Sousou no Frieren

An anime that promised to be a unique look at life after completing the heroes' epic mission. However, despite the interesting concept, it failed to meet expectations.

The first and most obvious omission of "Soukou no Frieren" is its slow tempo. The plot develops too slowly, focusing on the little things that do not always add depth to the story or character development. Instead of a lively and dynamic story about the consequences of heroic deeds, we get something monotonous and protracted. This is a huge problem for me, I think that long runs are bad and I appreciate finished concise works. Maybe this is one ... of those chill titles for relaxation? oh no, it's a stupid emotional tearjerker. it would work if there was an interesting fantasy setting, but there isn't

One of the main disappointments is the anime setting. It feels like a boring and banal world in the style of Dungeons & Dragons, which brings almost nothing new to the genre. The viewer does not see any unique races, exciting locations, or interesting magic systems. Everything seems to be formulaic and predictable. As a result, the world of Soukou no Frieren is perceived not as alive and breathing, but as a boring backdrop for events that do not stand out in anything special.

The main character, Frieren, a representative of the elven race who lives for a long time, could become an intriguing character. However, her cold and distant behavior is sometimes repulsive and does not arouse the viewer's sympathy. Her development as a character seems shallow and unnatural, which makes it difficult to emotionally engage in her story.

The supporting characters also don't leave a significant impression. Instead of building complex and multifaceted characters, anime often resorts to stereotypes and patterns. This makes most interactions predictable and boring. Moreover, almost all the characters seem to be emotionless and to some extent on the autistic spectrum. Their social interaction and emotional reactions are very limited, which makes them less accessible and interesting to the viewer.

It is also worth noting the superficial and stereotypical depiction of demons in "Soukou no Frieren". Instead of providing them with layered and human characteristics that would allow the viewer to feel empathy for them, the anime portrays them as standard villains without much motivation. This is a missed opportunity to uncover deeper topics and create emotional tension. Against the background of the main characters, who do not experience serious problems and have excessive strength, demons seem to be more interesting and multifaceted characters.

In addition, the concept of the immortality of the main character makes the goal of the heroes meaningless. The whole point of adventures and victories over evil is lost when an immortal character can just wait out all the difficulties. This makes any bets negligible, and the viewer cannot truly empathize with the characters and their missions.

Visually, the anime is also not impressive. The setting of a default Asian second-rate fantasy. Despite the beautiful scenery and animation, it's just long and boring and not memorable

The musical accompaniment seems insignificant and forgettable. Instead of enhancing emotions and atmosphere, music often stays in the background without leaving a strong impression.

In addition, the concept of the immortality of the main character makes the goal of the heroes meaningless. The whole point of adventures and victories over evil is lost when an immortal character can just wait out all the difficulties. This makes any bets negligible, and the viewer cannot truly empathize with the characters and their missions.

In addition to all this, "Soukou no Frieren" failed to find a balance between drama and comedy. Moments intended to dilute the seriousness of the plot often seem forced and inappropriate, disrupting the harmony of the narrative.

This anime is incredibly bland I wondered how it was everywhere and how so many talked about it. I gave it so much time, chance, sleep just to see what was unique and captivating about it and I can finally say for certain that after sitting through the most insufferable 28 episodes of this show, I’d recommend it as a sleeping pill.

Literally, if you’re battling with insomnia, just put this on and I guarantee you to fall asleep in a second. The dialogues are uninteresting, the story/plot is ordinary, not a single thing about this show is worth remembering, you might even forget what ... happened in the previous episode if you take more that 30 minutes to start the next episode that’s how boring it is.

Overall I give it a 10 for hype, 4 for suspense, 4 for plot, 3 for characters, bringing total to 5. Might be your cup of tea though but I guarantee it’s not worth the hype and the traction it got there are so many other anime’s that are way better than this and didn’t get half of its hype.

(Originally uploaded March 31st, 2024)

To spare you the time, Frieren is far from what so many others are saying it is. While most see a masterclass in character writing and worldbuilding, I see a hollow and generic fantasy anime that is filled to the brim with tropes. Let’s break down how Frieren falls into almost every single cliche that every other fantasy anime falls into.

What was most apparent and annoying to me about Frieren was how its world did not feel organic whatsoever. Frieren’s world, like most fantasy anime’s of the modern age, feels like a video game world. There are dungeons that need to ... be explored, mana levels depending on how long you have trained, and monsters evaporate into smoke when defeated. Frieren and her party of heroes happen to always stumble upon the right people who know exactly what they’re looking for. There’s a level of luck that fictional characters can have due to the nature of storytelling and needing a story to progress, but Frieren does it too much too often. There’s also a trend where Frieren happens to run into a lot of people or locations she came across in her past. This only makes the world of Frieren seem smaller, not larger. The locations they come across aren’t interesting either, with a majority of locations being either forests or the small looking medieval styled towns you see in every fantasy anime.

As for the magic system in the show, while not terrible, it isn’t anything to write home about. It doesn’t help that the leads of the show use the most generic magic in their world simply because it is more effective. We never get to see more than a bunch of streaky white lines being shot around until much later into the show, when much more interesting magic is able to be used by other characters. I do find it interesting how the show establishes a history of magic and we learn how it has changed over time and understand how it works in the period the show takes place. Of course the leads of Frieren and Fern never once stop using the most generic attacks and so we are forced to watch the same boring magic fights over and over again.

On the topic of Frieren and Fern, why don’t we talk about our two main characters. While I can say Frieren and Fern are well defined characters, I cannot say they are interesting ones. You can definitely attribute a wide variety of character traits to both of them, but they don’t make for interesting leads. Frieren and Fern don’t show emotion much, and while this is likely intentional narratively as Frieren was uninterested in human emotion for most of her life and her mannerisms likely rubbed off on Fern, the dialogue between the two is very stiff and lifeless. Scenes where Frieren and Fern are talking always consist of the most blank expressions and the coldest most lifeless voices you can imagine. The characters are presented in such an uninteresting way as to become tiresome after a while. The facial features of the characters are much smaller compared to other anime, which makes it even harder to depict emotions on their facesI was glad by the time Stark joined them, considering he gave some life to the cold and mundane dialogue between Frieren and Fern.

