Review of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Every now and again, there comes along a show (or film, book, album - whatever you like) which frankly puts other titles in the genre to absolute shame. Frieren is 100% one of those. Everything about this anime is well done - so much so, that it is a real struggle to find much to criticise. The vast majority of characters are legitimately interesting, the OST is absolutely killer (no surprises there, well done Evan Call), animation is fluid, the artstyle is beautiful beyond belief, and the voice acting is superb. The show attempts to create some rules and explanations for the intricacies of its magic system,which comes across well; it's certainly better than the usual approach of just having characters verbalise random incantations and big explosions ensue.

Feelings of melancholy are prevalent throughout, with flashbacks to the 'old days' being a frequent occurrence, but not in an annoying fashion which ruins pacing - rather, it gives us a window into how much journeying with the old party has deeply affected Frieren.

That being said, there are plenty of humorous moments, without ruining the overall tone.

Fanservice = practically zero (if any). Thank goodness.

There are a couple of points which may turn off watchers expecting a certain type of shonen:
- It never truly feels like the characters are in any significant peril
- Pacing. Frieren moves at its own pace and definitely is not constantly high-octane

A few shows over the years have dared to briefly topple FMAB from atop its throne, but Frieren looks like it's here to stay - deservedly so. Bring on S2!

Plot: 9
Characters: 9
Animation: 10
Soundtrack: 9.5
Enjoyment: 10