Starting where many a fantasy adventure concludes, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End sees its heroes staring Happily Ever After in the face, reveling in the culmination of their long struggle. The Demon King is dead, statues are being made for them. Frieren, an elf of inconceivably long life, seems to take it for granted, because the past 10 years barely register on the rather immense scale on which she considers things. Before she can even get to fully know her companions – vain but noble human hero Himmel, stoic dwarf warrior Eisen, and drunken priest Heiter – in the way that they know her, they die. It’s more terrifying than any demonic creature could ever be: There’s no fighting the passage of time.
Adapted from the manga by Kanehito Yamada by director Keiichirō Saitō and writer Tomohiro Suzuki, with animation production undertaken by Madhouse, the series uses the main character’s realization of how much she has missed as a jumping off point. To Frieren, her journey with the others is practically a weekend break. But even such brief encounters can have a life-altering effect, one evidenced in the eponymous elf as echoes of her old adventures reach her in each location she visits or revisits. The series’s elliptical structure is both enrapturing and unsettling in how it captures the protagonist’s almost alien perspective of how time passes – five decades quickly slip away from her, edited together in a time lapse of seasons that makes it appear as though only a couple years have passed. In the blink of an eye, the world changes rapidly, and the next time she visits her friends, they’re in their final years. The most youthful of the group, Himmel, is the first to die of old age.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End isn’t as morbid as that makes it sound, however, maintaining a mostly light tone even as it emphasizes the transitory nature of these experiences. As it builds to a more melancholic take on fantasy adventure, it also lovingly engages with hallmarks of the genre, emulating Frieren’s nostalgia.
She is reserved and blunt by comparison to the goofy companions she’s introduced with – but the series quickly brings forth more outward displays of emotion as she’s confronted with the mortality of her old friends. (Frieren has a playful side to her too: For example, she’s seen buying a bunch of esoteric stuff for no reason). Frieren revisits each at a time when they’ve made some measure of peace with their imminent passing, and then embarks on a journey with her new young companion Fern, one which appears to have much lower stakes.
Beyond Journey’s End doesn’t seem to be all that concerned about forward momentum, and that leisurely pace softens the melancholy somewhat. It never feels overbearing about how it unspools Frieren’s new trip as she wanders somewhat aimlessly; if anything it feels meditative. The character maintains a hobbyist’s approach to the rest of her life, spending months and even years on seemingly unimportant pursuits; several months pass while she hunts for a certain species of flower. The final episode of the two-hour, four-part premiere follows Frieren and Fern as they help out with beach cleanup. The show is leisurely paced, but also effectively builds tension between Frieren’s desire to learn more about her friends, and her experience of time.
There are brief, impactfully realized moments of action, but the show mainly prioritizes a contemplative, pleasant atmosphere. Its textured, painted backgrounds are awash with lush pastoral greenery: Each rustic countryside environment is bursting with color, even amidst ruins (which are usually associated with Frieren’s comrades). Resplendent animation gives these scenes moments of genuine wonder, lifted by a soaring, wistful orchestral score.
Despite the downbeat premise, the show’s execution feels hopeful, like there is still novelty left in the world for Frieren to witness. It highlights how the series keeps track of time, counting upwards from Himmel’s passing – like a new age began for Frieren after that point. She's a fun character to spend a laid back 30 minutes with: Her remarkable poker face can only do so much to disguise petty insecurities and strange habits that become just a little bit more charming when coming from someone as stoic as she is. Though it’s mostly as reserved as its title character, Frieren is littered with moments of absurd physical comedy, like Fern moving an entire crate around just so she can hide behind it.
In most cases, these moments of levity puncture what could be an overly dour atmosphere – and that’s more than welcome. One instance though, turns to crassness, a throwaway joke about a character looking up another’s skirt that feels at odds with everything else on screen to that point. Watch enough anime and (unfortunately!) you develop a thick skin for this sort of thing, but it’s a moment that particularly sticks out like a sore thumb, not just unpleasant but also incongruous with the tone of the rest of the premiere. It’s the one sticking point of a group of episodes that are otherwise very enjoyable – and the moment is over as quickly as it begins.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has a long season ahead of it, and it’s exciting to think about how much time might pass within those episodes. The question remains open as to whether or not Frieren herself will participate in the cyclical nature of the world or simply drift through it, and it’ll be interesting to see how the show will continue to engage with the generation she has left behind, and the one she is helping to shepherd.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/frieren-beyond-journeys-end-premiere-review