and Wold did that over a decade ago but this show is new, shiny, and has better animation, so I understand why it got so popular. The story in the second cour changes the direction and now fights is the highlight of the plot. In summary, the anime is focused on characters, has character development and contains both slice of life episodes and amazing fights, this is a good story by the book. It's more likely that it won't appeal to you rather than make you hate it, so what is there to dislike about the show?

It's said that water comprises 60% of the human body and in the same way 60% of the story here is flashbacks. Just like a rabid dog it constantly jumps between different flashbacks, which is probably the reason I have always felt so detached. The flashbacks are nuts and bolts of the story: no matter how small and trivial an arc is it always has to have a bloody flashback in it. They're always shown in randomized order with time skips ranging between 10 minutes and several hundred years, and they never form a cohesive storyline like it was done in Made in Abyss S2. On top of that, there are infamous flashbacks inside flashbacks and flashbacks from the previous episodes like the target demographic is children or tiktok users with a negative attention span. Of course flashbacks somewhat also benefit the show: keeping records of how many flashbacks a single episode can contain or how long it takes for an episode to insert a flashback was the only thing that kept me from falling asleep. The latter is kind of boring though, because some episodes start with a flashback.

A lot of people have noted that Frieren beyond endless flashbacks actually tries to create a unique fantasy world without relying on rpg mechanics. And I even agree with them I just don't think those attempts are successful. In this world demons are the most dangerous creatures, they were commanded by a king and after people had wielded the magic that king was slayed by a party of heroes which Frierent was a member of. The problem is I didn't omit any details, that's all about the world building. The demons had been pillaging villages and killing people for hundreds years, yet aside from Frieren and her companions no one had ever tried to kill the Demon King. And neither had the four heroes. In the flashbacks they're doing some stuff and wasting time doing... Why are you picking flowers? Is this the way you kill the Demon King? It's just strange that the tone of the story in the present is no different from the past where people were supposedly waging war against demons. I wouldn't mind the complete lack of world building if the events of the past weren't constantly brought up through... yeah, flashbacks.

The ost is the weakest part of the adaptation, it is a standard fantasy-themed soundtrack and I can't think of any scene, where the ost played a huge role. In contrast the animation and the direction are probably the main reason of the popularity because they're stellar. The visuals in the EDs and the OPs are also of high quality.

In conclusion, the show looks really good, but man I would be lying if I said I would still remember it after a year.

"Episode 28 - It would be embarrassing when we met again."
I doubt we ever will tho.

Frieren is a breath of fresh air at a time when anime seems to struggle with staying fresh while adhering to specific conventions. Frieren reinvents these conventions and presents them in its own unique way.

At first glance, Frieren may seem like a simple work, much like many others: mages, dwarves, knights, demons, an adventure... but the depth of the work is entirely different. Frieren offers a different perspective on things and poses challenging questions such as: What is the purpose of our existence? This work is not just an adventure aimed at defeating some boss, demon, god, or anything else; it goes deeper than that. ... The "enemy," so to speak, is the answer to these questions.

Frieren is not a work for everyone; the pace is rather slow, but it's suited to its world, and it's necessary to appreciate and understand the message this work conveys. I'm sure that many might have given up or considered giving up after the first 3-4 episodes, but hang on, you won't regret it! After watching the subsequent episodes, I'm confident that many of you will have a better grasp of this universe and what it has to offer. However, in my opinion, this work may not be enjoyed by everyone due to its somewhat "philosophical" nature. Many people prefer a clear objective like defeating the villain.

Amazing show, massive praise to the Writer who shows a mature understanding of human emotions with its subtle references to religion, desires and purpose all done masterfully. The fantasy elements are not unique, but the low stakes adventure gives perfect space to create three dimensional characters who have realistic wants, which also helps make the comedic aspects of the show funny! (I now love mimics!)

Whilst the story alone would give this a high rating, wonderful art style and stellar animation solidifies the show as a masterpiece, very enjoyable, anyone who doesn't need constant action will like this series (though there are also good action scenes!) ... would definitely recommend!

Underwhelming. The fantasy setting is about as generic as it gets, nothing about it feels fresh or interesting, and as an emotional journey story it feels like reading a YA book and being delivered conclusions that aren't particularly complex or nuanced to you, as an adult. Which, I get this is a shounen series aimed at teenagers and I'm not exactly the target audience, but that being said, I feel like Adventure Time deals with complex emotional issues better than Frieren does and that show is aimed at children. So Frieren doesn't get a total pass on that.

I gave it a 5 out of ten ... because by fantasy anime standards it's perfectly average, not particularly bad or anything (and the quality of the animation is good, no complaints there - Madhouse did it and it looks great), but like... when you leave that realm it really doesn't hold up. This show seems like it's trying to tell a different perspective to classic trope-y fantasy anime like Lodoss, which could excuse the generic fantasy setting (assuming it's doing that to hearken back to specific fantasy anime tropes) if it felt like what Frieren had to say had any real depth or complexity, had anything new to bring to the "immortal" trope, or had interesting things to say about the tropes of the fantasy genre. It's not saying anything other fantasy manga authors and fantasy works outside of the manga/anime realm haven't already said. Now that would be fine if the writing of Freiren were stronger - you don't need to be re-inventing the wheel - a compelling, well-written story can stand on its own regardless if the message has been said before. Manga-wise To You My Immortal feels like it tells a much more emotionally compelling story about the struggles of immortality than this show does (that manga has its own flaws don't get me wrong, but I don't think its depiction of the struggles of immortality is one of them - imo it also does a much better job of getting you to relate to and feel emotionally invested in its main character. Obviously these two stories have plenty of narrative differences but I feel like the depiction of immortality comparison is valid).

