The story begins with the hero Himmel, the elf wizard Frieren, the monk Heiter, and the warrior Eisen defeating the Demon King.
In a journey that was short for an elf but long for humans, spanning 10 years, Himmel’s party defeated the Demon King. After witnessing the “Half-Century Meteor Shower,” which occurs once every 50 years, they made a promise to see the next one together and each went their separate ways in a world that had become peaceful.
50 years passed, and Himmel’s party gathered again to fulfill their promise, but the three members other than Frieren had aged significantly. They safely watched the second “Half-Century Meteor Shower” together, but soon after, Himmel departed for heaven.
At Himmel’s funeral, Frieren realized that she knew nothing about Himmel and had never tried to learn more, which brought her to tears. Confused by her sadness, Frieren decided to embark on a journey to understand humans.
Along the way, she welcomed Fern Stark, a disciple of Heiter and Eisen, into her party. With the goal of expressing her gratitude to the now-deceased Himmel at the rumored “Land of Resting Souls (Oreol),” where one can “communicate with the dead,” she continues her journey.
Character
山田鐘人/アベツカサ『葬送のフリーレン』マッドハウス
山田鐘人/アベツカサ『葬送のフリーレン』マッドハウス
Frieren The protagonist of this work, she is the wizard of the hero party that defeated the Demon King. Although she appears to be a young girl, she has lived for over 1000 years. Her hobby is collecting magic. She collects seemingly useless magic, such as magic that turns sweet grapes into sour grapes and magic that allows you to say tongue twisters without biting your tongue. She is currently on an adventure with Fern and Shtark, aiming for “Oreol”, a place rumored to be able to converse with the dead.
Fern A wizard raised by the monk Heiter. Her favorite food is sweets. As a child, she lost her parents in a war and was saved by Heiter when she tried to commit suicide out of despair. At the age of 9, she met Frieren who visited Heiter, and by learning magic from her, she grew into a full-fledged wizard.
山田鐘人/アベツカサ『葬送のフリーレン』マッドハウス
Stark A young boy who is a disciple of the warrior Eisen. His favorite food is hamburgers. He is extremely timid and lacks self-confidence, but he is a formidable force capable of taking down a giant dragon in one blow. He is more childlike than his age suggests, and he is not good at dealing with women. He often has awkward interactions with Fern, who is around the same age, due to his clumsiness. He has a friendly personality that is loved by everyone, but he tends to be liked by strange people.
The charm of this work
Unique worldview and well-paced story development “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” is a postscript fantasy that depicts the aftermath of a group of heroes who defeated the Demon King. Furthermore, by introducing “life and unavoidable death” into a fantasy where lifespans exceed 1000 years, which is impossible in reality, it becomes a wonderful work where the theme and setting mesh well. Also, “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” does not have redundant battles or complicated explanations, and it quickly sinks into your mind, making its good pacing also attractive.
Makes you think about your relationships with the important people around you. “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” often depicts the difference in lifespan between elves and humans and other races, and the feeling of death being close. However, the depiction of death is excellent, and instead of feeling dark about death, it is depicted positively as passing the baton to the next generation, making it a work that feels bittersweet yet comfortable.
