Review of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Review: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (I'll just be referring to the show as "Frieren" from now on) is a high-fantasy adventure anime following an Elf named Frieren many years after she and her party defeated the demon king and brought peace throughout the land. When attending a funeral for one of her former party members, she is confronted with the fact that she will outlive all of her friends. Frieren then sets out on a quest to collect spells, fulfill the last wishes of her old party, and to uncover the meaning of life. You may have recognized that, at the timeof this review, Frieren is by far the most well rated show on almost every platform, and I am here to say that that rating is completely justified. Frieren is a work of art that only comes around once in a decade.

Animation:
The animation in Frieren is absolutely breath-taking. Stylistically, it isn't too different from your typical high-fantasy anime, but its so much cleaner. The cinematography is next-level and the some of the action scenes are so jaw-dropping that I can only complain about them not being long enough! The last major fight in the show is so insanely well done, but its so brief that I was left dying for more.

Characters:
Frieren's greatest strength may be with its characters. Everyone in our main cast feels incredibly real and lived in.

Our main protagonist Frieren is an elf that has lived for a thousand years. Her long life has made her rather lazy, as important opportunities that are once in a lifetime for humans are more common for her. She struggles to grasp human emotions and can even be sociopathic at times. Despite this though, her brief experience as part of Himmel's party to defeat the demon king has left a profound impact on her, which immediately strikes you at the beginning of the show. Not even one episode in, and I was already completely invested in her character.

Himmel was the hero of the party who recruited Frieren and defeated the Demon King. He is shown mainly through flashbacks throughout the show. He is perhaps the pure embodiment of the classical hero whose kindness changed the lives of all those around him, especially Frieren. The flashbacks with him and his party are the emotional core of the show.

Fern is a young female human mage who is taken under Frieren's care. Ironically, she is the one who often takes care of Frieren. She is strong willed and seemly stoic, but actually gets easily offended. Her dynamic with Frieren, essentially being her caretaker, is always entertaining and funny, and is why she is a fan favorite.

Stark is a young man who was trained by Eisen, a dwarf warrior from Himmel's party who is still alive. He is very carefree and friendly. He seems cowardly at first, but is internally strong-willed and can confront any foe if he had to. He also shares a really funny and wholesome relationship with Fern. Unfortunately, he is side-lined by the second half of this season to focus more on Fern, Frieren, and a few important side characters.

Story:
Frieren's story isn't anything all that complicated, actually. It simply follow Frieren and her party as they bound with eachother and learn more about themselves. It is rather open-ended, and is used a vessel to explore the emotional fabric of our main cast. This is not to say that the story is weak. Its actually everything it needs to be. There is no filler in the show, and every scene has a purpose. Not a moment feels wasted or unnecessary. Despite being rather long for a season, 28 episodes, the show is still in its early stages, so there is still so much more to anticipate!

Overall:
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, is an absolutely incredible anime that has already become mandatory viewing within the anime medium. Its one of the most accessible shows out there, and practically everyone who has watched it has called it perfect. Frieren is one of the few shows I can easily recommend to everyone.

Final Score: 98/100