This isn’t getting into the fact that Frieren and Fern are also pretty much the most powerful mages in their world. Frieren was part of the party who defeated the Demon King, something we know right from episode one. Once we know this, there is absolutely no sense of danger that we as an audience can feel for her as she has already defeated the most powerful creature in existence. This remains true for the entire show, where the only time Frieren gets damaged whatsoever is when she is cut in THE FINAL EPISODE, and she doesn’t even react to it. Frieren is an overpowered protagonist, just like a majority of fantasy anime protagonists. Any danger we would be able to feel for the side characters is completely undermined by healing magic as well. In fact, in the entire show, not a single named character is killed, other than the villains.

The side characters aren’t much better than our leads, with them either having a single trait that completely defines the character, or having no traits and being the most bland and forgettable person ever. Stark is probably the most interesting out of them considering he gets the most screen time, however he still doesn’t get nearly enough characterization. His childish scuffles with Fern also make it very apparent that this show is in fact a shounen geared towards younger teens. The plot, worldbuilding, character motivations are all explained to you by the characters of the show, leaving no room for nuance. There’s nothing to interpret when everything is so hamfisted and shoved down your throat. In Stark’s case, he is often the one asking questions to Frieren and Fern about what is happening in the plot, so his screen time is mostly utilized to start exposition dumps from other characters.

I won’t go into detail about the other characters in the show, mostly because there are too many to go over. Another trend you see with modern anime is having huge rosters of characters in the hope that the viewer will be able to latch onto even a single one in order to get them to continue watching. Having such a huge roster of characters means that each one has less time to be characterized. I am struggling to remember most of the side characters outside of the last arc of the show despite having started it less than a week ago because they simply left no impression on me.

As for the storytelling on display in Frieren, it’s pretty bad. Most episodes have a set cycle to them, with it starting with the party coming across a new town. They then meet a character from Frieren’s past or someone new who says something that reminds Frieren about her past. We get a boring flashback scene during every one of these situations and Frieren comes to a realization about her past with her old friends. Despite this, Frieren as a character remains stagnant throughout the entire show, not changing whatsoever from the first episode. This is mostly the same for Fern and Stark aside from before they join up with Frieren at the beginning of the show. Any development they get after that point however is always told through flashbacks. The same goes with side characters. Development of the characters can only happen through flashbacks apparently.

Once you know about the cycle the show goes through each episode, the anime gets extremely boring, with only the visuals helping to not make you fall asleep. Studio Madhouse animated the show and did a great job, with even boring dialogue scenes getting plenty of attention. The direction of the visuals are less than stellar, however. I already talked about how the main characters are always lifeless and how the settings always look the same. With good direction even these could have been remedied. We never get many interesting looking visuals outside of the action sequences, and even those are few and far between.

Perhaps the most unbearable part of Frieren (and most anime in that manner) is the humor. If you have seen 5 anime then you already know the punchlines to every joke in Frieren. I do not understand how people find anything here funny. Frieren getting stuck in a fake chest is not funny, and is especially not funny after the 10th time you see it. I have also seen people comment on how there’s no fanservice in the show, and while that is true, there are still jokes about characters' boobs in the show, how mature.

To end this all off, I would like to mention how Frieren has similarities to Violet Evergarden and Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song. In all three of these shows, we have a female lead who is deadpan and is unable to show any emotion. All three of these leads go on a journey to finally understand human emotion, or at least I’d like to say that because Frieren remains stagnant throughout the entire show. At least Violet Evergarden and Vivy have interesting worlds that were created for them. As to why Frieren is much more critically acclaimed than these already critically acclaimed anime that are similar, I have no idea.

Quite simply, Frieren is one of the most overrated anime in my eyes. While many see it as a masterclass of storytelling and animation, I see it as a hollow shell of an anime relying solely on its visual presentation to carry its middling story and characters. Despite some great animation, Frieren was a slog to get through.

<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.

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.

This review contains spoilers.

"Frieren: Here we are, two $1.50 hot dogs.

Fern: Just a $1.50? How can Costco possibly make a profit off of that?

Frieren: It's the same price as back then.

Fern: Wouldn't inflation cause the price to chan-

... Frieren: I remember when Himmel the Hero bought a hot dog here for the same price. Costco is unchanged, even now... Back then, Himmel...

[cut to flashback]

Himmel: You know Frieren, a hot dog is like a metaphor for life--we ketchup with old friends and make new ones. When I'm gone, please never forget... that life's too short not to relish every moment..."

(thanks to Letterboxd user SupremeLemon for this)

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 ultimately wrong; there is a severe lack of any substance whatsoever in every single pore of this anime and it is completely forgettable. 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—except demons, who are big bad evil guys of course. Demons are 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, "why are they evil" well duh its in their nature as a predator... ok.

Now, I will NOT entertain the Sousou no Frieren "demons are ze joos!!!" or "frieren is le fascist propaganda!!!" discourse because it is futile and achieves nothing, its like beating a dead cow; as I do not think that the demons are an alt-right ideological prop, and obviously not the wet dream of a Twitter chud either, but rather the consequence of lazy writing based on classic tropes of "Good vs Evil" or "Ontologically Bad Species" (like how orcs used to be depicted) without much imagination at all. Sousou no Frieren was co-opted by rightoids not because it is a propaganda piece, but only because its a story that commits the sin of being too superficial, so much that it can be manipulated by people who operate on anti-intellectualism. Demons are evil burgeoisie who imitate humans to predate on them... "must be DA JOOS!!!" and demons are le bad... "its FASCIST PROPAGOONDA" like theres no sense to be made into these people. The storywriting and thematical direction are so superficial that Sousou no Frieren allows for dumbfuck rightoid chuds and mindless leftists to self-insert their fetishistic and idiotic politics and culture war into it.

