The new Fantasy anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has begun with a stunning 2-hour long premiere that perfectly introduces viewers to its lavish world and lovable characters. It is a worthy entry in the recent trend of movie-quality series premieres begun earlier this year by Oshi no Ko‘s long first episode. However, the long run time of Frieren‘s premiere isn’t just a publicity stunt. The show earns this extravagant opener with a quietly compelling plot that already puts it in the running for anime of the year.
The first episode of Frieren opens where many other shows would end. A party of adventurers has defeated the Demon Lord and returned triumphantly to the capital. One of these adventurers is an immortal elf named Frieren who stays aloof from her companions’ ribbing and antics. After the celebration, she sets out to pursue her passion for collecting spells. When she returns after many years, her party has become ravaged by the passage of time, which opens Frieren’s eyes. From this starting point, Frieren sets off on a journey to better understand her mortal companions, which becomes a deeper meditation on life, death, and the connections people forge along the way.
Frieren is a Touching Meditation on Life and Death
In a landscape dominated by Shonen action series like the influential Jujutsu Kaisen, Frieren dares to be tranquil. Many of the conflicts that Frieren must deal with are simple tasks such as finding a specific type of flower in the forest or cleaning up a beach. The relatively low stakes may deter some anime fans who want their shows to have nonstop fights and world-shaking threats. However, for fans that give Frieren a chance they will find that these simple plots allow the show and characters to be more introspective, letting the viewers also mull over the deep subjects the anime delves into.
In addition to the beauty of the show’s deeper themes, the art and animation are beautiful to watch. While shows like Chainsaw Man have stunned fans with their incredibly detailed and cinematic art, Frieren opts for a different approach. Much of the anime’s world is rendered in an almost painterly style that perfectly fits its fantastical world. This style also enables the anime to craft breathtaking moments of pure beauty. This original approach allows the anime to also use sequences of visual storytelling to its full advantage, often showing its characters in a variety of situations over a very short time.
Frieren‘s Premiere Hints It Will Be a Modern Classic
All of this creates a premiere that will make anyone who watches it fall in love with Frieren‘s characters. The two-hour premiere feels like it is over in the blink of an eye, giving viewers an insight into how the immortal Frieren views the passage of time. If the rest of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is as superb as its beautiful premiere, then the show will surely go down in history as a modern classic that dared to revolutionize the popular Fantasy genre.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
