How Frieren Does Fights Better Than Most Battle Shonen

Anime: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
My rating: 9.5/10🐐
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[@reaperandyel]

The animators are really flexing in Frieren, even just "Stark putting on his jacket" is better than the entirety of 7 deadly sins s3.

[@LONKULADE]

you know the animation is good when people mention 7ds

[@alilith3476]

Frieren's har have more animation than 7ds 3

[@Paratet]

If I didn't know any better, I would've sworn Stark sprinting toward the dragon with his ax was rotoscoped because of how crazily accurate it was.

[@Itsnothat2006]

Bro 7ds already had enough of shit on bro let it r.i.p 🙏🙏

[@karabacon_]

better than the entire shibuya arc

[@npaulagain]

Also let's be honest... Frieren Clone's death stare? That's a hell of an knowledgement too.

[@mohmedabdo4681]

The fact that she casted that shit with no staff or hand, and Fern confirms it wasn't a spell, Frieren definitely got that dawg on her

[@dareka9425]

Frieren has a second phase that only the Demon King and Fern got to experience.

[@TeddySlump]

Good point lmao

[@muazadam983]

@@dareka9425 Now i'm curious what type of dawg the demon king was

[@jeanetteellen4350]

😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊​@@mohmedabdo4681

[@DanTheMagic8Ball]

Stage 1: Fortnite Stage 2: Dark Souls Stage 3: Vibe Check

[@reaperandyel]

Imagine in 3rd exam, you're waiting outside the interview room and Frieren came out failing ...

[@BlueWhiteBros]

@@reaperandyel you know people were shitting bricks at that point🤣

[@llllavemder]

“SHE FAILED??”

[@KamiFrost99]

So we're talking about how good fights were in an anime, where fights weren't even the main objective. It's like they want to make a cake, and they make it, and then they even give you a whole other dessert as a bonus. That's how good Frieren is.

[@guardiansoulblade2673]

The thing about battle Shonen is that the genre oversells the fights, everything has to be a set piece to sell the product, whether it's anime or manga. When everything is trying to oversell the flashy, fancy fight scenes, you WILL get bored. By giving the reader or watcher a chance to breathe and take in the world, and getting to know the characters without constantly pushing for the next fight to one-up itself, you get a chance to care about the characters and the world they live in so you'll actually care about the fights when they happen.

[@jonathanwessner3456]

@@guardiansoulblade2673 and they ALWAYS make the fights multi episode long spectacles. So much so that any Anime that doesn't people call "Boring"

[@tanthokg]

​@@jonathanwessner3456 remember a famous shounen that took more than a year with 1 episode a week to conclude 1 night of a battle :D

[@tanthokg]

@@isirachehansa4886 depends on how you define a good fight. Surely the scales of Naruto is much higher, interplanetary even

[@tanthokg]

@@isirachehansa4886 I guess this anime doesn't focus much on the fights but more about storytelling, like New Game+. If they wanted to do more fighting they would've set this before the hero team fight the demon king fell

[@Eridna]

Frieren was so peak I peaked.

[@StormArtificial]

i guess u enjoy re:zero and frieren. so in the end i’m guessing you have good taste (my taste lol)

[@Eridna]

@@StormArtificial The taste of demoness isn't bad.

[@YourAverageOnePieceWatcher]

@@StormArtificial re:zero is ass bro don't compare it to frieren (i quit when subaru rejected rem)

[@Eridna]

@@YourAverageOnePieceWatcher I quit when I got spoiled(apparently subaru died )

[@StormArtificial]

@@YourAverageOnePieceWatcher fucking subjective

[@grins9882]

Frieren embodies everything I love about a show; Spectacle, World Building, Fun characters, Perfect blend of Realism n Fantasy, and what most shows never get right; a slow enough pace where you're immersed into the world, yet never bored. Its the perfect anime.

[@dimitrilepain3821]

Don't tell FMAB fans

[@btchiaintkidding7837]

it low-key has everything. something for everyone. Incredible OSTs, Immersive atmosphere, immaculate background arts, Toptier animation and sfx, Efficient Screenwriting, enetertaining character dynamics, absolute solid side/main cast, solid Romance and best ships, Comfy SoL moments, absolute banger action scenes, 2d dragon fight, Hype af non-action moments, an incredibly well done OP mc, a unique yet intuitive magic/power system, subtle but solod power scaling, incredible worldbuilding, just enougj subversion here and there to keep it unpredictable and most impressively and importantly: it has an incredible pacing , to string all these together. doesnt matter what genre you prefer, the show has got you, unless someone is shounent@rd and thinks making every story's arc a copy paste and as relentless as shibuya arc is the only best way tell stories or something

[@jackreacher7495]

​@@dimitrilepain3821FMAB is great but it's nowhere near as balanced and consistent as this anime.