No, TradWifeLover88, Sousou no Frieren isnt based because le moeblob elf said "le demons are bad, they use words to deceive" nor is Himmel a "based gigachad" nor are the demons a deranged allegory for the group of people you hate. No, HasanPikerLover1312, Sousou no Frieren isnt the most lethal fascist propaganda from our current century, you both need to stop being a nuisance. Like seriously, this anime is so absurdly lazy and vacuous in its tackle of core themes that it allows itself to be grabbed and defiled by the dumbest people alive. Goodbye K-ON, your place in the throne for numba one chud anime has been replaced by Sousou no Frieren.

The story is a bland tale where we see Frieren being "changed" by "da friends wuh made along da way!!" (like, actually) with happy-go-lucky messages and many apparitions of the all-mighty Himmel, the emotional messiah, who gives Frieren the convenient feedback in the convenient scene so she can advance to the next segment of the show; no proper efforts are done by Frieren, everything comes from a figure of authority who tells her how to feel, what to do, what to think, etc. There is no charisma in Sousou no Frieren, there is no intrigue to each character, dialogue, action, expression; there's no nuance, nothing, it is the vessel of nothingness. The relationship between Frieren and Himmel annoys me to my core, it is an idealized gallant prince and damsel in distress relationship where Frieren cannot realize anything without having it spoonfed by Himmel thru endless flashbacks and hacky storywriting.

Their connection is rotten to the core and consists on a savior complex from Himmel, he MUST be the one who teaches Frieren emotion, he MUST be Frieren's love interest, he MUST be the one to streamline Frieren towards certain situations and actions; it feels so dumb and forced, the rest of the group are just spectators of this degenerate link between this dude and his therapy elfmoeblob patient. 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. Anyways. The secondary cast isnt interesting either, and usually is wasted away. Characters like Wirbel arent used properly and just brushed off quickly after a few flashbacks (surprise!) are delivered, or Ubel's character being wasted. But does this even matter? Seriously. NOBODY in this anime has an OUNCE of charm or charisma, Ubel comes close, but even her crazy ass is washed down by this anime's tendency to moai-ze everything, I am not asking Frieren to be a raved-up shonen protagonist in steroids, I'm just asking for... something. anything. just a bit of spice.

The combat isn't frantic, bone-chilling or notable so it cannot be a battle shounen either, Sousou no Frieren does not exhibit an intriguing fantasy world full of mysteries, and instead it dabbles on tropes and fantasy clichés, so it cannot exactly be an exploration show about the value of a long journey and adventures, where the viewer learns about a world of wonders; Frieren doesn't have witty dialogue or particularly great humour—beyond repeating the same gag (Frieren in le chest!!! Fern le mad pout!!) 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 deus ex machina or emotional messiah and that Frieren is basically the receiver who needs emotional guidance throughout this entire show, so it doesn't work as romance or drama either. So with that being 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 Sousou no Frieren: it doesn't know what it wants, this anime has no identity. It goes from being a World of Warcraft secondary mission simulator to a cheap copy of the Hunter Exam arc to budget Violet Evergarden 2 to moeblob comedy; meanwhile, in this schizophrenic mixture of genres, no valuable progress is done for the characters' identity, Sousou no Frieren isnt driven by anything at all. Can ANY of these characters express any emotion beyond a boring emotionless face? Can ANY of them express any emotion or any SPICE on their dialogue? Or say anything that I can minimally care about? It tastes so much like air, like HOLY SHIT please. 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. This anime feels directionless, philosophically devoid and empty, so this show can't be an anime with profound messages either.

This last arc a la Hunter Exam only serves a purpose for the people who, understandably enough, were bored of the absolute slog this series is, this part of the story tries to tell a human-based struggle... which fails, considering just how devoid of emotion and humanity this entire show is, and how even the characters seem like they dont wanna be there. Dialogue in Frieren is sloggy and useless, oftentimes it will feel like you're listening to two brick walls talking to each other or characters exposing or monologing about a topic that has been explained already, or just narrating the story and going from Point A to Point B; 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?

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 even THEY dont wanna be here. Watching Frieren characters fight 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. These characters 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.

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 shit such as history of magic in the middle of an intense moment such as a battle, which completely breaks the pace; oftentimes in the form of a flashback, of course, because these hacks do not know how to express their story in any other way. 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 or unnecessary sequence and completely break the scene. 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, not YOU showing me what I have to remember. This is a constant pattern that is repeated throughout all of Sousou no Frieren:

> Frieren sees something. anything.
> Boring ass dialogue ensues
> Flashback!!! This actually relates in some way to her original party group!!!
> 2sad4me melodrama

> 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 recognized that this was absolutely horrific and decided to put some action and yuribait 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. 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. When Frieren had to deal with the two girls on her group and it was ALWAYSSSS the same comedy gag, that shit was tiring.

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 and a Frieren copy & PASTE, 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 girl 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 and annoying douchebag 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 pop-up out of nowhere 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.

> Frieren sees something, ANYTHING
> Boring ass dialogue ensues (that is a constant within this show. nothingburger dialogue)
> She relates it back to her old 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 btw

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 the essence of human relationships and the author only dares to make straightforward, boring interactions and links between characters.

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 cognisant and convincing. 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 beyond being Frieren 2. 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 didn't expect that. Is there anything beyond this? Nope, it's magic city, why in the fuck would you expect something more?

The soundtrack of the anime is honestly just... fine, I don't know, I have the same complaints as I did in Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, they try to hide their laziness in building scenes, emotion or proper storytelling by slapping generic melodrama music or fantasy aventure™ OSTs with no substance. It fits, but its absolutely not memorable. 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. 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 shooting this blandfest and master of none into the heavens with their absurd budget.

I've never felt the urge to write a review before, and I've been on MAL for over 12 years. That alone should tell you how incredible this anime is. Usually, when I find a masterpiece, I just suggest it to friends. However, Sousou no Frieren has led me to break that pattern. This isn't your run-of-the-mill shōnen filled with random hack n' slash and fan service, so I can see the average anime watcher just getting bored because flashy things only happen once every few episodes.