There was no point in this story where I was moved emotionally - the characters are cookie-cutter and their emotional conflicts are handled in a basic "wikihow therapy" way. This entire show (at least the 12 episodes I watched, but even if it turns around for the better later on that doesn't excuse 12 mediocre episodes) feels very "safe" in the emotional places it's willing to go to, which combined with the uninteresting setting made it pretty boring to follow along with. And then of course the character designs are also very generic and forgettable. Idk, it all feels like the most milquetoast, mass-marketable way to tell this story. I have no problem with "slower" more thoughtful anime if either the visual artistry on display is compelling (angel's egg), the setting itself is very interesting (serial experiments lain) or the story trusts the intelligence of their audience and therefore creates more nuanced, messy, realistic character interactions (house of five leaves). Obviously this is all my own opinion (as with any critical review anyone has for any piece of media), but in my experience this was unfortunately as underwhelming a show as its half-assed cliche character designs made it seem like it would be.

TLDR: I think if you lower your expectations significantly (this anime has been seriously overhyped) or are just used to YA/light novel levels of quality (not to say that every YA/light novel lacks narrative complexity and/or emotional depth, just that they often do by the nature of their target market combined with a push towards what is expected to sell the easiest), you'll enjoy the show fine. But if you want something with more depth, nuance, and a little less hand-holding then pass on this. The show didn't improve on me at any point after episode 1 so if you watch episode 1 you'll probably know if this is for you or not.

"A silly and fun adventure to come back with a bunch of interesting stories.

"Friren: beyond journey's end" is a show that demands impossible: to relax.
The story doesn't try specifically make you laugh, surprise, or intrigue you, but that's what makes it perfect. In its simplicity, it allows you to focus on the essential: self-reflection, memories, and feelings. Most of the time, each story and episode leaves behind a bittersweet mood, where you smile during the credits while tears dry on your cheeks.
The characters feel alive and evolving, memories are precious drops of time and emotions are the driving force. The incredible animation combines beautiful and ... expressive scenes, along with delightful music reminiscent of Irish style. All that combined enhances the series beyond expectations.

It's a kind and warm show that even conflicts portrays in a very positive light, making you smile as you observe the process and shed tears of endearment at the resolutions.

Also there are action scenes, but show mainly focuses on everything but, making those scenes momentary distraction with amazing music and animation, allowing you to feel proud for the character or understand them better.

A bad review:

I don't really want to focus on the series, why the artwork was nice, why the characters were good and why the story was good. I'd rather focus on what the series was trying to convey to the viewer (in my opinion).

"Thank you Frieren, for having a adventure with me one last time in the end of my life..."

it's when you watch the series and see the relationship that develops between the two of them that this sentence really has weight. That Himmel only wanted Frieren to never be alone and to live forever in her heart...

-for showed her the sunrise.
-for helping Frieren ... through her illness.
-that he asked the chef to keep the restaurant open for a long time, so that Frieren would always eat well when she came here.
-that Himmel knew what ring he bought her...
-that when she saw their statue she would never feel alone.

(These are the memories Frieren had when she lost Himmel.)

"The greatest enemy is not in front of you, it is the time that has passed that you can never get back..."

I think that's the message of the series. To live, because we have little time and not to remember 50 or 60 years from now that we were in the room watching TV shows.

There are several series that deal with this and how is this better than those? I don't know, but it made me realise that I need to change my life...

I've watched numerous anime, and many of them are rated 10. However, until now, I never felt the urge to write a review because even those rated 10 had something that bothered me too much.

And it's precisely the absence of that feeling that compelled me to write about Frieren here on MAL. First of all, if you haven't watched it yet, they released 3 episodes on the first day of its premiere, and these were quite important.

Frieren's pace is slow and spaced out, be aware of that. When I started watching, I knew nothing about it—no trailers, manga, reviews, etc. I only knew it was ... about an elf. So, watching the initial episodes, the way they unfold gives the impression that there won't be any actual battles or action.

But that's the author's storytelling style, and it makes sense. She's an elf who has lived for millennia. Why would she hurry? Anyway, I highly recommend you watch it if you enjoy high medieval fantasy.

The only criticism I will make here is the lack of a more striking soundtrack.I'm not saying the soundtrack is bad, but it's not like Naruto and Nanatsu no Taizai, which, for me at least, are the best anime soundtracks I've ever watched.

If you're a new anime fan or just wondering why this anime is rated so high, Then this review is for you. It quite simply is one of the most beautiful things created in terms of anime. Imagine if you were an elf, everyone around you lived and died and left you all alone. This is the story of Frieren and her journey of self discovery about emotions she didn't know she was capable of feeling and expressing.

Story : This already makes it stand apart from the plethora of anime out there. Usually you see anime with the main character setting out to defeat the ... demon king but in this one it's quite literally the opposite. The author chose the plot brilliantly because this exact story setup results in some amazingly crafted scenarios simply because the threat of the demon king is over. From the get go the main point of this anime is Frieren trying to find out what was the purpose of her journey back then and what it is now.

Frieren herself as a character is Genius, She often doesn't even express herself properly but that's what's so charming about her. She doesn't wear her emotions on her sleeves and we as the viewers are constantly left pondering about her feelings. The characters are all so charming, they each have their own motivations and goals and some even achieved them but Frieren herself is on a never ending journey.

