Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Fable07
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End* may look stunning and aim for emotional depth, but for many viewers, it falls flat. The story moves at an incredibly slow pace, often focusing more on quiet reflection than actual plot development. While some appreciate the calm, others find it dull and uneventful. Frieren herself is emotionally distant, which makes it hard to connect with her or care about her journey. The supporting cast lacks strong arcs, and the lack of real conflict or tension makes the world feel lifeless. Despite its philosophical tone, the show often comes across as repetitive and overly sentimental. In the end, *Frieren* is a beautifully made anime that, for some, feels more boring than meaningful.
Read at the sourceNutBarber
Frieren isn't deep. It's just empty pretty wrapper.
So I watched Frieren, and honestly... I just couldn’t keep the thoughts to myself.
People are constantly praising it for being emotional, thoughtful, and “beautifully slow.” And yeah, I get where they’re coming from. But to me, it felt more like someone telling me to stare at a river because it’s relaxing. Like… sure, it flows, but that's really all. So what’s the goal and point ?
There’s no real conflict, no antagonist that actually matters, no moral dilemma to chew on. The characters just kind of go through the motions without ever really being challenged. Even Frieren herself. Her "growth" feels way too safe and linear. She slowly becomes more emotional, but never hits any serious internal wall or has to make a tough decision. It’s a…
Read at the sourceRwurg
Wow
No major spoilers, promise. But I need to rant.
I don't know where to start. This is a story about the past, where they CONSTANTLY reference the past. It's not so bad, at first. But the past becomes so much of a regular it feels almost like I missed the main story and am watching the aftermath story. Which is ok, so if that's what the author went for, I applaud you.
Frieren is probably my least favorite protagonist character ever. She has zero development over a hundred years she's exactly the same then as is she now. Which if that's so, and she lives so long, why am I watching this? Incredibly boring character with no agenda. The supporting characters are decent, but they don't do enough to make this worth anything.
I just don't see the hype. It's definitely different, and if t…
Read at the sourceMcLarrm
This anime is incredibly bland I wondered how it was everywhere and how so many talked about it. I gave it so much time, chance, sleep just to see what was unique and captivating about it and I can finally say for certain that after sitting through the most insufferable 28 episodes of this show, I’d recommend it as a sleeping pill.
Literally, if you’re battling with insomnia, just put this on and I guarantee you to fall asleep in a second. The dialogues are uninteresting, the story/plot is ordinary, not a single thing about this show is worth remembering, you might even forget what happened in the previous episode if you take more that 30 minutes to start the next episode that’s how boring it is.
Overall I give it a 10 for hype, 4 for suspense, 4 for plot, 3 for characters, bringing to…
Read at the sourceBlackCrowGrows
Frieren has got to be the most overrated anime of all time on MAL. I'd like to make it clear that I do not hate this anime by any means, but I just find it extremely boring to a point its almost unwatchable.
Any adventure or fantasy story has any objectives to complete or to follow, for example hunter x hunter we see that gon is adventuring to find his dad, in FMAB we see that ed is trying to cure his brother. Although it's not a necessity, it's pretty clear that it gives a backbone to a thrilling adventure/fantasy story. Frieren starts from where most fantasy/isekais end which is the story after defeating the demon lord. But since it starts from an absurd point it lacks clear objectives to accomplish or achieve. Frieren the main character who is an elf is just shown to be adventuring wh…
Read at the sourceZigizmund
An anime that promised to be a unique look at life after completing the heroes' epic mission. However, despite the interesting concept, it failed to meet expectations.
The first and most obvious omission of "Soukou no Frieren" is its slow tempo. The plot develops too slowly, focusing on the little things that do not always add depth to the story or character development. Instead of a lively and dynamic story about the consequences of heroic deeds, we get something monotonous and protracted. This is a huge problem for me, I think that long runs are bad and I appreciate finished concise works. Maybe this is one of those chill titles for relaxation? oh no, it's a stupid emotional tearjerker. it would work if there was an interesting fantasy setting, but there isn't
One of the main disappoin…
Read at the sourceBerm
(Originally uploaded March 31st, 2024)
To spare you the time, Frieren is far from what so many others are saying it is. While most see a masterclass in character writing and worldbuilding, I see a hollow and generic fantasy anime that is filled to the brim with tropes. Let’s break down how Frieren falls into almost every single cliche that every other fantasy anime falls into.