Sousou no Frieren is more than just an anime; it's a narrative masterpiece delving into symbolism, time, and, most ... importantly, emotions. To tell this story, we are introduced to Frieren, and through her, the world is presented to us. With multiple flashbacks from "a long time ago", everything that happens makes an awful lot of sense.

Frieren distinguishes itself as a storytelling powerhouse that engages the viewer emotionally, not the type that makes you cry over and over, but rather provokes thought; maintaining a consistent impact in every episode. The animation quality is high, not like every frame is painted by da Vinci, but to the extent that you notice the art style is most definitely unique and elevates simplicity. The attention to detail in the sound design definitely deserves mention: be it voice acting, footsteps, or the rustling of birds, the immersive quality of the audio consistently leaves me amazed.

There are a good number of organically funny moments that feel wholesome and contribute to the development of the characters and their relationships. While it may have its slower moments, when you bring together every element, it is one experience not to miss. From my perspective, this show stands as a stellar example of what a top-tier anime should be. If any of this - even remotely - sounds interesting, just go and watch the show.

Why is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is so highly recognised?

“In this review we will examine it under a magnifying glass, in the task of learning and uncover the mystery behind its remarkable success and to settle all query.”

So don’t judge by a closed book just yet, let’s turn a leaf of what now is an ideal fantasy into actual reality.

Usually, I don’t judge this seriously, although Frieren looks casual, it is far away from being usual.

The methaporic themes and symbolism’s. The significance of existence. Is an important part of Frieren’s story and one major aspect behind its enchanting appeal.

Why is it called ... the journeys end? Even though the humans she met along her journey was just a portion of her life. They stayed with her until the end of their life’s as for them she was their whole life. Regardless of whether their time amongst the living has come to an end, their journey of remembrance has never actually faded to stay with her. As long as there is someone who remembers us, our journey never really ends.

As we structuring its premise by following a close to 2000 years old elf, Frieren. We slowly learn that time isn’t all that differs between humans and Elfs. Time is indeed precious, the important part of how we use it, what we spend it on and who we share it with. For an Elf, a human life is just months. Elves usually lives ten-times longer as humans do. Which also largely depends on their life conduct and breed. In Frieren case, she was born in a long-lived race which means they can live for close to eternity. What we set to learn from this little tale is to cherish life as much as we can. As Frieren slowly understands that humans from the reason of our short lifespan. We not just do things more quicker and more preplanned, but in the process we approach it with great empathy, giving the time to learn and understand the beauty of even the smallest things. Hereby forming bonds with them in this short period of time. Elves on the other hand are much more slower and their task has no deadline. Frieren learns these things beyond of her former companions journeys end. Reflecting that we only realize how valuable something is, when we can no longer have it.

The Story

The climax of Frieren isn't that extraordinary as many likes to believe. Even though it has 28 episodes, this story could be done in just 12 or else could have reached 600 episodes. As its story is basically just about walking, take a few months or years breaks collecting useless stuff in between. While spending a few episodes riddling on some deep life changing enlightenments on how you should appreciate the most obvious things like time and connections, then continue walking. For this reason it was quite difficult to catch up with this anime as it was airing. Even watching one episode in a month was abundant. It wasn’t the most boring anime, but I never really felt that it was made me want to see them walking again. There wasn’t really anything going around the main cast. Despite that they got into a few fights, just to make it more entertaining. It just made it more confusing, querying its purpose what this show wants to be and what it set to accomplish by forcefully mixing other themes.

Frieren just do things that other titles did in a much more interesting and versatile format, but maybe more people would settle for less in (character personalities), (basic soundtracks), (simple lore), (basic magic), (incomplex plot). I have to agree that there are times when we need outbreeding and anime can be just simple and realistic. Yet, while it does being simple and realistic it can’t forget to be what an anime is all about. Being one.

There are anime like Yuru Camp and Non Non Biyori. Which titles, without having excellent animation or epic fights are able to convey a lot of messages to the viewer. About life and about time. Frieren is confusing, because it cannot decide what it really wants to be other than it wants to be superior. You can make anything to be interesting, travelling can be interesting, like “Somali to Mori no Kamisama” or “Made in Abyss”. Characters interactions for 80% of the episodes, it can be interesting there are “The Monogatari Series” for example. For historical lore centered stories there is the “Fate Series”.

The most interesting thing about this anime is that it made me think about an even more terrifying story concept. About a Maylfy. You can also do a story about a Mayfly which said to not live further than a single day. And it could potentially have the same amount of life experiences as an elf that lives thousands of years. Even before we could realise that we have gone loafer. Shortly after the sun left the horizon and when the first star started twinkle, that little fly, was long gone. This just shows us how mysterious and how beautiful this world truly is.

Story part II

Fantasy genre is probably the safest genre that you cannot go wrong with. In the same way that the current most popular games are fantasy and open world, makes it a very popular choice in anime nowadays by its nature of being Adventure and Fantasy. As based on the fact that this genre is quite rarely seen, a good example for the veterans would be "Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful Word", and for a fairly recent example to this is "Musho no Tensei" which was highly recognized, mainly due to be part of this unique and rare genre. In addition to the fact that Frieren isn’t an Isekai just makes it even more perfect as we know Isekai doesn’t really famous of their reputation.

So why it is working so well? Could it be the reason that it wasn’t Isekai? Would be that simple? Or rather, it was the result of its captivating fantasy setting and its delightful adventures theme? Maybe it is given to its maturity and realistic expositions and sentimental messages? Things doesn’t have to be realistic or mature, an anime isn’t about that. For me, it is about to give something special. Just because it imitates a realistic and mature setting. It doesn’t implies superlative verdict nor provides incomparable entertainment. Similarly just because it’s manifesting sentimental themes and seemingly valuable messages it doesn’t mean it’s suddenly dealing with more nor providing innovative content.

