Review of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
~~ A HellBent Half Arsed Review™ ~~ Overall Rating: 10/10 ----- Reason for watching? ----- As a long time fantasy enthusiast and magic lover I couldn't not watch it. Also it jumping to no.1 on MAL so quickly peaked my curiosity ----- Reason for finishing? ----- I don't think I even need a reason, it would've been a disservice to myself to not finish it. Everything about this show is a love letter to the Fantasy genre, and the love and care that went into every moment is palpable ----- Story: 8/10 ----- I'm always hesitant to give a rating on story for something that clearly has yet to finish it's arc,but what I will say is that while simple the premise is extremely captivating and never once lost my interest despite the show being, and I quote from other's I've heard, "side quests: the anime". The pacing was masterful as far as I'm concerned, any show that can keep me glued to the screen as effectively as Frieren did deserves praise
----- Art: 10/10 -----
Quite possibly the most beautiful piece of media I've ever seen. I'm not sure if that's recency bias speaking, but as of now I truly do believe it. I've seen some very pretty shows and very well animated scenes, but Frieren takes it to a whole other level. I was genuinely moved to tears on several occasions just because of how visually stunning it was, and that's not even mentioning the godly battle animation (or even tiny details like the way clothes moved so fluidly)
----- Sound: 9/10 -----
I wouldn't describe the OST as anything less than gorgeous. I've heard the opinion tossed around that it is generic, bland even - I didn't feel that even once. Nostalgic, sure. Reminiscent of classic fantasy tales, absolutely. Something that would be playing in the background as I'd join my friends for a game of DnD, 100%. I don't think it's fair to call it generic when it's clearly intentionally part of the whole aesthetic of the show, but that's just my opinion
----- Character: 10/10 -----
Himmel is my favourite male character of any show I've seen ever, and it's not even close. Frieren is a fantastic protagonist, and watching her journey of self discovery and growth is a wonderful experience and is written masterfully. I could go on and on and on about how much I love every single character, but that would very quickly devolve into heavy spoilers which I prefer to avoid. Point is, the character writing is incredible.
Add on top of that the fact that designs and VA performances are fantastic across the board and it should be pretty clear why it earns a confidant 10/10
----- Enjoyment: 10/10 -----
The first show I've ever seen where there wasn't a single moment that I was bored or uninterested. Peak entertainment, I'm not really sure what else there is to add. It made me laugh, it made me swoon and fall in love with it's characters, it made me cry (like, a lot), it made my jaw drop to the floor on several occasions. I'll say it again - Peak entertainment.
----- Rewatchability: Already done it -----
Not a lot to say really, I enjoyed it on the second watch albeit less than the first but that's expected. Give it another watch future me if you feel like crying or just being cosy with nostalgia
----- Afterthoughts -----
I hesitate to throw around the term masterpiece, since I don't believe in true perfection - this implies that there is not a thing that can be improved which I just don't think is possible to achieve. However, what I will happily say is that this is the closest I've ever felt to witnessing a perfect piece of media. If that's not worthy of a 10/10 I don't know what is
----- Disclaimer -----
A HellBent Half Arsed Review™ is for my own benefit, since I have a hard time remembering shows or why I liked them and I wanna document the journey through this massive anime watch list. To anyone other than future myself who stumbles across this somehow: I don't recommend you listen to me, I'm a dumbass