Why we all should be watching Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Hear me out. I know you’re probably thinking “All of us? Really? Even that one kid who never comes to class?”

Yes, even them.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is the 2023 anime adaptation of a current manga series, which follows the adventures of an immortal elf and her two human companions, fifty years after the defeat of the Demon King.

"So what? They don't sound that cool".

Only, Frieren (the aforementioned elf) is an OP ancient mage whose nickname is literally The Slayer, and her two sidekicks are no slouches either. Fern is her young apprentice, and the brains of the organization. She lowkey carries the group in terms of logistics and admin, while basically carrying a bazooka spell in her back pocket (affectionately named Zoltraak). Her long-suffering teenage male counterpart is a warrior called Stark, whose inability to understand his female companions often leaves him worse for the wear. Stark carries an axe that’s nearly as big as him, and he sure can swing it, cracking a dragon early on in Season One. So in summary, this trio is pretty badass.

However, I can hear you already starting to grumble.

“But Mr O’Connor, I don’t watch anime. I don’t care about things that are cartoon or made-up. I only care about TikTok and becoming a world-famous influencer by nineteen".

And I understand that.

I mean, you’re totally and completely wrong, but I get it. You’re young and impressionable, and social media has a grip on you that no amount of threats, pleading, or bribery will shake.

So I’m going to try to appeal to your enlightened minds (flattery, anyone?) via evidence and present to you five reasons why Frieren is worth watching, despite your reservations.

1) This show is different to most anime.

*cue the rolling of eyes. Yes, yes, lots of people say this. But do they actually believe it? Frieren is a mix of two specific genres in anime- slice of life and action. It somehow blends together two things that shouldn’t really mingle. Kinda like smushing ambrosia and chilli con carne into a blender and producing something that shouldn’t exist, but is both delicious, and super-freaking-awesome. Frieren takes its time in telling the story. Twenty-minute episodes come and go very quickly, but the pace is never rushed or frantic. Things aren’t crammed, but controlled. Characters actually walk and talk, and flashbacks show that the makers actually care about crafting this masterpiece, handing us slices of backstory a sliver at a time. Sometimes, not much happens at all. However, that isn’t always the case. Each arc builds to a main villain, and while they’re all demons, they aren’t the snarling, crawling, yellow-eyed creatures you’d think. Though, they do have horns sometimes. More on them later on. It’s rare to see a show with magic and meandering side-by-side, and this mix of furious action and lazy strolling actually works, because it’s purposeful. The other point of difference here is that Frieren actually begins at the ending, and is the story of what happens after the climactic battle. It's the answer to the age-old question of what the characters do with their lives when they finally win and the credits roll. Only, we get to see it play out properly here.

2) The magic battles are top-tier.

The demon fights are straight fire, and the action feels smooth, slick, and extremely immersive. It’s how magic battles should be. Characters are genuinely creative with their spells, and we are treated to, in no particular order: fire tornadoes, flying shards of light, mirror illusions, clones, magical scales, giant rock golems, and even a LITERAL BLACK HOLE THROWN AT A CHARACTER. No guesses for who threw it. Take notes Harry Potter- a red or green beam gets boring pretty quickly. The theory on magic in this world is unique and pretty darn cool. Rather than simply being "stronger" than someone else, your power is defined by your ability to imagine; mages can only create what they believe to be possible. So literally, being able to visualise defines how strong you are. Cue the black hole. This means that matchups matter, and it's not a case of overwhelming power beats all. The characters also aren’t screaming every time they launch a spell or cast a curse, and this somehow feels more realistic. They’re locked in, not shouting for the whole world (and viewers at home) to hear, and this lack of typical anime-yelling seems to actually raise the stakes and cut the corniness.

3) It’s a beautiful experience.

