Fall 2023 was the best season for anime fans, with several shows like Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, the Attack on Titan finale, Dr. Stone, and so on releasing exciting episodes after their successful return. Amid these returning shows, a brand-new anime called Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) quietly made its debut. To everyone’s surprise, it gradually surpassed all other shows over a short period to become the best anime of fall 2023, as proven by the top charts.
I recently started watching Frieren out of curiosity, and this has been by far the best decision I made in 2024. Therefore, I am here today with a special article that hopes to make you all fall in love with this show such that you start watching it immediately. Without revealing or spoiling too much about this anime, I have put forth five reasons why you need to start watching Frieren right now.
1. Non-Linear Storytelling at Its Finest
First and foremost, I believe the storytelling of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is the biggest pillar behind its success. Don’t get me wrong, the non-linear narrative of this show isn’t perplexing at all.
Frieren tells a straightforward story set in a Tolkien-esque world primarily inspired by Dungeons and Dragons, where we see Frieren and her friends going on adventures, completing side quests, fighting demons, and a lot more. But this is where the similarities end and the author’s non-linear storytelling begins to shine.
The anime starts with the protagonist Frieren and her friends returning home after defeating the Demon King. So from the beginning, the show leaves us intrigued about how they were able to save the world from an evil that was lurking. The current timeline reveals Frieren is an elf and she gets to live a longer life (nearly immortal) than her human companions.
As a result, she eventually sees the death of her mates as the years flies by. This is the beginning of a real story after its end.
After the death of her companions, she again sets out on an adventure of her own along with new recruits fulfilling the late promises of her friends. As time goes by, she starts to reminisce about her adventures to defeat the Demon King with her friends. This is where the story unfolds in a non-linear fashion as we get to experience two different and unique adventures at the same time.
The story unfolds in a non-linear fashion as the viewers get to experience two different and unique adventures at the same time.
Although the pacing is slow, and there’s no harm in accepting that, the perfect usage of flashbacks and real-time events keeps us intrigued to learn everything about this world and its characters one by one. This simple yet brilliant move evokes a keen sense of emotion that the author intended to be perceived by the viewers.
So, in a nutshell, we get to witness two adventures parallelly that are intertwined with one another making it an unprecedented experience. There are many great anime with non-linear stories such as Baccano, Durara, Monogatari series, etc. But Frieren is a special case among them as the non-linear storyline doesn’t make us confused and serves everything on a silver platter to us that reflects life at ease.
2. Enchanting Characters to Root for All-Day
The second best thing about this anime is its cast of adorable characters that you can’t stop rooting for. We see various characters hailing from different races such as Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Talking Demons, and more, which makes the show an exciting watch.
But there is more to them, as the characterization of every character and their arcs are handled and portrayed meticulously. This is where the slow pace complaints may creep in, but you are presented with an opportunity to connect with more than just the protagonist.
Frieren is the best example here as she is introduced as more of an unsympathetic character at first. As an elf who has lived for a long time, everything appears so fatuous for her. Her adventures to defeat the Demon King were merely a small period when you look at her entire lifespan. Hence, you can see why she considered her connections and the time they spent together trivial.
However, as Frieren embarks on a new beginning after the Demon King’s defeat, she recalls her time spent with her friends and begins to self-reflect on her actions. She encounters numerous coincidental incidents in her new journey that make her time with her friends more meaningful and develop her character into a more kind and caring soul that was lying dormant inside her.
This is just one case and there are plenty of other well-written character that enriches the story and enhances the overall experience. Fern and Stark, the deuteragonists of this anime who won the Best Boy and Girl of Fall 2023 serve as a testament to what I just said.
Each character has a story to tell in Frieren and learning more about them gives valuable life lessons that we often overlook or misunderstand in real life.
3. Sublime Animation That Leaves You Craving for More
Mad Studios is a powerhouse that has produced gems such as Death Note, Hunter x Hunter (2011), One Punch Man, Monster, etc. With Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, they have once again proved why they are the best in business.
While this anime is not as detailed and visually enriching as ufotable’s Demon Slayer, it rather has an archetypal fluid animation that is alluring and eye-catching.
You can just randomly pause in between an episode and boom! you have a wallpaper material right there. That’s how insanely good the animation and art style of this anime are. Every scene in Frieren looks colorful and easily makes the whole journey, a vivid and unforgettable experience.
Madhouse stayed faithful and did justice to its source material by painting the frames like an artist, thus, resulting in Frieren becoming one of the best anime adaptations of all time.
Not to forget, the action scenes are so well-crafted and storyboarded with sleek and fluid animated movements that are so satisfying to watch. So, I bet you can’t take your eyes off while watching and never fail to appreciate it once you are done.
4. Marvellous World Building and Delicate Power Dynamics
There are plenty of anime out there with impressive worldbuilding based on D&D and Sousou no Frieren has swiftly joined the club with its incredible aspects of its world. Every land they visit and every detour they take is crafted with precision. The whole setup is inspired by European countries especially Germany as you can see from the naming of characters and cities.
The studio has built and captured the flora and fauna, magical beasts, menacing demons, magical elves, and many more with beauty. Together blended with the alluring visuals by Madhouse, every episode remains captivating and fascinating to the core.
Secondly, the power system in the series is unique and has many special elements of its own. We have elves, priests, and demons capable of doing their distinctive magics. Powerful warriors with various sets of cool weapons. The system was laid out efficiently for the viewers to understand and won’t make you baffled.
Go and see it for yourself as various action scenes in this anime are absolutely phenomenal.
5. Skilled Voice Actors Who Breathe Life into Characters
Last but not least, the voice actors behind Sousou no Frieren did a magnificent job of adding soul to the characters. Many talented voice actors have joined Frieren to make the journey spectacular with their delightful voices.
Some of the notable Japanese voice actors who have worked in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End are:
- Atsumi Tanezaki (known for Anya Forger from Spy x Family and Rio Futaba from Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai)
- Kana Ichinose (Known for Ichigo from Darling in the FranXX, Yuzuriha Ogawa from Dr. Stone, and Maki Shijou from Kaguya-sama: Love is War)
- Chiaki Kobayashi (Known for Askeladd from Vinland Saga, Gabimaru from Hell’s Paradise, and Mash Burnedead from Mashle: Magic and Muscles)
- Nobuhiko Okamoto (Known for Katsuki Bakugo from MHA and Yuu Nishinoya from Haikyuu)
- Junichi Suwabe (Well-known for Ryomen Sukuna from JJK, Yami Sukehiro from Black Clover, and Archer from the FATE series)
This is only a handful of names as many other popular voice actors have lent their voices to the characters in this anime. I have also heard the English VA has also done an amazing job for the dubbed version, so dub-watchers you don’t have to worry about that!
Well, this brings me to the end of my reasons to persuade you to watch Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End right away. I have pinpointed the key highlights of the Frieren anime without spoiling major plotlines that will ruin your watching experience. I hope this is more than enough to get you started on adding Sousou no Frieren anime to your watchlist. That said, leave a comment below about how much you liked this anime.
Aparna Ukil
