Review of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
I always appreciate the opportunity to gush on something that is already so well beloved, mostly because I know that most of the things that I'll say have probably already been said. Even if I'm just repeating them, there's nothing wrong with more positive vibes in the ether, right? Anyways, this anime is simply incredible. It is the ultimate antithesis of doomerism, a seemingly bottomless well of hopium. It's a story about moving onwards with your life. It's about cherishing the good memories you have and using them to shape a better future. For yourself, your friends, strangers, and more. This is only a small partof its desire for positivity, as the story perfectly utilises its worldbuilding and characters to tell a variety of messages and life lessons. Thus, any growthful impact that the audience may feel directly correlates to the onscreen character, whoever it is, that is the topic of its arc. The anime is incredibly adept at fleshing out pretty much every character that plays a role in the story, letting them grow as a byproduct of interacting with one another. It naturally has many small story arcs, and yet it paces itself so well, it's hard to believe that so many impactful moments happened in its runtime.
The journey that is the subject of the subtitle has indeed ended when the anime starts, and yet it continues to be told, as Frieren's latest adventure mirrors the past and she indulges in reminiscing about it. It's as if we have dual narratives going on, and yet it's only an illusion brought by very well-timed and numerous flashbacks. The anime way of using timeskips and flashbacks also emulates Frieren's perception of time to great effect; it makes you understand just how different it is from our perception, and much of the emotional weight would not have been felt so strongly without them. All I'm saying is thank god Frieren seems to have a great memory; Himmel the Hero deserves every bit of screentime that her mind allows.
Top all of that off with high production value, great animation and a surprisingly memorable soundtrack, it's hard to not enjoy every moment of it. And this anime probably has the highest tears-shed-per-minute count in any anime I ever watched by a long shot, haha.
Every once in a while, there are remarkable works of art that make some folks feel lucky for being born in time to experience their zeitgeist. Or at least that's what people say. I find it difficult to feel such euphoria. But Frieren is definitely the closest thing to that phenomenon for me.