Empathy Is Part of Life.
- Mangaka : Yamada, Kaneshito (Story) and Abe, Tsukasa (Art)
- Publisher : VIZ Media
- Genre : Adventure, Fantasy
- Published : November 2021 – Ongoing
After defeating the demon king, many years have passed, and a funeral for one of the Hero’s party has taken place. That moment made Frieren realize that her long lifespan made her never consider getting to know her friends whom she had embarked on a ten-year journey to bring peace to their kingdom. Because she realises her indifferent personality, she set out on a journey to fulfil her comrades’ final wishes while collecting a myriad of strange spells as part of her hobby.
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
Before you start reading this series, we want to let you know that get ready for an emotional roller coaster ride because this manga portrays what happens when a hero party defeats the Demon lord. We’re not writing about some revenge plot or some messed up ecchi genres or anything like that. This series is more about what each member of the Hero party are doing with their lives, mainly Fieren, who is an elf mage and have zero sense of empathy or care when it comes to knowing others. The whole theme is about somewhat regret and redemption.
Why You Should Read Sousou no Frieren (Frieren, Beyond Journey’s End)
1. Redemption
Okay, so you already know that Frieren has come to a sudden realization that she barely knows anything about the Hero, Himmel. Even though they travelled together for ten years, she never thought about knowing him at a best friend level. Because of everything the Hero’s party had done to help her and accept her flaws, she has felt nothing but regrets as she explores around the kingdom to learn and collect other forms of magic. That is why she decides to visit them when they are close to their death’s door, don’t ask us how she knows the timing, and help fulfil their final wishes.
During this process, she learned how important to know someone who has been fighting alongside her and how much improvement she has changed, for better or worse, and fun they have been. There is no drama between the members, and the story shows how their friendship and bonds remained strong even though their personalities can be weird sometimes if you look at the party overall.
2. Master and Apprentice
To fulfil Heiter’s final wish, Frieren has to decipher a Grimoire that allows a caster to use immortality magic. By the way, Heiter is the party’s priest, but also called by them as Corrupt Priest. You will know why when you read the manga. At the same time, he wanted her to take care of his adopted child, Fern.
After teaching her magic and deciphering the Grimoire, Heiter slept forever, leaving Fern into Frieren’s hands to assist her in her journey to gather spells. Their relationship begins to find solid ground as they are more like a mother and child. It is cute how their bond developed into that state.
3. You Don’t See This Everywhere
The art style of the characters isn’t like any other that we have seen thus far. Some characters could be drawn Japanese male characters, but the female characters, especially Frieren and Fern, looked sharp, serious and clean. Instead of a partially removed environment to let our imagination run wild in specific moments, Abe Tsukasa gives everything in the series in total. You have to give them credit for the commitment to the surrounding designs and story.
Final Thoughts
After reading volume 1 of this series, it gives such an emotional experience to us with an essential lesson of what happens when the person you work with for so long, who even helped you when situations required, passed away. At the same time, you barely know them in return. Frieren wants to fulfill her friends’ final wishes while collecting spells and protecting Fern to redeem herself. This isn’t a conventional fantasy manga. One would expect the main character to plot revenge toward their ex-comrades, but more on a wholesome and redeeming kind to improve themselves. If you have read this manga series, let us know your thoughts in the comment below.
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