This series is just really smart. First let me mention one positive aspect that really impressed me and caught my attention. I am talking about the Demons nature and their way of thinking. It was quite surprising that the series treated this so earnestly and also involved the antagonists into its sentimental value of its main themes. That was quite unique and interesting. For us humans communication is key to the hart. As a Naruto fan, I know the power of talk no jutsu. Its effectiveness is quite impressive. In Freiern the Demons have used words to convey humans. Although they don’t understand the reason behind the power of communication; Why are Humans weakness is communication? Their weaknesses are not the words though, Humans weaknesses that they have associated words with emotions. That’s the difference between humans and Demons in Frieren which is a positive concept in its story.

This gave a more mature look on the demons and also makes them more unique and matured perception. These things not used to get this amount of recognition due to the lack of their attention and connection to the main plot. It also provided a better understanding of their race and thus made the demons much more than just a stereotype antagonists. In Frieren this was well structured into its main story, which resulted to be noteworthy.

The Story Verdict (5/10)

Frieren on the outside looks nice, seems genuine and smart, acts like an original concept, but in the inside it is barley enjoyable and unoriginal. It’s repetitive and for any erudite individual that wasn’t living under a rock for the past 20 years, I genuinely don’t believe that this series can show or let alone teach something that they haven’t already knew or seen.

It ACTS original, because it is smart. It LOOKS good, compared to all the “trash” coming out nowadays. It tries its hardest to outsmart its audience by giving everyone what they want to see. It plays the role of a celestial being, above everything and everyone, like it has no weaknesses. The key to its success is to keep the audience in the belief that it is what it pretends to be and it “pretends” to be the greatest adventure sol-shounen.

Every anime has weaknesses, and for the case of Frieren weaknesses, is simply my existence.

In its actuality, regarding of the key behind its flawless performance, it lies in what its story symbolize; Time and life. These unheard and extraordinary themes are so egocentrically human-centered that we are mad hooked and enchanted about it. So much so, that I can also use the phrase that we are just mentally distracted from everything. As it is about us and not something or someone else. It’s neither complicated philosophy nor impartial mythology, but self-explanatory. From the reason that we are so selfish, we naturally grasps the “virtues” of these themes.

It is really interesting that all these sentimental themes slowly converted into random epic fights. The mimic’s evolved into epic slay faces.. just to be more “enjoyable“. - Zzz

Fights

It really pulls out all the psychological cards that a starter watcher would likely fall into extrapolating it as a sleek move. Howbeit, for a veteran viewer it is known as a common trick. To make us think that the opponents are way stronger, the author consciously holds back the main cast full potential. To make the viewer believe that they have no chance coming out this situation alive. The author makes the antoganists act like they are unbeatable, and right before they could finish off the main characters, the main cast takes off their fake masks and pulls out their trump-cards for the late win. Then gave the enemies the chance to process their mistakes of underestimating their opponent’s abilities. To make it look more compelling, allowing them to die in a hard-fought battle. It seems more entertaining this way, but in reality it is just exaggerated and dull, especially when the anime plays it out three times in a single episode.

The fight between Frieren vs Frieren is a great final fight for this anime, because it manifests how overweeningly self-satisfied with itself. They are gods compared to anything in their verse, so how would you make it even more satisfying to the viewer? Let the undefeatable face the undefeatable.

Although the fights were animated quite well, it separated the whole anime into two fragments; Slow slice of life and fast paced action which was way too afar from each other. Resulting confusion on what this series genres exactly.

The Animation (8/10)

Giving credits where credits due, in spite of what Frieren’s animation first seemed nothing more than mid-range level, it ultimately established close to par-excellence in its quality. This wouldn’t surprise those who are familiar with its studio in charge of its production, as they should know that they were in for a treat.

Madhouse is a warhorse studio as their production quality is well known to be consistent and well executed. Their art are colorful and vibrant along with their smooth and meticulous animation values. This studio has been producing gold after gold. Their work are extraordinary and much deserved to be recognized. For the early stages of this project, I was really impressed by the background art having a touch of oil-paint brush which wasn’t about being too detailed, but made it more elegant and unique in my eyes. When it comes to the fight scenes, they are also just as amazing, but people now started to compare it to fate animation which is quite embarrassing. It certainly looks good compared to all the trash that comes out nowadays, but anime ten years ago possessed just the same or not better animation qualities.

Overall, its animation is pretty and faithfully represented the anime atmosphere and its historical themes.

Characters (5/10)

Characters personalities felt flat and uninspired. Although they were cute, they weren’t possessed the most vibrant personalities. Snobby personalities sometimes good and can be interesting if there is someone next to them that has the opposite personality traits. Although they had some random personality traits for the jokes, like frieren tends to trap inside chests and act sleepy, or the famous mimic face impressions. She sometimes even pull cat faces..

However, for the most part we have set with 90% of the same low-demanding-emotionless-boring dispositions. Fern and Frieren are like mirrors. Before someone says it’s obvious that Fern got her attitude and personality by growing up next to Frieren. She was always been like this, and not just her. That demon girl, or all the demons factually they all got this low interest look or full narcissistic personality. Which made the show quite repetitive pretty quickly.

From this reason Stark character was a game changer and his appearance made this anime much more entertaining for me personally. As he wasn’t a loner and dull like the rest of the cast. If you would just take a look at the casting pictures , 90% of them are the same natural faces with no smile, no anger, no emotions.

Moreover, the funny expressions and the characters funny sides were became cliche so early. Frieren wasn’t trapped in chests, but she was looking for to be trapped in all sort of things..

It felt forced rather than being natural. In addition this really showed how one dimensional and shallow the cast of this series actually are.

Frieren cast being praised by their development and natural expressions is really strange. As I haven’t noticed any significant development on their characters. It was more of a clishe how they all were just a copy of their teachers. They had the exact same characteristics..

Soundtracks (5/10)

Maybe it is little harsh to compare it to larger titles OST like for example Violet Evergarden that had opera house level of scores. I mean multiple albums that are just incredible. Frieren in its actuality is also hold a pretty decent albums and has some novelty notes that fits its historical themes. The opening and the ending is nice, but I always felt something mandatory about them.

Nothing extraordinary or outstanding which is quite surprising considering the main score of this series. As in my opinion music is one major factor in emotional attraction to the story which in this series wasn’t able to make a profound impression.

