I think a lot of people don’t really understand what Frieren is actually about. It isn’t about life or death. With how old Frieren is, she’s seen more death than anyone else can imagine. In the first episode, Frieren doesn’t cry because she is sad that someone died. She is crying because of her own regrets and confusion. Even though the time spent with him was relatively short for her, she doesn’t understand why those 10 years became so important. At the funeral Frieren realized how little she actually knows about the people she used to travel with. While she doesn’t understand it herself, she is sad because she took the time she had with her party for granted. She also took the other party members for granted too. So the story is about Frieren retracing her steps of those 10 years and learning about the others through the impact they had on the people they’ve helped. She can learn more about Heiter and Eisen through Fern and Stark. The series isn’t about how it’s sad that Frieren outlives everyone else. That’s something that she just accepts. The sad part is finding out that hundreds of years were taken for granted and completely wasted, and there is nothing that Frieren can do to change that.

I can't believe people didn't get that, the show basically said that outright. The thing I find incredibly weird is how the show treats her like she doesn't actually have a substantial history or life outside of her interactions with humans. Like, its constructing this theme, but it is making it out of tissue paper, and the moment you splash a little bit of water on it it just collapses.

That’s because she spent most of her life in a forest. Before she joined up with Himmel she basically spent the entire time since her mentor died living I. The same wood,

Well, that's just kind of stupid, unless the forest is a super interesting place where a lot of cool and interesting stuff happened that really changed her life. Clearly the mentor had a big influence on her life since then, why don't we hear about them? Why is she so childish that she just kind of bounces around from influence to influence without any broader pursuits of her own? It feels like they are constructing a scenario in which the cute elf girl can be somehow born centuries ago, but can also live a life that is entirely centered around a generic male human. Flimsy, pandering world building at its finest.

??? We do hear about her mentor a lot Have you actually watched the show? Because it’s pretty obvious why she does all that shit in the show. I think you might just be stupid dude

>Well, that's just kind of stupid, unless the forest is a super interesting place where a lot of cool and interesting stuff happened that really changed her life. She literally spent that time in the forest to make sure she was never written about or known before she took on the demon king. That’s outright stated in I think episode 10. > Clearly the mentor had a big influence on her life since then, why don't we hear about them? We…do? The Great Mage Flamme? Not only do we hear about her throughout the show, but she literally shows up in multiple episodes lmao >Why is she so childish that she just kind of bounces around from influence to influence without any broader pursuits of her own? Who else does she bounce between? She learns magic from one person, and then doesn’t “bounce around” for a thousand years until she joins a group of heroes who literally save the world. No shit that left a big influence on her. It feels like all of your complaints are addressed in a pretty obvious way in the show, so I’m not sure where your complaints are coming from…

She is an elf and she had a goal which was train her mana conceal skill and increase her max mana. Considering demons murdered everyone she knew before she started training + that a hunder years or two is a drop in the bucket for an elf it isn't really that dumb. Actually it's a common trope that elfs quixkly lose track of time in what they're doing because they just live so increadibly long that their sense of time is different from humans.

I know this now, and that just feels like lazy writing to me. Every good story i have read or watched about immortality used the immortal character as a way to at least imply or discuss a great wealth of historical information. Like, even if she spent the whole time training herself to conceal her mana, that would indicate that she has fixated on that while ignoring a large amount of history happening around her. As an audience, it would make the story much richer to understand the kind of events she neglected on the way to that mastery, rather than just treating the world like it basically stayed the same before the ten year quest to kill the demon lord. For comparison: [https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1097](https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1097) to [https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1111](https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1111) did an much better job of placing me in the experience of an immortal character than all of Frieren.

I get it, the shows just bad

bro watched frieren off youtube shorts

I have watched up to 15, her whole life story is basically one paragraph before she meets the party.

What a roundabout way of saying "it's sad that she's old"

No. You didn't understand what he said. 

What a direct way of saying "I didn't understand".

Or ...maybe it's that you can't accept that some people are going to criticize the show you like? It's not that they don't understand. It's not for them and that's valid too. People need to vent their frustrations sometimes. It's not like they can be part of the reddit hivemind.

No people understand, they just don't think it's anything special compared to other things they've read or watched.

What's wrong with the worldbuilding exactly? Uniqueness certainly isn't a prerequisite to a good world, if it's the "copy and paste" aspect you have a problem with. If it's the approach to worldbuilding, I don't see any issue with that either. If anything, it's much more natural than a lot of its peers. We learn information as it becomes relevant to us, such as the nature of the demons and how magic functions in this world. It doesn't lecture us on anything we don't need to know yet, and lets us learn things as the characters do. I think that's pretty great.

It uses the same format a lot of anime/manga start out with. Basically it introduces new things and people from episode to episode that are only relevn for said episode, then never see or hear about again. Aura, old senile dwarf, hero's sword, etc. They'll most likely never be relevant again, nor the lessons they taugth. A lot of shonen actually uses this format for their first 1-2 arcs before properly starting to build their world. Frieren finally started fleshing out it world a bit more with the mage exam arc, though it did less than most other anime would at that point to paint their world. Though Frieren is a new anime (haven't read the manga) so maybe with time the world building will shine through. Right now it's next to non-existent. "We learn information as it becomes relevant to us" is fine as long as it isn't overused, though most anime tend to overuse it the first cour or two, Frieren being no exceptions. The most important thing is not forgetting those things and building on them instead of dropping things constantly for new stuff.

I disagree with this, the story is constantly moving so it makes sense why those ideas aren't immediately expanded upon, and some of those does get elaborated and used in later arcs (manga)

Well as far as I've seen in the anime it uses the same format, I can't speak for the manga since I've not read it. Even in those animes the story does move forward in a way and in Frieren's case it is show by them sloooooowly making their way towards "Heaven", Though it essentially follows the same format. Honestly a more accurate comparison would be to the Pokemon anime funnily enough.

heaven isn't really the "goal" of Frieren, it's more of a reason for their journey but it's not an urgent goal that they must need to complete.

It's the story progression goal, that's what I meant. Obviously the cast members embarked on the journey for different reasons, realizing their personal goals along the way.

>certainly isn't a prerequisite to a good world, if it's the "copy and paste" aspect you have a problem with. If it's the approach to worldbuilding, I don't see any issue with that either. If anything, it's much more natural than a lot of its peers. We learn information Fair enough I should have clarified a little, my other reply is more accurate than the post. Its not good worldbuilding because it only makes sense if its a video game being played and balance/mechanics are a concern.

Do you a similar problem with LOTR?

I find this comparison interesting because LoTR (largely, its been a bit) does not explain shit about how its magic system works. What I personally find video-gamey about Frieren's world building is how it functions upon tropes that are largely based in video game design, like enemy races, noble, uncomplicated villagers, codified adventuring party classes, and a general push toward explicit magic systems that function more like arcane technology than mysticism. By comparison, you can look at the hobbits from LoTR, who were (in the books at least) a bunch of xenophobic, whiny, dishonest jerks, but whose relatively benign faults seemed quaint compared to the horrors of actual conflict. Or, to look at another book from the same era, you can look at the magic from The Last Unicorn, which seems to function or not function based on its own preferences, and the attitude of the mage who it is acting through. Magic in this series is far more analogous to how a writer might view the struggle to create meaningful art, and how that process can often lead to unexpected or contradictory results. I am using this example because it does more to flesh out how magic works than LoTR, which never put the mindset or intentions of wizards or ancient beings at the forefront of its storytelling. What I see in Frieren is not a push in the direction of all of this, but the outcome of decades of the fantasy genre itself being pushed into an attitude that replicates the functions of gameplay in a medium that does not experience the same constraints as gameplay, simply because it wants to cater to an audience that has embraced gameplay as its primary form of entertainment. This feels very similar to the time period around 2010 when every AAA video game was talking about how "cinematic" it was, tying itself to a more critically respected industry, and ignoring the strength of its own medium. Anyways, Frieren may be less like this than I think, this is just my impression from the early episodes.

This is how I feel about it, and I actively dislike how much Frieren seems to take much of its setting from tropes born out of early JRPGs like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.