[@dimitrilepain3821]

@@jackreacher7495 glad you understood the joke. FMAB fans are notorious (especially on online ranking sites like MAL) to downvote, downplay and shittalk any anime that just remotely threatens FMAB's status as absolute and indisputable pinnacle of art. that's why i said "don't tell 'em", because those fellas would get mad if you even dared to compare Frieren to FMAB.

[@soultheconfusing9563]

@@jackreacher7495cap

[@Linc3to]

This goes to show that we don’t hate female lead anime’s or movies. We hate poorly written stories. Frieren is definitely a great anime with Studio Ghibli vibes plus beautifully animated fights, definitely top tier 👍🏽 Also my favorite character is Himmel I find that guy hilarious.

[@Kureemy]

I agree that Himmel is best boy. What I loved most about him was the fact that he stayed loyal to Frieren and never loved anyone else, even though she was gone for 50 years…

[@aida8746]

@@Kureemy he never even expected anything from her, he just wanted to love her TT

[@jahrusalem3658]

@@Kureemy Not to mention that one guy who stopped a mugging or something because - and I quote - "It's what Himmel the Hero would have done." Dude didn't even let being a fictional character stop him from inspiring others to do good.

[@Stint45678]

​@@jahrusalem3658can you tell me more?

[@jahrusalem3658]

@@Stint45678 A Taiwanese dude stopped a knife attack because Himmel inspired him to do good. There're whole Reddit threads about this guy, so it shouldn't be hard to find one. They'll explain it better.

[@En1gmaUnknown]

I think the third exam was something I appreciated about frieren. It follows the series' idea that life just continues. There isn't a big payoff to the fight because thats basically the point of the whole series. Great vid btw.

[@CalmClamFam]

Yeah and it’s a logical way of thinking. Serie wanted to quickly weed out weak mages without needless effort. Why expend large amounts of energy fighting, when there’s an easier way you can resolve things? It’s like how Frieren defeated Aura without lifting a finger. She could’ve used Zoltrak on Aura when she was paralyzed but Frieren just said “kys” and that was it.

[@enderwiggins8248]

Stark versus the demon girl was one of my favorite fight scenes, I loved seeing her twirl through the air like a feather and then hit him like a truck. Guess the dwarf hits harder tho

[@juggram_99]

I guess I didn't understand the fight or why the hell it seems everyone liked the fight. It was just the demon girl slamming Stark until he had a flashback and he straight up one shots her, it was too stupid

[@dropletq3477]

@@juggram_99. not really? it was stark’s first legitimate fight and it perfectly illustrated his entire character at the start. he was being beat cause he was scared. his whole point is being cowardly and insecure and being faced with a mirror of your mentor can confuse you and harp on your issues. thats what makes it go so hard. when stark is so wrapped up on technique when realistically, all he needed was doing the job he’s supposed do.

[@Hilliam66]

⁠​⁠@@juggram_99 Oh, Stark could always one shot her. To be fair, he’s capable of one-shotting most beasties. He was just worried that the demon girl would also be able to one shot him in that time. The demon girl moves just as fast, but unlike Eisen, she hits like a wimp. Stark just needed to realize he could tank one of her hits while getting the decisive wind up, ez win.

[@junky2fk]

Freiren’s story arcs runs much like TTRPG campaign. Most of the plot points are gonna be character focused and exploration/world building focused. But when your Party gets in a fight, oh it’s gonna pop off! Especially when one of your party member is an OP high level elf wizard grandma

[@roxroe6731]

What so good about fights in Frieren is that there is intention and goal, it uses fight as a method to tell and show more of the narrative in its story. Unlike many shounen battles, it is there jsut to show cool fights and to show that the MC are cool nothing more. But with Frieren we see the point of how she grow from the first time she battled Aura, after 80 yrs she isn't the same to mindlessly blats everything. And in the mage exam arc, there is a strong need for them to enter the north by having one of them becomes 1st class mage. In this arc, we also have seen alot more about flamme and her influence to frieren. And from frieren's influence to Fern. There's more to talk here than just the figth scenes. The fight scenes were another method to deliver a great narrative.

[@roxroe6731]

I have been watching many anime for 15 yrs already. I come to question what's there to many of these battle shounen. What's the point in fighting and become more powerful. What's even the point in becoming all powerful? I am not saying everyone of them was just an empty fights design to amuze audience, there a few exceptions and Frieren is one of them.

[@TheKb117]

The fights were, like in one of the episode's title "A Necessary Death" iirc, like a key, or icing on cake, that one needs to be introduced into the substance within, the character building for a better story progression.😍

[@Gin-San101]

​@@roxroe6731 to protect themselves and their families? In a lot of Shonen their not just fighting to be cool as you claim.