Enjoyment (4/10)

Frieren is an easily likeable anime for those people who prefers a slow and simple anime. At the same time it can be found monotonous for people who prefers fast paced and more complex stories. However even if you belongs to this group, after epsiode 6 it gets slightly better. So that’s going to be the bare minimum recommended amount of episode to invest into it.

The thing is that Frieren on its whole 28 course of episodes gave me the same feeling that other titles did in just one scene alone. I have watched it without a single reaction. It couldn’t made me smile or wow a single time. it wasn’t able to make me exited nor produced anything remarkable or unexpected. All these sentimental themes can be found in other titles that have handled them better without being this forcefully and fundamentally obsessed with them. Although there are things which made it look unique like how the demons were portrayed, but that alone wasn’t on par nor executed anything that I have already seen.

We read books and watching anime, because this world is boring. Our reality doesn’t offer the level of exiting things than a fantasy story can. However, this isn’t true to Frieren. I feel that if I would have spent the same time outside or took a book from the shelf would have been much more worthwhile than watching this.

A massage for the lost generation

To answer the first question on why is Frieren so highly recognized.

There was a interesting experiment which tells us what lies within this myth.

In a vine sampling, three different kind of vines were sampled to a group of people. One glass of vine was labeled as 2£ another as 4£ and the third one labeled as 12£. After they’ve tasted each vine samples and gettered all the votes. 85% chose the third one labeled as 12£ as the most delicious vine.

In reality, the most expensive vine was 2£ the middle priced was standard and the expensive 12£ vine was just a cheap store vine.

People are like ants and only a few can act true to itself without being blindly manipulated by circumstances. We are afraid of doing against numbers because we are weak and simple.

“Most people don’t really want the truth. They are just looking for answers that confirm their prejudices. “ - Jim Wilhelmsen

“The human eye is a wonderful device. With a little effort, it can fail to see even the most glaring injustice.” -Richard K Morgan

“It's only because of their ignorance that they're able to be so sure of themselves.”
- Franz Kafka

Epitome

There is no such a thing as flawless anime, even those that are considered masterpieces are not perfect in every inch. Which is completely fine as being perfect in everything isn’t what really makes an anime special. As the real good anime aren’t built to be special or perfect. They makes the viewer feel special and awakens something magical inside them. That conquers all boundaries, by fulfilling our soul with warmth satisfaction and as it merges with cold harrowing nerves recollections that riddles through bones. By the time this mixture of emotions reconciles and reaches our heart, an enlightened sense of peace possesses our mind.

Only a few titles can reach this level of absolute exhilaration and pureness.

“You cannot truly feel the enlightening warmth of the summer without living through the darkling coldness of winter’s.”

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End didn’t even came close to this feeling. Which not surprising considering and truly comprehending its core values. As Frieren has took itself way too seriously and self-persuaded that it is above all things considered. While it is smart and cleverly written. It couldn’t possessed nor was able to show anything remarkable or refreshing that other titles haven’t already did without being so sentimentally intrigued nor had to included even a single fight scene. Neither had to show a millions of flashbacks just to make us feel something.

While people acting like Frieren invented a whole new level of the Sol-Adventure. In reality, it just used the same old formula in a super safe and smartly manner. It presented itself as a superior etiquette while it basically just copied straight away from Violet Evergarden cover picture.

Conclusion

At the end, judging this anime without looking neither of its backgrounds nor its cover and strictly what it provides. I genuinely don’t see the appeal behind its generic and monotonous concept. Perhaps it can be enjoyed by a few individuals, but not for its characters and neither for its story.

It’s impressive that this show was able to convinces the viewer that they’re watching something new, something unique while in reality they are just watched another cliched themes utilized smartly. Because Frieren is indeed cleverly written and executed. Proportionally contains slice of life, sentimental messages and action that visualize a flowing harmony on its surface.

In my view however, I sense great confidence surrounding over it on the outside, overlaying the unfenced emptiness on its inside.

Therefore in my eyes, Frieren is just as close to masterpiece as it is close to pathetic.

Final Score 5/10 ⭐️

TLDR; Frieren is the most shallow, empty and simple anime ever to engross the number 1 spot and officially became the harbinger of an end to an era. The fact that this is going to be the face of the anime is just pure madness.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review!

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.

I was bamboozled, lied to and deceived about this anime. With the amount of people raving and ranting about how good this anime was, obviously it piqued my interest and I just had to give it a shot.

Episode 1...boring. Episode 2.... boring. Let me keep watching because surely by the 7th episode the story will get interesting. By the time I realized that reviews about this anime were nothing short of lies from the pit of hell, I had already wasted precious time and watched seven episodes.

Words like "masterpiece" "fresh" "unique" were used to describe this story. What the heck is fresh and unique about ... an old elf going from village to village reminiscing about her dead friends?

The characters: 1/10 A boring elf and extras that are unremarkable.
The plot: 2/10 There was no plot. They wander from place to place talking about the good old days. Boring.
The art/style: 5/10 Decent, nothing too different from the average fantasy anime.
Overall story: 0/10 The fact that this anime is rated highly eludes me. First it was full metal alchemist, now its frieren. I would rather vacuum the pacific ocean than be forced to watch the rest of this anime.

Wow

No major spoilers, promise. But I need to rant.

I don't know where to start. This is a story about the past, where they CONSTANTLY reference the past. It's not so bad, at first. But the past becomes so much of a regular it feels almost like I missed the main story and am watching the aftermath story. Which is ok, so if that's what the author went for, I applaud you.

Frieren is probably my least favorite protagonist character ever. She has zero development over a hundred years she's exactly the same then as is she now. Which if that's so, and she lives ... so long, why am I watching this? Incredibly boring character with no agenda. The supporting characters are decent, but they don't do enough to make this worth anything.

I just don't see the hype. It's definitely different, and if that's what you're seeking, this is right up your alley. But otherwise I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

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.

This is a story for people who have been grieving, people who had to see their loved ones grow old and die, people who feel the passage of time around them and who noticed too late that they maybe didn't know all there was to know about their loved ones.