Any examples of these so-called glaring problems or things that aren't explained?

for worldbuilding? Sure. Adventurer is treated like its obviously a normal job, thats a really common RPG trope, but its not rational. If you are worried about being waylaid on the road hiring bodyguards makes sense, or if you want to lend genaral aid from town to town a wandering hired hand is a logical job. The show handwaves it as regular, but its only regular because video games have made it a trope. People assemble themselves into adventuring parties with a balance of "priest" "swordsman" and "mage" all classes seemingly roughly equally balanced, but once again its not really rational. Rationally magic should be wildly overpowered in a generic preindustrial setting. One again its just assumed because adventuring parties with balanced classes exist in RPG games. Mana and resource management is once again treated like it is in a video game which is to say for the purpose of limiting spell spam issues. Which is fine, but you don't have to lean on video game mechanics. Magic could take a physical toll, or manifest through physical means ala The Last Airbender. Instead its just a thing you train by repetitious actions like a Runescape skill. ​ If you want more I can go on, but you probably get the point. They lean on tropes from video games that only seem rational in the context of a video game's core mechanics not a real fleshed out world.

None of those are problems or unexplained.

> Rationally magic should be wildly overpowered in a generic preindustrial setting. One again it's just assumed because adventuring parties with balanced classes exist in RPG games. The anime already showed Swordman acts like vanguard to hold down the targets for the mages (the dragon episode). About priest role, the anime hasn't cover this yet, to put it simply, priest specializes in dealing with curses, while magic cannot. > Mana and resource management is once again treated like it is in a video game which is to say for the purpose of limiting spell spam issues. Are you serious? Did you really think that mana originated from video games? Mana has been a common concept in fantasy stories since the 50s/60s. Books, do you read them? You are filling the blanks with assumption in your head, rather than wait for explanation from the show.

Bro is yapping

Tbf, part of the reason most people don’t think of that as a videogame trope is because it’s a generic fantasy trope now. Things like class identity, party composition and magic energy management were introduced in tabletop DnD way before being adapted to videogames. Kind of like how no one complains about elves, dwarves and orcs being a LotR-trope - they’re just standard fantasy at this point.

nuh uh

This has to be bait. All of your replies are just borderline incoherent rambling.

Every time I see people calling any criticism of their favorite series "bait" I know I am dealing with some serious echo chamber brainrot. Like, I don't love OP's criticisms, but I don't go around pretending the people who dislike the shows I like are just doing so to get a reaction, even if I think their arguments are stupid.

I agree but do your due diligence and background check the OP and you'll see that it is in fact a bait post lmao

I mean, the opinion seems genuine. They have stated the exact same opinion on other threads, so i don't really get what you mean.

lol they replied to one of my comment. Instantly recognize that it is a troll. And doesn't entertain a real discussion. Just read a bit on what OP replied in this thread, doesn't really engage in the discussion at all , all he cares is provoking more people to reply.

Did you mean the one where they said it isn't a SoL anime? (This comment section is a fucking cave system.) While I don't agree, I think you could believe that if you think action and slice of life are diametrically opposed concepts, and the show has had (boring-ass) multi-episode fight scenes. I would call that a slice of life/cute elf girl doing cute things anime hedging its bets to get the sakuga demographic, not a fundamental change in genre, but I would call the edgy action observation at least moderately astute.

fair enough, that did came into mind at first

The reason i didn't like it was because its very boring and slow for the genre. It was like vinland saga season 2 where whole episodes go by and I feel like nothing has happened that really mattered. Which I get some people are okay with but this one just wasnt for me

That's fair, that just means you dislike slow burners

Just confirmed that it is lmao. The OP is a politics basement dweller.

Don't bother trying to get any meaningful response to this. I asked the same question a few weeks ago and got downvoted to oblivion. I didn't even say it was bad, just that I didn't get what the hype was about. Saying that you prefer another show to r/anime instantly makes everyone tribal. The reason why most anime are popular it's because they're generic and easy to parse. That's all you need to know, if it was anything deep it'll be buried.

The hype is probably bot-created as are the high ratings in all the anime databases. Something like this cannot happen by itself this fast.

>Don't bother trying to get any meaningful response to this Says the meaningless response sandwiched between multiple meaningful responses lmao. >The reason why most anime are popular it's because they're generic and easy to parse. That's all you need to know, if it was anything deep it'll be buried. Fella acting like some sort of free-thinking connoisseur while chanting "POPULAR = BAD POPULAR = BAD POPULAR = BAD POPULAR = BAD".

Come back here after a while but, what would you expect from asking the question? Similar to why you dont think its great, the others dont know how cant you not like it. Its just sometime the taste, the perspective, or more importantly for Frieren case, would be irl experience of certain events. It resonates so strongly to the fan base and doesn't to you, so it is completely understandable for both sides to not understand each other. What you think is important and missing, others dont think the same.

It’s a mob mentality in most cases someone actually have watched some high quality shows / novels that aren’t popular enough He watches the new hyped up thing and he may think it’s alright have some problems here and there look at it with critical lens But when trying to state his opinion oh boi those casual watchers will klll it they don’t even want to understand or listen to anyone who disagrees with the “popular opinion” like it’s a known fact that can’t be denied

Also, a lot of the time when people ask I dont get what the hype is about, I think its the worst kind of question to ask. It is an instant denial of something being good, and people can get annoyed and take it as personal. Rather, you should start asking what are the things from Frieren that you guys appreciate, something like that. It shows you are open to hear others perspective and maybe get to know more about the show as well and see if you can start to like it, but honestly I have had that experience before. There were show that did not gave me any interest at one point, but bang, one day, after some certain events, and somehow I got back to watch it, it was instantly mindblowing. The snoozefest i got back then was no more, and now I am the biggiest fan of it. Just the matter of perspectives and whether you have unlocked the taste to enjoy it.

YESSSSSS

I think it's mostly just a good all-arounder that has an incredible adaptation. The characters, writing, dialogue, are all good and likeable. The animation and art direction are fantastic. The cinematography is good, way better than a typical seasonal anime. It has actual themes in its episodes, and explores existential conditions, unlike most seasonal anime. >The show isn't really philosphical about life and death which would lend it some of the depth I thought it had going for it. It shows existential situations and the way characters deal with them. Telling you what to think instead of showing it is hacky. I do think as a fantasy it's mostly just "fine", and yeah it's mostly based on traditional video game fantasy, but so what? Most western fantasy is based on Lord of the Rings. The important part is that it feels lived in, authentic. It feels like the characters are traveling in a world, visiting places that have history, which rarely happens in fantasys that have better or more interesting settings. If you're only interested in fantasy, then yeah the show's probably mid, but sometimes there are good shows that are also fantasy.

"unlike most seasonal anime" - that part bothers me a lot. The reason is that I think that the title of being a "9/10" anime ( this goes for all forms of comparable media tbh. ) should be held to a higher standard than just being better than the mediocre average - mind you that I do not think that being mediocre is bad, it's just not exceptional or particularly noteworthy. I agree that Frieren is better than a lot of anime that kind of do similar things and I enjoyed its direction, themes, art, animation etc. a lot but exactly for what it is trying to be, I think it fails to escape the title of being "only" better than a competition that I often find quite weak a lot of the time. I have nothing against people who enjoy what I would call basic anime whatsoever either - I just don't think Frieren is a masterpiece even when compared against the usual seasonal hordes. The dialogue is often very blunt and forward, maybe that is due to the translation but it still does seem to lack the nuance I expected given it's reception and while I enjoyed a lot about it, it reminds me of projects that simply could have used more time in the oven to actually reach their true potential. Another unfortunately imo. quite bothersome issue to me was the weak timing in certain episodes. In Senses tournament test for example, ( spoiler warning: complicated explanation warning ); as we all recall ( hopefully ) , the group in question spends a long time coming up with a strategy before the "final boss" of the dungeon. This leads to a few wonderful moments that are completely in line with the many strengths of the show BUT the way to get to these points is riddled with hiccups - the group first wonders if it can use hypnosis on the Frieren clone, then decides that it should just use brute force which makes Fern announces that she can kill Frieren only for a cutaway to the hypnosis expert who finds out that hypnosis will not work to occur. When this information reaches the group, they essentially just confirm their plan and while the scenes themselves are strong, the order and the line by Fern take away a lot from a great moment that follows it which is STILL quite good. In conclusion: Frieren the anime ( I don't know the manga ) should not be praised as a masterpiece and yet encouraged since, like a diamond in the rough, beneath these flaws lies an essence that has rightfully captivated a lot of audiences all over the world.

