Frieren is a bit of a banger! Early on, it was looking a bit rough, and it didn't really hook me in. In all honesty, I would have probably stopped watching it there. The premise itself is very interesting, though. Going through a second journey that retraces the first through the eyes of what is essentially an immortal. Not to mention her realizing she's fallen in love with Himmel but only after he died makes it all the more tragic. My first problem is how repetitive this gets. Go to town, help people, "Himmel memory unlocked," rinse and repeat. Like I get it, but at some point, it just becomes too repetitive. I'm glad it eventually shifted to other things such as her time before Himmel. I like how we got more of her backstory before Himmel, and the whole magic test part really changed things up right on time because I was just getting pretty tired of the formula at that point. What I really like more than anything, though, is the dynamic between all the characters. Watching Frieren teach and take care of Fern really established the mentor relationship and how eventually Fern is the one that has to make Frieren feel less like a mentor and mentee and more like friends. Stark is also a character I grew to like a lot, and I think he's gotten a lot of good development. His interaction with Fern is great as they go from being awkward to being actually really good friends. The little details add to it a lot. Right after they reconcile, you can see them talking with each other in the background as the focus of the scene is on Frieren and Sein. I love these kinds of details in the show. Just seeing how all the characters interact is really wholesome and really gets you invested with them. It's also cool to see that even though Frieren is the oldest, she still has a lot of new experiences and feelings to work through. I was also pleasantly surprised towards the end of the show with the magic test. I didn't expect to like the new characters very much, but they grew on me. That whole part really saved the show for me as the change of pace really broke off the very repetitive pattern from before. The whole art style and animation really sell the soft and relaxed feel of the show, almost too well. The action scenes were great and hype, but it almost felt like it didn't exactly fit with the style or vibes of the show. A very minor gripe, as I would have loved to see more action. I can see why people are moved by this show, but I didn't have that same reaction. It's great, but not life-changing or insanely moving for me personally. I still think the message is great and paints a very hopeful outlook on both life and death. It really is a must-watched.

8.2/10