Review of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

After squinting really hard for a very long time I have determined that Sousou no Frieren is most likely not an isekai. Sousou no Frieren is about a cute elf coming to terms with her autism as all her friends die. I've always been fascinated with the concept of a story taking place after the "main" story has concluded. In this case an elf named Frieren and her companions set out to defeat the demon king with the story picking up long after their victory. With the villain defeated and the world in an age of relative peace the story shifts focus- all of Frieren's mortalfriends are dying of old age. Regretting having taken her time with them for granted, she sets off on an adventure so she can know them better. She starts her journey by unwillingly taking on a young apprentice named Fern as they set out together to reach Aureole, a place rumored connect the living world with the afterlife. Conveniently, Aureole lies just past the demon king's old castle so Frieren and Fern can retrace the steps she took all those years ago. This creates a setup where in each episode Frieren can relive some of those memories and tell Fern about them. What a beautiful and restrained premise, I sure hope it won't get bogged down with arbitrary bullshit.

It's not long before Sousou no Frieren sabotages itself and becomes a tonally inconsistent mess by adding conflicting shounen tropes. It really starts with the introduction of the demon characters around episode 8. They are basically throw away villains just to show how strong the three main characters are. A dramatic battle ensues with the heroes looking down and out before the power of anime and friendship gives them the resolve to pull through to no one's surprise. There's even a point where Fern has one of the demons cornered dead to rights and lets them get away because there's "not enough time" or some other very contrived reason. All of this is to convey that hiding your power level is important because demons are dumb, and I guess I'm dumb to since the writers dedicated several episodes to explain this. In the later half of the season we get the Chuunin Exam arc but with magic at Hogwartz. Frieren and Fern enter a trial to become 1st class mages, but it's essentially a tournament arc where every character shouts their Bankai's name and proceed to explain to how it works in painstaking detail to their opponent.

Ignoring these are the same tropes that have been done to death, and ignoring they aren't particularly done well, why even have them in an otherwise slow-paced calming story about appreciating the people close to you? I enjoy when everything in a show- story, themes, atmosphere, aesthetics, etc. work towards a singular goal. I feel this is something most anime have forgotten how to do. I mean I get it, from a writer's or studio's perspective mixing multiple popular genre elements together, regardless of whether they fit, is probably what checks the most boxes to appeal to the largest demographic. I suppose it's hard to trust the audience will pay attention without action, fan service, or some other kind of unnecessary hook but I really wish they'd give us the benefit of the doubt sometimes.

There's a handful of other issues I had throughout Sousou no Frieren. Sometimes the slice of life antics, while not as conflicting as the shounen elements, can be just as predictable, the world building is your typical fantasy fare, and the fan service, while minimal by today's standards, isn't as seamlessly integrated as I'd like. The art, while well done when it comes to the "moe" aspect of the show, conflicts with the action and darker elements, tying back to the tonal issues. In particular the demon designs don't come across as menacing nor are they very inspired. They are not scary and some I actively want to stick my dick inside of. Compare that to the demons in Berserk, where only one of those things is true.

The characters are certainly what elevated Sousou no Frieren for me, and arguably worth the price of admission alone with most of the show's strengths revolving around their strong characterization. Frieren is perfectly depicted as an unmotivated and aloof genius mage. Likewise, Fern is perfectly depicted as the serious, responsible, but kindhearted prodigal student. The same goes for the rest of colorful cast which consists of a degenerate priest, a stern warrior dwarf, and many more, all of which I found to be endearing and charming. If I had to pick a weak link it would be Stark. Whether that's because I found his brash young warrior persona to be too trope-y or because he's not cute like Frieren and Fern I'm not entirely sure. Even then, he's not that bad and has his moments. For example, the romance between him and Fern is a fun dynamic.

At times Sousou no Frieren is a thoughtful look at the passage of time and the nature of relationships. Too often however it's the same shounen and slice of life shenanigans we've seen a hundred times. Admittedly it takes a lot skill and nuanced writing to make a story where action is not the centerpiece while still having enough of a satisfying overarching plot so that it doesn't come off as a meandering waste of time. Maybe there's no one in the industry with the talent to pull that off, maybe that's just me wishing the show was something it's not, or maybe I'm in the minority for wanting that to begin with. In the end, Sousou no Frieren is much like a sunrise- it's very pretty but not worth waking up early for.