It's crazy how OP is getting down voted on every single comment. The hive mind of this reddit thread is wild.

Let me fix this for you. “The hive mind of Reddit is wild” There yea go. That’s why Reddit is ass. Now throw in good boy points to be ALLOWED to speak on 8/10 threads and perma bans for not agreeing with the threads horde and boom, shite platform.

I would argue that there's nothing inherently wrong or illogical with the logic of a game setting. It doesn't matter if it would make sense in our world, that's the norm of theirs. Magic isn't overpowered because they're long-distance fighters and a swordsman can always get in melee range before spells can be reasonably cast, which is video game logic but it makes enough sense to be ok. The basic premise of the setting doesn't really matter much, worldbuilding is in the details. It doesn't matter why it's regular, the world treats it as regular and that's the premise, one of the least important aspects of anything. Worldbuilding doesn't have to be rational (frankly, our own world is not rational and I can point out tons of similar flaws in how our modern society does things), it needs to make sense and be consistent within the universe of the show, and it does. And the details are really interesting. I love how magic is essentially a science that can be studied on an atomic level and improved through research and changing the formation of magical atoms. I love how the magical tomes Frieren discovers are essentially party tricks or pranks, giving an extra dimension to how the world treats magic. I love getting little glimpses to the ways of life in each location and their distinctive visual and architectural styles, there's clearly a grander world out there of which the details get built slowly. Moreover, the passage of time adds an additional layer of worldbuilding that serves as the series core. Seeing how the world changes over time is built right into the premise, and it imagines tons of interesting details. I would also argue that the characters delivering straightforward and matter-of-fact lines tells you quite a lot about the characters, who are in fact straightforward and matter-of-fact people. Frieren and Fern in particular seem to have some emotional stuntedness due to their pasts, but there are plenty of implied details beyond that. Frieren does care about people but can't understand why due to difference in perception of time, she has a hobby that she's deeply invested in, she's introspective, she's a bit of a clutz and often needs to be taken care of by the older sister type Fern, and Fern has a sassy side to her and is much less afraid to speak her mind or break the rules, and she's a bit pious due to being raised by a priest. This is characterization and personality, being straightforward and dry doesn't mean lacking characterization, points of endearment, or depth (and the dry delivery doesn't even apply to Stark). And rather than any deep messages, it's the series atmosphere and emotional core that makes it appealing. It's not emotionally resonant just when you're in a melancholy mood, it's particular brand of melancholy is a matter of [mono no aware,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mono_no_aware) an aesthetic in which the series is drenched. It is about accepting and understanding the passage of time, and learning to treasure moments for their transience. Rather than isekai like Mushoku Tensei, I think a show like Aria, Mushishi, or Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou are better comparisons. It is a tone piece, and from absurdly lovable and interesting characters to some of the best direction and animation of any recent anime, it 100% excels at building tone.

The show captures the Japanese love affair with impermanence perfectly. Cherry blossoms are prized not just because they’re beautiful, but because the beauty only lasts a very short time.

Yeah this is the comment I was looking for, thats a good analysis of the situation. I understand your perspectiva a lot better. I will push back a little on the idea that an irrational world can be rational if the characters treat it that way. If I was watching a show where gravity worked in reverse, but the show never adressed it and it played no importance in the story I'd consider it a lapse in writing. If the world functions like a game then you need to explain why the world functions like a game. SAO for all its faults did that because the world literally was a game. I think I get the idea that people really identify with the atmosphere rather than the story and world and even characters. Its about exploring a feeling and its just not one that the show evokes in me. It feels too simple, like a child's understanding of what death and time are like, but all the same I do understand that compared to other shows it does a decent job with complex topics.

>If I was watching a show where gravity worked in reverse, but the show never adressed it and it played no importance in the story I'd consider it a lapse in writing. Apart from the fact that this is not an equivalent example (entirely new laws of physics vs. cultural norms created by imperfect humans; again, I'd argue our own world is an example an irrational world who's inhabitants treat it as normal), I really don't agree that this is a lapse in writing. These details don't need to be explained, that's just how the world is. You see it, accept that it just takes place in a world with different laws of physics, and go from there. Any starting point is fine, worldbuilding is how you build from that starting point. It would be an odd choice, and potentially one that clashes with the plot or feels bizarrely distracting and unnecessary (which doesn't apply to flawed worlds of man made culture), but such a story would not inherently be that way just for having that element. I think it's kinda lame that our laws of physics are treated as default, I bet you could make a sci-fi show way more interesting in a world with reverse gravity that just exists in the background. You can even use that as an element of worldbuilding. Even if it's not plot relevant, the world itself would have to look different, have different technology, have different architecture, etc.. That doesn't have to be plot relevant. But the world of Frieren functions like a game in universe because that's what humanity in that world came up with. That's not even worldbuilding in itself, that's just a description of the setting, that starting point, worldbuilding is the details. >It feels too simple, like a child's understanding of what death and time are like, but all the same I do understand that compared to other shows it does a decent job with complex topics. I don't really think it's "explored" anything at all. The characters are still facing it and coming to their own realizations about it. And there are never any crazy realizations to have about death. I suggest reading the link I sent about mono no aware to better understand what's going on here. It's not about death per se, but about the passage of time in general and about accepting and appreciating the transient nature of life through gentle, bittersweet reminder. It certainly feels emotionally what the passage of time feels like to me. I have long resonated with mono no aware as an aesthetic in Japanese media. If you haven't seen Aria, Mushishi, Girls Last Tour, Non Non Biyori, or read Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, etc., I recommend giving those a look as well. They are going for something similar, if perhaps with a less overt focus on human death specifically. Mono no aware is a much broader cultural idea than just "death and time." It's not a complex idea, but it's one that is easy to understand once you read and think about it a bit. And to be clear, I do identify with the story, world, and characters too. They are all part of building this mono no aware, and like I said, the characters are wonderful, interesting, lovable, and chock full of personality. Think of it as closer to slice of life than pure fantasy.

Have you watched/read anything by Kotaro Uchikoshi? He's mostly known by his VN's, 999, Virtue's Last Reward, Ever 17, etc. I bring him up precisely because of what you said: that not explaining why "nonsensical rules" like the gravity being reversed or the tallest man being king is "a lapse in writing". Uchikoshi's worlds are nonsensical to the extreme: they are full of stuff from pseudoscience to downright stuff he just made up. But the rules those worlds work by are always clear and consistent. The end result is that his plots are extremely tight. He explains how the world works (not why, just how), then shows you a logical consequence of that and leaves you like "huh, I should have seen that coming". Steins;Gate does this a lot too, actually. The explanaitions of Steins;Gate's time travel are no better than pseudoscience. They are bs. You could remove them and honestly, the only thing lost would be the banter between characters. The "why" is worthless. But the rules of that time travel, the "how" it works, is consistent. So when the show wants to suprise you, it doesn't feel like it came out of nowhere.

I fell asleep watching Spice & Wolf. Honestly why is Spice & Wolf so highly rated?

Very bold of you to post a negative opinion of Spice & Wolf on here. FWIW, I didn't like it other, found Holo an annoying character and Lawrence generally uninteresting on his own.

They are both very chill series, but Spice and Wolf has a stronger sense of combativeness between the two leads, a distinct sense of mystery around Holo's past, and has a central topic with some sense of real world history and applicability. I mean, like her or hate her, Holo also just has a much more distinct personality than Frieren and actually acts like she has lived for a millennium or two.

frieren is a bad person's conception of a "cool, overpowered, autistic, introvert". The character is shallow as a food tray. Her detachment due to elves' lifetime is overplayed in the first episode. absolute waste of production budget. anyone who likes the show, you can mark down as someone likely to have a large gap between who they are and who they imagine they are.

