Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Is an absolute masterpiece. It is proof that I can like new things. I put it in my '1A' tier with Gundam and Giant Robo: the Animation.
The gist of it is that there was a group of heroes that gathered to defeat 'the Demon King' eighty years prior. Two humans, a dwarf and an elf. Their feats were legendary, enough so that statues were built in their honor, they saved the land and everyone in it.
For Himmel and Heiter (paladin and priest), the two humans, and Eisen (warrior) the dwarf, it was the adventure of a lifetime. Their lives are shorter than Frieren (wizard) the elf, and she doesn't quite understand the passage of time. It was a quest that took ten years to complete. To humans and dwarves, this is a significant portion of their existences but for elves, it's next to nothiing. There is a part in the first episode where the heroes are separating after their victory has been celebrated and it's clear that their journey is over. She says 'I'll see you all in about 50 years' and goes off to look for rare and obscure spells. The other three sort of chuckle at this for obvious reasons: there is no guarantee that any of them will still be around in 50 years but that is just the way Frieren is.
When she does return, Himmel (the 'hero') is a wizened old man and she has a hard time with it. The group gathers to watch a star fall, an event equivalent to Haley's Comet, and shortly thereafter Himmel dies and is given a hero's funeral.
Frieren begins to understand what it is to lose people she never realized were close to her. She has regret and feels pain about it and this is something all new for her. She had all the time in the world but never really thought about how deep the bonds ran with those people. She wishes she'd taken the time to get to know Himmel better but now it's too late.
This is all just the first episode.
The series, at its core, is about understanding the relationships we forge through hard times. It's just as much about the mark you leave on the world by your deeds. Frieren will always remember what they did to save the world...but will anyone else? In a hundred years, will anyone even remember what the statues built in their honor are supposed to represent? Will anyone remember their deeds and honor those, or will they forget and be dismissive of the sacrifices made, the lives lost and the pain endured so that they could enjoy a quality of life they'd have otherwise been denied?
This is a story about memory and the fear of losing it.
Frieren learns, very early on, that one can travel north to 'the place where all souls gather' and it is, perhaps ironically, in the same place where the party slew the Demon King all those years ago. She decides to go there and talk with Himmel because she misses him now and, given the chance to speak with him again, is eager to see him once more.
Heiter and Eisen are too old to make that journey now but they each impart their wards to Frieren to take with her on her trip. Fern (best girl) is a young wizard that has been cared for by Heiter ever since she was orphaned and Stark, Eisen's student until they had a falling out, is an ax wielding young man that has all the talent in the world to be a great hero but none of the confidence. They are the avatars for the old party Frieren used to journey with and will carry the wills of their forebears into the future. I suspect that both Heiter and Eisen don't believe they will survive to see their young charges again so they are hoping to speak to them when they visit the place where souls gather just to see them one more time before they move on.
The story is about Frieren retracing her steps from that first great adventure eighty years ago and along the way, she receives epiphany after epiphany about the world and how she sees it after Himmel's great influence on her. And it's also about seeing if the world remembers what the original party did the same way she does. She always took it for granted that people would remember because she remembers. But everyone else has a shorter memory because they live shorter lives. So to is it for the sentiments they had and respect for the past. Life moves fast, even in communities where nothing at all seems to be happening.
It's a story of growth, evolution and the wisdom gained from experience.
It is a new story with an old soul.
The production values are 'god tier', as they say. The voice acting (Japanese only), soundtrack, animation, colors, art and pacing are all top notch. This is a thoughtful series that takes it time and has masterful pacing. The action is all but peerless in terms of its technical prowess, it's funny when it needs to be funny and no single sentiment overstays its welcome. It is a serious story but it also takes the time to be a little lighthearted in just the right moments. Frieren always falls for mimic traps and the comical way in which these predicaments are resolved never gets old.
The OST is among the best anime OST I've ever heard. It is on par with Susumu Hirasawa's excellent OST for Berserk from 1997. It is as good as anything Hiroyuki Sawano has done for Gundam. It is as good as the OST for Giant Robo: the Animation. Evan Call has composed a masterpiece and stands on its own as a magnificent album to enjoy for just about any occasion.
The voice acting is spot on for every character. Frieren sounds disinterested and aloof but she's just very subtle about what she says and how to say it. Fern is delightfully composed but has these ultra cute moments where she loses her temper over the silliest teenage quibbles and how it plays out is, dare I say it, adorable. But she's a force to be reckoned with and is hands down my favorite character in the story. Stark is strong and has the best reactions out of anyone in the series and is the only cast member to get 'anime manic' with some of his astonishing responses to absurd situations.
The old hero party Frieren was a part of appear in frequent flashbacks that have allegorical significance to current events, so much so that they feel like regular cast members walking beside Frieren's present crew even though you never see them together at the same time. Perhaps one of the reasons Frieren can coexist with them is precisely because of what they've learned from their mentors. My question is if someone like Himmel will show up at some point to complete the quartet.
But I've already said too much. If you haven't watched Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, I strongly urge you to. It is, to me, a transformative anime that has saved the medium for me and proved that a 28 episode series can still work. It defies the short attention span the modern anime fan has developed and demands attention.
6 out of 5. Modern masterpiece in every way.