Sound, Animation, Production : Madhouse really have surpassed their own standards with this one because this anime looks and feel so fresh and chock full of detail.
Every single scene has a certain vibe to it that can't be explained in words. This is the type of work which certainly deserves this level of production value.

Basically it's a journey for Frieren to figure out her life entangled with others and it's such a heartwarming and wholesome experience. The characters are witty and act their age actually.
Overall this is a fresh breath of air in the anime community and I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that this deserves no less than a 10/10 score.

You should be pretty convinced by now to watch this, Thanks for reading!

Review on Sousou no Frieren
This review contains spoilers.

The utter lack of identity this show exhibits is absolutely bewildering and perhaps I was expecting this to improve within the second half, but I was wrong; there is a severe lack of any substance whatsoever in every single pore of this anime and it is completely forgettable. Sousou no Frieren played a safe formula and won the jackpot. They are still the exact same fucking person after 25 episodes, you can literally define each character with a single sentence. Something can be simple yet still be distinctive, yet Frieren is basic and it doesn't have any soul ... or substance; there is nothing to grasp in this anime that evokes even a semblance of interest. This show doesn't take into account just how complicated humanity can be especially in a fantasy world like this, all of the people Frieren meets throughout her path have one-dimensional motivations and are always up to help Frieren and her group, which is just absolutely ridiculous and unrealistic; except demons, who are big bad evil guys of course. Demons are such bland antagonists for which genocide is the only counter of course; the author really went out of their way to lazily write such boring characters, they are DND evil-personified royalty scumbags who trick other species and then BETRAY them! So fun and thought provoking.

This last arc a la Hunter Exam is completely unnecessary and only serves a purpose for the people who, understandably enough, were bored of the absolute slog this series is; why Frieren doesn't just go through the lock, considering she defeated the fucking Demon King with her group and is one of the, if not THE strongest, mage in the entire planet? She could just blast absolutely everyone that crossed her path like she had always done, there's absolutely no need to do this battle tournament bullshit if she just talked about it, or if any of her allies mentioned it, or if there was a minimal amount of valuable communication, which Frieren, as a whole and to be honest, completely lacks. Dialogue in Frieren is sloggy and useless, oftentimes it will feel like you're listening to two brick walls talking to each other; it lacks any insight or interest that might come with good and valuable communication.

If there isn't a strong-enough emotional basis in Frieren to grow sympathy and become a slow-burner, dramatic character development show, what is the identity of this anime? The combat isn't as frantic or notable so it cannot be a battle shounen either, Sousou no Frieren does not exhibit an interesting-enough fantasy world full of mysteries, so it cannot exactly be an exploration show about the value of a long journey; Frieren doesn't have witty dialogue or particularly great humour—beyond repeating the same gag a thousand times without any variation—so it can't be an effective comedy show. The romance between Frieren and Himmel is bland as fuck and I absolutely despise that he essentially works as an emotional prop or messiah and Frieren is essentially the damsel in distress that needs emotional points throughout this entire thing, so it doesn't work as romance either. So with this said: What is Sousou no Frieren's identity? What does this anime want?

I do not know, I really don't; this is one of the biggest problems with it: SnF doesn't know what it wants. It goes from being a WoW secondary mission simulator to a cheap copy of the Hunter Exam arc, meanwhile no valuable progress is done for the characters' identity. Funnily enough, the show who lacks uniqueness isn't able to develop an unique identity for their own character cast. Can ANY of these characters express any emotion beyond a boring emotionless face? Can ANY of them express any emotion on their dialogue? Or say anything that I can minimally care about? It tastes so much like air. This show is completely inoffensive and riskless, completely devoid of any identity and inherently soulless. It can't be an emotional journey where we watch Frieren learn, as Frieren's progress feels artificial when it is purely fed by flashbacks, cliché quotes and plot conveniences.

The last arc of this show suffers from a dragged on pace, they have to explain E V E R Y S I N G L E T H I N G—even irrelevant details—before actually doing it, they have to E X P L A I N C A R E F U L L Y irrelevant shit such as history of magic in the middle of an intense moment such as a battle; oftentimes in the form of a flashback, of course. We have to see these random ass dudes running for their lifes in the middle of an important scene where they are strategizing, why?? I literally do not care about them. I already know Frieren is smiling because this whole thing reminds her of the skirmishes she did with her group on a dungeon, you don't need to slap a flashback and completely break the scene, this exposition dump in the form of a memory is absolutely uncalled for. Exposition and the use of flashbacks can work in complex topics or when cleverly-used, but here it completely ruins the pace and feels out of place; let ME deduce why Frieren is smiling based on my experience on watching the show. This is a constant pattern that is repeated throughout all of Sousou no Frieren:

> Frieren sees an old person
> Boring ass dialogue ensues
> flashback!!! this actually relates in some way to her original party group!!!
> 2sad4me melodrama

> Frieren sees something, anything
> Boring ass dialogue ensues (that is constant within this show)
> She relates it back to her party
> Mr. Gary "Himmel" Stu tells her everything she needs to hear and everything that is perfect for that specific situation!! He is really wise and definitely isnt just an emotional Macguffin for Frieren to grow in cheap emotion points.
> Himmel dicksuckery shenanigans ensues. he's the worst character on the entire show by far btw

> A cross-eyed Frieren is lying on the ground, drooling and having an epileptic attack; her eyes haphazardly inspecting the sky
> "Is Frieren alright?" asked Sein, worried that his companion could've been going through a tough time
> "Yeah, she's on Himmel's flashback, she'll be back in a minute." assured Fern, she was already used to this.