If any of this applies to you, you will rarely see an anime that understands those feelings as well as Sousou no Frieren.

While the main plot seems heavy in theory, it is rather lighthearted in execution. We get to see the main character make new friends and connections just as much as we see ... her thinking about the past. There is even the occasional, well-timed, comic-relief.

Whiile the series is slow, it did not get boring. The deeper themes keep it interesting so far.

Art and Animation, Soundtrack and Characters are all very good.

Did not like. Felt like it was written by someone who has faked their way to top or only are there because they specialize in character design or something. Story was horrible. Each episode was mind bogglingly boring and bereft of meaning to the point I was questioning if this was written by a toddler. My time was utterly wasted. Other than some cute looking characters and animation, this show had nothing to offer. It was so empty and parody-like that I have no idea how it got the rating that it has. It is horrible in too many ways. Do not recommend. It will ... piss you off if you're looking for any depth in stories.

From someone who's enjoyed MHA quite a lot for its quality in creating compelling characters and a gripping plot line, I highly recommend you skip this one.

Frieren's overwhelmingly positive reception is mostly due to the hype and the memes associated with it rather than its own merits, as is evidenced by how discourse about the series completely fell off of a cliff shortly after its conclusion.
Compare this to other shows in this site - FMA, Steins;Gate, Attack on Titan, Death Note, Higurashi, and so on, which still have people consistently talking and watching them to this day. Once you put aside the whole hype train, Frieren on its own is simply a standard (if not generic) fantasy show carried by its production quality and art, and it's quite apparent. Which ... makes me believe most people (willingly? unwillingly?) imposed into this show a version of itself that does not exist. (though the discourse will come back once the second season airs, but it will inevitably be more muted)

The supposed themes this show carries are at best vestigial. The themes of mortality, the passage of time, and "learning how to live" are only really present in the first two or three episodes, and from then onwards the show loses its philosophical depth. That's not inherently a bad thing, but tons of people pretend as if this is the anime version of Subahibi. It's not, and all the backstory and supposed depth given to the characters are eventually tossed aside for simplified versions made for audience appeal. It doesn't last a single episode - you learn their backstory and it's back to antics as usual. Frieren does le silly face! Fern is le pouting! Stark is getting le hit! Everything you learn about the main cast seems to be cosmetic, and (so far) does not really play into anything in a grander scale. The show appears unsure of what it wants to be, whether it be something deeper or something made for mass appeal, placing it in a weird limbo.

This is not a bad show, but it's also not a *great* show. The things it tries to do have been done better elsewhere, and this series' popularity and framing makes me believe it will not have a conclusion anytime soon as it's in the best interests of the upper management to keep the ball running for as long as possible until revenue runs out, which can only really be bad for the story itself. My heart can only go out to Abe Tsukasa and Yamada Kanehito if this is really the case and not just me being a pessimistic cunt.

Overall, I give this a "mixed feelings" because, at least for me, this is not what is advertised - which is not inherently a bad thing but when it's on the level of being rated far higher than so many actual greats, it kinda *has* to live up to these expectations. A decent to good show at best, which somehow ended up with people collectively imposing into it a masterpiece that does not exist.

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.

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

Time is a precious thing. The most valuable resource in life. We never know how much of it we have, and we can never get more of it. So, what would you do if you had all the time in the world? Sousou no Frieren explores this concept in a way never before seen in the medium, all the while having generational production values, loveable characters, realistic life lessons and a proper grand fantasy premise. It’s not hard to see why this is one of the biggest anime in recent memory and it’s well deserved.

I know there can be a general trepidation to accept the ... hype of series like Frieren. It’s everywhere, everyone’s talking about it and you’ve probably seen the characters on social media. But I promise it’s warranted in this case. Frieren’s appeal for most people, myself included, will be the themes of loss and regret. As we get older we really begin to feel the impermanence of life. Whether it’s losing family members or friends, or just drifting apart from people we were once close with. Time changes everything and that’s scary. But, that doesn’t mean that we should shut ourselves off from the world. While life and relationships will come to an end, they have meaning. In fact, it’s because they end that they do have meaning. The good days we experience won’t be here forever, so we have to cherish them.

Frieren as a character is a nigh immortal elf, who after millennia of shutting herself off from the world, has begun to open up and embrace the world. All thanks to the journey and experiences she had as part of the hero’s party. The story uses both the past and present to illustrate Frieren’s growth, often bouncing back and forth between her days as a member of the hero’s party, and her current time with her students Fern and Stark. Often something will come up and remind her of the days now long past that she spent with Hero Himmel. Offering a sort of window into her slowly “melting” heart. Speaking of melting, “Frieren” means cold in German, more on that later though. Through these flashbacks, we see Frieren gradually realise that she valued her time with her friends much more than she could have ever imagined. She goes from thinking that a human lifetime is insignificant to her, to realising it’s not the length of time, but the quality of it. Even now, nearly a century on from their meeting, Himmel and her other friends are front and centre on her mind.

For me, that’s what makes this one so special. Pieces of media that I can take lessons from and apply to my own life always resonate the most, and I’m sure I’m not alone. While we may not have the lifespan of Frieren, there’s moments that all of us wish we could get back, people we wish we could talk to and tell how much we love them, etc. Though, perhaps the biggest takeaway is that while we can’t get time back from the past and we can’t undo our mistakes, we can learn from them. We can be better for the future and for those around us now. Frieren embraces this idea by taking on her former party members’ students, Fern and Stark, and going on a traditional grand fantasy adventure with them.

Earlier I referenced the importance of Frieren’s name to the story, that’s a recurring theme for the entire cast as they all have German names corresponding to their character traits. Some, like “Übel” and “stark” are a little too on the money, but others like “Fern” are subtle and reflect the character’s purpose in the story. I found them to be nice nods and really enjoyed seeing how characters evolved with their names.

The other big thing to talk about is the character interactions. Other than the life lessons, I think most people will really enjoy how the characters bounce off one another in the show. The dialogue doesn’t feel cringe or forced, the seiyuus talk in realistic every day voices for the most part, and it truly feels like you’re on a journey with a group of friends. There may be fights and disagreements, *cough cough* Fern and Stark, but at the end of the day everyone realises how important their friends are and make up.

