Apr 4, 2024
Objectively a 8 (On a 1-8 scale, anything higher has to include a degree of personal enjoyment for me), personally for me it's a 4. It's a mixture of my not understanding, my not resonating with, and some genuine detractors.
Praise: Animation, Art, Ost are executed perfectly, no flaws in what it's trying to present. It just doesn't it adds too much to the presentation either. An apt comparison would be drawing photorealistic pictures of things, definitely requires skill, but doesn't add much of a personal flair. No major issues with the story, the dialogue was realistic, I'm sure if a fantasy world like Frieren actually
...
did exist it would be basically identical (except for that one thing I mention in the detractor section). It's very life-like and real. I also adore the first two episodes, the themes are also extremely well executed.
Understanding: I don't get the praise for the setting, characters, or worldbuilding, the power system isn't full of holes like many other shows but it's boring, it has an existent fantasy setting but it's boring, it has realistic characters interactions but it's boring. Like, it doesn't do anything really that sets itself apart from any other show. They're all fine but just very inoffensive, realism is good to an extent, but too much and it's just not a story anymore. A second gripe is that this show is not about a stoic emotionless girl learning to feel things like Violet Evergarden, that theme was only present in the first couple of episodes before the journey with Fern started, and then Frieren's personal character never progressed again as she became a more mentor-like figure. After the jouney starts it becomes a very basic slice of life / shounen with episodic plots except for the second theme it presents, the passage of time.
Resonate: I do not resonate at all with the passage of time theme. I'm not very old, I don't think very many people who watch this anime are very old. I don't know what it's like to be immortal and have zero personal situations that are analogous or frankly any interest in it. Unfortunately with the flashbacks and a lot of the interactions after the journey starts, I think this is where I was supposed to get most of my deeper connection to the show had I actually cared about it; this probably took the biggest chunk of my enjoyment out of the show, with nothing else to really carry it since the comedy, dialogue, or character development weren't emphasized enough to replace it (These elements are fine to me by the way, a lot of typical story elements are completely fine). Some minor themes like Stark's insecurity or the implications of taking a life were interesting enough to keep me going.
Detractors: Every character acts like Frieren. I mean I get it, stoicism is cool, but my god I'm pretty sure if every single character in the show had their arm sliced off, they would look at the stump on their arm for a couple seconds then look back with a marginally more serious expression. This is genuinely takes away from the realism it masterfully presents otherwise.
Final thoughts: I actually originally intended this review to be a Violet Evergarden shilling session since I think they're very similar shows, but I actually had more thoughts on Frieren than I thought. That being said, if you just finished Frieren and you love it, more power to you, sorry I don't share your opinion, but you should definitely watch Violet Evergarden if you haven't already 👍.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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