Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (or Sousou no Frieren in Japanese) is a Fall 2023 anime produced by studio Madhouse and directed by Keiichirou Saito. As many readers already know, Frieren took the Number 1 spot on MyAnimeList for quite a long time. As of December 2024, it’s still in first place. That means over half a million users voted on this anime and agreed it was one of the best in existence. For reference, it’s more popular than Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, and One Piece.

I think Frieren‘s incredible popularity is mostly due to two factors: 1) high production value (including excellent storytelling and animation); and 2) the way it subverts expectations about anime. There are many examples of the subversive nature of Frieren. One of my favorite examples is the way Frieren (the main character) embodies a well-written overpowered female character.

Usually, OP main characters in anime are male heroes in shounen shows. When there are OP female characters, they are often poorly written. Then there’s Frieren: a certified girl-boss of nearly impossible power, who also has realistic flaws and goes through amazing character growth. By proving there can be a well-written female OP character, Frieren subverted our expectations. That’s just another reason to love this anime. Now, I’ll break it down and review it from a more technical standpoint.

Article Contents

1. Story
2. Visuals
3. Audio
4. Characters
5. Personal Enjoyment
6. Overall Score

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Story

Score: 9/10

Frieren the Elf has lived for over a thousand years. For a mere decade of that vast lifetime, she was on a journey with a party of heroes. Together, they defeated the Demon King and freed the land. Over half a century later, the great Hero Himmel – one of Frieren’s companions – passes away. At his funeral, Frieren realizes that she barely knew Himmel and didn’t cherish their time together. This anime shows us Frieren’s journey to understand emotional connections with others.

The pacing in Frieren is unusual. The way time flows is also unique, and there are multiple time skips of varying lengths. For example, the first episode takes place over a period of at least fifty years. Several years after Himmel’s death, Frieren takes a magical apprentice – a human girl named Fern. Over the next few episodes, Fern grows from around age 8 to around age 16. Frieren and Fern travel together for several years before meeting Stark and officially adding him to their party. The examples go on and on.

Despite the bizarre nature of time in this anime, it’s not hard to follow along with what’s happening. After a time-skip, there are usually captions on screen detailing how much time has passed, using the death of Himmel as a marker. Frieren‘s pacing is good, especially considering that it’s not an action anime. (More on that in a bit.) Some fans didn’t like the mage test arc near the end of the season, but I found it quite entertaining. It had enough original elements to not seem like any kind of filler or overused plot trope.

A well-written anime often consists of a blend of several genres. In the case of Frieren, the main genres are fantasy, action/adventure, and SOL (Slice-of-Life). This is quite an unusual combination, since it means several episodes can pass without any kind of magical battle or intense danger. Some episodes just have Frieren and her friends living their lives and meeting different interesting people. Other episodes feature amazing fight scenes with demons or other mages. A lot of viewers found the variety appealing.

Frieren also features excellent content balance in other ways. For example, there are emotional scenes that will bring tears to your eyes, at least if you’re as empathetic as I am. In contrast, there are plenty of scenes containing good comedy. The humor probably isn’t the sort that will have you laughing out loud hysterically, but it made me smile and chuckle at many points.

So far, I would say Frieren deserves 8/10 for the story category. But in the end, I gave it a 9/10. Why? Because themes and messages are extremely important to me in any media. If the themes are good, I’ll definitely bump up the score. Frieren explores an assortment of classic and yet profound themes. These include time, mortality, social and emotional connections, religion and afterlife, grief and loss, courage, self-discovery, and personal meaning. On a final note for this section, Frieren is ultimately a character-driven tale. Nevertheless, its storytelling and theme exploration are top-notch.

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Visuals

Score: 9/10

Frieren features outstanding visuals. For some reason, I assumed this anime wasn’t very high-budget, but considering the excellent animation at certain points, it’s likely that a lot of money went into the visuals. The base art style is relatively simple, and still-shots are not always the most detailed or beautiful things to behold, but they are still well above average. Then, when it comes to action scenes, the animation is beautifully fluid and creative with good use of 3D panning. That’s where the budget went. Some of these fight scenes are so incredibly well-animated.

