Review of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

This anime is a very casual experience with a little something for everyone, there is some slice of life elements, some cool battles and memorable heartfelt characters that give off the energy real people would. Most named characters in Sousou no Frieren feel like complex characters akin to people. Once they have been introduced characters seem simple but usually give off the energy of main characters. They all seem like real people with real thoughts and emotions, people you'd like to actually have conversations with and go on a journey of your own. Enough gushing about the character writing though. Sousou no Frieren is a storythat reminds us to cherish the friends and people we meet in life, because you never know when you will be saying goodbye forever. Honestly the first few episodes had me tearing up personally from how real the emotional weight Frieren seems to bear. That is not to say the story is genuinely intense in any way, you could binge this or watch an episode sporadically for a month or so, the themes are somewhat understated. There are some cliffhanger episodes but for the most part it is very easy to casually enjoy Frieren. This anime is not for everyone, to sort of quote something from the show itself it takes place in an era of peace. People do use magic to fight, but they also use it for casual things like making a field of flowers or to perfectly wash laundry. It is a tool to be used at your discretion. It is not a shounen in any way, when someone threatens to kill someone it doesn't feel like a typical line, it feels like a genuine threat you are meant to take with real caution because it doesn't happen lightly. Though it isn't necessarily a seinen either, there isnt really a lot of dark themes or moments meant to shock or disgust. It is a mature story that some people might find a little boring overall but I do not give it a 10 lightly. It really is a very well rounded story, grounded in a sense of reality with mature themes that are akin to something you'd read in a memoir/autobiography.

Sousou no Frieren's uniqueness is in its fresh take on an old story and how it seamlessly flows as a story of someone with such an incredible lifespan as an elf. Coupled with a refreshing story on taking time to smell the roses and cherish the time you have both with yourself and other people. Also it has a BANGER ending theme song, listened to it on a weekly basis for 6 months. Beautiful song with plot relevancy, excellent scoring and animations to go along with it.

Animation: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Story: 10/10
Pacing: 9.9/10 (little slow sometimes)
Overall: 10/10