What was most apparent and annoying to me about Frieren was how its world did not feel organic whatsoever. Frieren’s world, like most fantasy anime’s of the modern age, feels like a video game world. There are dungeons that need to be explored, mana levels depending on how long you have trained, and monsters evaporate into smoke when defeated. Frieren and her party of heroes happen to always stumble upon the right…
Read at the sourceCyrose
Why is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is so highly recognised?
“In this review we will examine it under a magnifying glass, in the task of learning and uncover the mystery behind its remarkable success and to settle all query.”
So don’t judge by a closed book just yet, let’s turn a leaf of what now is an ideal fantasy into actual reality.
Usually, I don’t judge this seriously, although Frieren looks casual, it is far away from being usual.
The methaporic themes and symbolism’s. The significance of existence. Is an important part of Frieren’s story and one major aspect behind its enchanting appeal.
Why is it called the journeys end? Even though the humans she met along her journey was just a portion of her life. They stayed with her until the end of their life’s as for them she was t…
Read at the sourceGentlePro
If you don't understand the complex characters that elves are, then don't write a story about an elf protagonist.
People,
There's a reason why elves are portrayed as cold creatures devoid of emotions and empathy, it's because they've been around for hundreds to thousands of years. So while humans are slaves to their emotions which often compromises their decision making, elves on the other hand have lived for so long and have so much experience that they are able to see the bigger picture and remain objective no matter how seemingly cruel the situation requires them to be. Think of Avallac'h in the Witcher 3 for instance.
Frieren is a THOUSAND YEAR OLD ELF (estimates have her at around 1400-1500 years). Just to put things into perspective that's the equivalent of 14 full human lives at t…
Read at the sourceTheVistrian
Get this garbage out of #1. It is embarrassing for us as a community. This medium contains the highest of possible art, the deepest and most meaningful of story; yet this show is not amongst that. This is a sloppy collection of annoying characters and intentionally mundane meaningless plot lines. The vibes are not cozy, the moments are not wholesome, and the show is not good.
I will not be holding back at all with this review and I will be holding this show to the highest possible standard. If it Is truly the best show it should hold up against the highest level of criticism.
I will start with the positives. Freeren is number one amongst all anime in one aspect. The first outro of Freeren is the greatest anime outro I have ever seen. It is absolutely gorgeous and compliments the show per…
Read at the sourceDrReverse
I saw a lot of people speaking highly of this anime and praising it as if it were a masterpiece. I went to watch it and what a disappointment. In terms of the script, it was one of the worst I've seen this year.
Slow dynamics, it's even sleepy. The protagonist and her apprentice have NO charisma whatsoever, even a door is more charismatic than they are. Spending 90% of the anime like this: 😐 - Apart from the robotic voice, with no intonation whatsoever, it sounds like Ayanokoji from The Elite's Classroom, the difference being that both Frieren and Fern are like this.
If you like good plots, a dynamic anime full of conflicts, you can abandon the idea of watching this anime. Because good plots are what this anime lacks. If you want to watch something more "goodvibe" to pass the time (or…
Read at the sourceliteraturenerd
Frieren is an anime that I’ve been meaning to review for months, but I wanted to wait just a little bit for the emotions and hype to settle down. There’s a LOT to discuss when it comes to Frieren, but not all of it directly has to do with the anime itself. Firstly, I’m reviewing this on MAL and that means by necessity that I must address the elephant in the room. Frieren accomplished the unthinkable in unseating Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood from its highly controversial 15-year reign. Why was it controversial? Vote brigading my friends. It was artificially kept at number 1 by a highly obsessive faction of MAL users and…it’s a long story.
The first thing you need to know about MAL is that this site and its user base have always been incredibly image conscious to an obsessive and often…
Read at the sourcekeirashii
This review contains spoilers.
"Frieren: Here we are, two $1.50 hot dogs.
Fern: Just a $1.50? How can Costco possibly make a profit off of that?
Frieren: It's the same price as back then.
Fern: Wouldn't inflation cause the price to chan- Frieren: I remember when Himmel the Hero bought a hot dog here for the same price. Costco is unchanged, even now... Back then, Himmel...
[cut to flashback]
Himmel: You know Frieren, a hot dog is like a metaphor for life--we ketchup with old friends and make new ones. When I'm gone, please never forget... that life's too short not to relish every moment..."
