Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2023-2024)

[葬送のフリーレン]

Director: Keiichiro Saito
Studio: Madhouse
Starring: Atsumi Tanezaki, Kana Ichinose, Chiaki Kobayashi
Episodes: 28

Synopsis:
Years after the defeat of the Demon King, the death of the hero Himmel prompts his companion, the Elven mage Frieren, to go on a journey to better understand humanity.

Impressions:
Not knowing anything going into this, I didn't have any real expectations, though I was hearing positive buzz. If I had let this one slip past me, I'd be kicking myself something fierce. This isn't isekai. This isn't game-based. It's not even about saving the world. This is a straight-up fantasy story about what happens after the big bad goes down. I like the premise of a disaffected (nigh-)immortal trying to get in touch with human emotion. We get occasional glimpses at Frieren's past adventures to contextualize the present and there is a rich cast to flesh out the experience. The present-day power trio of Frieren, Fern and Stark work well together with a good balance of comedy and drama. Madhouse goes all-out in delivering a visual feast. Though this isn't primarily an action story, the magical battles are gorgeously rendered. This is easily a contender for the best anime of the year, if not one of the best period. It definitely belongs in your collection.

Rating:
Own It