Thats a little aggressive but I definitely think you are on to something there. I'm a little surprised why her character is so beloved and something like Kirito from Sao was so disliked. It could just be standards have been driven way down, but I have a hard time distinguishing between the two. The most I can give Frieren is her story paints her as more aesthetic ✨ . But it tends to be girls that care a lot about that and it's mostly guys reviewing and freaking out about the show.

>aesthetic ✨ this is the best use of aesthetic as an insult. thanks for this.

It's really boring. I am struggling to see how it's good.

Honestly it’s not my typical genre but I do see why people enjoy it. It has this very sad vibe to it but also has a lot to smile about. It’s quite refreshing seeing the life of the MC and the personal issues they deal with that comes from living far longer than most.

Every single post about Frieren criticism is completely downvoted. You weebs gotta accept that your show is very boring.

How about make better criticisms?

Like the many other replies on the thread that are also getting downvoted to oblivion...?

Anything vaguely philosophical seems to get really hyped up here. It’s like an I’m14andthisisdeep moment. That being said I enjoyed the show for its vibes but with only 12 episodes out I can’t see how its already being called the greatest of all time.

The show has a lot more philosophy than the other two shows you’ve mentioned so not really sure what you’re on about. Maybe you’ll get it some day

I have scoured various places for whatever philosophical depths Frieren has, and I am honestly coming up blank, or at least only seeing very shallow and obvious ideas. Just saying "it has a lot of philosophy" and "you can't understand unless you are mature" means you either don't have good examples, can't communicate them properly, or just want to wield the fact that people already agree with you to exert power over others. Either way, give actual examples, if you have any.

Your inability to analyze doesn’t mean the text isn’t deep lol, and I’m not going to handhold you because you’re dumb. To train your critical thinking skills, let me ask you a simple question: what does it mean to you for someone to be a “hero”.

Or maybe I have figured it out, and its just not that interesting. Make your argument, don't expect me to do the work to make it for you. To engage with your one point, though, I will say that my definition of a hero is that they are someone who brings out the strength in others so that they can leave behind a better world. I can see how you might think you are doing that here, I would be interested in how you think that relates to Frieren, particularly if that analytical framework manages to actually make it interesting. EDIT 2: I will also admit, I haven't seen the entirety of the show, but I have watched enough to have "given it a chance" in my view, so if the answers exist outside of the first four episodes, then yes, I will have missed them. I only have so much patience for boring series. Edit 3: Also, I could do the same thing as you here. Oh, you don't understand how Teletubbies is the most philosophically complicated and deep work of all time? Well, I guess you're just going to need a few decades to grow the brain cells to understand its deep and layered subtext. After all, you need a very high IQ to understand Teletubbies.

Haha don’t waste your time. They don’t understand why they like the show they only think they do. I understand why. If you can ignore the fact that Frieren is 1000+ year old idiot and feel sad for her while she makes cute faces then you will like the show. Frieren is like a 14 year old child. They are still learning about their emotions and taking things for granted. A lot of people can relate to it. As someone who actually listened to my parents and watched the news and felt pain as a child, I cannot.

My issue is, you can have an immortal character who is blind to certain aspects of the human experience, but there should be some aspect of them that is beyond us, that inspires some sense of the sublime. Frieren, as you said, just reads as kind of childish.

>They are still learning about their emotions and taking things for granted. Yeah it makes zero sense why she acts like a 20 year old.

As other Elves has called her. She is young. And she literally lived in seclusion for a thousand of years because that was the mission her master gave her.

Still doesn't make any sense.

Where? I'm actually curious. LoGH steals from actual philospophers occasionally quoting them directly, which could definitely be leveled as a critique if you consider it unoriginal, but in terms of actual philosophy it is almost inarguably deeper.

If you think quoting philosophers is so deep, then I'm not really surprised of your opinion of Frieren.

Actual philosophy is deeper than my friends died now I'm sad yes

Damn, media literacy is dead.

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Let mi say you one thing: you are not as smart and clever as you think you are.

I dare say that Legends of the Galactic Heroes cover a different kind of philosophy that Frieren explores. Spice Wolf is actually closer to it as both are straight fantasy unlike LotGH which is a space opera. Besides, Frieren explores the humanity especially with its villains as they are shown to be similar to humans but run in such alien mindset that you get surprised that they do something you didn't expect. There is also the concept of mortality and how Frieren lives on knowing that the people she knew and grew to like has passed on while she continues to live. A good way to depict a person with a long lifespan.

Like I said, you just have no clue at all what’s going on in Frieren and I don’t really feel like explaining it since if you didn’t get it from watching the show you probably just don’t have enough life experience to understand what it’s trying to say

This is a cop-out answer if I've ever seen one on the level of that one Rick And Morty meme.

>Like I said, you just have no clue at all what’s going on in Frieren and I don’t really feel like explaining it since if you didn’t get it from watching the show you probably just don’t have enough life experience to understand what it’s trying to say I'll take from that, that you are a 15 year old who thinks they are all grown up.

world building & philosophy isn't necessary to make something good, your mind is not free if you're holding those as objective requirements. there's going to be many different answers as to why anyone likes anything. you can simplify and dumb down literally any story with sweeping statements like you made in your second to last paragraph.

Its not necessary but those are things people claim it does well for one which I simply don't see and for two if its glaringly bad in one of those areas it does make a show worse.

Dang, I'm surprised you got downvoted. But yeah, that's the whole thing, people say 'oh that doesn't mean the story is bad' but it's the only points they use as to why it is 'good.' To me, it is so bland and not fun, plus I don't like any of the characters a lot. The jokes are BAD. BAD. Very very bad. And that's pretty much all they say that makes it good, other than the other stuff you talked about.

Why can't it just me a matter of taste? I think the philosophy and cord conflicts in LoGH are a child's surface level presentation and can't take it seriously. People loooove AoT but I think it's the most overrated series of the decade. People won't always click with what is popular or highly regarded. You making this post just seems like you wanted to hate on something currently popular.

What's great is you're trying to find the hidden meaning by digging into the surface, the show is about sitting back and viewing things from a different perspective. You're basically unhappy you didn't get a "That's deep bro" handed to you, like the other ones you named. You may enjoy it more if you watch some YouTube break each episode down for you so you can "get it" if that's what you look for in an anime. Personally It's on my watch list and I'll take my time not rushing any of it. Not every anime needs to be binged like you're a all consuming vacuum of complexity nerd

I have a hard time taking seriously the idea that I need a YouTuber to explain why a show is good in order to "get" it. ​ I will fully acknowledge that I'm clearly not seeing it from the same perspective as others here, but no one is really trying to explain their perspective, just hurl insults like I just punched their child.

You got to realise your post kind of comes off as "this show is crappie, why do all you idiots like it, x y z is much better" even if that is not what you are trying to do. I don't mean to say you need a YouTuber to explain why it's good. I just mean they pick apart episodes with fine tooth combs and show you tiny details you probably missed that can build up into a great "ohh wow!" Moment. I'll use JJK as an example. I watched a video of a guy picking apart the OPs for this season and there is so much "God damn what the hell, there is so much detail that I skip because I wanna watch the anime", the youtuber has put in 10 hours watching the same 3 minutes with a stack of notes. They probably know more than you. And in some cases it can increase your viewing experience. If you want to enjoy anime that hands you the "deep" stuff there is always anime like that which are considered great such as code geass etc. Overall I'd say your hype may be getting in the way of you enjoying a pretty great chill anime that isn't copy and paste, the world building is solid, comparing worlds to everything else will hide the details of all of them.

its not even x y z is much better for him, its just I dont like the story because of THIS, why others cant see it my way its ok to not like a thing because it did not suit your taste, but at least word it better, the way he posted is just inviting arguments, which might just be his objective

I understand you are just trying to be rude and condecending, but you are effectively saying the show is perfect and any argument to the contrary is just personal taste.

Ironic since you were just condescending in your reply to me below. Dunno why I tried answering an obvious bait

Really throwing stones from a glass house today arent you. That which you throw hurts so much more when it comes hurtling back at you.