Do you like comedy? I do, sometimes; comedy is subjective, thus it might be funny to some but holy shit I believe the author doesn't know anything beyond the same comedy-gag ad nauseam. There isn't anything witty, to deduce or interesting about this show's humour; it is "haha shes in the mimic again lulz" for ten-thousand times or Fern throwing a pouting tantrum and punching our shounen boi. I guess it gets slapped in for fanservice motives or to accelerate the pace of this absolute snail of an anime to acceptable amounts; same with the action, I feel like the author assimilated that this was absolutely horrific and decided to put some action in the last arc, which I honestly appreciate, I don't know if I could stand 12 more episodes about World of Warcraft secondary quests and nothingburger characters peppered with melodrama. I bet that if you write "Create boring-ass plain World of Warcraft secondary quest" in ChatGPT it would bring a plot point fit to Sousou no Frieren's standards. Perhaps if it were 12 episodes it'd be less obnoxious and bland, because watching these bland archetypes talk with nobodies constantly was drawn out to absurdity. It truly becomes a nothing-fiesta when every dialogue sounds like it was AI-generated.

There is no different way to approach each character, dialogue, action, expression; there's no nuance, nothing. Frieren meeting kid Himmel for the first time is so absurdly convenient its cheesy; of ALL the forests in the fucking world, in THIS specific moment, in THIS specific night AND day of the year was where Frieren met Himmel for the first time. The relationship between Frieren and Himmel annoys me to my core, it is a prophet and damsel in distress relationship where Frieren cannot realize anything without having it spoonfed by Himmel thru endless memories; guess what, there's many times in life where you have to do shit by yourself and there will not be anyone to tell you what you need to do; there will be inmense doubt, conflicts and sometimes suffering. Their connection is rotten to the core and consists on a flashbacks-based savior complex from Himmel, he MUST be the one who teaches Frieren emotion, he MUST be Frieren's love interest; it feels so wrong and forced, the rest of the group are just spectators of this degenerate link between a savior and a broken or lost one.

I still haven't talked enough shit about the character cast, which oftentimes turns into one-dimensional archetypes, devoid of any charisma and very lackluster identities, which is a huge problem in a show such as Frieren. Twenty-eight episodes yet Fern is still absolutely insufferable, Stark has no personality traits beyond being a shounen boy & Fern's love interest and boxing-bag, Sein appears to have been absolutely thanos'd from reality, Übel is your crazy bitch archetype—who is the only one that thankfully puts some spice in this slog—and Himmel... oh, fuck Himmel. I really cannot describe just how much I dislike him honestly; he's the core on my main disdain towards this show. He's a Gary Stu who's entire personality traits are being Frieren's would-be love interest and a hero. Yeah thats about it, he's a blue-haired Ken with no interesting traits whatsoever; the worst thing by far is his discount-ass motivational phrases which do nothing but artificially inflate Frieren's emotional points, oftentimes through flashbacks ad nauseam, something that feels cheap, frequently pace-breaking and bland; he's essentially an emotional deus ex machina, whenever you feel like Frieren is having a hard emotive situation Himmel will be there to spit some motivational stock phrases so Frieren has a huge epiphany and the show will be like "See? They were truly one for the other!" It feels so forced and disgusting when he plays this messiah superman-esque role.

Heiter is "haha le drunk guy XD" comedy relief in the heroes' group who occasionally pukes motivational slop a la Himmel. Eisen is strong dwarf who teaches shounen boy and theres not much more about him. Who in the fuck is Methode? Oh, that one girl in the exam; okay I don't care, who even cares? Who are all these people? Why are they so completely plain? Fern is still absolutely insufferable, a complete brat and a Frieren copy—and being cared for under Frieren's bosom isn't a good excuse—having both Frieren and Fern talk to each other is like clashing two rocks with each other. It is STILL the same shit after 25 episodes and hasnt changed a thing. The main trio is lazily conformed and their thoughts are vaguely explored; without a semblance of interesting dynamics or substantial thoughts. Relationships tend to be notoriously complex, depending on endless layers of emotions, interests and more; Sousou no Frieren simplifies this in a lazy way and the author only dares to make straightforward, boring interactions and links between characters.

Finding any interesting traits in these characters feels like trying to find a penny in the atlantic ocean. Frieren is an elf femcel who gets punched ad nauseam by emotional planitudes and nothingburger motivational phrases. Have you ever read these classic happy-go-lucky phrases like a la "Living is good! Keep living!"? That's what Himmel constantly slaps in your face in every scene he appears in. This show is oftentimes praised by its emotionality yet the characters are barely human, 90% of times the characters' expressions look like Moai statues without any emotionality whatsoever (with no offense to moai statues, they are pretty rad in comparison to this blandfest). Many excuse Fern's absolute nothingburger identity through being cared by Frieren's teachings; however, this is no excuse, I still fail to comprehend why shes completely devoid of any notable traits. You can be teached by someone your entire life and STILL derail from their ideas, morality, teachings, etcetera; hearing Frieren and Fern talk might as well be two Frierens talking to each other, just lame as fuck. There's also the vague and plain worldbuilding which doesn't get better:

> Welcome to village numba 1 Frieren-sama, thank you for staying; here's my sad story for you to hear. FLASHBACKS ENSUES BOOM
> Welcome to village numba 2 Frieren-sama, thank you for staying; here's my sad story for you to hear. FLASHBACKS ENSUES BOOM
> Welcome to village numba 3 Frieren-sama, thank you for staying; here's my sad story for you to hear. FLASHBACKS ENSUES BOOM
ad nauseam

> Thank you for hearing my sad story and helping me, I will help you.
> Thank you for hearing my sad story and helping me, I will help you.
> Thank you for hearing my sad story and helping me, I will help you.
ad nauseam

> Welcome to magic city. As you can see it is full of magic; betcha you didn't expect that. Is there anything beyond this? Nope, it's magic city, why in the fuck would you expect something more?