[@dc7981]

@@roxroe6731 Name one mainstream long running shonen that doesnt use fights for character development. New gen fans really are just yapping about shit to make modern stuff look better 💀

[@Ghorda9]

@@roxroe6731 i argue that frieren isn't really shounen, it never tries to cater to that audience

[@Senshiiyt]

Frieren’s chunin exam literally hooked me so hard, they got a little bit for everything

[@markvicferrer]

Bocchi the Rock did not need to go so hard with the animation, but it was a passion project for the director & encouraged his crew to be creative as they didn't have much to work with from the simple 4 koma series it was adapted from. He basically did the same with Frieren. People say Madhouse was on the decline; this is their flagship return: the entire series was meticulously planned out, which allowed the composer to precisely score each episode They released it as a 4 part premiere They animation work is at times movie quality on a tv budget. Mages standing around casting spells can make for a static fight scene, but they always went for something creative.

[@adob0_90]

fr

[@kitkatisyummy6119]

i think people say its not a fighting anime because every other fighting anime is generally too scared to allow their characters to feel things. number 1 way to look for an anime that'll pull away from feelings is if they pull a gag after something emotional happens

[@Ghorda9]

the fights are just the cherry on top for everything else

[@bendypencil2519]

It's kinda obvious, but regarding the bit about Frieren not being very strong for an elf her age, I like that small detail a lot since it makes sense. Frieren is a scholar first and a battle mage second, she doesn't much care for getting as strong as she possibly can, her strength is just a byproduct of how long she's had to hone her skills, even the ones she didn't spend as much of her immense amount of time on.

[@Eridna]

Frieren fights really fit the series of a world with a lot of mages, mages fight mages, they don't yap and scream their strongest attack name, and most of them don't try to make enemies needlessly. I'd say Frieren is my number 2 when it comes to realism in fights, #1 has to be Lord of the Mysteries. Absolute peak novel, every fight is so well described even me with an "alright" imagination has no trouble understanding what's going on, and it's all perfectly explainable about what happens, no pulling attacks out of their rump and having a "true form". Peak fiction, try it out.(It's a Lightnovel)

[@chongwillson972]

@Eridna how bout chainsaw man?

[@Eridna]

@@chongwillson972 Chainsawman fights occur very randomly, especially the ones vs katanaman. The quick fights that are very truthful regarding the strength of each character was nice. If a character stood no chance, they died, if a character did stand a chance, they might still lose. I liked these aspects of the fight very much. The power system did leave a bit to be desired. I'm probably spoiled by LOTM though.

[@ratedr7845]

honestly, you people are just boring

[@chongwillson972]

@@ratedr7845 who is boring?

[@bruhwtf2662]

@@chongwillson972 me, sorry guys for being boring 😔

[@Aso7989]

I’m on episode 19 and honestly this is one of the best anime’s I’ve ever watched, easily top 3

[@joeyweinwurm7477]

U aint even get to the best parts. have fun my friend

[@quigonkenny]

Strap in, bud. Your ride isn't nearly over...

[@Aso7989]

@@joeyweinwurm7477 I will

[@Aso7989]

@@quigonkenny great to hear

[@hilda6014]

It gets better and better, keep going

[@XerTaaL]

realistic fights where the enemy actually fights back thats why,and theyre actually strategizing

[@teobaldolendario8880]

As "realistic" as any battle shounen with plot armor.

[@mtgleam8723]

I think a lot of that has to do with the manga. Keep in mind that the manga focuses on action very rarely, and when the show was first coming out we didn't know that madhouse was going to go crazy with it.

[@sittingstill3578]

Serie is thousands of years older than Frieren. Kraft appears to be somewhere in the middle. The reason the first class mage exam didn’t have a round three climax was because the world building dictated that this valuable resource of mages not be wasted. The section in the dungeon arch where they collectively reveal all their strengths and weaknesses wasn’t an accident. It was a set up for future conflict among mages where there are real stakes. Think of it like this, Kraft saw through Übel immediately when saved the bandits. Likewise, Fern recognized Serie’s mana suppression. Serie not only saw through Land’s magic but used it and created a clone at his true location. Frieren tested and studied the protective barrier during the first stage of the exam without anyone knowing that it was she who was doing it and she shattered something no one thought possible. We see that mages recognize when other mages are using spells they know. We see that large gaps in power are recognized but closer peers can distinguish each others’ specific strengths. Truly powerful mages conceal their strength and skills opting to use only what’s needed. Frieren behaves like a scientist or hacker in that she seeks to fully understand a system before leveraging its weaknesses against it. So why does she keep studying and finding delight in seemingly obscure “folk” spells? It’s because they reduce millions of years of study to its essentials. She is then able to make connections no one else can see. Frieren has mastered all the core elements of her discipline and she continues to travel expanding the breadth of her knowledge and robustness of her understanding. My prediction is that there will be a final showdown between her and Serie which was hinted at when Serie’s disciple attacked her after the exam in an attempt to get his name in history. Whatever happens, it’s worth the wait.

