What Everyone Gets Wrong About Frieren...

Frieren is the embodiment of “don’t be sad because it’s over, be happy because it happends”. It is never depressing, the entire manga is bittersweet. When she remembers stuffs from the past, most of the time she smiles because it happended.

Yeah as a manga reader, it’s not a tearjerker. It’s bittersweet. But it’s not To Your Eternity, something I see this compared to way too often for superficial reasons. It’s a beautiful story and highly regarded for a reason.

I can see why people thought Frieren was sad. Losing someone that you didn't get to know enough is sad, and the music is by Evan Call, who did Violet Evergarden. But I never thought of it as that sad. Frieren may have not spent enough time with her party members, but the audience didn't really know them either. I think of Frieren more as a little melancholic as we witness time passing from her perspective.

As an anime only, I found Frieren, the show, full of bittersweet love and absolutely life affirming. Yes, Himmel's and Heiter's passings were sad, but again, they led lives full of life and love. I really enjoyed the show's theme, and can't wait for next week's adventure.

I think the appeal of Frieren for me is not only the characters but the story always makes a point to appreciate the little things in life, like how people in towns don't remember the heroes because they defeated the Demon king but because the party helped them in small ways that didn't affect the world at large but for the town, it meant everything for them

Frieren's cry is impactful exactly because it's something that probably won't happen again for a very long time. It's the beginning of a new chapter of her life, one where she makes an effort to learn more about the ephemeral people that live around her because she doesn't want to have more regrets like the one with Himmel. The story is about her finding beauty and meaning where she previously couldn't, because, as she herself said "What use is teaching magic to a human? They die right away afterwards". This is a story of growth and escape from apathy, not of depression and nihilism. I never read the manga, but in just one episode the anime had me hooked. I watched the ending credits around 20 times and only now I don't cry EVERY time. They did a wonderful job, the story, the art direction, the music... Just everything. I'll surely watch it to the end.

To me, Sou Sou Frieren is much more than a story about time. It is more than a story about fully appreciating the preciousness of every moment of our lives. It is more than a story about the deep fufillment of sharing those moments with those in the present, leaving something worth sharing with those in the future, and preserving those connections with those who have passed. Frieren's story is also a tale of constant rebirth, transformation, and renewal. I find it deeply comforting just how many ideas Sou Sou Frieren shares about life. How to value more deeply the time of those who have less left than yourself. How important it is to not let prior knowledge or experience get in the way of growth. How even change is not always permanent: changes can sometimes be reversed. The importance of imagination: visualizing the impossible so that it can be made real. Sou Sou Frieren is one of those rare stories that are worth rereading / rewatching over and over again. The story feeds the soul, the messages are timeless, and every time you go through the story you are bound to learn something worthwhile.

I think the age of the reader and viewer makes a difference in how the sadness affects them. I only found it as a 64 year old, and the flashbacks affected me a lot.

It's fitting that you refer to Frieren as a teenager. While they don't ever say exactly how old Frieren is, you basically get the idea over the course of the story that she's a bit over 1000 years old. Given that elves in this series are, much like Tolkein elves, effectively immortal, and barring a violent death or illness will easily live for multiple thousands of years, she effectively is an adolescent. She's not quite a child (except, arguably, in the furthest back flashbacks of her past), but she clearly looks less mature than the handful of adult elves you see over the course of the series, most of whom are established to be well older than she is.

Great analysis! I always called Frieren more of a sentimental series rather than a sad one; it has a lot more emotional depth than some people credit for and I’m glad you touch upon the theme of time. First time I’ve see a video of yours but I’m interested in seeing more~

It's a decent melancholy story about Frieren an aloof, forever teenage, eccentric, Eleven girl...Who suddenly starts to realize the loss of her friends who have shorter life spans....

