(CR) Sousou no Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End)

[Last Sinner]

If staff aren't negatively impacted by the pace, then okay. But I just never quite believe it goes that way.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Endscape

Quite, but the way things are going these days I have to worry if they can even sustain that pace. No one wants another Nier.

I at least don't think this is going to be like all the delayed Aniplex shows or Zom100.

[Guardian Enzo]

If the studio sets a semi-sane production schedule, two consecutive cours is not a big deal. Lots of shows from decent producers and studios do it with no problem (though less than used to).

[Huh...?]

OP

YouTube

https://youtu.be/OIBODIPC_8Y

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YouTube

https://youtu.be/QoGM9hCxr4k

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[scififan]

The story pace is quite fast. The first episode already has the fight against the demon elder.

[serenade_beta]

Episode 1 is 2 hours?! Seriously? Or does this count as 4 episodes of the total 2-cour?

[Tenzen12]

First episode was everything I hoped it would. It's not often fiction make me cry, less twice. If there is anything to complain it's opening. Peppy vocaloid song feels lot out place for melancholic yourney of Sousou no Feriren.

[Marina2]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

Episode 1 is 2 hours?! Seriously? Or does this count as 4 episodes of the total 2-cour?

In japan, they aired it as a special premier but some steaming service divided it into 4 episodes.

[Nachtwandler]

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

First episode was everything I hoped it would. It's not often fiction make me cry, less twice. If there is anything to complain it's opening. Peppy vocaloid song feels lot out place for melancholic yourney of Sousou no Feriren.

While Yoasobi style may be an odd choice here, calling it peppy vocailoid song is even more odd and it also has a pretty good jazzy sound.

[Tenzen12]

Oh and other 3 episodes were great as well. It's trully beutiful story.

Originally Posted by Nachtwandler

While Yoasobi style may be an odd choice here, calling it peppy vocailoid song is even more odd and it also has a pretty good jazzy sound.

I don't hear anything Jazzy in this song. Not saying it isn't, but if it's there, then it just mean it's Jazzy peppy vocaloid song and I still don't think it fits... like at all.

[Ragashingo]

I liked it. It doesn't go quite as heavy into the you will now feel STRONG EMOTION as something like Violet Evergarden did each episode, but I think it did a good job of having emotional moments that were small but meant something to Frieren.

Some random notes from Episodes 1-4 (aka the special premier)

- We obviously don't spend much time with them, but I like the lasting impression the Hero and the Priest made. I find it interesting that a lot of what Frieren is doing now is atoning for or making good on things she wishes she'd done back then.

- I liked the confrontation with the sealed away demon. How 80ish years of progress had basically reduced him to a non-threat.

- I like that we're already seeing Frieren change. And that it's her desire to not waste Fern's short life that's one of the primary motivators for her.

- I do wonder if Frieren is detached from her companions because she reacted poorly to / was hurt by Flamme's death ~1,000 years ago. Perhaps there is a sense that she shouldn't bother with learning about others because they'd be gone so soon?

- There's a lot of characters in the OP. A love interest for Fern? An elven young man on his own journey? An evil elven counterpart to Frieren? Speaking of which... there's not a lot of elves around, are there? I wonder why...

- My one disappointment is probably the Yoasobi opening. I get immediate Witch From Mercury feelings when hearing it... which I think means it is too similar in sound to that OP and not a great fit for this show. The ending theme, and its lovely animation, works much better.

[FlareKnight]

Well I'll just nod and comment on the first "episode".

That was a good start. The tone wasn't too heavy or too light. It just had a nice amount of wait. Seeing the Hero both as a young and old man really let the difficulty of Frieren's life land. She understood the shortness of human life, but seeing it unfold it just something else. Went off for 50 years on her own adventures and when she came back...her friend was an old man.

Nice that she at least got to enjoy one last adventure with her friends before the group became one part smaller...

Curious to see how things will unfold. Part of me thinks her Priest friend actually wants that magic to help bring the Hero back. But it could honestly be that he doesn't want to die yet. That's pretty fair. I'm sure he also wants her to help take on this girl and teach her while she can and the transcription is on some level an excuse.

Either way the potential apprentice seems like a decent kid. It would be good for Frieren to have someone around. Though I do get her fears. Taking on an apprentice and having them die on the adventure would be horrific.

[Huh...?]

Full ED (Audio only)

YouTube

https://youtu.be/qFAYqLs1zGw

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[Kanon]

I went into it not knowing anything, and I was blown away. It has a really soothing and at the same melancholic atmosphere.