[@zigazdovc6175]

I think Kraft is the oldest Elf we have seen, even older the Serie, because he physically looks the oldest, and is mentally also way ahead of Frieren and Serie both. Also he has that aura of mysticism around him, that suggest that the dude has seen some stuff that is probably not meant for mortal eyes to see.

[@djx7134]

@@zigazdovc6175 Nope. Serie was around at the same time as the goddess. Kraft says that he was not, hence he must operate on faith. Serie is older.

[@zigazdovc6175]

@@djx7134 Stop spewing BS, Kraft was an established Hero in the Mythical Era, so he is at least as old as Serie, but he is likely way older.

[@djx7134]

@@zigazdovc6175 Didn't he literally say he doesn't know if the goddess is even real ...? Why are you berating me when you don't even pay attention?

[@zigazdovc6175]

@@djx7134 Lol, who is the one not paying attention? He is a monk of the goddess herself, Frieren is the one that thinks she is not real. He is a devoted follower.

[@thomasprovitt1806]

Something you overlooked a bit is that this progression is a loop. That 3rd stage of the arc isn't just the pay-off, but its also a lore package. You touched on it a bit talking about learning about Serie and that glimpse into her journey of taking apprentices, but we also see into the mages hierarchy and what sort of attitudes and people Serie values as additions to it. We have more insight into the characters who went the distance in the exam and we learned or had confirmation of what in their personalities made them special. That information dump, when done well, often leaves us with new questions to chew on that we dig into at the start of that loop and through the next arc.

[@CalmClamFam]

I agree. Serie pointing out the unique qualities/philosophies of each character really made the 3rd test special. That test further characterizes the examinees and validates why they deserve to pass.

[@itsjakis]

I’ve been on the fence about watching Frieren, but this video solidifies the fact that I must watch it. Your writing in this video was really really good Teddy, good shit my guy.

[@TeddySlump]

Thanks jakis 🙏🏾

[@abhinavsoni6255]

Frieren did it correct way, this how a journey happens not every day is live or die situation. And the way they handled exams is 👌

[@EvGamerBETA]

Honestly, I even got a lot from the fight between Fern and Ehre, even though it's mostly just looping Fern attack magic against Ehre's defence. That emotionless expression Fern has while beating a mage of this generation with basic attack spell

[@djx7134]

Because it's the classic Fern strat. "Oh no, I'm just a poor little girl with weak mana, I hope no one bullies me because I'm so vulnerable". Opponent gets overconfident, suddenly eats a hail of arcane arrows, either dies or goes OOM defending with no opportunity to counter-attack. The end. It's very simple and yet surprisingly tricky and strategic.

[@zacharybosley1935]

​@@djx7134call an ambulance! . . . But not for me

[@Ghorda9]

@@djx7134 or just open's the door and starts blasting

[@lemnajcavite]

The part about the spell Fern asked for in the end was when I vulture-squawked laughing coz it literally was the "Like Mentor Like Mentee" but also coz it was a practical spell? Like it made sense? 😂 This series, Man. ❤ 100/10 would wish for dementia to watch it the first time every time again.

[@mookiestewart3776]

“Frieren really isn’t who we thought she was” as a manga all I can say is…..just wait. She is unequivocally HER

[@libertybell5876]

Her?

[@arizona_anime_fan]

@@libertybell5876 frieren was failed mostly because the elf at the heart of the association has a beef with her direct disciple, frieren's master. she didn't fail her because she failed. she failed her to spite her long dead disciple who she felt was the greatest disappointment/failure of her life. Understand frieren's master Flamme, loved magic. As does Frieren. But both dedicated their lives to killing demons, so Frieren was trained "differently". The elf felt both wasted their time on their passion. she once loved magic herself, now she does not. And frieren's love of magic mostly upset her. Because Frieren did something she could not, which was kill the demon king. why? because magic is partly about envisioning the result. Neither Flamme or whatshername could envision a world without the demon king, so neither could actually kill him. Frieren could envision a world without demons let alone the demon king, so she was able to kill him (or at least help Himmel do it). She's jealous and angry, and became petty. what really pissed her off though was frieren not caring. To frieren the "classification" test was just something amusing to do in her spare time, she saw no value in it. (which is why the top elf girl felt fine about being spiteful. she knew it wouldn't really hurt frieren to fail her)

[@libertybell5876]

@@arizona_anime_fanthanks! Im just starting the series so that makes much more sense now!

