Look! It’s a delightfully powerful 1000-year-old elf mage with superb dank meme aesthetics! You know, the character considered by many as one of the most iconic protagonists of the 2020s! From a fantasy flick that many liken to J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings and is considered as a refreshing take on the genre, especially in a world where isekai stories with ridiculous, oft-recycled plotlines are relentlessly being put out to no end! Not to mention, did I mention she hates demons and will not mince words of stern rebuke against them (2 Corinthians 6:14-15, Psalm 26:5, St. James 4:7)? Such are the ways I would describe Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, which came out last October and has taken everyone by storm. At first glance, this might seem familiar to other shows like Konosuba, That Time I Reincarnated As A Slime, or Rising Of The Shield Hero – but with that presumption comes a lot to unpack.
Frieren: Beyond Dank Memes Journey’s End
– Frieren The Gamer, probably
What if I told you Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End was not supposed to be a serious tale at first? Believe it or not, its creators, Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe, originally wanted it to be a gag series about an immortal elf mage obsessed with demon-slaying, before settling on a more humanized story after coming up with the design of the character. Gradually, the story began to take a more complex formation compared to their original idea, as they started making Frieren go on adventures to other places and solving everyday problems, while tackling the fleeting value of life. The show’s title came as a result of an in-house company contest, with the best entry getting 10,000 yen – which, oddly enough went to Yamada’s boss who proposed it. The manga began in April 2020, currently ongoing at 13 volumes; but the anime, produced by Madhouse, has seen immense popularity in the months since running from September 2023 to March 2024.
Those who liked the series commented on its roundabout plot formation, focusing not so much on the journey as with Frieren’s character development and life experiences; sidelining the action in favour of generating spectacular emotional scenes. For that reason, it has been considered a strong frontrunner for best anime of 2023-24; in fact, both the manga and anime are being evaluated for several accolades.
Story
Frieren, the eponymous elf mage, is part of a four-person adventuring party consisting of Himmel, a knight; Heiter, a priest (I’m going to cosplay a Latinized version of him wearing a biretta – tsk tsk!) and Eisen, a dwarf. Prior to the events of the series, they were sent out to defeat the Demon King, a monster who for previous centuries had been ravaging their homeland. As seen in the first episode, they defeated him, and part their ways, with Frieren heading off to pursue her hobby of finding other magical spells and grimoires to collect, planning to meet 50 years later. Being immortal, those years pass by in a twinkle of an eye, with Heiter and Himmel having grown old and sentimental in the years since. Unfortunately, shortly after their reunion, where they witness a cavalcade of shooting stars, Himmel dies and is given a state funeral, for which Frieren mourns at having taken his feelings and goofiness for granted. She thus embarks on a journey to discover humanity by retracing the steps of her old adventure, in the process coming upon an orphaned girl named Fern from Heiter after he passes, who she takes as her magic student, and later, as her de facto caretaker.
Hijinks ensue, such as:
- Helping Stark, a warrior who once trained with Eisen and is hailed by his town as a protector, unaware of his actual cowardly persona, gain confidence and defeat a dragon
- Going to free one of the Demon King’s generals, Qual, just so they can troll him with a killing move named Zoltraak
- Getting embroiled against a demonic conspiracy led by one Aura the Guillotine to take over a town and kill its leader, Graf Granat
- Travelling through a frozen wasteland and coming across Kraft and Sein, two clerics the latter of which must overcome deep-seated regrets about not going with his best friend, nicknamed the Gorilla Warrior, on a fantastic adventure
- Helping Stark imitate a baron’s deceased son for a palace social event
- Numerous awkward moments of strife and heartwarmingness between Stark and Fern
- Frieren, Stark and Fern meeting with other skilled mages to pass three challenges of the First Class Mage Examination, in order to get a permit to pass to another northern town centered in dangerous territory
Along the way, Frieren’s current and past journeys intertwine with various flashbacks of the latter, some of which help ascertain the predicament she is facing, and apply the experiences of that time to the modern, to uplift, relive the good times, cement her legacy, and give assurance of her purpose.