(thanks to Letterboxd user SupremeLemon for this)
The utter lack of identity this show exhibits is absolutely bewildering, and perhaps I was expecting this to improve within the second half, bu…
Read at the sourceLatooq
I'm confident that the rarity of some event and the significance of that event are correlated. Take a meteor shower for example, if it happened every night it would stop being exciting. And just like seasons die one after another, every year at least several shows get the status of being a "modern classic". However, it stopped being about the quality because it always happens when the show is still airing and it gets overshadowed by yet another show afterwards. And this time it's Frieren beyond journey's end, which doesn't deserve the community's love given terribly misleading title. For Frieren the journey is nothing but endless, and the title would perfectly fit for a side character spin-off. On a serious note, the story has some serious issues I can't get past past.
The anime is set…
Read at the sourceKzzz
Sousou no Frieren," an anime with tremendous potential, ends up suffering the same fate as a run of the mill anime. Frieren had something special, and that was its premise: an immortal elf grappling with the impermanence of human life after the death of her companions. However, the potential was destroyed, but how? Very slowly anime with a story lacking direction and constantly introducing unplanned events that made the viewer much more confused and forgot the purpose of the journey because not even our characters were discussing it anymore
The biggest problem with this anime is its pacing; episodes feel like a race between snails and dedicate too much screen time to scenes that are non-essential and do not contribute anything to the story. For example, "Frieren walks around the city and t…
Read at the sourceRinaldi_P
Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 turning into an empty anime time for me, still, I manage to watch some in in BATCH, which I not really prefer for now days anime. I watched Tate no Yuusha and Goblin Slayer with a low expectation but it turn out quite great(a reverse to their previous season). And this anime trailer show up, people go on like crazy about it, like "The first after-journey blah blah blah thing" and I be like "Oh, another will be overhype anime huh..." and I close my interest to watch this and only lock You-Zitsu and Tomozaki in my plan to watch. I spent those waiting time rewatching some old anime, and boom..., this series show up as 1st place top anime, I am be like "Is this a work of overhype new comer watcher again? or is it really that good?" and my brother manage to persuade me…
Read at the sourceTrikkiez
Style-
Frieren doesn't have its own unique style in any way. It just feels like every other Fantasy/Isekai ever. and I know it's not an Isekai, but it certainly feels like it in a lot of ways. The characters are very uninteresting and forgettable, the ost is one of the most generic things I've ever heard, the directing is very basic and boring, and the world is also uninteresting and forgettable. It's ironic how the only intriguing location is one we never see on screen through the whole anime (The North). Besides that there isn't a single location that sticks out. So in terms of style this anime offers nothing that anybody who has seen more than 20 anime likely hasn't already seen before. It's not ambitious in any way and just feels soulless. I will say that for an anime to be good it doe…
Read at the sourcechekkit
I feel so catered to.
It feels like an eternity since I've been given such a phenomenal anime with a well thought out plot, great art and animation to accompany it, emotional thought provoking moments... more than that, it feels so mature in that it doesn't baby me with your typical anime tropes. No obnoxiously screaming kid protags, no overly ecchi scenes meant purely for fanservice, no moments where I have to groan and just deal with whatever stupidity is put before me-- Just a fun and emotional journey that is pure story and human feelings.
I'm not going to go into too incredible detail, but if you're a fan of fantasy and pure story elements, this is the anime for you. It focuses on the after story of Frieren, who has already well and finished her main quest to defeat the demon lord t…
Read at the sourceCaptainKenshiro
Someone recommended me to watch this title last year months before it began airing as a similar series to Mahoutsukai no Yome, and although it also has a mage and their disciple studying, training and traveling together, and the main characters share voice actress, I don’t see much resemblance beyond the premise. Concept wise, I find it to be more similar to Fumetsu no Anata E, since it is about a long-lived non-human protagonist learning about mortality and the short live span of humans while traveling around the world and getting some friends and new abilities.
The issues with that title are that the protagonist didn’t have a personality initially, it was full of emotional manipulation to make you cry, the main character was becoming stronger by acquiring the abilities of his dead frie…
Read at the sourceIonliosite2
Sousou no Frieren is a series with a great premise, it starts after the demon king is defeated and it is focused in what comes after that, the passage of time is very important as we follow an immortal elf that sees the friends she fought alongside with getting older and dying and she feels that she should have known them better, so she decided to go on another journey retracing her steps. This could have worked wonderfully, if only the protagonist Frieren wasn’t a Mary Sue, Fern wasn’t Frieren 2 but with some more human concerns and Stark wasn’t Zenitsu but somewhat less annoying. Honestly, I had such high hopes for this series, when I saw it was animated by Madhouse and it was directed by Keichiirou Saitou (who people surely know for his directing work in Bocchi the Rock), the fact I’m d…
Read at the source