[@NaMe-zg9qs]

@@arizona_anime_fan genuine question, how impactful is this visualisation shi, is it like an actual thing or just a metaphorical non real thematic thing. like if stark truly truly believed or somehow imagine how he could kill serie, flammes teacher, could he do it? if ubel believe or somehow imagine cutting a mountain in half, could she?

[@arizona_anime_fan]

@@NaMe-zg9qs Well, think of it this way. I can imagine myself rich and powerful, but if i don't have the skills to make it happen it won't happen. So it's not enough to be able to envision a world without a demonking, you need to actually be able to kill the demonking. The "Envision" concept is best displayed with Ubel and the limits to her magic. She technically doesn't really understand how magic even works. She doesn't really care, because to her, magic works the way she believes it works. and in her case she can understand and cast a spell if she empathizes and understands the magician who cast the spell. Now this is not how magic is supposed to work; or at least magic doesn't work like this for people who were told you need to learn how magic works. But it works fine for her. Because she believes that's how HER magic works. Now how useful is Ubel's magical copying ability? well compared to a magical genius it's painfully limited. Frieren for example can pretty much learn any spell she sees often in real time and copy it, reverse engineer it and make it work better for herself. She doesn't have to empathize with the caster, or even know their name. But for Ubel that's exactly how her magic works. What's even more mindbending is she improves upon the magic she copies by bending it to work how she wants it to work as well. This also shouldn't be possible. but there is Ubel making it work. So this raises a question. Does magic work with rule because someone one day made up rules and told others this is how you use magic. or is Ubel utterly unique? Well we learn the answer to this with the explanation of why Flamme and Serie couldn't kill the demon king. In short, due to their inability to imagine a world without him, they were unable to make their magic kill him. So it seems Ubel's magic works because magic works based on how you envision it working. For frieren and most traditional mages its something you learn and teach. But in reality it works according to the internal "belief" rules you've constructed for yourself with your understanding of how the world works.

[@quigonkenny]

"I'm more of a Flamme guy myself." What, no love for Methode?

[@TheKb117]

Milf of culture, unite, man. Count me in bro!!!🤩😍👍

[@anatoliasmercenary.]

Frieren just has that dawg in her, I agree that watching Fern develop that dawg and even getting acknowledged by someone as detached and uncaring as Serie is most definitely a feat.

[@djx7134]

Serie, detached? Uncaring? She's the exact opposite. She has a problem with Frieren because Frieren doesn't care enough/isn't forceful or ambitious. And she cares about her students a lot. The whole grumpy grandma act is just a coping mechanism. It becomes obvious when you notice that her actions contradict her words at almost every turn.

[@professionalribokuapologis6340]

teddy back in the youtube feed we love to see it. and he on frieren too? we've been knowing that he had good state but he just needed to remind the haters real quick 😤😤😤😤

[@Ceccsee-Ceccsee]

This needs more views so teddy can get paid

[@ardidsonriente2223]

How to make a great combat scene: 1- There is an objective beyond the fight itself. 2- The opponents use the resources available that make more sense. 3- The rules of confrontation are logical and known, not arbitrary. 4- The stakes are proportional to the risks accepted by the opponents, which are also proportional to the characters motivations. 5- The interchanges within the fight don't flatly repeat: each one is different and changes the next available options. 6- There is a story being said through violence, a story that is personally relevant for the characters. 7- Victory is never guaranteed or granted, but earned. 8- Actions within combat feed from the actions taken previously, outside combat. 9- The fight ends the very moment there is a simpler way to get the objective. 10- Combat changes the characters and the world. Consequences are strong and inevitable. Frieren does all of these without fail. The combat scenes are AMAZING.

[@failosaurus6764]

I'm caught up with the manga and i still go back to re-watch scenes from the anime. It's so good.

[@Mudayunt]

Mannnn I been waiting for an upload bro!

[@hypno4604]

great video the rezero OST that started at 7:10 was PERFECT

[@reggiefowler7790]

Great video man, insightful and hilarious

[@purpleponteran2805]

Oh hell yeah I was in a slump without my teddyslump content we love to see it

[@petormaculan5424]

I'm so glad you talked about the action in frieren. I agree with you that anime's spectacle is the thing which carries the genre and frierens ability to produce spectacle is basically my favorite thing about it

[@fuzzy4eyes388]

This is an amazing video no one talks about the fighting and scaling for anime only viewers thank you!!

[@totallytoasty]

Now i definitely gotta check this show out. That food is looking mad good too ngl lol Fire video Teddy 🔥

[@adamhercik581]

Beautiful video going over thing other Frieren videos haven't gone over.