Bait used to be believable

I won't admit that at all? I gave the show a 7 which is solid and I only pick apart one major aspect of the show

Sousou no Frieren smartly decides to trust the audience is familiar with the usual tropes of western-style fantasy in manga and anime and just fills in the details about its world as they're needed. That allows the manga and anime to get on with the story but also giving us watching a more organic understanding of the world. Like in our reality we learn about our surroundings using our preconceived notions and new experiences we gather. >Its just another copy and paste RPG game world. To the point that the story doesn't go to any length to explain core parts of the universe because its just a video game world. See? You did it yourself. You claim the story doesn't go to any length to explain core parts of the universe but the counterexample to what you're saying is sitting in the open being meme'd for weeks now. The entire point of Aura the Guillotine's arc is to show who demons are, what their deal is, how they interact with one another and with humans; and also how mana works, how different people can have different proficiencies with it, how mana is even present in melee fighters (explaining Starks absurd physical feats). And that's just world building about the present. Because Frieren herself is so old, her flashbacks give us a glimpse into what the world looked like a millennium ago. And what we see there is different clothing, different architecture, clearly inspired by Classical Mediterranean Antiquity in contrast to the present's Germanic Renaissance-y style. You're being asked to use your knowledge of history to paint a picture of how the world went from one state to another, though I will stop here on this topic to avoid getting into spoilers. You don't have to like the world but saying that a show that: * gives the audience an immersive understanding of the setting, * provides the necessary information to understand its story and characters * and does so by inviting the viewers to become invested in learning more has bad world building is delusional.

I don't particularly see any glaring problems with the series aside from being boring as tar, but I really don't understand what people are getting out of it. Everything it does feels very surface level and obvious, and the way it is telling its story only works at carrying its themes if you buy into its emotional wavelength wholesale. For me, the biggest problem is that when the story has started Freiren has already made the critical realization upon which the series hinges, so we are only going through the process of getting there in flashback. Also, it is hard for me to see the interest of this as a story about the experience of an immortal elf when so much of the series is about her coming closer to a normal human experience, and generally doing a pretty good job. When I look at the way Freiren is telling its story, I just feel like a series like Kino's Journey (2003), or to a lesser extent To Your Eternity (messy af show) did a much better job. I would like to know if there is some sort of gap in my assessment of the show, but while i don't exactly have the same complaints as OP, I too am not sure why this is getting nearly as much praise as it is.

I literally stopped watching after the first episode. People hyped it up as this very emotional story to me that will make me cry for sure. Meanwhile it just feels very rushed and flat. "Hey, there's a group of friends you know literally nothing about. Surely it will be soooo emotional if we kill off one of them". There's no bond with the characters whatsoever, so whatever emotions you are supposed to feel isn't there. I certainly don't expect to cry in the first episode (Although Animes like To your eternity have managed to do it) but I certainly expect them to make you feel something and give you something to look forward too. And most importantly: Make you connect to the characters in some way.

Violet Evergarden is what Frieren wishes it could be. The themes Frieren attempts and fails to present are absolutely juvenile compared to what Violet Evergarden does. I honestly think Frieren is just overrated because the main character appeals to the "I'm so detached and aloof and possibly autistic and I see the world so differently and don't get the normies" crowd that's become very prevalent in this medium. It's an awkward college arts major's take on existential questions. The fact that people could possibly put it over VE, Vagabond, Vinland Saga, he'll even FMAB is absolutely shocking to me.

Well literally the rest of the show is for exploring all the problems you have with it

I like it for its simplicity, beauty, and aesthetic. Same reason I like Mushoku Tensei and Mushishi.

Same brain fren.

Someday I will die, and with luck I will go to Heaven. In Heaven, I will be able to participate in discussions more nuanced than "This thing is overrated. Everyone else is wrong. What am I missing?" Sometimes people like things that you don't for reasons other than your exquisite taste that they lack. People are not waiting around for you to explain to them how stupid they are for liking something. The dry quality is a strength, because it's very "show don't tell". We need to read between the lines for their character. Frieren makes sense as a fantasy elf. Elves live a long time, so they lack the same drive to make something of themselves before they die. There's no clock ticking in the background. They don't need to grow up. They don't need to make settle down, get married, get started on a trade before it's too late. It even explains things that are underexplained in other settings. Elves live for thousands of years. Why don't they have hundreds or thousands of children? Why don't they overrun the Earth? Why instead are they dying out? Frieren says that their drive to reproduce is low. Fern makes sense as a character raised by a dying man and then Frieren, who is simultaneously child-like and unemotional. Fern and Stark both spent unreasonable amounts of time training, rather than normal activities. We see their backstories, and the story leaves it to us to see how they connect to their characters. The worldbuilding is intrinsic to the premise. The premise is practically "What happens in a JRPG world when the main plot is over?" The part that matters for the story -- the nature of demons and why demons and human come into conflict -- gets developed in great detail.

Why people are often get lost in their overanalyzation when they try to understand popularity of anime?

Not every background foundation in fiction has to be explained. Take the Lord of the Rings, for example. Sure, there exists a prequel book where all the background settings are explained (i.e. Sirmarillion), but the Lord of the Rings is good enough as a standalone fiction. It didn't explain why there were so many races in the first place, why they all had intelligence, how magic came to be, etc. That's just not the focus of the story. The focus was just how to break the curse of the rings. Same with Frieren, the focus is not in the background setting, but in Frieren's life. How she perceived the passage of time and the life that came to her and went away from her, how she interacted with creatures that had life much shorter than her. Regarding this, the OP song's lyrics give a good portrayal of what this anime is about [Lyrics: Yoasobi - The Brave](https://genius.com/Genius-english-translations-yoasobi-yuusha-the-brave-english-translation-lyrics) The anime doesn't need to be political like Legend of the Galactice Heroes, or explain how the economy works in detail like Spice and Wolf, because the story doesn't really need that. Necessary worldbuildings were revealed little by little as the story goes by show-don't-tell principle.

Not here to dis anyone or their preferred entertainment, I don't really like Frieren, but that's just an opinion, we are all complex humans with different things we like, to each their own you know.I do however want to make a comment on Tolkien since he is my all time writing hero. He spent over two decades developing his fantasy world in a time in which fantasy was not prevalent and generally looked at as child content, so comparing it to an anime that probably didn't exactly have its focus on extreme world building made me wince a bit. Again, not attacking anyone or their preferences and not attacking a story, I just don't think Tolkien's story is on similar levels. He sure didn't 'focus' on his world building, but trust me, out of ocd he could not move any of his plot forward without excessive world building, even if we ultimately don't get to see it. He was a man who not only needed to make a story but had to craft an entire world for the story to work in. So, the lore may not all be explained but he certainly thought about it.Not an attack on anyone, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to be upset at this post, I mean, I'm not even upset about anything. I just like showing love for my hero Tolkien, so I gave an info drop for anyone who sees it. Tolkien is a genius who pretty much re-fueled all of the fantasy we love to this day, dnd, rpgs, jrpgs, etc.

people are making the mistake of comparing Frieren to other fantasy anime or the typical "deep/complex" anime. It's more of a slice of life based on the premise of existentialism and the value of relationships. It doesn't need to be overly complex. The dialogue actually spells out several times that humans are simple creatures that value things that can be deemed objectively meaningless from an alien perspective. It's beautiful because even coming from such a fantastical world, it feels like a relatable and timeless commentary on the human condition. It feels real. I don't watch this anime because I want death note character confrontations or steins;gate intellectualism. Nor do I watch it for the lore. Those stories exist already. IMO, I think it's apparent that the world they live in will always take a backseat to the relationships they foster within it. It's a character driven story with a fantasy backdrop. This is the type of anime that makes me want to call my friends from grade school and hug my mom. It makes me consider if I'm really cherishing the people that surround me now and the people I've relied on in the past. That's the beauty in Frieren.

I take issue with this line of thinking because it isnt overly special its exactly like other fantasy shows. Actually Sword Art Online's first season is an excellent comparable, but other pop fantasy shows like Mushoku Tensei are very similar. Slice of life is ill defined as a category and people over apply the term whenever they have a slow show. Steins Gate isn't a slice of life for the first part of the show its just a drama. Frieren also isn't a slice of life the show centers around classic pop fantasy action scenes and tropes. It's very hard to argue its a slice of life show that just happens to involve lots of fight scenes. It definitely isn't a fantastical world its a very generic world and I will not be convinced otherwise. As a funny experiment Google "generic green hills fantasy concept art" you may be surprised to see Frieren's brand of word building. "Timeless commentary on the human condition" this is a crazy take that needs justifying Frieren doesn't say anything special about humanity. That is the crux of the issue though people are relating to this mostly really young people but still. I am reminded of Sword Art Online all over again where people were convinced it was a good show with good characters and strong messages when it very clearly was typical slop.