What I Liked
- The way they set up the story is so ingenious and unique! The first episode has things begin from the end of one adventure, with the Demon King being defeated. This seems counter-intuitive at first, however I assure you, over time, this way it maximizes the focus on Frieren, with each flashback from that old adventure slowly unraveling with each episode, and molded in a way like it’s inviting us to relive it, as well as being very detailed and clear with what it’s about and how relevant they are to the task at hand.
- There’s so much funny in this show, with the jokes being simple and no need to go over-the-top like other flicks such as Konosuba. Simply seeing Frieren cook food like a witch while chanting “mix very well”, Fern dragging sleepy Frieren around, or Stark getting on Fern’s nerves is a delight. Even moments where Frieren’s doing something completely normal become this because of how eccentric she responds to it or by her looks. See her find rare treasure? Whereas Indiana Jones would put a serious look and investigate while Frieren will go all-out at the sight of it. The sight of Frieren and Fern flying in the sky comes off as very enchanting too with its fluid movements. In one episode, she’s carrying a book around and rather than carry it on her arms like a normal person, she straddles by covering her face with it. Amazing.
- It combines a great blend of action, slice-of-life, and coming-of-age-ish tropes, so there’s always something for different folks to enjoy. I personally like the parts where Frieren and the others dwell upon things of the mystical nature, and am quite glad the show acknowledged that, just as much as I get a kick out of seeing Frieren take down monsters while managing to look both nonchalant and adorable doing it. Fun fact – there’s even an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Immaculate Mother of God and Queen of Heaven, hanging around in episode 15.
- Fern and Stark’s dynamic is really wholesome to construct. Their interactions come off like they’ve known each other for so long in the way they respond to each other (like an old married couple) that brings the best out of Frieren’s party dynamic.
- Aura .vs. Frieren in episodes 9-10. In fact, the whole Lugner arc (episodes 6-10) is, to me, the series’ high point where the intrigue was delivered concisely, the battles were entertaining, and the story was fulfilling all the way to the end. It’s totally worth all the discussions it generated when the show first premiered.
What I Didn’t Like
- The third arc (First Class Mage Examination Arc, episodes 18-28) stumbled, this quality shown more apparent in the first and third tests. In the first, Frieren and Fern are matched with other candidates to capture a bird that can travel at the speed of sound. While bits of action were thrown in the mix, a lot of it was chock full of strategizing, statistical facts, and pining like I was watching an eternal timeout during the last minutes of a Super Bowl game. When they do finally make their move, it wasn’t anything spectacular. The interview with Serie was rushed and anti-climactic and when compared to say, Frieren’s flashbacks, least fulfilling in terms of additional thematic substance.
- Near the end Frieren is forced to defend herself against an elderly, embittered mage in episode 28 just so he could become “one of the greats”, so to speak. This part was completely pointless.
- For someone who’s considered the most feared mage of all time, and who likes spending her days collecting grimoires, Frieren’s magic arsenal seemed woefully scarce. I can only think of one instance where she puts one of her spells to test, and that was when she went to look for a lost ring that Himmel had given her (episode 14). I would have preferred to see more of them in action at least here and there, that way we can get a further scope into her abilities and not just her dank meme skills or the same repetitive Zoltraak. Or at least, have Fern showcase them in lieu of Frieren.
Characters
I really like how the protagonists are depicted, they’re a strong component of the show’s enjoyability. They’re three dimensional to a tee with personalities that are both engaging and endearing. They don’t shy from showing their strengths and weaknesses, to make them relatable with us. Frieren is the strongest elf mage and utmost demon slayer who unfortunately is dumb as rocks when it comes to detecting fake treasure chests and is prone to lazy mornings, which make for some really cute moments in between. But the show also explains why she’s like this, she’s only strong because it’s necessary and not because of revenge or ambition. She’s just vibing with the flow. Fern switches between a cute, observant yet sometimes easily irritated assistant mage, Sein brings moments of wisdom and mental weakness dispersed, while Stark combines Frieren and Fern’s respective aloofness and courage into one character. We see character development in Heiter as he ages, who realizes the error of his ways and his turn towards better things as life changes, more-so than Himmel or Eisen. But one thing that they don’t shy away from is being involved when they’re needed most; both as action-provokers or to rejuvenate us with a boost of hijinks.