The show just looks different. The beauty of the visuals, combined with Evan Call’s epic score, makes you feel like you’re watching the offspring of Studio Ghibli and The Legend of Zelda. Things aren’t overpowering all the time, and this lack of screen-stuffed-full actually allows the viewer to pull in closer to what they’re seeing and hearing, without being distracted by a million different things. Gorgeous, is how I would describe the scenery in Frieren: the castles, the meadows, the lakes, heck, even the sky! It calms you- almost like you’re watching Lo-Fi play out as a story. While some of the walking scenes might seem simple, every shot feels like it has actually been painstakingly painted, so that small details that shouldn’t really matter, still get attention. Little rocks, walking shoes, hairbands, market stalls, rippling flags- these all serve to create a world that feels real, and one you’re pulled to be a part of. Like it says in the title, the journey really is the heart of the show, as the trio treks toward, across and up into the Northern Lands, on a quest to find the spirit of Himmel. Who’s he? More on him later.

4. The demons are thoughtfully crafted.

Frieren believes all demons to be inherently evil monsters, incapable of empathy, love, or any true human emotion. She ruthlessly hunts and exterminates them, which seems at odds with her happy-go-lucky personality and charming elfine appearance. That is, until you learn that her village was destroyed by demons when she was young, and that she has spent the better part of her lengthy life battling them. Now, this might seem like a simplistic take- “demons are bad”, and differs from the modern-day trope of humanizing any and every villain. “They’re just misunderstood!” you cry. Alas, that’s what Himmel thought. Who’s he? I said more on him later! The thing is, Frieren (the show) doesn’t bother with any moral ambiguities here. Demons are cruel creatures who will do anything to kill and feed on humans, despite not needing to do so for survival. They mimic the appearance, behaviour, and words of humans to do so, preying on our tendencies to trust, to be kind, and to be caring. They are wickedly intelligent, ferociously proud, and 100% evil. Don’t be fooled- they are the baddies no doubt, and incredibly manipulative when luring humans into danger. This makes them both simple, and yet no so much, all at once. Call it an oxymoronic take, but there's something refreshing about seeing "the bad guys" actually live up to that moniker, while also showing complexity in their egos and smarts.

5. Himmel is kinda the GOAT.

NOW we can talk about the OG Hero. See, Frieren’s story is actually told through two separate tales that intertwine- the original party of Heroes that defeated the Demon King, and the upgraded version that comes along seventy-ish years later (Fern and Stark). See, Frieren is an immortal elf, so time matters less to her. Fifty years is five minutes if you have centuries in you. Himmel, the vainglorious but wholeheartedly kind companion in Frieren’s first party, had the hots for the mage. Like, big-time. Only problem? She didn’t catch on. Talk about slow! Miscommunication seems to be a bit of theme here. I guess there was one other little problem now that I think about it- time. Himmel ages, as do his companions Eisen the Warrior and Heiter the Priest, while Frieren barely blinks. This is a relationship where one character is kinda oblivious to the feelings and lives of humans, and the other is desperate to make the most of the fleeting time they have. Without spoiling, this is definitely a ship you should climb aboard, because Himmel, despite not being alive (yes, that's the point, move on), has such a solid presence in the show, conveyed through flashbacks as Frieren begins to understand what she missed the first time around. He’s sick with the sword, quick with a pose, and never leaves a person in danger. He is literally him (mel). The blue-haired Hero is all rizz and no rage for the most part, but when he needs to, he definitely got that dawg in him (mel).

Still with me?

If your attention spans have held on to this point (and there's no guarantee with Gen Z), then I think I’ve at least piqued your interest. Jump onto Crunchyroll (Season 2 literally just finished last week!) and give the first few episodes a go. It costs $9.99 a month, so you could literally just skip two coffees for April, and there you are.

Be prepared for a slow walk, and an ease into the action. Don’t expect chaos and conflict and epic fight scenes from the off. They’ll come, but they deserve the buildup they get. Take the time the show gives you to meet the characters, and enjoy starting a story at the end. Because the end of every story is always the beginning of the next one. And this story? It’s unreal.

A/N: I gave my senior students the task of writing a listicle on a topic of their choice, and decided that it was only fair that I got in on the action as a way to model on the whiteboard in real-time. Full disclosure- they were writing by hand and I was typing, but there you go. Part of the task was to write to your audience, so some of the terms you came across might be a little strange for millenials (and older), but hopefully you got the gist!