The color palate of Frieren is pleasant and easygoing, slightly more pastel than bold most of the time. However, in addition to pastel blue and other nature colors, there are also some very rich choices, such as Fern’s luscious purple hair. In this anime, colors usually say something about the character’s attitude. Frieren is pale with white hair and a lot of white on her outfits, suggesting a simpler and blander emotional nature. For another example, Stark’s bright red colors suggest youth and intense emotions.

The “special effects” and creatures in this anime are also generally excellent. Magic looks like colorful, light-based rays and shapes. It’s not the most imaginative way to depict magic, but it’s still impressive. The way magic shields look is interesting to me, with their lattice-work polygons of defense. I also love the dark, grainy look of the Zoltraak spell. Speaking of Zoltraak, many of the demons look cool. Most of the creatures in Frieren appear well-designed.

I did already touch on this a bit, but the character designs in general are memorable and appealing. Even characters who only appear in a few episodes, such as Lugner, look awesome. On a final note, the backgrounds, sets, and scenery in Frieren are all gorgeous most of the time. I absolutely love any scenes with flowers or forests in this anime. Frieren really gets the fantasy setting right.

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Audio

Score: 10/10

The music is chef’s kiss level of perfect in this anime. Let’s start with the first opening song: “Yuusha” by Yoasobi. If you know anything about anime music or Jpop, you probably already know that Yoasobi is a highly popular band in Japan. Their style uses a lot of vocaloid, keyboard, and fast tempos. I like all of Yoasobi’s songs that I’ve heard so far. “Yuusha” is no exception. It’s a catchy song that works perfectly for Frieren because it sounds upbeat but contains rather melancholy lyrics.

The opening song for Frieren’s second cour is “Haru (Sunny)” by Yorushika. While it’s an upbeat song with a strong and emotive chorus, I don’t like it as much as the first opening. As for the ending song, it’s the same throughout both cours of Frieren’s first season. (Well, during the second half, a different part of the same song plays.) Of course, I am referring to the beloved song “Anytime, Anywhere,” by Milet.

I’ve liked all Milet songs I’ve heard come up in anime songs, though that’s only a handful. The vocalist of Milet has a distinct and powerful voice capable of great pitch range. But “Anytime Anywhere” is by far the best Milet song I’ve ever heard. It’s emotional and beautiful, especially if you read translations of the Japanese lyrics. The song is literally perfect for Frieren and her story as she misses Himmel and learns to appreciate human connections. I can not state enough that this song is amazing.

The composer for Frieren was Evan Call, an American composer who currently works in Japan. I think his music is great, though perhaps not as iconic as that of, say, Hiroyuki Sawana or Kevin Penkin. Most of the OSTs in Frieren have a classical sound that works well for fantasy. The main theme even reminds me of a piece from a LOTR soundtrack. I don’t yet know the OST well enough to name favorites, but I remember enjoying the battle music throughout the anime.

I usually talk a lot about seiyuu, but for brevity’s sake, I’ll just make a few notes. The Japanese voice-acting is excellent for everyone. Atsumi Tanezaki played Frieren. I’ve loved this actress’ voice since I first heard her as Chise Hatori in The Ancient Magus’ Bride. She does amazing in all her roles. I also loved hearing Yuuichi Nakamura play Sein, and Lugner couldn’t have been voiced by anyone better than the sexy icon Junichi Suwabe. Last of all, Mariya Ise is a seiyuu who never fails to entertain. She plays Serie the elf. Clearly, the audio category is perfect.

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Characters

Score: 9/10

Character development is yet another category in which Frieren excels. Once you’re used to them, these characters are unforgettable. Most have fairly standard starting concepts – corrupt priest, mage girl, celebrated hero, etc. Some members of the Hero’s Party are literally named after their role: Eisen, for example, means “warrior” in German. Despite the simple concepts, these characters are extremely well-written. The writing shows us more about each character over time using flashbacks, behavior, and conversations.