As the final strength, the beauty of these characters can be seen because of their moral highlight; it’s like reading a classic novel and seeing them overlay the main message not just by walking through, but by exemplifying, them. That’s what makes this show so different so many other fantasy flicks where the main character just develops or merely rises from zero to hero; the characters take on a certain virtue, and are headstrong in pursuit of it. No matter how much they slip up, or face adversity, they will never deviate from that until they achieve completion of it with optimism, just like how Ohana does in Hanasaku Iroha, Yuzuru in Angel Beats, Nagisa from Assassination Classroom or Akko in Little Witch Academia, which are shows that I really loved throughout the years. It’s a really Biblical message and true to the spiritual life, whose masters, such as St. John of the Cross or Fr. Lorenzo Scupoli teach not to lose heart during our mastery of these virtues – “For a just man shall fall seven times and shall rise again” (Proverbs 24:16). Not even the demons are spared from this, rather than being shown as sympathetic they’re outright evil and irredeemable, which itself acts as an exhortation: “Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence… For the Lord knoweth the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.” (Psalm 1:1,6)
Speaking of non-protagonists, I will say that the characters I liked most were the likes of some of the First Class Mage Exam candidates like Ubel, Lawine, Denken as well as Sense and the village chief from episode 12 who conspicuously looks like Anya Forger’s isekai form. Those like Serie or Kanne were mostly pushovers.
Music
From the first episode, there was something I found masterful about the soundtrack. And I’m not one to usually pay attention to them when beginning a series, but this one was just so prevailing and evoking. It’s as if the music itself was just as prepared for the adventure as we are, for example: the scene of Himmel’s last adventure, then his funeral, and then the company departing after that, was undoubtedly majestically delivered, resembling in part with Go The Distance from Disney’s Hercules. Not only that, but it knows how to present the atmosphere of the medieval, lush landscape just by the cohort of instruments it uses. It’s fantastical, goofy, lively and epic, but also touching and soulful. I would argue, even if you didn’t like the show, it can’t be denied that the music is full of gold bits. Even more so for its vocal tracks. Its opening songs, Yuusha and Haru are kind of outlier-y, but I did like them; I mean as in, the former sounds like it fits for a Gundam series while if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought the second would be a Boku No Hero Academia insert. However, the ending song is most beautiful of them all. Anytime, Anywhere has lyrics that are perfect to describe Frieren, combined with soothing instrumentals fitting for the environment and the pitch is perfect, slow and right as a conclusion.
Special mention to the track below, which is full of grandeur and hearkens back to Man In The Iron Mask‘s (my favourite movie of all time) final song and the Shire theme. Screw Love Live, I think I found my new alarm clock sound to my Anime North weekend.
Favourites
Favourite character: Our glorious Traditionalist Catholic scholar, entrepreneur, spell hobbyist, dank meme gamer and mage, Frieren, is my favourite character. I can’t help but think “MEME” each time she shows up on screen, as well as being well-animated, calm, and chock full of a balance with adorable, goofy and gangsta moments. I mean, someone who knows how to play a whimsically sleep-obsessed elf and at the same time take down a demon with one hit is perfect. And let’s not forget all her dank meme faces. No surprise, she’s voiced by the same actor who does… Anya from SpyXFamily. Glorious.
Special place of honour goes to Fern; I love her personality and the way she reacts to Frieren and Stark’s nonsense. Whoever wrote her character needs a medal for making her very affectionate.
