Frieren Took Me By Surprise

What I learned beyond this journey's end.

I just finished Season 1 of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren). All twenty-eight episodes.

What started out as an enjoyable epic about the pain of living a very long life… and the second chances we so rarely get… ended up weaving a breathtaking tapestry I must take several steps back to fully appreciate.

Just as Frieren experienced a journey beyond her own journey’s end, I’ve experienced a journey at the end of this viewing which I must now unpack. I’m surrounded by the many pieces it left behind, overwhelmed by which ones to tackle first.

I will start by saying at its core, Frieren is a show about connections and loss.

After Goblin Slayer’s memorable first season and its phenomenal movie follow-up, season 2 unfortunately … didn’t do it for me. It had too much to live up to, perhaps, leaving me feeling a bit underwhelmed. And, while you can certainly still derive enjoyment from it (particularly from the later episodes), it seems I’m not alone in that sentiment.

Then, unexpectedly, Frieren stepped in and more than made up for Goblin Slayer’s absence. To me, it was the show the world–and the fantasy genre itself–didn’t realize it needed.

It has something profound to say about us artists and why the work we produce matters. There’s so much to unpack here that I feel it more than deserves a full-blown analysis, so I hope you’ll stick around with me ’til the end.