Man, I can’t believe I am publishing this in September 2025. As you can guess, this article originated early in 2025, and just like many other drafts, work-in-progress pieces, they end up lingering before they finally make it to the front page. In a sense, it does not matter that much. 2024 is still in the past, and the conclusion has not changed. It’s just delivered to you later than expected. But for some of you who don’t know Frieren, this will be another way to discover it.

So… I wanted to come back on what I consider to be the best TV show of 2024. There were other contenders - Squid Game Season 2 was out (and ended up turning the show into a much longer story without any conclusion), Arcane closed its story arc with its second season. While both of them were somewhat satisfactory, they lacked the punch and the impact of their first appearance. As much as I loved Arcane in its first season, the second one felt like a confused mess that did not know where it was going.

But the spotlight came from somewhere else. What stood out was clearly Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (葬送のフリーレン), released at the end of 2023 and finishing in the first half of 2024. It became extremely popular in a very short time.

And it absolutely deserves it.

A Long Path

The heroic fantasy genre knows a very long trail. The RPG culture, thanks to Dungeon and Dragons, left its mark in the US, but also in Japan. Back in the 90s, Lodoss Wars was a successful take on the Western RPG genre, mixing dragons, elves, warriors and some early form of political intrigue. Long, long before GOT was even a thing. Lodoss is not like GOT, but they live in the same space. They share many elements.

In the same timeframe, also known as the glorious days of 90s Japanese animation, you could also find comedies like Slayers featuring the legendary Lina Inverse, which were successful enough to last for several years. A good mix of heroic fantasy, humor and complete absurdity. The early 2000s saw huge blockbusters like the Lord of the Rings movies making it to the mainstream, followed by the start of Game of Thrones within the same 10 years. In Japan, Attack on Titan was another very popular and long lasting Manga and TV show from the 2010s. I’m probably missing a bunch of others, but the context is fairly clear: there is now an established market and appetite for stories mixing humans, monsters, fantasy and all that goes with it: magic, weapons, and epic adventures.

And here comes Frieren, following the trail that was already well travelled by. The show tracks the story of a band of heroes, composed of Himmel the Hero/Leader, Eisen the Warrior, and Heiter the Priest. Frieren joined their party as they were travelling, as an elf Mage. They were on a ten-year journey to defeat the Demon King. Where many other shows would tell you the story from the beginning, this one skips the whole drama and starts at the very end. The mission is over, the Demon King was defeated - you don’t even see how the battle went. You just hear about it. The heroes are celebrated on their return among the common folks.

And the story focuses on Frieren and her destiny following the end of the journey. Since so many things happened in the past, you see the current events under the light of useful flashbacks, that end up telling you more about the original party members, as well as where Frieren really came from. And how she managed to become so powerful.

An unusual take

Most stories in the genre focus on the human point of view, with the elves intervening in one way or another in the narration as a sidekick. Frieren turns things around by putting the Frieren as the protagonist and the story teller. And there is a very good reason for that.

Elves have a vastly longer life span than humans. And Frieren, as the only one outliving her companions over time, has a very long story to tell. And a lot of unfinished business as she still has many years ahead of her.

This narrative twist is pure genius. It leads to a very different point of view. Not only is being an Elf different, but the passage of time itself is seen under a totally different lens. Frieren is constantly surprised by the aging of her former companions and their eventual passing. At the beginning, the returning party watches a comet gliding thru the skies, and Himmel comments that it won’t happen for another 50 years - hinting at the fact that it’s a once in a lifetime experience. Frieren does not really grasp the meaning of the comment, and replies that they should get together again in 50 years to see it the next time it comes. She does not realize that most of her companions might not be alive by then.

Frieren keeps reminiscing about the past while she forms her new party with younger (human) members, some of whom were trained by her former companions. This time, as Frieren benefits from a much longer experience, she acts as a mentor and a teacher for her younger disciples.