Favourite moment: Oh man, the list is too many. Every time Frieren makes her eyes-wide-shut smile (e.g. lying to Fern about buying something or getting permabanned from Serie’s chat for life), or her variation of a smug face in episode 12, Fern beating up Stark for lazing around (plus qt pout face), when she, Himmel and Eisen are fighting a dragon save for a wasted Heiter (episode 25), Frieren telling Aura to colloquially give her share of oxygen to someone else, permanently in episode 10, for instance. My favourite is when Heiter encourages Himmel, Eisen and Frieren to pray for the dead, followed by a discourse on Heaven. I’m a huge advocate for praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and seeing that struck a chord with me – after all, did not Christ say “Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me” (St. Matthew 25:40), and ought we not to extend that charity to our earthly neighbours, but also to those saved souls who came before us?
Favourite soundtrack: Frieren descending from the heavens to deliver judgement on the demons fits perfectly with this amazing theme.
Favourite quote: Kraft and Frieren’s discourse on God, which overlays with a flashback between that and Heiter’s. (I replaced “Goddess” with “God” in the script, for mere personal convenience)
Frieren: Kraft, why do you believe in a God?… Save for the age of mythology, He hasn’t shown up once in the history of the world.
Kraft: Hmmm… I used to think that. But I’m convinced He exists, from the bottom of my heart. No – it’s only logical that He must… for everyone I knew from my past life has died. I hope that one day, because of my deeds, He will reward me and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. Don’t you think it’s cruel to live a long life, but have it not remembered by anyone?
Frieren: Kraft, that’s just something we desire.
Kraft: Well… do you say the same goes for Heaven too?…
Heiter: …I was an orphan, too, once. I hope that by rebuilding this orphanage, God will reward me in the next life.
Frieren: Say, what now? You’re drinking now though.
Heiter: Frieren; tell me, do you have anyone to praise you?… If you’re not convinced about God, I’ll at least praise you instead.
Frieren: I haven’t done anything praiseworthy to talk about.
Heiter: What about your mana suppression skill? To me, that sounds like tremendous effort, something that would take a long time to accomplish…
Frieren recalls a conversation with Heiter, as well as with Kraft
We find in Frieren’s cohorts a laudable, desire to be with God. Realizing this, they dedicate every end of their works to Him and attach purpose to it. I would, however, add more: the reason why one follows Christ should not be just for reward, but rather, consider the words of St. John’s Epistle: “Dearly beloved, we are now the sons of God; and it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. We know, that, when he shall appear, we shall be like to him: because we shall see him as he is. And every one that hath this hope in him, sanctifieth himself, as he also is holy… And you know that he appeared to take away our sins, and in him there is no sin.” (1 John 3:2-5) Christ, being the model of perfection, was free from all personal sin or attribution of it, and thus do we strive to do as Him, so in Heaven we may rejoice in finally being perfected “as the angels” (St. Mark 12:25), and be free from worry or fault – which Catholics call the plentitude of the Beatific Vision. For that, we must “with fear and trembling work out your salvation.” (Philippians 2:12), constantly persevering to have God like He is in our rear-view mirror, until He calls us.
Conclusion
I’m always one to withhold approval until I personally see a show for myself, and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End was no exception. Having been told to see it, I saw: dank characters who are really fun, visuals that are full of vigour and pleasantries, storylines which have sense of beauty in word and practicality in transmission. Put together they make what I feel is the top candidate as the best, if not (thanks to Frieren’s wonderful characterization and embodiment of the human spirit of wonder and curiosity) memeifiable anime of 2023-24 so far. And that’s not the hype speaking for me. I really do feel that it stands out compared to other shows of this year. I regret nothing from spending my time watching this.
SCORE: 9/10
Bonus Stage: Dank Frieren Gallery!!!
BEHOLD THIS COLLECTION OF DANK FRIEREN IMAGES. BASK IN THE GLORY OF THESE ARTISTIC MASTERPIECES OF MEMEIFICATION. TRULY WE ARE NOT WORTHY OF SUCH A CHARACTER
The Traditional Catholic Weeb 