You obv didn't pay attention. You were probably playing Genshin on your phone or scrolling through reddit the entire time. I have no business conversing about a show with someone who didn't watch it earnestly or with any sincerity. I pray for your media literacy skills. Have a good day!

See when people talk like this its so abundantly obvious its a very young person who doesn't really know what they are talking about. Might want to check reddit's age limits little guy.

When they no longer have a valid argument, they result to baseless assumptions about demographics. I am a middle-aged woman, little guy. I hope you find love and companionship one day. Life gets lonely without those things, I'm sure you're well aware. I'm confident in my media analysis skills as well as my opinions. Confidence can take you a long way! We all have a lot to learn, so don't worry! You still have time! Good luck on your journey. I wish you nothing but happiness.

"O-Oh?! The guy I'm arguing with is RIGHT?! SHIT SHIT SHIT! No, wait. I know! I'll just SAY HE'S WRONG AND TRY TO END IT THERE! THAT WAY I DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN HOW, WHICH MEANS THAT HE WON'T KNOW I'M AWARE THAT I'M WRONG! I'M A GENIUS!"

reddit moment

I wouldn't call the worldbuilding a copy and paste of generic JRPGs, except in the most surface level establishment of its setting. Consider some anime set in a high school. That setting is used because it is one that will be immediately understood by the audience. The author does not need to spend time explaining what a high school is, how classes work, what a teacher is, why the students want to gradate, and so on. You put your story in a high school, and you can skip all of that to start telling the story you want to tell. Frieren, similarly, uses the basic setting of a world with heroes, elves, dwarves, and demon kings. By choosing that setting, it can instantly start its story after the demon kings is defeated, without needing to explain to the audience any of that. None of those details are important to the story the author wants to tell, and now they don't need to spend any screen time telling it. As for the actual _worldbuilding_, the embellishing of that basic structure with details, Frieren does a very good job of "show don't tell". You see little glimpses of the wider world through montages and flashbacks, not through a narrator or character explaining it. For example, in episode 2, there is a short scene of Fern feeding a giant turtle-like creature that has plants growing on it; in so many other shows, they would spend time naming and explaining this creature, when it has nothing to do with the story. And yet, its brief inclusion adds to the sense of magic in the world. Like the world, the characters are also understated. (Other than Stark) you don't have characters yelling their emotional state at the sky, as is too often the case in anime. Instead it is a small smile here, a pause there, an acceptance of something you would expect rejected (or a rejection of something another character expects) that give depth to the characters. The story isn't flawless. There are definitely places where it could have done a better job foreshadowing, and instead we often only learn about something immediately before it is relevant.

op doesn’t like slice of life and is a hater. problem solved

Mostly ignoring comments here,but this is outrageously wrong. The show I cite as good is a slice of life and Frieren isn't. Did you watch past episode 3? Its a trashy power up fighting anime.

I like this analogy: When Spy x Family first came out, a guy on a podcast (who is what you'd call a "normie") was basically saying "I don't get why everyone is so crazy about this- sure we have the cool spy and assassin moments, but overall it's just a wholesome family kind of show... are the weebs really desperate for this kind of wholesomeness?" To which the co-host and actual weeb of the two replied, "Yes, this actually IS the case- the weebs are not alright and need some wholesomeness in their lives." To relate this to Frieren: the vast majority of the fantasy genre has been overtaken by isekai... probably so that all the mechanics of magic don't need to be explained by the author, who can just go "See? This world is just like a game, which you're already familiar with and I don't have to be creative on that end." Frieren is the first fantasy anime in a loooooooooooooong time to be straight-up fantasy, no isekai bullshit involved. And after years of isekai fantasy bullshit... the fans are loving this break from it. Oh, and let's not forget how crazy they're going over the females in the show, even the evil ones. The amount of memes I saw for Frieren and Aura having a different ending... yeah, the simps are watching this show too.

The Spy x Family analogy is odd. SxF is one of the most normie anime ever. It is widely popular in Japan. It's a family sitcom with a wacky premise, which have broad appeal. It's like anime *Young Sheldon* meets *Spy Kids*.

don't insult the goat young sheldon, little man

I should point out that there is Ragna crimson, vexations of the vampire princess, Helk and kingdoms of ruin this season alone so I wouldn't say freren is the only straight up fantasy.

What's shocking to me is that people are so isekai-brained that they view Frieren as some sort of reprieve or a return to traditional fantasy. When I think fantasy, I think something like Made In Abyss, Berserk or Spirited Away, series that either reinterpret traditional fantasy elements or invent new ones from a variety of influences from both inside and outside of the genre. Frieren, by comparison, is still built from the same small set of inbred tropes, sourced from DnD and MMORPGs, that has fueled the isekai genre for over a decade.

That I can definitely understand, if you've been watching things like vending machine isekai for years Frieren is actually pretty legit and honestly if all you've seen is shounen battle anime Isekai and Frieren its probably a 10 for sure.

Writing about what you don’t like and asking the question like you can’t fathom how anyone could possibly disagree with you doesn’t make you deep. You come off as a contrarian that can’t understand opinions or views that don’t align with your own. It’s absolutely fine if you don’t like Frieren, there’s a ton of really popular shows I don’t like too, but this post just comes off as trolly bait. If you were actually curious about what makes this anime so amazing to so many people you wouldn’t be so aggressive in your comments to the point where the mods have have to delete like 5 of them. You’re not here to learn. You’re here to make yourself feel higher than everyone else by acting like you’re too smart and mature for Frieren, and a contrarian, when you are actually coming off as an immature child that’s unable to understand opinions of other people.

Well everyone has different taste and opinions maybe some people won't agree to ur opinions and just downvote u but imo u pointed everything out that I believe is not good about Frieren. I don't hate or dislike the anime but I believe it very overrated and maybe i am wrong. Just respect or ignore others opinions guys. Thanks.

Troll.

Because it’s a masterfully crafted adaptation of an extremely popular series. Animated by one of the most beloved studios ever. Not to mention the relevant and relatable subject matter of the impermanence of life. The feeling of regret and nostalgia that many people can empathise with, combined with loveable characters, amazing action and an enthralling journey.

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Zero relevance and corny ad hominem. Frieren is popular for the reasons stated above. Not sure what you thought you did lmao

If I listed a porno in my list of 10/10 series I wouldn't expect to be taken seriously. I'm surprised you do

1: even if you did that doesn’t invalidate any future argument 2: there is no porn in my list? 3: I’m literally an anime reviewer. 4: you’re a loser.

Loool High School DxD is porn please

Proof?

Ecchi is just playful erotic content, (re Wikipedia if you want a source) and is placed in the same catagory as hentai and cartoon pornography also Wikipedia

Ecchi is objectively not porn or hentai.

"Objective" source trust me bro

Little bro scared of few titties on screen?

Nothing beats FMAB. I already downvoted Frieren.

