Review of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

What does one do when they live for thousands of years while others around them live for a short time? The main character said repeatedly “I’ve lived a long time but haven’t done much with my life,” having done more than most and not feeling value in it. The double entendre of her name “Sousou” was genius. There’s “sou 送” which means 'to send' and “sou 葬” which means 'funeral.' She is Sousou the “slayer” who sends enemies to their deaths and Sousou the adventurer who sends off her companions at their honorable funerals. With the lifespan disparity, one develops a sense and value oftime that's different than those who don't have time. One finds it hard to make friends and fall in love only to one day say “goodbye.” One watches countries rise and fall. One may spend copious years immersed in an eccentric hobby as they have the extra time. While people make the most of life seeing it as fleeting, Frieren has difficulty feeling the same, but her beloved companion said in the anime "death is not our only goodbye."

The anime shows the development of characters into adulthood and the associated nostalgia. As the movie Inside Out 2 once quoted “maybe that’s what happens when you grow up - you feel less joy,” this anime explores what its like feeling unloved and then finding happiness and kindness from others. It delves into the value of making the most of time in life, appreciating the company of others, finding happiness in the daily moments of life, and the meaning of life and afterlife in general. It's about cataloguing memories, building memorials, and fulfilling promises to the dead… all set in a world as if Dungeons and Dragons was an anime set in a Germany-like place. It pushes against common genres by being the afterstory of what was the climax that already occurred - killing the Demon King. It’s a painted canvas that looks best from afar- breaking it into its individual parts does not give it justice, but the sum of those parts is wonderful. It was a bittersweet moment when we finished the last episode.