But the authors brilliantly avoid the trap to turn Frieren into some kind of immortal human. Frieren has a different nature. She remains very awkward when interacting with people and does not understand human feelings well. Her distance and lack of comprehension becomes a subtle commentary about the absurdity of human nature mainly driven by emotions. Initially, you see her as being very emotionally detached, even at the passing of her friends. But throughout her journey, as she learns more about humans and her former friends, she starts pondering about her feelings and searches for answers with her new companions. Simple momments spent watching the sunrise with friends become more meaningful to her.

While she remains a master of her craft, and very much acts as the mature, and more experienced person of the party, we see her grow constantly. She seems to grap human feelings better, she experiences grief, and she finds new ways to honor her long-lost friends. Maybe this is a hidden message for all of us: no matter how long you have lived, you should strive to keep learning and improving.

What can I say!? The writing is just very good. In the whole first season there was no weak episode. And you all know that it’s very easy for a series to throw a filler episode after another, just because you have to push a certain number of hours. Here, they had the benefit of a very strong source material (the original manga). But the execution was just something else. This reminds me of Death Note, in a completely different genre, where the source material was really, really good, but the anime was just so masterfully done it ended making the manga look like some dirty draft. I get the same wow effect from the Frieren anime.

You should however not expect an action-packed show. If it were a game, we’d categorize it in the “cozy” genre: games you can play to relax. There is a lot of talking, of contemplation. Later in the first season the party joins a trial to obtain a certain magic license. Most other series would jump right into it. In Frieren, there’s a whole episode where the characters are talking about whether or not they should do it, what they can gain or not from it and if there are other ways to think about their next steps. Nothing really happens, it’s just a good conversation. A bunch of questions that deserved to be asked, and food for thought. I find this extremely refreshing.

I might make it sound like Frieren is mostly a peaceful journey, but it’s not. The Japanese title is very much indicative of that. 葬送のフリレン - poorly translated to Frieren the Slayer which is not exactly the right meaning - evocates the fact that Frieren is the companion of Death. Evil is never too far away, and there is no escaping it. The build up, the tension, the preparation to the confrontation with demons and other monsters is a real treat for the viewer. And when the real action occurs, you get to see some of the best animation in the genre. Outstanding work, easily rivaling the quality of anime movies made for theaters.

They did not slack either when it came to pleasing your ears. One great piece of music after another, with traditional instruments, accompanying Frieren in her journey. Multiples themes alternate as she is uncovering her past. We find out that she did not start as an all-powerful being, and had to learn the hard way, starting as an Elf without any purpose or desire, but with some raw potential towards magic. She just became good at it because she’s been living and learning for much longer than anyone else - her lifespan and how she used her time is her ultimate weapon.

Frieren is, by all accounts, a scholar. She is not out there seeking battles. Her motivation is to uncover new spells and learn more about magic. The fact that this leads her to fight and kill is part of the journey, not a goal in itself. We can see that in how she approaches enemies standing in her way. She understands the risks. She is aware of her own limits - and knows that fights against strong foes could be fatal. She tends to consider if there may be other ways to go about it.

What is fascinating is her stoic approach towards her own demise. She knows every fight could be the last, and yet she often decides to take the risk, with little regard for the outcome. It’s a calculation. A clear possibility that does not escape her mind. But whatever happens, happens. This feels very different from the ocean of other animes, where protagonists are quick-tempered, poor thinkers, and generally not very subtle, and seen as invincible.

In this first season, Frieren is on a new journey to fight the (new) Demon Lord. Yet, this seems to be mostly a pretext. Just like in road movies, the destination is besides the point. What happens between point A and point B is what matters: and it’s not just about covering some distance, but growing along the way. Both for Frieren and her young companions who end up knowing more about the world and finding more about themselves too.

This first season left me with a very strong impression. I’m cautiously optimistic that the second season will be just as good.

The next season will start airing early 2026. Only a few months left before the first new episodes show up on your screens. This is the perfect time to catch up on Season 1 if you have not watched it yet. I’m betting you won’t regret it.

It’s what Japan does best.