But I guess shounen fans just can't understand this immaculate piece of peak fiction and the symbolism behind Frieren's feet, they want skibidi brainrot lobotomykaisen fast paced spoonfed everything, they have a low attention span and can't stand HEAVY and SLOW shows like Frieren... nevermind the fact that I do enjoy slow-paced media and still found Sousou no Frieren to be a complete slog and a restaurant of nothing meals, despite what the Frieren fanbase might tell you, not everyone who dislikes Frieren are skibidi ipad kids. In a show like this character development is deemed to be a very important aspect yet there's virtually no advancements towards anything resembling development, and if it happens, it is completely irrelevant.

The arc a la Hunter Exam doesn't work when every battle is fought by pokerfaced nobodies with not even an inch of personality, they fail completely at even evoking a semblance of emotion in me when it just looks like they dont wanna be in this anime. Watching Frieren characters fight between each other looks like when you were going to do a class presentation in a topic you absolutely didn't care about; that's Frieren battles in a nutshell. How can I care if they don't seem to care? Where's the emotion in these expresionless androids? Where's the emotion in their ChatGPT dialogue and fights? Where's the emotion that is so praised about this anime? Wait, before delivering flashbacks, BOOM LAZER, MAGICAL BULLSHIT; now, let's haphazardly introduce the flashback.

After all they are supposed to be humans, of complicated thoughts and intricate morality yet they seem to lack anything of sorts, instead looking like a reptilian trying to replicate superficial philosophy, feeliings and humanity; it's tough when a show that's supposed to feel human and emotional instead feels like E.T trying to make a personal story. Frieren and Fern vs Frieren clone in the last arc is supposed to be a huge climax yet it feels like nothing, there are no stakes I already know they are going to wreck the shit out of it; especially if you slap a fucking flashback on me where it essentially praises humanity and their advancement towards dominating magic, soon to be equal or even surpass elves—of course, it refers to Fern—just like that stakes are completely gone. As a whole package, Sousou no Frieren might be the most ambitionless anime I've seen in a long time, only carried by the talents in Madhouse, who I applaud for improving this blandfest and jack of all trades turned into a devoid master of none.

As of the writing of this review, this anime is rated #1 on MAL, although I doubt the FMA-B fans will let that stand for long :P

Now, is this "the best anime ever"? Probably not for a lot of people.
What this anime is however, is something that stands out far above the crowd. One of those series that you will watch and think back on fondly several years later. One of the series that just stays with you.

It's beautifully presented, and, unlike the dime-a-dozen power-fantasy isekai that get pumped-out more and more each year, this anime side-lines the combat and tropes in favour of pure ... world-building and character development; If anything, to me at least, the closest comparison to another anime I can think of is Mushoku Tensei.

The main plot of the story, without spoilers, is about our MC, the elven mage Frieren, opening up to forming relationships with humans; As an extremely long-lived species, a human life to her is barely even noticeable. After completing the "hero's quest", she travels the ever-changing world, while she herself remains a constant. With the help of some new companions, she finally starts to open up and explore her "humanity".

Some might well find this premise and indeed the plot boring, but the presentation, writing and just general atmosphere of this anime is something everyone should experience.

It really is a masterpiece - 10/10.

The title "Beyond Journey's End" does sound appealing, doesn't it? While I typically oppose altering the literal meaning of Japanese titles during translation, in this case, I make an exception. "Beyond Journey's End" more effectively conveys the essence of "Sousou no Frieren" manga/anime than "Frieren at the Funeral" does.

The title indeed suggests that the anime serves as an ‘After Story’ for a particular journey of Frieren, the story’s protagonist. It’s important to note that Frieren is an elf who does not age physically and possesses a unique perspective on time, relationships, and interactions, differing from humans. These two pivotal aspects form the foundation of the ... narrative, as we witness Frieren come to appreciate the value of the relationships forged during her travels and anticipate the journeys yet to come.


Plot(9/10):

As Frieren is several thousand years old, a significant portion of the story consists of flashbacks across various timelines. One timeline depicts her youth as a disciple of Flamme, while another showcases her time with the hero party. The narrative primarily unfolds in the present timeline. Throughout the anime, we witness Frieren reflecting on the past while assimilating her current experiences. It presents a form of redemption from a certain perspective. The central theme of this story is about ‘Living in the moment and not having regrets later.’ Each past encounter and memory with the hero party influences Frieren to cherish her present companions more deeply, as she harbors many regrets for not understanding the hero party members’ sense of time. Frieren, vastly older than the rest of the cast (excluding other elves), continues to learn—learning how to interact and empathize with humans whose lifespans are merely a fraction of her own. Setting aside all those travels, the final third of this anime focuses on the 'First Class Mage Exam' arc, which brims with action and introduces a substantial number of additional side characters. Each fight scene offers viewers insight to grasp the characters' depth and their underlying philosophies. Overall, ‘Frieren: Beyond the Journey’s End’ skillfully blends the central theme of the series with various elements such as the magic system, and the Demon-Human conflict.