I think manga readers also fail to realize that at first, Chapter 1 really doesn't have much impact on you. You have spent barely any time with the Frieren, let alone Himmel and her party before seeing the funeral scene. It's throughout the story in the moments where Frieren reminisces about them, learning more and more how much they impacted her in their short time together, that we actually start truly appreciating and missing her old party. It's through this that I think we're able to truly empathize with Frieren. Her time with them no doubt felt as short to her as our brief time with them in the manga, yet the melancholic love for them only grows as time goes on. It's a great feat of storytelling to be able to get us normie human readers to gain empathy for experiences of characters that we'll never truly experience (living for thousands of years while being an eternal shortie).

My favorite part of this show, is that after she realized just how much of an impact Himmel had on her despite how little she really knew of him when it was too late. And then, she never makes that mistake again.

The opening did a great job conveying this too imo. It started sad, after Himmels death Frieren felt regret, but the memories of him kept her happy. It went on to say how he changed the ppl around him for the better, and that included herself, and that she wanted to learn to love the land he protected, and the people living there. Finally it was kind of a send off to Himmel, how she still thought abt their time tgt, and even if everyone else hd forgotten abt him in the passage of time, she d still rmb, of how he started her new life. And now she will begin a new journey with him looking after her from above, in the world that they saved. The song as a whole was hopeful, there r regrets, but it is also what makes her the person she is today, and the ppl that changed her for the better. And she will move forward with the memories, along with the ppl living in the peaceful world that they created, in the evergrowing world.

I think one of the best examples of what you’re talking about is the statues. Throughout the story there’s a running thing where frieren will come to a town and there will be a statue of Himmel or the group or another hero who fought the demons and it will be in disrepair as the people who remember what the statue meant fade away and no one really bothers to repair the statues.

Building off the “time moves on” section, the biggest thing I took from both the manga and the first episode of the anime is how the perception and “weight” of time is different. I work in a long term position in academia surrounded by people who move on in 2-5 years. I have the time to build out ground knowledge to design and execute the “perfect” experiment but the postdoc who’s in year 4 of their 5 year postdoc? They need to get it done yesterday. The Era Meteor shower scene really gelled that idea in my mind. I can come back in 50 years and watch the meteors in a better spot, but can they?

Frieren is about time, about grief, about forging relationships, about enjoying life, about improving yourself and about being human (as emotionnally and stuff, the demons are there to remind us that as far as Frieren seems from people, she is still more human they ever can be). And it is amazing !

Yes. True. THIS IS ONE OF VERY FEW ANIMES WHICH MAKE ME CONTEMPLATE ABOUT LIFE A LOT. LIKE, REALLY, A LOT. I WAS CRYING ON THE MANGA. AND CRY A LOT MORE ON THE ANIME. A LOT. Even months ago I can feel what she really feels. Everything start to feel really slow for me. Even the time. I read it since before the anime adaptation got announced, surprised that it get animated, and really, IT'S NOT ABOUT A STORY FULL OF DEPRESSING MOMENTS. NOT AT ALL. It's about how life truly is, with ups and downs. Some bitters, and sweets later. Alternating, always. And yes, the vibe I got, is, it's really quiet. The only anime which make me like 'IT FEELS LIKE WHAT I FEEL EVERYDAY, A QUIET, LIFE WITH NO BGM.' This vibe also the reason why the story kinda very similar with real life experience. My mind, too, become quieter.

Frieren definitely isn't some kind of edgy tearjerker that'll kill his cast for the sake of drama. It's about grief and grief isn't about seeing everyone die, it's about seeing a world devoid of someone you love even tho you feel like you needed to spend more time with that person. I like this take much more because it hits closer to what a real grief feel like. As the story unfolds, through the (numerous) flashbacks we end up feeling the same as the MC : we wish we could have spent more than a few chapters with them.

I think many are mistaken about why Frieren cried. Frieren does not cry because of her friend's death, it's because she knows they don't live forever, but didn't try to know them enough. That's why her friend says that she's kind.