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When I first saw this anime air, I thought nothing of it, only to realize that it immediately gets placed in the top 20(I think an 8.93 or something like that) by the first episode. So I started watching it by the second week. And it was ok in my opinion, while watching it for the first time. I saw the ratings that people gave this show and I was like, well I guess people really like these slow anime. I wouldn't go so far as to call this boring, but a chill one. And I mean no disrespect at all by calling it slow, ... since some shows work that way, and I can enjoy those ones. I would call this anime one that doesn't really have any flaws to it at all. It's an all round good anime.

At least, that's what I first thought of it. Bit of a backstory, but I've been watching anime SERIOUSLY ever since March last year(my anniversary!), with me binging Attack on Titan. And like almost all first-time anime watchers, I was a dopamine-loving, action hungry, fiend. This phase continued on while I was watching Frieren as well, making me think of it as an ok show. However, this was the longest anime that I have been committed to watching time-wise. I've spent more than half of my anime career watching this show, and I have seen MANY more anime during that period. It made me grow as a watcher of this medium, becoming more accepting of slow moments and focusing more on the details. And by the final episode of the show(aired today as I'm writing), I was in LOVE with it.

To be honest, the main reason I started enjoying the show was because of what other people were saying about it on forums and YouTube video essays. And by the time the 23rd episode aired, I wanted to rewatch the show to understand how great of a show this was. And might I say, it is beautiful. So much so, that I rewatched the show AGAIN just in time to watch the finale once I'm done rewatching.

The show is great in practically everyway, but I only say this AFTER rewatching the show. The acting is on point, with little issues found. The characters are all memorable and unique in their own ways. While Frieren is this supposedly emotionless mage, she grows and tries to become better. I watched Violet Evergarden, where the main character goes through this similar development, and in my opinion, Frieren does this SO MUCH BETTER(no hate on Violet, I still think it's a beautiful show, but Frieren's better). The animation of this show is also marvelous. I have been spoiled with Wit Studio's AOT and Studio Bone's FMAB & Mob Psycho, and like how they all have unique masterworks in there respective areas, Frieren is on top with these in it's own way. And that is it's color pallete. I think that the colors in this show are so pretty and dreamlike that they knock me out of reality. It by far is one of the most prettiest looking anime I've seen(I'm not disregarding any of the other ones I mentioned, they're also amazing).

Then there is the soundtrack, which is also world-class, with every single piece perfectly matching the scene it's playing over. Every single time it plays, I get goosebumps all over my body. And the story, which is actually pretty iconic. I think this plotline is on par with the masterpieces before it, like FMAB and maybe even AOT. The pacing makes it even better. While it is true that the story moves slowly, it does it in a beautiful way. During the middle of the season, the episodes would have so many things happening in them, yet they still somehow make space to have silent moments where we can reflect on what we just saw. This is literally nothing short of MAGIC. What other shows try so hard to make memorable moments happen, this one does it like child's play. It's absolutely fascinating to me. With all of these parts of the show combined, you have an anime that is so polished, that you can see the reflection of yourself. Who would've guessed? A show about magic has people doing magical things to make it as perfect as it is.

There are minor inconveniences that do annoy me at times though, but they're more personal gripes. I feel like Stark's character is trying too hard to be the story's punching bag. There are also other things that I'm sure was frustrated about, but they were too subtle to really care. Everything that I said before this completely shines over these problems, redeeming itself easily.

While my review is NOT as formal and informative as others, there isn't any doubt in me when I say that Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is indeed one of the most beautiful works ever made, and I am oh so glad that I rewatched this show in order to perceive its glory in the way it was meant to be. As a high school teenager who spent half of their anime watching career on this show, I grew with the characters. I learned lessons that I haven't learned before. I began to understand things more deeply than I have before. This credit doesn't only go to Frieren, but to the countless other stories I watched in the middle of it. To me, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is a celebration of all that anime can be and will be. I know that even with a review as long as this one, I don't think I will ever do justice with how good of a time I had watching this show(This is also my first ever review, so that might explain some things). I am proud to say that Sousou no Frieren is one the most outstanding anime, forget season, I have ever seen, but the pieces have only just been set, and the journey is yet to end...