Characters(9/10):

This anime features a large cast of characters. Not all of them play a significant role in advancing the plot, but that’s not a complaint though. It’s unreasonable to expect an anime to delve deeply into the background of every character introduced. However, the characters of Frieren and Fern had to be likable and well-written at the same time as they received more screen time and narrative focus. The author did more than a decent job in that regard. Watching the evolution of their relationship, enriched by mutual care, is particularly heartwarming. Additionally, there are numerous scenes that provide comic relief, each one is humorous and relaxing. Stark and Sein also have significant portions of their backstories explored. Their moments on screen never felt dull; Stark, in particular, had some 'Wow' factor in the scenes we see him facing opponents . The “First Class Mage Exam” arc introduces a bunch of new characters. Among them, Ubel and Serie stand out, capturing attention with their unique character traits. (Serie is actually a very important character of this arc)

Frieren’s former companions: Eisen, Heiter, and Himmel. They epitomize the ideal hero party members. Each one is portrayed as a ‘Good Guy,’ and rightfully so. Let’s focus on Himmel for the time being, as he is likely the primary reason we follow Frieren’s journey with Fern.

Hero Himmel is depicted as cheerful, brave, and humorous—a quintessential hero. He was a person who inspired others. His passing led Frieren to realize her errors in gauging time and in valuing relationships from her perspective rather than from the humans’ viewpoint, with whom she had spent a considerable amount of time (from their perspective). As mentioned earlier, it was Himmel’s influence that prompted Heiter to adopt Fern and care for her, as he believed Himmel would have done the same. This, in turn, led to Frieren assuming the responsibility of looking after Fern.

Animation and Visuals (10/10):

'Madhouse Cooked again!' that was my initial reaction while watching Frieren's first 4 episodes on the same day. The studio behind so many classics is still producing more of them. The manga already had good art and uniqueness in character design. So the production studio just had to do one thing and it was to not 'mess up' the adaptation. And they did that beautifully. Environment and atmosphere of 'Frieren: Beyond the Journey's End' anime turned out to be a lot brighter and colorful than my expectation and I loved it. The direction of the fights were top notch. They improvised in some of those and they never felt out of place. Whether it was Fern casting zoltraak like fireworks or Stark defeating a huge dragon, I enjoyed every fight sequence this anime has to offer. Kudos to the people working behind the scenes, specially the storyboard directors.


Audio and Soundtrack (9.5/10) :

I was actually surprised after seeing that they cast Atsumi Tanezaki to voice Frieren. (I always imagined Frieren having a more childish voice while reading the manga.) She did a fine job, actually. The rest of the cast also delivered commendable performances, leaving me with no complaints about the voice acting.

'Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ features three songs in its soundtrack. The first opening theme is ‘Yuusha’ by Yoasobi, followed by the second opening theme ‘Haru’ by Yorushika, and the series is rounded off with the ending theme ‘Anytime Anywhere’ by Milet. Each track is enjoyable in its own right, but ‘Anytime Anywhere’ stands out to me the most. It’s not only as catchy as the other two but also has lyrics that resonate deeply with the show’s themes.


Overall(9.5/10):

I am still quite surprised to see this anime garnering so much attention on the internet. It’s become one of those ‘Everywhere I go, I see her face’ moments for me. I had actually expected ‘Frieren’ to become one of the underappreciated, gatekept animes in the future, but that’s far from what actually happened. In fact, ‘Frieren’ is the most popular non-sequel release of 2023, along with ‘Oshi no Ko’ and 'Zom 100' . It also checks all the boxes to add itself to the list of all-time classics created by Madhouse.

‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ does almost everything right. It has a meaningful story, a protagonist whose journey feels exciting and emotional at the same time, just enough focus on the side characters, excellent animation and direction. Moreover, it blends all the genres involved extraordinarily well. That’s why you never feel anything is amiss when it shifts from the slice-of-life genre to the action genre in the last few episodes, or when observing some sort of romantic development in Fern and Stark’s relationship.

I will remember ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ for a long time. The last time I was this eager to watch the next episode of an ongoing anime was when ‘Summertime Render’ was airing way back in 2022. Frieren indeed made my Fridays better. Therefore, this is an easy recommendation from me to anyone looking for a good, comforting anime. 'Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ is certainly one of the very best of its kind.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End has concluded and the biggest accolade I've seen attributed it that, not only has Frieren revived the fantasy genre, reinvigorated Madhouse's position, but most notably, that it is an anime free of tropes/clichés — but the last point isn't reflective of reality. What makes Frieren special is how it handles tropes that makes it free from cliché. A common take I dislike is that tropes are inherently bad, they aren't. Many tropes can vibrate with the essence of said character, it is just the lack of characterization associated with the trope that makes many meaningless, and thus, cliché. Frieren can be ... argued, at least in the beginning, to be a Mary Sue, but the more you learn, she isn't exactly one. Her power doesn't come from just because, but rather, her immense dedication to her passion of collecting magic for the past millennium. Stark has the trope of an overpowered character who doesn't believe in his own strength, classic.. but he suffers from impersonator syndrome, he doesn't even believe in himself. Instead of that notion coming out of nowhere, he has, albeit flawed, a reason nonetheless. The use of a trope is of his character itself, not as a cliche.

In fantasy shows, elves are generally very long-lived, and you will not believe who is an elf.. Frieren. To an elf, a lifespan such as ours is very short lasting, as time is essentially distorted. What is 10 ENTIRE YEARS to us may feel as if it was a month for her. What's a reasonable time for an elf to visit a friend is almost an entire generation.. or 3. But this is what establishes the beauty of Frieren.