[@yurkdawg]

Glad I found your channel, I like your skill with words and descriptions. At the end you referred to Frieren possibly not being all that. I was wondering something along those lines: was she accurately called out as being a non-achieving slacker for most of her life, or is her worldview/personality just at odds with Serie? ..or both?

[@Emelineeeeeee]

It’s also crazy that they animated a character putting on a jacket so detailed but still meshing with the rest of the animation I can’t tell if it was straight up rotoscoped or not. And they did that like a couple times. They really were flexing

[@jae7681]

love that you use signoras boss theme in your editing

[@Oveyz]

Lowkey loved that video x'D

[@TheShabick]

The reason why Frieren's fights are so much better is that fights in it are just story development, one of many ways the characters can develop and for the watchers to better understand them. In Battle Shonen it's the opposite; story development is just to get to fights. Which leans heavily on those fights to carry it, so their drawn out with as many "This isn't even my final form" as they can jam in. Which just leaves a hollowness until the next cool fight that they have to rush to get to or lose their viewers with somehow even more final forms. While here, Fern can get sick and they can spend an episode searching peacefully for cough surup ingredients in a beautiful fantasy snow environment, then milk cows and still deliver.

[@khdri]

hes finally back

[@fooforthewin6758]

Dude you know damn well what you are talking about and it's so satisfying to watch. Your humour is great, you explain things with crazy good depth and it feels personal too. You've earned a sub. Also, I have to ask, when you called Frieren Freezus Christ, were you aware of the English translation of Frieren's name? If you were, that makes it one hell of a smart joke lol.

[@AManJumps]

yoo i'm about to watch a lot of your videos. keep it up

[@-bacon_bacon-]

It’s such a breath of fresh air in today’s fast paced anime. It has heart and soul

[@cardboardtubeknight]

Honestly, the exam was some of the stuff I was most hyped for. When I found out we were getting all of that in season one I was so ready for it. It's really the first time we get a lot of other mages and we get to see how other mages do their stuff, and then it not focusing on one on one fights and helping to flesh out how the magic system works was pretty great.

[@extinctcorgi4057]

I always come to this guy's videos mostly because his voice is very chill, and i like hearing it

[@yuutheuser]

As a day 1 manga reader I was one of the people that was telling people "if you're looking for action animation only probably pass on it" but that was before it came out, a lot of the fights in the manga are barely 2 pages long at the point in the story, ik thats obviously hyperbolic, but something like Stark vs the Solar dragon was only 8 pannels, I couldn't predict that they would turn it into that amazing bit of animation that it turned into

[@UliTroyo]

You’re witty! I like your sense of humor. Caught me off-guard with your joke about high stakes.

[@braddl9442]

Frieren is going to be studied for how it nailed everything. Like its going to have an impact on how other studios make stories now. Also imagine they save a ton of money on how low key most of the anime is, and in doing that they can save their budget and energy for those amazing battles.

[@Mr.BluePants]

Well... Most anime do what you describe, which is to put most of their resources, more specifically talent (big name animators) into 1 or 2 eps per season, IF they even have them at all or the time to do it (usually not). While Frieren is much like CSM, Mob, Tengoku, JJK s2, etc., where they've got a large amount of talents every single ep. Even in slower scenes from non-action eps the animation isn't limited (still frames with no movement) and there is a decent amount of character acting animation. Obviously it still allocates more talents to bigger/more demanding eps, but it's not like they were able to use the other eps to "take a breather", so to say... The perks of having the One Punch Man s1 producer and most of the industry animators working on this show I guess... alongside JJK s2. (That's how the anime industry is like nowadays... 2 or 3 shows per season get all the big names in the industry and every other anime has to just deal with the cards they've been dealt).

[@prestonshort6324]

Well, done really well done!👍🏻

[@MichaelDaOne1]

MY GLORIOUS KING RETURNED 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@whit3dant3]

Your what?

[@bigswisschh]

Great video. I’m kinda an anime light person. I only check in on a few series. Frieren is probably the best one (violet evergarden and FMA:B being other shows I couldn’t put down) I think you wrote a great breakdown here. What would you recommend I watch next, that you feel has this level of writing craft?