I like all the characters presented so far. It definitely feels like Himmel was in love with Frieren (he apparently never got married or had children), and that he made a very lasting impression on her. Unfortunately, she didn't realize/remember how short human's lifepans are until it was too late. It was pretty clear from the way she spoke that her sense of time was completely distorted compared to her companions', saying their journey lasted a "mere 10 years", and making plans to meet 50 years from now like it was normal. I'm glad they at least did manage to reunite once more, I thought one of them would be gone by then.

I think she did right by the priest, even if he had to trick her into taking Fern as her apprentice. But that turned out to be a good thing for all of them. Frieren deeply regrets that she never really got to know Himmel and she learned from her mistake. She's probably gotten closer to Fern than to anyone else those past thousand years. I like their relationship too, Frieren clearly trusts her and values her skills since she relied on her in the fight against the demon. She also listens to her opinions. I'm assuming that when she traveled on her own, she always woke up in the middle of the day, hence why Fern feels she's a slob and she needs her to take care of her like a mother would.

Originally Posted by Ragashingo

- I do wonder if Frieren is detached from her companions because she reacted poorly to / was hurt by Flamme's death ~1,000 years ago. Perhaps there is a sense that she shouldn't bother with learning about others because they'd be gone so soon?

I think Flamme was probably one of many, and at some point it became too much and she stopped trying to get to know people to protect herself. Kinda backfired with Himmel.

[Last Sinner]

So they did 4 eps at once? Well, had enough time before heading on a gardens daytrip today and watched them consecutively - so I guess I quite liked them. I'd even revisited doing a zone clear of Feralas in WoW the night before to get attuned to the melancholic/time disparity vibe.

In the first few minutes, I wondered why not seeing any of the journey at all occurred, but it occurred to me before Frieren - that was the point. Because it was such a short fraction of her total life, it probably felt brief and wasn't meant to be the binding moment. The regret of not appreciating it and getting to know her companions properly despite how long they spent together - that was the binding moment. I'll be interested to see whether young viewers will be able to appreciate that. At this point in my life, I certainly do - but I'm not sure the young adult version of me would have yet.

The simple yet earnest vibe really works. Certainly Heiter and Eisen had to be cunning in what they set up, but Frieren being along for that long would be pretty chilling. Fern is certainly someone that is a good compliment - youthful drive mixed with restraint but in need of being shown how to utilise it. Kana Ichinose almost invokes a vibe of Ryou Hirohashi voice Alice Carroll in Aria or Tamaki in Bamboo Blade. Then realised that the one time I had heard Kana Ichinose before was voicing Aya in Boogiepop and Others, so it's not far off from Fern in some ways.

For dropping a batch of 4 episodes at once, they picked a good ending point. Bonding and wandering is over. Frieren now has a purpose both present and linked to the past. There is an end goal. And I'm guessing the 7th character listed will be appearing soon.

My one main gripe was the OP theme. I get YOSOABI are big right now - but they don't seem to fit this kind of title at all. ED theme was what it needed - Evan Call is on a winner again.

My highest mark for the slow-paced but heartening vibe is Hakumei and Mikochi. I'm not sure Frieren will reach it - but it could set a high mark on my all-time list for fantasy since that genre has rarely shown up on it, so it would be eclipsing Kemono no Souja Erin if it ends up taking that spot.

Guess I still am capable of watching anime in a batch when the material is good. October season is off to a good start.

[Psyco Diver]

This really hit home for me, as I'm getting into my 40s I know 3 people I grew up with die recently, one of which was one of my best friends. We rarely talked but when we did it was always picking up from where we left off like no time has passed. That point of regret for leaving things unsaid is pretty damn painful, the author really nailed that tone for me.

I get the feeling pass this initial episode (or episodes) this will turn more into a adventure of self discovery. I'm looking forward to it

[stray]

I couldn't really get into the manga but I like the anime so far, 4 episodes in. I'm guessing we're going to get something like 28 episodes from here? Hmm...

[Guardian Enzo]

Evan Call is the MVP for me (though the show is good too).

[Greenish Growth]

I thought it was a very nice start. Haven't gotten tears in my eyes watching an anime for quite awhile. (although I'm not watching many anime episodes compared to before).

Here's an example of overthinking. If the meteor storm occurs every fifty years then that means it probably takes fifty years for their planet to go around their sun. It would be pretty hard to have a planet's orbit and the comet's (or whatever caused the meteorite debris field) orbit intersect and have a lot of meteors only every fifty years. With a fifty year planetary orbit either their seasons would rotate every fifty years or their seasons wouldn't rotate at all if their planet was tidal locked (not unless their planet was orbiting more than one star).

Okay too much thinking here.

[ryllharu]

Sleepy Frieren shots are my favorite.

One of the things this series has done really well is just go with a montage to portray the passage of time. The evocative music does all the work.

The series knows that dialogue isn't always needed, and that's lovely.