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Posted in: Anime, Crunchyroll, Review, TV | Tagged: anime, Crunchyroll, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Review
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Review: Beautiful & Heartfelt Opener
Crunchyroll's Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Episodes 1-4 offered a heartfelt story and magical visuals that drew us in from the start.
On Friday, Crunchyroll's new anime, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, premiered with a four-episode special release. The story and visuals are so magical and heartfelt, drawing viewers in for the ride. Even though more fast-paced than I expected, the first four episodes give off a sense of setup, ready to take us on the real adventure our main character will embark on a journey that sees the elven mage learning about humanity.
The story starts with Frieren, Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen, who return from a ten-year adventure to rid the world of the Demon King. After bringing peace to the land they returned just in time for a meteor shower that happens once every 50 years. After promising a better view of it the next time around, Frieren parts on her quest to gather magic spells. Along the span of the first episode, we see her return after 50 years: the elven mage remains the same after all these years while the rest show signs of their mortality. After seeing fulfilling her promise and seeing the meteors again, Himmel passes away, and the real story starts: Frieren learning and coming to terms with human mortality.
I was not expecting to be sucked in and glued to my screen for two hours the way the anime did. It did a great job setting up a very heartfelt story and characters that win you over, even if just getting to know them through memories and flashbacks. Even if these four episodes were a set up for the adventure our hero is about to embark on, they have a building sensation that there is something bigger to come. I was deeply touched by the main character, her dissociation from the present was pretty relatable to me, and even the feelings she does not seem to understand yet.
I will not lie, there were a couple of moments that had me with teary eyes, and it has left me wanting to watch more and know more. I cannot wait to see where Frieren's adventure leads alongside Fern. I loved the growth and changes we see throughout the first four episodes of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, and it makes me very hopeful for what may come. It was really a beautiful beginning, and even though I kind of hope for more adventure, I am also crossing my fingers that it remains the lighthearted, meaningful journey we have seen so far. I love the designs so far, even if, at times, the wider shots may not look as detailed. I am looking forward to seeing what Frieren learns along the way and to see what else we will learn about her, her sensei, and her apprentice along the way.
After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity's mortality. She takes on a new apprentice and promises to fulfill old friends' dying wishes. Can an elven mind make peace with the nature of life and death? Frieren embarks on her quest to find out.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 1 Episodes 1-4: "The Journey's End," "It Didn't Have to Be Magic..." "Killing Magic," "The Land Where Souls Rest"
9/10
Yesterday Crunchyroll's new anime, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, premiered with a four-episode special release. The story and visuals are so magical and heartfelt, drawing viewers in for the ride. Even if fast paced, the first four episodes give off a sense of set up, ready to take us on the real adventure our main character will embark on: learning about humanity as an elven mage.
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