Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

I am a huge Fan of the Manga and since the source material so bittersweet I was not sure if it would carry over into the Anime. But rest assured they did an amazing Job. Voice Actors are spot on, beautiful animation, really nice music. The only thing I did not like is the Opening song since, in my personal opinion, does not fit the vibe of the series. Try to go in without reading any reviews or Input from others. This show/Manga shows how to tell a "survivor's guilt" Story the right way. Frieren, Fern and Stark are all very likeable characters. All I can say it. Give it a shot. You will not regret it.

The MC, Frieren, in my opinion is cursed to live for an incalculable amount of time. Through her life she decided to not become attached to others as the human lifespan is a mere blink of an eye to her. However, over time, she seems to realize she regrets missing out on what it means to be alive. This is new to her and she is not sure how to overcome her situation as she has never truly shown 'overt' care for others. Reflecting on her past, her companions tried to guide her toward a happy and fruitful life, but she was too distracted to listen. Life is not solely dedicate to hobbies and studies, but the emotional journey breathes life into our experiences, granting us meaning to our existence. You will not experience crazy battles or anything in that realm of excitement. This is a slow paced journey over 24 episodes to shine light on the life of the MC. To iterate, there are slow parts to this show, so keep that in mind. I personally don't mind the slow parts as much for the following reasons. The writing is good, characters are growing, the story is progressing, the mood swings as it should from happy to sad, and vice versa -- all of the things that make a story good.

I'm a very harsh critic when it comes to Anime. That being said... This is already in my all-time top 10. The art is beautiful. The characters are so well articulated there's really no such thing as a "background character." My hat goes off to the art director on this project -- the way the animators have secondary characters looking around and reacting to things in the scene, for no apparent reason, breathes life into the frame. Each character really feels real. They have their own thoughts they keep to themselves and their own attention spans. The viewers of this show effortlessly understand the affect and disposition of each character without needing explanatory monologues or over-the-top action, To the animators and talent -- you're really making art here, it's incredible. Very rare to see, and I recognize the painstaking effort that goes into it. The passion and excellence of the team behind this anime doesn't stop at the art, though. The sound design is among the best I've ever heard. This is most apparent in the scene where they're clearing the shipwrecks from the ocean. They must have had foley artists make custom sound for it - it really pays off! Back to the art for a moment... the magic duel between the MC and the demon was, without question, the best drawn magic combat sequence I've ever seen. And I'm including Madoka Magica in that consideration. The fight had real WEIGHT to it. When you see it, you'll know what I mean. I challenge anyone to come up with an example of a magic battle sequence more beautifully and realistically depicted than this. And the pacing! They NAILED melancholy perfectly -- without making it negative or sad! How!? The dialogue and writing is superb. And the writers capitalize on Callbacks and Payoffs! This is so rare to see! Above all else, though, what I appreciate is the philosophizing. You'll see. Art: 10/10. Dialogue: 10/10. Pacing: 10/10. Story: 10/10. Sound Design: 10/10. Full fucking marks, well done!

As someone who was reading the manga pretty much from day one, it fills me with so much joy to see not only an anime adaptation, but a pretty high budget one from Madhouse no less. And this series deserves it, it blows almost all other fantasy fiction out of the water. Sure, the manga has its moments of pretty intense action, but it's mostly a slow meditation on mortality and the need to forge connections with others, seen through the eyes of somebody who is essentially immortal. If these opening episodes are anything to go by, this anime is going to be an excellent adaptation.