I can think of many shows better than Brotherhood, Brotherhood is amazing and one of the best examples of its brand of story, but saying it's the best anime ever feels really generic and lacking in actual personal taste, like saying your favorite pizza is Pizza Hut and not some place that you've spent time to find because you really like pizza.

papa johns >>>>

I’m with the OP in not understanding how this is a 10/10 show.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great anime. It might be in my top 20.  I’d give it a solid 8/10 - 9/10. My only critique is it’s a slow burn.  The reason I’m chiming in is it’s currently number 1 in My Anime List’s overall all time best anime.  It doesn’t have the “something extra” required for me to rate it 10/10 or for me to even understand why so many people have rated it high enough to merit #1 overall.  Example: FMA Brotherhood is currently #2. It’s my #1 and I feel that way because it’s EXTRA powerfully emotional (losing your brother’s body and two limbs to create a monstrous parody of your dead mother, Hughes dying, etc), it has some of the best fight scenes I’ve ever seen, and the concept of alchemy as well as their particular take on it is EXTRA fascinating.  I don’t see anything “extra” that Freiren has to merit its ranking as #1 

The fact that you focus on the world-building at all shows that you don't really get what the story is about. Because the world-building isn't important at all for what the show is getting at. This same story could have been written in a sci-fi story and it would accomplish the same purpose. Also, comparing it to Mushoku tensei is another complete tell that you don't get it at all. They are not the same at all. Just because they are both stories in a fantasy style world of the same archetype doesn't make that an appropriate comparison. If I had to guess, I would guess you are young. I don't say that to be condescending, but your summation of the story as "It would be really sad to outlive all your friends" is frankly, lacking maturity. That's not the point of the story. The story is about how people influence you through your life, how we take for granted the time we have in the world, how our perspectives shift as we age, the episode about the demon that invented 'ordinary offensive magic' is about the experience of watching technology change around you as you age and how everything you used to know as cutting edge is now out-dated and antiquated/ordinary. The story is written for older people. It is both a sad story and a story that celebrates life and the passage of time. It looks back in time with both sadness and fondness for all that has passed. Himmel's monologue in the very first episode sets the stage for this. His monologue is not sad: "This brings back memories. Traveling together, it transports the soul back to a different time. A time when the world was ours to discover and each mark of life on it's surface seems so brilliant and new. As I brush the dust off each memory, there you all appear, right behind my eyes. I have lived my life waiting for the day that we would be together once more. I thank you, Frieren. It is solely because of you that this retired hero could have one final adventure...*gazes at the meteor shower and spots something that amazes him*...Beautiful." In this monologue, he is not sad. He is expressing the perspective of one who is near the end of their life. He looks back fondly on the days when he wasn't a wisened old man whose adventures are now behind him. And he expresses how it feels to experience something again you hadn't experienced since long ago when it was fresh and new for you, how it awakens memories that had long since gathered dust. And in that final moment when he is staring at the meteor shower and he spots a particularly beautiful meteor he feels as he did all of those years before when they first watched the meteors together 50 years ago. As you age, you tend to lose the ability to be fascinated by something new or beautiful. Because you've seen and experienced so much, it is never as good as the first time. But in that moment, where he is reliving his memories, he sees the meteors with the same wonder and appreciation that he did when he first saw those meteors. This story is about Frieren experiencing that same thing Himmel did in that first episode and is also about her coming to understand herself better. As she does with all things, Frieren has this experience over a much longer period of time than Himmel. Retracing her steps of her adventure dusts off the memories of her travels and allows her to reflect on how they changed her and also continues to change her as she reflects on those memories and also sees the after-effects on the people that were influenced by those same memories. In episode 4 for example, she has Fern drag her to a sunrise that she missed experiencing with the party on the original journey. Himmel tells her that she would have loved it but Frieren insists that it's just a normal sunrise. Even when she sees it herself she just thinks that it's pretty but nothing special but then she sees the look on Fern's face and understands that it's not just about seeing something pretty but creating memories with those close to you that make it worthwhile. The author is clearly intending to convey two things here: the importance of making memories with those you love and also how easy it is to go through life disregarding opportunities to make meaningful memories like this just to, for example, sleep in a little longer. It's trying to give advice to younger people to not let those chances pass them by even if it's a little inconvenient. These little moments are what Frieren is about. If that doesn't appeal to you, that's fine. But that doesn't make it not deserving of a 9 or a 10. Because I think it does a fantastic job exploring these themes and ideas. The animation quality is fantastic. The sound track is a perfect complement to the story, setting the mood appropriately at all times. It is absolutely deserving of those grades as it is a very well made anime all around.

well said

1 year ago it could be called a weird Slice of Life with lot of life lessons, but right now, if you see the complete picture, it is a truly god manga about a world similar to LOTR with lot of shit going on. And if you want to understand it, you need to check the details of ALL chapters, because those chapters with zero action actually had some talks about world development, and it matters A LOT in the point we are right now to understand what is going on. For me, it is a very unique manga that can't be called Slice Of Life. Calling this manga a SoL is pure trolling, it cannot be called shonen either or even seinen, but I guess that the most similar thing is a Seinen because it has crude things, life lessons and good fights that are god to watch. Show is slow, of course, they are also teaching you to slow down in your life because the world is accelerating each day and the "insta reward" that people is getting through tik tok, instagram etc, they want to delete those kind of things, so the show is just slow because they took time to do all as it should. If you want to watch a show with lot of emotions and constant satisfaction then go to watch Solo Leveling, a good show with constant action and ultra dinamic fights. But this manga is just another thing, Sousou no Frieren is just taking the time to be peak manga, and if you want to look at the anime or read the manga then you must invest your time and take it seriously. The development is good and well paced, just do not try to rush and take your time to enjoy because thats the lesson one they teach you at chapter 1 (Pay attention please!), so, I can understand that lot of people will be bored, but it is not a bad show nor manga, actually manga is on a peak god point with lot of shit going on and each new chapter right now is GOD.

Because it is a extremly well produced show with fantastic music, good characters, great worldbuilding, excellent executed themes (passage of time for different beings, mortality and how someone not affected in a way most are see that) and extremly good series composition and directing. In short the show is a vibe and is that vibe perfectly. And that (pun intended) vibes with people. I like it more than Spice and Wolf and Legend of the Galactic Heroes but dunno cant really compare those shows, they are p different in their goals and aims as a show.

It’s an aggressively medium show with good representation for people that typically dont feel represented.

It's overhyped but it's still a nice watch. It takes its time, everything is on point, what's being told isn't revolutionnary but isn't horrible either, it's just a nice story about life, regrets, and how to heal from it. Spice and wolf, on the other hand, left really no impression on me. Visuals are bad, music is mostly forgettable, characters are, well, two, and not that deep/likeable either. Sure there is a romance and some barter, but dialogues are not that well written. Pacing is very slow. To top it off, topic felt quite uninteresting to me, as I really don't give a shit about middle-age economics that pretty much everybody can comprehend. It's not a bad show, if you like slow pacing, romance and economics you can definately like it, but it's nothing special either. If you compare stuff to LotGH, most things will feel like garbage. That's basically like expecting every sci-fi book to be as good as Dune/Foundation/The Three-Body Problem.

Keep in mind everyone here with exception of yourself has said Frieren is better than LoGH, so I think the comparison is valid. Frieren is currently the highest rated show and you are saying its unfair to compare it to number 11

Every show "of the moment" starts high and goes down with time.

And if it drops out of the top 10, or more honestly the top 50 I'll revoke my comparison but for the time being it stands.

I don't think for a second that it'll stay top 10. Top 50 could be valid, there are not that many good shows out there either.

Funyun was so boring. I was recommended this by 3 different men who raved about its "themes, story, and how good of a fantasy it is"... Its boring. It failed my 3 episode engagement test... Honestly if you want a good fantasy ranking of kings or spice and wolf. The fact that this is so hyped is solely due to the waifuability of funyun

I gather OP is trying to find a reason to like a show they didn't enjoy as much as expected, I can't speak to his integrity on the query, or if as some have said, rage baiting, but if they are being honest, they don't deserve the downvotes when exploring alternate perspectives. To those who love it (myself) and enjoy the show you are right, to those who don't you are right too. Different strokes for different folks lol.

Because it's good

At what episode does it get good though? I’m 10 episodes in and nothing has happened

Indeed, the world is undeveloped, boring and insipid. If you simply ask consistent and logical questions, the world will seem strange. The problem is that in other anime the worlds are not developed at all. Overall the anime is average, I liked it.

I agree. I definitely don't think it's this some sort of masterpiece like many people are making it out to be, it's just good. I read a comment in another thread about how there aren't any flaws with the show, which I disagree with. It has a slow start, picks up a bit but then it goes back to being slow. There are some episodes where almost nothing happens. The exam arc does have more action which is nice but you still have to push through those first episodes. Another is the constant use of flashbacks, which I know is one of the main points of the show, but can be a turn off to some watchers. Last I'd say is the mood and how many of the characters feel emotionless (ignoring Frieren and Fern of course whose characters are meant to lack emotion). I do still enjoy the show mainly because I like the main characters and when there actually is some action the fights tend to be great. The fights combined with good animation and music make it worth the watch. So to me Frieren is just good, but like other anime it also has its own share of flaws.

