Review of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

SPOILERS PRESRNT! The anime "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" is, in my personal opinion, possibly the best fantasy anime I have seen so far. Well, after Avatar: The Last Airbender, of course (if it can be considered anime). Musical Accompaniment: The OST deeply immerses you in the story, and every step of Frieren feels like an adventure thanks to the excellent soundtrack. The composer has created melodies that, if not perfectly, then well highlight the emotional moments. The opening and ending themes are quite decent, but there’s nothing particularly standout about them. Also, the musical accompaniment strongly reminded me of The Witcher 2 and 3, with elements of fantasyand medieval aesthetics.

Visuals:
The visual aspect deserves special attention. Although I tend to be conservative about modern visuals in anime, I must note that it is done at an excellent level here. Scenes from the fragments of life outside of battles are filled with beautiful landscapes and animation. The visual effects during magical spells and battles are on par with high-quality production.

Plot:
The plot, while simple, is interesting. It tells the story of Frieren, an elven mage who was part of a team of heroes fighting against Evil. After defeating the demon, her teammates decide to part ways, and Frieren, starting her journey (24 years after the death of Hero Himmel), not understanding what it means to be alive from a human perspective and to cherish moments with people. However, gradually Frieren begins to realize the importance of human emotions, friendship, and the memories of those close to her who have passed away.

Characters:
The characters here deserve my respect. Both the main heroes and most of the secondary characters have their own stories, personalities, and development, as well as their own philosophies. For example: Fern is one of the mages and a main character, adopted by Heiter and entrusted to Frieren for guidance after his death. She has a curious and kind nature while also being sensitive and manipulative. Her name, Fern, in German means "far" or "distant," symbolizing her quest for self-discovery and overcoming limitations, reflecting Nietzschean ideas about searching for meaning and inner strength through struggles. As for a secondary character, Sein is a priest who dreamed of becoming an adventurer with his childhood friend but lost his sense of adventure after his friend went missing on a journey. However, under Frieren's influence, he briefly joins her party. He serves as a mediator for reconciling relationships but soon leaves the group in search of his lost friend. His name, Sein, in German means "being" or "existence," which corresponds to how Sein embodies the concept of being and awareness, exploring the meaning of existence and relationship to time—one aspect of Heideggerian philosophy. (It's quite a good yet somewhat clichéd concept to embed visible or subtle characteristics of characters into their names in a works).

Conclusion:
In conclusion, "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" is an anime that combines great animation, good music, and an interesting plot. I believe this title is worth watching for any fantasy genre lover. Although this anime may have its flaws, personally, besides some aesthetic inaccuracies, I noticed nothing else. In quality titles, it’s hard to spot negatives, if they exist at all.