Finshed Frieren this morning and absolutely adored this series! I firmly believe this is a fantastic series that deserves all the praise and more, it's a generational leap forward for the anime industry and creators alike; a resounding and deeply human story that borrows elements from Tolkien's Lord of The Rings and where the journey is the precipice of the story. Frieren starts off in a very unique setting and storytelling perspective, beginning at the end of Frieren's journey after she and her group have already defeated the demon king and have set in stone an era of peace to come. It's a very unique jumping off-point to Frieren's character and her involvement in this world, despite living for hundreds of years she is still in some ways detached and closed-off from others, and it is because of this that Frieren ends up stumbling on another journey with a new group of friends. All past events are revisited through important character beats and story developments, it's one of the few animes I've seen that effectively use flashbacks to heighten the emotional moments and create a beautiful cyclical form of storytelling.
I think the story here is really phenomenal and has incredible pacing, each episode is in service of the grand narrative and many moments feel small but they're purposefully done in that way. It's extremely Tolkien-esque in the way the journey matters more than the result, it's the experience you have with those around you and the memories you share that you remember. Above everything Frieren is a story about connection and memories and grief, and how they all culminate together and redefine what it means to live and carry on, it's an extremely simple and endearing story that is one of the best I've seen in this medium so far if not the best.
I have to highlight the staff and their incredible work throughout this masterpiece, from the music to the animation to the voice acting and more, every bit of it is done on a pristine level of excellence that I rarely tend to see excel so well. I feel generally really lucky and grateful to see this piece of work in a time of my life where I've grown fonder of quieter and subtle stories that don't focus on grandiose set pieces or complex intrigue plots but rather ones that focus on character first and story second, and that's ultimately what Frieren is about and what it excels at. Talking more about the technical aspects of the show it has fantastic music and animation, you can feel every pore of passion brought into this with Madhouse at the top of their game, and don't let the simple story fool you because the action set pieces here are some of the best I've seen, magic feels weighty and devastating and characters get hurt. It's a peaceful story for the most part and it's why when situations get tense you feel that energy deeply. The tone is masterfully balanced throughout and expectational all-around.
I really believe we're seeing a landmark moment in anime history with this one, it's rare to see something that is so universally beloved and rightfully so, and I believe Frieren hits so hard because it strikes at our fundamental aspects of ourselves: our memories and connection and identities, our fears and hopes and regrets, and our love and hate. Despite the effervescent magic systems and otherworldly beasts (all extremely cool in their own rights) Frieren is a deeply deep human story, where characters come front and center and the story is pushed and pulled by them and not the other way around. Especially in an age where I feel we're surrounded by animes that focus on large and complex stories it's extremely refreshing to see something like Frieren thrive, in fact I would even say because of the overexposure of other action-focused anime it makes Frieren all the more fresh and unique. Incredibly exciting to see this come to life and realized so incredibly well, I'm grateful to see stories like this being told and received so well. An endearing stunning masterpiece that is an essential viewing for all and one that I can't recommend enough.
Thank you for existing Frieren, I can't wait to see the rest of where your journey goes from here.
