Anime Chat- Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Anime: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Adventure

Original Run:  September 29, 2023 – March 22, 2024

Number of Episodes: 28 episodes

Where to watch: Netflix

An elf and her friends defeat a demon king in a great war. But the war is over, and the elf must search for a new way of life.

IMDb

The Story

I genuinely thought that this anime was another isekai. Thank God it wasn’t!

What attracted me to the story is the question: what happens to our heroes after they defeat the “final boss” of their story?

I was thinking of the Dragon Ball thing where they move on with their lives. Marry. Have children. Then go back to being heroes if a new villain appears. Easy, right?

But in Frieren, we see things from the perspective of an elf that lives longer than humans.

This is a melancholic anime. At least for me, it is. Watching Frieren navigate the world and how different her perception of time was entertaining. Seeing Frieren “grow” from this elf oblivious to how human life works in episode one to someone who now knows the difference between each species was cool.

The episodes are slow with some sprinkles of action every now and then. The episodes with action are fun to watch but the slow ones are lovely too.

This anime made me sad. The anime discusses mortality. And thinking about it makes me sad especially this year when my family lost two members: one last February and the most recent one just this week. I don’t want to dwell on it. But yes, this anime made me think and feel things. But in a good way.

You know, just watch it. Then you’ll get it.

“To live is to be known and remembered by others.” – Himmel

The Characters

I liked every character in this anime. I enjoyed watching the dynamics between Frieren, Fern, and Stark. Fern acting like the older sister to Frieren was funny. Meanwhile Stark is this dude with little screen time.

I think Himmel’s party was way more fun than that of Frieren’s. They have the oblivious “young” elf, the drunk priest, a serious and quiet dwarf, and the amiable hero with narcissistic tendencies.

The other characters are unique and memorable enough that I tend to wish to see them again.

Frieren’s new party members. Around 28 years after Hero Himmel’s passing.

Himmel the Hero and his party members.

The Art

I really love the art style of this. Both for the manga and the anime adaptation. And the animation is smooth and beautiful.

Here are some gifs:

Final Thoughts

Overall, this is a good anime. It was nice to see a fantasy anime that isn’t an isekai because personally, I am sick of it.

If you are into fast-paced, action-packed, with lots of eye candy, then this anime is not for you. Go watch something else. If you don’t mind slow fantasy, try this one. Maybe you’ll like it too.

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That is all. It has been a while since I actually sat and watched a new anime in full. Yes, I still do my good old, judge an anime based on its first episode. And I’m actually glad I gave this anime a chance.

Can you blame me? Every fantasy-looking anime I see, I instantly think of isekai. Or maybe I’m just too old and it is time for me to retire from watching anime.

Thank you so much for reading. I’m going to go and enjoy the rainy evening.