People have called Frieren a “kuudere”, which is an archetype of a character who is outright detached from emotions; in essence, yes, Frieren is reminiscent of such an archetype, yet, she is not. She experiences emotions, and throughout my life, I've evolved too. From crying at an embargo of chocolate pudding and being isolated in my chambers for hours on end (mom said it's bedtime and no snacks); but, if for whatever reason, my mother repeated that, I, in my love for chocolate pudding, wouldn't shed a tear, it’s a bad example, but I've grown up. How I experience and express emotions has matured, and who knows through the experiences of a mage who has lived for over 1,000 years, how she expresses and experiences emotions has evolved? – The biggest issue with kuuderes, to me, is you cannot attach your emotions to most of them, you cannot empathize, you cannot relate to them. They are seemingly emotional androids, but you can and do with Frieren -- unlike a kuudere, she isn't emotionless, she's emotionally distanced. The show and its beauty isn't about experiencing emotions for the first time, she has already shown an abundance, and clearly, it couldn't be her first time, but it is to value why you can and do feel those emotions and the time associated with the memories/present that evoke such emotions. To value the people you have in your life and to be empathetic to those around you too. Frieren is shown many times, even if she has difficulty understanding emotions, to care and worry just as deeply.

With this, I took as a message to appreciate time, to live life for what it's worth, even if you feel you have the time to laze around, there is also much more you can do in your life – and the lack of appreciation can snowball into regret, Frieren thought she had all the time in the world, and she was correct, but her beloved did not. It has helped me realize how limited our time is, without the existential crisis, and to appreciate who we have, when we have them. Animes have moved me, instead of idolizing values preached, this anime has spurred me into action to actually.. do. I've spent more time with my family, I've started to apologize a lot more, as the time spent with negativity, with what time we have, are ill-spent. I already knew it, but Frieren pushed me to do it.

Shows, in their purest forms, have two things: intention & obstacle. One Piece? Luffy (main character, if you somehow didn't know) wants to be the pirate king -- that is his intent, now the obstacle is the government, who hates pirates; and other pirates. But where is this formula in Frieren? Of course, we have setbacks, but setbacks aren't exactly obstacles, just as going to nana's house and there being a roadblock (very rude roadblock!) doesn't mean it's impossible, it essentially just requires a detour that may delay you. The episodes are so compact with details and an undertone of pure enjoyment, episodes can feel like they flew by, but you’re left satisfied feeling you’ve actually learned about the world, its magic, the characters, all of it. The show, for me, hasn’t dragged out once. People can enjoy shows who do that, hell, I watched all of One Piece. But, there are times when I am anything but fond of it. Frieren allows you to love it, if you, of course, so choose to. But the show is about and focuses heavily on the present and not, “when will this happen?” or “this is the goal we’re going to accomplish btw!! :3” – For example, while I am interested in seeing what this "heaven" thing is all about.. the fact I have rarely put that much thought into seeing the goal and more into the journey.. Its ability to accomplish such a feat of keeping you enthralled is a testimony to its paramount storytelling.

One thing many animes preach, with Frieren not being an exception, is that collectivism is better than individualism, yet, their execution makes the messaging fall flat. A character can be so insanely overpowered or always lucky that it ruins the idea of actual group work and learning together. While some animes can execute that part successfully, some further fall flat as the character can still end up remaining self-centered/individualistic. Frieren, however, doesn't make this mistake. In many instances, the characters have to work together, independently, but for an overarching goal and to fight in an accommodating way which accounts for each other's strengths and weaknesses; most notably in episodes 8-10. Even if Frieren can probably win without much difficulty, she is both an ally and a teacher, and whilst those under her care may doubt their strength, Frieren knows they can endure & succeed and encourages the working-together aspect. Which we see even more within the Mage Exam Arc.

I love almost everything about Frieren, especially the visual storytelling, there is almost, if not any, unnecessary dialogue just for the sake of it. You can see communication in people's visible expressions, their pause, their hand gestures, etc., which communicate people's emotions and change. Take the ballroom for example, we see Fern initially apprehensive at Stark's hand, then comfortability, then happiness. And while it's nice to learn one's mindset and characterization, internal monologue aren't always necessary, and in my opinion, takes away from the scene and focuses on the character instead of the moment. Frieren balances the dialogue, allowing for truly amazing moments. It develops relationships between people, Fern & Stark are the highlight of that. We see characters get closer and learn to confide in one another, have banter, mess around, it not only feels, it is organic.

I've seen arguments such as "who's the better couple? Deku x Explosion-Guy or Deku x Guy-Who-Couldn't-Dodge-The-Kettle" and to me, it feels like a cop-out, just "oh. my. god. he works hard? i am in love" WHAT DO YOU MEAN? THAT'S IT? - I've been in love before, it can feel as sudden as that, but there are building blocks that set the fundamental foundation to allow yourself to properly fall in love; to trust, to love, to feel comfortable, everything. Instead of showing us a random loaf of bread, it gives us crumbs that build the bread itself, you see the dough form and mold into the bread itself, that you can see.

Additionally, with the characters, we have huge differences. Characters actually feel like characters, and I love all of them. We actually see growth and characters mellowing out as the series progresses. There are some people I haven’t seen or spoken to in years, yet, they were awesome people, even if I knew them for a short time, but y’know, the world is small sometimes, I am sure I’ll meet at least one of them again in the future – but this is also what’s beautiful about Frieren, we have outstanding characters we may or may not see again, but the fact we were able to be introduced to such characters is what I find special and realistic about Frieren. Also, reasonings. Stark started his journey with Frieren as his master requested it, and he wanted to give great stories to his master. To Fern, on the other hand, who lost her family in war, and Heiter, who saved her life, Frieren is essentially the only family she has left. With the juxtaposition of their reasonings and chemistry, plus love for Frieren, I find it very special.

