If there’s one thing that fully encapsulates the human experience, I think it would be all of the ‘hellos’ and ‘goodbyes’ that we give and receive throughout our time on Earth. Because human lives are so short, taking the time to share a greeting with another person is a small blessing. There are other small blessings, of course; laughter, sharing a meal, going on a nice walk, doing something kind for someone else, and learning new things all come to mind.
And when it comes to small blessings, learning to notice them is half the battle. Appreciating them is the second half of the battle. I’ve watched almost 500 different anime shows and films. In all that time spent, I never expected a series might teach me to be more grateful for the things I get to experience during the short amount of time I’m given on Earth.
I would say “here’s my review of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End“, but really, it’s a love letter to what I now feel is one of the best anime of all time.
Dear Frieren,
Frieren is based on the manga of the same name and was animated by Madhouse (Death Note, HunterxHunter, One Punch Man). The series follows an elf named Frieren, who is over 1,000 years old and possesses great magical power. When we first meet her, she has just concluded her 10-year-long quest with Himmel, the hero, Heiter, the priest and Eisen, the warrior, to defeat the Demon King. For Frieren, a decade is nothing, so she treats the time she spent with the party like a blip in her life.
But when 50 years pass and Himmel’s human body can no longer keep up, the stoic Frieren is suddenly overcome with emotion after his funeral. While only a short span for her, 10 years for a human is a large chunk of our lives. What Frieren didn’t realise during her time with the Hero’s party was that the people in it were dedicating themselves to having a true connection with Frieren. Meanwhile, for Frieren, at the time, the party was simply a group of people that existed to help her achieve her goal of finding new spells and magic.
At least, that’s what Frieren would want you to think. She quickly realises after Himmel’s death that she is now carrying pieces of him with her forever. Memories, emotions, experiences. In all the time they spent together, from the moment they said ‘hello’, to the moment they said ‘goodbye’, Frieren and Himmel had a connection. Not a unique one, mind you, but a connection common to all humans. A relationship.
And while relationships are complicated and unique to each person, they’re also very similar for humans as a whole. The way that these relationships grow like seedlings, from small acknowledgements, into tall trees with winding branches, as emotional bonds are formed. We see this throughout the series as Frieren, who once thought she knew nothing about Himmel, Heiter and Eisen, discovers, through her travels with her apprentice, Fern, and Stark, that her knowledge of these old friends is actually quite deep. And not only that, but she’s also building more connections with people every day. Frieren isn’t as cold as she once believed herself to be.
Seeing Frieren truly start to understand human mortality was like having a mirror held up to my face. It’s something that I’ve always known, but never really addressed, and this made me start seeing the beauty in things I might never have seen before. To be able to look at something and acknowledge and appreciate it as a part of my world, whether it’s food or art or a big tree, was like looking at the world with a fresh perspective.
A new party and a modern fantasy
While Frieren itself is a great tale of mortality, relationships, and the human experience, I think it’s difficult to get the full picture of the impact the series has had on viewers. It’s so… real.
High fantasy is often seen as a purely escapist genre represented by older works like The Lord of the Rings, but anime and manga as mediums have started to lead the charge on modern fantasy. Albeit, these modern fantasy series are fast-paced in an attempt to pull the reader along for the ride, no matter how ready they are.
This is where Frieren differs. It’s slow. It takes the same approach as high fantasy with its pacing. The scene is set, the characters are fleshed out. The mundane is made fantastical, but the viewer still needs to put in the hard work to get through a slow story, especially if they’re accustomed to modern tastes.
But it isn’t boring. Which is where the brilliance in Frieren lies. Kanehito Yamada’s story seamlessly blends high fantasy with modern tastes, constantly teasing the audience to follow along with the promise of an emotional tale that doesn’t rely on shock value or unnecessary action. And follow-along we do. It’s hard not to when you’re presented with a series that’s so well thought out. I applaud Yamada for achieving a difficult task, especially when we, as the audience, didn’t even realise what we were doing until we started engaging with the series.
With regards
While I love Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, my connection with it feels a lot more personal than other anime I’ve watched. I want to talk about it and recommend it to people, but at the same time, I want people to discover it on their own and have a watch experience similar to mine, where they can just sit and slowly take it all in.
I’m not sure if Frieren is the best anime of all time, but I know that it’s one of the best. I hope that in 10 years time, we’ll be able to look back on it fondly, similarly to anime like Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion – a true classic to be added into the unspoken anime Hall of Fame.
You can watch Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End on Crunchyroll now.
Image credit: Crunchyroll
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