Review of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
It's good. Very good. Solidly in the top three best anime ever made, right alongside Made in Abyss and Monogatari. We'll see in the future which one of the three comes out on top, as the Monogatari series is (sorta) ended, while Frieren has a few technical and thematic tightropes it needs to finish walking before I can confidently declare it the best. Made in Abyss executes slightly worse than either in the beginning, but has the raw potential to clinch the top spot if the ending executes well. Maybe. Frieren's strengths are in its characters, which are realistic, varied, and constantly growing both together andas individuals, and its mindblowingly good worldbuilding, mainly around how it treats time, magic, and demons. It also treats its corresponding themes (time, the journey, and evil) with incredible solidity and care. Both Frieren's choice of themes and execution on them hold up to the standards set by the best.
Now for a rant on media literacy, brought to you by the frustrating experience of reading through other reviews on this site.
"No character growth, generic characters"
"Bland setting"
"Contrived power system"
"Glacial pace"
Like, did we even watch the same show? Character and world-building are the anime's core strengths. You not getting that means you didn't actually watch it with an eye to learning anything, only for spectacle. Which is fine, we all love a good popcorn anime (I enjoy reading Salvos, which is peak popcorn fantasy), but why even write a review about how you dislike such a great piece of art because it isn't what you are used to? Write your review about what the art is, not what you want it to be. For example, I rate ''Eromanga sensei" and "Watamote" highly even though both are so repellent to me personally that I couldn't finish them. However, they both execute on their premise very well, and have interesting things to say, even if they squick me the fuck out.
Frieren isn't a popcorn anime. It's not an escapist fantasy anime. It's not an Isekai. Those are all great genres, genres that Frieren does not belong to. Stop reviewing it like it does.
The only valid criticism I've seen is that the show depicts demons as both people and irredeemably evil, which could be harmful if done incorrectly (nothing can, objectively, be both a person and irredeemably evil. Sentience implies an ability to change.). But like, that criticism is on slightly shaky ground with how well the manga tackles that theme in future arcs. By both portraying demons as more forces of nature than people, but also hinting at the possibility of redemption with how it treats demons like ~~spoiler redacted~~. It's a tightrope, sure, but the author is walking it well. For now.
Frieren is the first anime in years that has made me cry, that has challenged my beliefs and taught me something new. That has touched my heart. And it's beautifully animated and exquisitely paced to boot, elevating the source material in ways few anime ever achieve.
It's too early to call it the GOAT, but just like Fern it has limitless potential.