People generally give accolades to a talented creator for their music composition in a series, which Evan Call, by all accounts, rightfully so. But no matter how good a soundtrack is, if the anime studio uses it improperly or doesn't let the music truly take its form, bringing a scene to the emotional place we need to truly appreciate the sentimental aspects of the show to even greater heights, the music is then, tragically, equated to jack when misused. Madhouse, in practically every instance, used the soundtrack properly at every perfect instance, they let it play out and let the emotions hit deeply, and it works. The soundtrack is my favorite from Evan Call, and I cannot imagine one more fitting for Frieren. I give my props for Madhouse giving the respect Evan deserves by utilizing his music so skillfully and efficiently, and Evan for composing it as masterfully as he has.

Lastly, the visuals. There’s not much I can say which can articulates the appreciation it deserves, but it is genuinely an amazing fest on the eyes, how amazing the backgrounds are crafted, which can be appreciated, from things as simply being seen as a hand behind the flower, you can appreciate the beautiful world that Frieren lives in and you are, alongside her, on a journey on. For a show more philosophical and somewhat laid-back, it genuinely may be, especially as of Episode 26, the best animated show I have ever seen. The visuals are insane during fights, with beautiful colors bringing and the power that can truly be felt in your room, and it truly brings out the heart and soul of the animators, voice actors, and every component that is in the show.

Frieren is at its strongest with characters, and while I wish to fangirl in the most masculine way further, and would’ve given more specific examples, but I do not want to spoil the show further for those who read my review without having been exposed to the show previously. I encourage you to watch it, it may take a bit or be strong during the first episode, but it will become a soft, if not, all-time favorite. It has touched places in my heart and pushed me forward to places that I never expected to be moved from a piece of media, it has opened my eyes even further. Thank you to the amazing staff who made the show as great as it is, the mangaka & their artist, voice actors, and everybody. For all of this and how it spoke to me, this is the greatest show I have ever watched. Even though it just ended, I’ve watched over 75 episodes of Frieren due to how many times I’ve already rewatched it. Additionally, thank you to all who have read my review too. This anime is a perfect 10/10; in characters, story, animation, art, sound, everything.

P.S: One thing I see many people didn't take note of is how dedicated the sound team was, when Frieren jumps or tilts her head, you can actually hear the sound of her earrings moving, I thought that level of detail was genuinely so amazing. :^)

I saw a lot of people speaking highly of this anime and praising it as if it were a masterpiece. I went to watch it and what a disappointment. In terms of the script, it was one of the worst I've seen this year.

Slow dynamics, it's even sleepy. The protagonist and her apprentice have NO charisma whatsoever, even a door is more charismatic than they are. Spending 90% of the anime like this: 😐 - Apart from the robotic voice, with no intonation whatsoever, it sounds like Ayanokoji from The Elite's Classroom, the difference being that both Frieren and Fern are like this.

If you ... like good plots, a dynamic anime full of conflicts, you can abandon the idea of watching this anime. Because good plots are what this anime lacks. If you want to watch something more "goodvibe" to pass the time (or if you suffer from insomnia problems) maybe this anime is a good one.

At least the animation is good.

Like many others, this anime has convinced me to make an account on this site just to rave about Frieren. From the start, it subverts your expectations- the demon king has already been defeated. Instead, this work is about self-discovery, memories, and a connection with loved ones from the past. It does a great job by revealing more about Frieren's relationship with her teammates (essentially family) and how they continue to shape her to the present day.

This show isn’t just a slow slice of life either- it’s a mixture of comedy, romance, action, and drama. This isn’t an isekai- the characters fully belong to ... the era in which the anime takes place, and the magic is believable and tastefully woven. Common tropes aren’t used to bash watchers over the head- there aren't any insufferable main characters who are arrogant beyond belief, nor overpowered characters who aren't invulnerable to anything. The lore builds upon itself layer by layer, and is such a pleasure to watch both it and the characters develop over time.

Not only is the plot and story itself good, but the art, animation and soundboard design is also phenomenal. You can tell the animators poured their hearts into not just faithfully reproducing the manga, but also beautifully animating scenes that may just be covered by one frame. Such detail can be seen just by observing small details such as the characters' hair in the wind or the way they smooth out their coat.

As of the time of this writing, Frieren is currently on the highest-rated anime on MAL- do yourself a favor and see for yourself why me and so many others give such high praises for this masterpiece!

Straight up. Main Character Frieren, passes vibe check.

Although at first she don't seem it, she is Thoughtful, Humble, Goofy, Chill, and more.. (badass too).
More can be said about the anime, but I won't go into detail about that.
It's current rating being #1 of 12-28-2023, speaks for itself. Opposite of hype. It's mellow af in a suprisingly verrry hard to describe good way.

I almost dodged this anime because Frieren seem like a dry written character. OH how wrong I was.

That's all I gotta say about it and all you need to know to give it a try, you will be in for a ... surprise.

Get a blanky, some tissues, some yummy food that goes well with beer. (kbbq, hot pot)
Kick back and enjoy the ride for all the small special moments this anime has to offer.
It's the small moments that really did it for me. Oh and fight scenes are gyat, but that's besides the bigger picture.