[@JohnSon-vk1nz]

AINT NO WAY YOU FINALY DROPED VIDEO

[@juhis1620]

I absolutely loved this, can't describe how well made it is. No wonder it's ranked number 1 on myanimelist

[@Average-Joe851]

Frieren (The show not the character) does something that many people over look when people talk about good stories, and you briefly covered it but I think its a major part why many movies and shows fall flat eventually. It flocculates the energy of the show and Frieren does it masterfully. Many shows will just escalate and keep escalating, stay mellow, or straight up refuse to take itself seriously. But for a really good story you need to be able to go between the three. You have those fun moments to get your audience to enjoy your cast, you have the mellow moments to get your audience invested, and you have the moments where make the audience worry about what's going to happen. All three are important, all three easy to mess up. This is the reason why Lord of The Rings is still considered a master piece even though it has massive slow parts to it. Because the slow parts are there to get you invested for the spectacle later.

[@ethanoppong-addae8514]

well well well look who finally decided to fucking upload.( Im so glad youre back my glorious king slump)

[@pretentiousname01]

2:06 The little staff flourish Fern does to backwards fire zoltrak is so fucking good.

[@Oneofthecoments]

I know the music for the AMV was from Genshen but what’s the track?

[@Avoozlx]

nice video :) source of the frieren fight amv? (if you use someone's video you should credit them, also makes it easier for viewers to find it)

[@JMP343-cy7vw]

The signora Music in the amv matches so well lol

[@dirtydirtyshisno7284]

Thinking about other elves potential strength has me real hype to learn more about Kraft, I want to learn more about the guy they made the goatee priest statue of

[@manfredkemper1936]

your starting AMV... so you mixed "TSFH - Elementum" with something else... with what exactly? and can i have a full version of it? :D

[@nickschaus7785]

Speaking facts about the best moment in the series (11:08), That fight was insane. Definitely my favorite animation of a 'lightning strike' type of skill. Something I love about Frieren is how they showcase magic, mages, and skills. Mages have the demeanor you would expect of someone who is focused on casting spells while observing their surroundings, skills like Starks lighting strike have impact without being out of place or breaking the flow of time, and magic do be lookin kinda sexy, gonna have to thank the Frieren vs. Frieren fight for that last one.

[@thebard20]

I partly judged Frieren by its cover and partly by the comments online but in both cases I was misled - its a fantastic story with wonderful animation along with plenty of action and comedy elements

[@benjaminstiles]

I love how ingrained the path for power progression is. Frieren is uber strong, and Fern is to. But Stark is also a prodigy really. That dragon actually did leave the village alone because of Stark. Not to mention that Hieter struck him instinctively, out of fear. He has the potential to stay neck and neck with the other two.

[@Dika-lr6zt]

BROOO where have you been 😭 We needed you but it's good you're back Don't ghost me like scamboli or Cory plssss

[@brandonthegrey]

6:10 my guy literally called Kanne and Lawine novices even though they're third class mages, which honestly speaking, they really are when in comparison to Frieren

[@djx7134]

Because they were clearly less capable than most of the other mages there. Esp. Kanne. Without having rainfall as a win condition, Lawine & Kanne, the two that can only fight well together, were getting bodied by a Richter who wasn't even trying. He's a powerful mage, but not top tier. They're probably good compared to average, but bad compared to the best. I don't think we've seen a truly average mage yet.

[@Pharmalade]

The amazing thing in the fights in this anime is the use of parallax. It gives a sense of depth that most battle anime don't have outside of feature films.

[@aquilonthepro8319]

Was that… Trails ost in the last part of the video? Or am I tripping

[@TheKb117]

The Spectacle! You had me there, man!!! This is how I have felt since I was young. Before CGI, animation was only the medium where imagination can somewhat be realized. Well, to be truthful, CGI is simply animation brought to almost realistic levels visually. Therefore, I think animation, anime to be specific, is the best medium for imagination realization.😍🤩👍 Love this video essay, btw. Agreed to all your points.👍😍

[@CC-jh4kd]

The battle scenes are more valuable and satisfying because the anime wasn't saturated by it. Quality vs. quality. And the other aspects of the show that isn't battle give the actual battles gravity.

[@RazielBG]

Darn. Because of you, now I gotta go and rewatch the whole show again.

[@Allison-rz7mg]

Anyone know where that amv towards the beginning is from? I cant find it anywhere lol

[@Burning_Marshmallow]

What makes frierens story so good is that it feels like almost every character could have their own standalone story and still be engaging to watch. It’s like grafting multiple plants into one giant super one that gives you everything you want and then some.

[@chriswells6050]

4:44 That Steak joke had no business being that smooth🤣

[@betaraybill3112]

what anime is blonde girl riding dragon in 7:33?

[@tylersingleton9284]

My favorite scene in the exam arc was when Fern says out loud that she thinks she can defeat the Frieren double, and then Frieren smiles like she knew it all along.