I could go on and on about the story and characters, but I’ll spare you on that. Suffice to say it’s good. It’s simple, well paced and no arc overstays its welcome. Episodes don’t harp on one thing too long either like a lot of modern anime. Characters talk out their issues instead of hiding them and letting them explode. It feels about as real as a high fantasy setting can, and I think that’s some of the highest praise possible. Frieren just manages to do all the simple things really really well and as a result, it’s become one of the biggest anime.

The other massive component of the situation is studio MADHOUSE. After their bankruptcy, they’ve been kind of hit or miss with anime projects, but dare I say it this is the best thing they’ve ever done. It truly feels like they’ve risen from the ashes and not just returned to former glory, but exceeded it. Thanks in no small part to the director, Saito Keiichiro. Saito-Sensei himself proposed the idea of a Frieren anime after reading the first volume of the manga and falling in love with it. It shows. From the art to the character designs to action scenes, this world has been meticulously crafted with so much love and care and stands as a shining example of what a director with a clear vision and a supportive production committee can do. Something we don’t get nearly enough of these days. While Frieren is a slower paced story at times, there is definitely action and when it pops up it’s incredible. The animation during fights is among the best I’ve ever seen, and if we’re counting TV anime only, surely has to be top 3.

If we’re talking production we also can’t forget about the work Evan Call did on the series. Adding so much emotional weight to scenes and heightening the experience. He was amazing in Violet Evergarden and even better here. The show would certainly not be the same without him.

In conclusion, Sousou no Frieren is a riveting and enchanting fantasy story that we can all stand to learn a thing or two from. Even those who are not traditional fantasy or slice of life fans will find something to love here, even if it’s just Frieren getting trapped in a mimic chest. It’s a must watch.

Frieren gets a very easy 10, out of 10

Firstly, I don't want to stir up controversy, Sou Sou no Frieren is an okay-ish anime with “many” good points. However, there are many other anime that are significantly better than Sou Sou no Frieren, and here are the reasons why.

1. Boring Characters

Frieren is an intriguing elf with a long lifespan who doesn’t really value her time, as you can see in some episodes. Eventually, after people she knows start to pass away, she begins to rethink her life. However, she doesn’t reveal much about herself, and so on throughout the story, this becomes quite boring. The other characters in the anime aren’t much better. ... They are totally forgettable and nor do they change or develop, making it hard to get invested in them. It feels like they are just there, not adding much to the overall experience.

Stark & Fern

Tbh, I don’t really understand why Stark and Fern are so popular. They feel like filler characters who make the story dull. All they do is fight over the stupidest things, which eventually becomes annoying.

2. Non-existent plot and story
The story moves as fast as watching grass grow. The journey starts after the hero’s party defeats the demon king and parts ways, which is at first interesting since a lot of anime take the opposite approach. Instead It’s filled with dull, repetitive stuff, as you keep watching and hoping for something "interesting" to happen (Spoiler Alert it doesn't). No surprises, no excitement, no nothing. Personally I think that Sou Sou no frieren lacks the WOW factor like any other anime. From the beginning to the end, around 20 eps-ish that make me feel like I'm watching an high rated anime but still it does not compare to other great anime.

3. The Pacing
As I mentioned before, the pacing is all over the place. Some parts drag on endlessly (like spending 2-3 eps just to find a flower to put on an old statue), while others are rushed through without giving any time to understand the characters (for example, the background of Frieren and her friends like I still don't really know 'til this point). This inconsistency makes it difficult to enjoy or feel profoundly engaged with the story.

In summary, Sou Sou no Frieren is a huge disappointment and a waste of time. My BIGGEST ADVICE is to save your time and invest it in something that actually delivers on its promise.

This is got to be the most overrated thing i have ever seen. Not just MAL but other forums are also going crazy over this for no good reason. I bet most people who were disappointed with this show was due to this hype. I was.

Firstly Frieren does have good ost and great animation. The concept is also new compared to isekai and generic shounen. It is fine on that front. It has some wholesome moments. All over the story is ok. BUT THAT IS IT. PERIOD.

Characters are OUTRIGHTLY BORING AND FLAT. There is absolutely nothing interesting about them, frieren is not a good ... example of someone who has lived 1000+ years, fern and stark are the most generic characters ever, neither have an ounce of complexity in them. Himmel and his party members are idealistic heroes. I remember someone bringing this up online, and they were told oh the characters are not exaggerated like other anime characters. Forget exaggerated, characters in this show do not even feel human. Humans in general have more range of emotions and are much more complex than the cast of Frieren. I cannot even imagine how complex an elf should be, but here all of them are like a pre-programmed robot.

Then comes the world building. Some people actually say that this is next to JRR Tolkien. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? There can be no greater insult to LOTR than this. This show has picked the most used world building ever, which btw Tolkien established. The hero, dark lord, elves, dwarves, pray tell me what is "unique" about this. People are going on and on about the legend or masterpiece this show is. No it is not. The anime should at least try to create its own world before trying to become a masterpiece.

All this hype is really wasted on this show. I feel like as if people do not have good taste anymore, they do not understand the meaning of words legend or masterpiece. They just want the most "safe" show, with nothing controversial, which does not require a lot of braincells to understand it. You can just watch stuff like this and forget it next day. There is no depth, no complexity, no thrill in Frieren. Its just a mid show which came at the right time.

I love anime mostly for the innovation it brings, the other shows which people call big 3 or masterpieces or previous number 1 FMAB (i am not a huge FMAB fan, so its not like i am bitter about the ranking and writing this) have all put effort in world building and characters. And to top it they have unique premise, great ost, animation and story. They might not be without flaws, but they are popular for a reason. They are well balanced, while frieren is either mid or bad in everything. For me characters and world building are very important. The story can be slow or take a direction fans might not like. I am ok with all that and the author has the right to write what they want to. But i judge these two things strictly. If you are like me, please do not waste your time like i did. Its a 5/10.