In addition to being well-written, these characters are also usually likeable and relatable (though that will vary from person to person). For example, neurodivergent people like myself will often relate to Frieren given her difficulties with social cues and norms. Others will prefer Fern, admiring how she’s such a hard worker. I bet we all know at least one person of the “Himmel type,” – way too nice and virtuous for their own good.

Subversion of expectations is one of the key ingredients to Frieren‘s success as an anime. For example, take Stark. It’s not super unusual to have an anxiety-ridden warrior – that trope has existed since the Cowardly Lion. But with Stark, he doesn’t follow the path of characters like Zenitsu (Demon Slayer), who are consistently pathetic and annoying. Instead, he realistically grapples with his fears, and always comes through to bravely help his friends. For facing his fears, Stark is truly a strong man.

Frieren features fascinating characters, and the titular protagonist is no exception to the rule. Her character arc is about appreciating the small things and fostering good relationships, especially with her traveling companions. Frieren took Himmel for granted and now regrets it intensely. That’s why her main motivation is to see him again in Aureole, where the souls of the dead supposedly dwell. I also think Frieren is a great character to enjoy if you’re aromantic – or really anywhere on the asexual spectrum. Elves in this world are all that way.

The side characters and antagonists in Frieren are usually interesting and well-written, too. Lugner the demon, for instance, was a fascinating enemy. I also loved the story of the demon child which was told in a flashback. Serie and Flamme were great characters with intriguing histories. Additionally, I’m partial to many supporting characters from the Mage Exam Arc. That includes Kanne, Lawine, Land, and Ubel. They all have solid character concepts and see a good level of character growth.

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Personal Enjoyment

Score: 9/10

There was a lot to enjoy in this unusual anime. I’ll run through a few examples of elements I loved most. First of all, I liked the discussions about heaven and the Goddess. In the real world, I’m an atheist who doesn’t believe in any gods or afterlife. However, there’s no reason the Goddess couldn’t exist in the magical world of Frieren. It was interesting to see the different takes of the characters and the narrative as a whole regarding this topic. I disagree that people should believe things for comfort or convenience, but I also sympathize with those who need such beliefs.

Next, there’s the way Frieren as an anime handles time. With a main character who has lived at least a thousand years, we know right away that time and its passage will be important in this series. Frieren struggles to treasure humans and small, insignificant moments with them due to the time incongruence. Beyond that, this story also goes through a number of time-skips that could be anywhere from a few months to fifty years. There’s nothing normal about the way this anime handles time, and I like that.

I loved learning about the histories and connections between Serie, Frieren, and Flamme. Serie was one of my favorite characters. I think it’s mostly her voice and mannerisms, which make her seem more like a nonbinary elf than a girl. (I haven’t listened carefully to the Japanese yet to see what pronouns are used for this character.) The demons in this world are cool, skilled, and ruthless. I enjoy learning about their species. Additionally, I love how magic is similar to technology in the way it develops.

On a final note, my enjoyment of Frieren wasn’t all detached analysis of theoretical topics. This anime is also important to me for personal reasons, which I think I can quickly explain. I relate to Frieren and her journey because I experience something sort of similar. Unlike Frieren, my problem isn’t that I have too much time. Nevertheless, I struggle with appreciating the small things and forming new positive memories with people around me. Frieren has the same issue for different reasons. This anime helps remind me to live in the present moment.

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Overall Score

Score: 9.2/10.0

In case you haven’t read any of my reviews yet, the overall score is calculated by taking the mean or the average of the five scores for the five categories we discussed. Most of the anime series I watch land somewhere in the 7s range, which lower quality series scoring in the 6s. Excellent anime is typically in the 8s range, but only truly outstanding series make it to 9 or above in my system. So, according to me, Frieren is a masterpiece. As I already mentioned, many viewers agree with this. Frieren is still #1 on My Anime List, with a score of 9.32 (as of Dec 22nd, 2024).

You should watch Frieren if you want a well-made, thought-provoking anime with a classic fantasy setting. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the way it subtly subverts expectations, especially for those who are a bit tired of fantasy anime.

~Thanks for reading~

Written by 7Mononoke

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