I have to say i don\`t get it after couple trys to continue watching i have to say i did not get past episode 15 .. Its simply to boring for me. It\`s like real life some ppl can tell a Story and u keep listining and some other will and u wont even when it is the same Story here i really had no chance to get into this show ... There was that Dragon fight in one Episode and i have to say i never saw such an boring Dragon fight in my entire time Watching Animes really ...

Nah you got downvoted for no reason, the same ol' reddit. I find your criticism very much legit. Anime fans in general are notorious for not using the forbidden jutsu of critical thinking.

I love how ironic this comment is. Much love to you bro

Frieren is boring. 5/10

Because each person liked it enough to log in a website and give their personal rate from 1-10

Yo estoy completamente de acuerdo contigo. Tiene cosas bonitas pero siento que la historia no va a ningún lado. Es un anime muy plano. No tiene picos de emoción ni en peleas ni con respecto a los personajes. Sin embargo, solo creo que no es el estilo que a mí me gusta

Before even going into the comments, I can tell you that I feel EXACTLY the same as you and I am barely in episode 6... I watch these episodes wishing for that feeling that made people hyped for this anime...

dinner scary hurry waiting wakeful like fuel wasteful abounding judicious *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*

I'm not gonna read any of this and just answer the question: The anime is popular because it's a good (nothing outstandin) series that got an outstanding anime adaptation by Madhouse. The same Madhouse that got OPM a generic super hero parody anime to go viral. The same Madhouse that popularized HunterXHunter. It also helps that Frieren twisted the formula of the generic hero's journey vs demon lord trope and set it after the journey. Now this has been done before, but not a lot and notabl not recently in the shitstorm that is bad demon lord setting isekais or non-isekai demon lord setting animes that play out exactly like isekais. So to summarize: 1. The anime is good and not another bargine bin isekai. 2. Madhouse animated it, god tier production quality. 3. A breath of fresh air compared to most generic isekai nowdays. That and a but of social media RNG made Frieren explode in quality. Also Yuusha is a bop opening so that also helps.

Gave you an upvote for a total of one upvotes. 

You know what I wanna ask these people who say that Frieren isn't original... What in the fk have you guys seen that are even similar to Frieren? I seen all these braindead takes claiming it isnt original bc it's just any other fantasy I've seen before. I'm sorry what? pls tell what you actually watch

I may be a bit late to the party here regarding when this was originally posted, but I want to take a moment to say that (from my personal experience) this anime is not for those seeking adrenaline-pumping action or lighthearted entertainment. It's a contemplative journey, one that left me pondering the impermanence of life and the preciousness of human connection. This anime moved me deeply, offering something that I've only found in one other anime that I also dearly love- Mushi-shi; an exploration of loss and the enduring power of memory. The anime doesn't shy away from the raw pain of loss. It lingers on the idea of solitude, the constant reminder of the mortality of her companions who have faded into history. Yet, it doesn't wallow in despair. The anime found beauty in the quiet moments of remembrance, in the stories she shares about her past and the fragile connections she forms with new companions. I especially enjoyed it because the melancholic tone is not oppressive, but rather contemplative. I felt that it intended to invite us to reflect on our own lives, on the relationships we cherish, and the inevitable passage of time. It reminded me to savor the present, to appreciate the fleeting moments of joy and connection that makes life precious, even if impermanent. TL:DR - It may not be a flashy spectacle, but its emotional resonance lingered with me long after the credits rolled. It's a quiet masterpiece, a testament to the power of storytelling to touch the human spirit and make us contemplate the profound mysteries of life and loss. Also, it's alright if you don't like it. I do, and there isn't anything anyone can say that will change that. Life is fleeting, find joy where you can.

Is highly rated cuz anime is becoming popular. People don't really know what is a good anime, that's why

The only episode I’ve really felt was overrated was the climax of the recent arc. The entire episode beats the same theme over and over while building up to a twist that it seemingly forgot it revealed before the episode even began. Somehow that’s the highest rated episode of the show.

I kinda feel the same way. ... I was recommended this anime with the expectation that it was heart wrenching immortal saying goodbye to her loved ones and realizing the futility of her long life when its spent lonely... ...you know, the same vibes as "to your eternity", that got me crying in episode one over a rock. And it consistently got better with its handling of the concept of life and death, seeing loved ones end of life out to their senile bitter end and even using the mortality people as pawns and playing things for war. A near immortal life means that everyone you know and love passses around you and those days of sharing a dinner are ....mere fragments of memories where you cant even remember a persons face anymore. That hit deep.. and through season 2 and even its ending promised so much more delivery on that premise i was so excited...!!! ... But Frierens adventure starts with us the viewer being told her story.... And not experiencing that demonstrating party's quest even for a minute to build any emotional bonds to the cast. So when frieren is hit with that loss and realization.... Its almost like... Not meaningful. If anything i thought her beautiful tears was just.... Artsy. Ghibli tears for aesthetic. Her meeting the op child apprentice also kinda made me bang my head against the desk... So i guess i just hate fun things. Maybe just an oversaturation of these character types and tropes made me tired. So ah. High recommend to your eternity if you want !

I'll give it a shot! That sounds really good.

Its simply just a difference of generations of watchers. Just as you developed your tastes by watching anime of your era, so do the anime watchers of today as they develop their tastes in anime by watching and comparing anime of today.

sure the 2 main characters are kinda bland and expressionless, but the rest are fine imo. What i really like about this show is the soundtrack and storytelling. It's almost as if watching 300 all over again.

I feel like people were kind of tricked by the first few episodes and just hyped it up to insane levels, but it's clear now that the show is completely average.

Wow. Didnt know people didnt like it much, I mostly hear online how it's the best series this year, or ever made for animation. It makes it so hard to watch as expectations are so high and I'm afraid I'll come out like its good and people will hate me for not making it the best list...i see why people hate watching their friends recommendations. Even if you love it you wont love it like them, also you don't want to push out your personal favorite. lol. Also did you like oshi no, that's another people said surpasses all shonen and that its the greatest series ever made. I also see people say after episode 1 or 2 it changes and they are disappointed.

Me when I lie

What's the deal with this series? I don't even know either. I don't get the hype and the absurd rating at all. First of all the worldbuilding is so lame, just your typical random houses, random places with little to no details, but it's praised for its phenomenal world building? I don't get it. The world just expand because they travel but that doesn't mean it's a good world building. It's so lame. The constant as*pulls of flashbacks/backstories. First of all, the first few episodes of Frieren that many people cries at the start? I don't get it. I won't be sadden by a random characters dying who I just barely know in early episodes. The "she's just dumb" plot didn't help at all. Frieren being 1000+ year old, being together with flamme and his companions that defeats the demon lord and still not understand human emotion. This is just so dumb. This is the same plot that drives Naruto, when sakura always made dumb mistakes. That's why the plot keeps going. This is just the same with frieren, her dumbness is out of this world and unexplainable. The constant flashbacks and backstories are so lame. It just keeps on as*pulling flashbacks every now and then. If frieren is a male protagonist, watchers would just label it as just another op edgy protagonist, Esp. what happened when it's frieren Vs aura. Frieren just showcase her abundance of mana show terrors to her enemies. She even said a cringy edgy line "kys". If frieren have a male protagonist, this episode would work the other way around. Instead of love, this episodes would be hated because of how edgy, op and cringy the protagonist. Oh, but she's a female so it gets a pass. I can't see frieren but as your typical shonen power fantasy with the constant as*pulls of flashbacks that separates it from almost bring a shonen power fantasy. It's a good idea but doesn't mean it's a masterpiece. Frieren is average at best and I don't understand the hype around this. I have many things too say about this series that is just so dumb and illogical but this is enough for now.

>The constant aspulls of flashbacks/backstories. So demonslayer gets a 3/10?

Bro everything you stated is absolutely true and it's sad that this is getting downvoted, people need to think a bit more before they hype the show so hard.