[@fooforthewin6758]

Having no promise of a fight, then delivering so well is crazy lol

[@PhabioTheHost]

Keep in mind, Frieren is still probably the second or third strongest mage in the world. She is only behind another elf that focused purely on offensive magic. In the end, nearly all those elves died in the war with the demons. And she has so many other abilities not related to combat that the comparison isn't even all that fair because she isn't a battle mage in the first place. She is a Demon Slayer.

[@XDEnd00]

C'mon, it's really inadequate to say Serie focused purely on offensive magic. She is literally known as a living encyclopedia and is said to have knowledge of almost every spell in existence, she even knew the clothes cleaning one she taught Fern. She has a preference, in terms of taste, for battle spells, but the scope of her magical knowledge is so vast I wonder if it's valid to even say she has any focus at all.

[@DeanStorm28]

@@XDEnd00 She knows every spell in existance and is even better at hiding mana then Frieren there is just no comperison

[@XDEnd00]

@@DeanStorm28 I'm not saying there is. I was just referring to the part where they said she focused purely on offensive magic. In fact I'm saying Serie's knowleedge goes far beyond just that

[@skyler1469]

Good fights and visuals Diping into multiple genres and dominating all of em Every character is multidimensional and lovable/ understandable Nothing is bland Just amazing show

[@DarnHyena]

I think it probably helps that there isn't constant action that lets the action scenes shine even more, and probably easier on the animation budget and time

[@alexandergarfield1561]

Forgot an important aspect. The fights aren't drawn out, each side brings their A game almost right away and most fights don't last longer than a few minutes. Which is typically how it should be, masters of their craft don't play around unless they're teaching someone. Like the first demon fight with Qual, the creator of the current offensive magic system only lasted what about 30 seconds and that's because his techniques were outdated.

[@aDifferentKind_ofHuman]

I'm so excited for solitär vs frieren to be animated

[@jayden9766]

Now im boutta rewatch

[@eyyikzthecounter9929]

I didn't expect the Phase 2 of Signora battle ost

[@princemannic]

3:58 nobody gonna talk about how clean that transition is?

[@lando8849]

when we needed him most Teddy Slump returned.....

[@Mir_Teiwaz]

As much as I love all the fights, I always think of the encounter with Qual first. He gets set up for Fern as this big bad guy that was unbeatable back when Frieren first fought him with Himmel's group, but due to mages studying his spell and working out a counter-measure, he was beaten by "regular" defensive and offensive magic-something Fern probably would have figured out was possible before the fight if she had actually read that history book like Frieren told her to. A beautifully animated fight with great world building as both the lead up to and pay off for how it ended.

[@lechonkwoopersupremacy9029]

The way stark put stark his jacket is terrifying

[@isuckatgaming1182]

Thanks for this; I was gonna watch Frieren anyway cus everyone’s been talking about how good it is, but in my mind it was with the caveat of less action for more story, now ik it’s both 👌🏾

[@stunseed8385]

If there is one thing I really like, and it's that no matter how strong a character is, they are just as vulnerable. It's really depend on skills on that keeps the mages and warriors alive. This will be shown later in the manga, and as powerful as Frieren and some other mages are, they can die if they are careless, and let someone get through their defenses.

[@ajrodriguez8485]

I think the final arc also was meant to solidify Frieren as the epitome of the shows themes. Serie, a mage who couldn't defeat the Demon King because she couldn't imagine a peaceful era views strength through this myopic lens of battle strength. In a sense, serie is just a microcosm of their current society's views on what is considered strong. Despite her "weakness" Frieren topples the established benchmarks in ways we didn't consider. She didn't brute force her way through the barrier, she analyzed it. She didn't crush Series student (because she easily could have I mean c'mon her and her clone shattered reality in their fight) she called him out on his unproductive method of showing his master how he feels towards her by trying to kill or die by Frierens hands. Frieren has always been a god tier character, and the show demonstrates that true strength is multidimensional. This is especially salient because we're so used to anime that isn't explicitly labeled to be a non combat anime to show battle strength as the sole means of story progression. In a way, it challenges the audience to reckon with our biases on what makes a character strong. That's why flamme, despite being her eras greatest mage, didn't reach series combat power because sue didn't WANT to. Not everyone has to be the best at what people want them to be, otherwise you deprive people the opportunity to find what gives them MEANING in their life. Frieren at her core, and thus the show, is about finding meaning through the things you choose to do, not taking meaning from what others give you.

[@Vamski2014]

"the best, period" 😊 "the best period" 💀

[@LizardMan8675309]

I think the thing is Frieren doesn't have all that many fights for it's like 27 episodes, but when the do pop up they COOOOOOOK. Every fight I'm thinking "they did NOT have to go this hard bro!!"

[@TanyaTulip]

My one fear is that we're gonna get a repeat of what happened to TPNs2. Frieren S1 went so hard, living up to those standards... Man... Can't wait though.