Frieren (TV series)
Japanese anime television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (葬送のフリーレン, Sōsō no Furīren) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Madhouse based on the manga series Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe. The first season is directed by Keiichirō Saitō while Tomoya Kitagawa directed the second, with scripts by Tomohiro Suzuki and character designs by Reiko Nagasawa. The music is composed by Evan Call.
| Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | |
|---|---|
| |
| 葬送のフリーレン Sōsō no Furīren | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | |
| Screenplay by | Tomohiro Suzuki |
| Directed by |
|
| Voices of | |
| Music by | Evan Call |
| Opening theme | List
|
| Ending theme | List
|
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 38 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Akane Fushihara |
| Animator | Madhouse |
| Editor | Kashiko Kimura |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Production companies | "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" Production Committee[a] |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nippon TV |
| Release | September 29, 2023 – present |
The series premiered on Nippon TV's Friday Anime Night programming block on September 29, 2023, with a special two-hour cut of the first four episodes, and concluded its first season on March 22, 2024. A second season aired from January 16 to March 27, 2026. A third season is set to premiere in October 2027. Crunchyroll licensed the series for worldwide streaming outside of Asia, while Netflix and Muse Communication handled distribution in various Asian territories.
The series has received widespread acclaim, with critics lauding the story, animation, voice acting, action sequences, emotional depth, soundtrack and the title character, and has won several awards.
Synopsis
Following the conclusion of a ten-year quest by the hero party, comprising the elven mage Frieren, the human hero Himmel, the dwarven warrior Eisen, and the human priest Heiter, who have successfully defeated the Demon King and restored peace to the land. As an elf with a lifespan of over a thousand years, Frieren views their decade-long journey as a mere fraction of her life. Upon the party's return, they witness the Era Meteors, a celestial event occurring once every fifty years. Frieren promises to meet them again when the meteors return before departing to continue her solitary pursuit of magical knowledge.
Fifty years later, Frieren returns to find her former companions aged and at the end of their lives. After attending Himmel's funeral, she is struck by a profound sense of guilt and regret for not having made an effort to truly know him or understand the brevity of human existence. Following the subsequent passing of Heiter, Frieren begins a new journey northward to the land of Aureole, the place where souls are said to rest, hoping to speak with Himmel one last time.
Accompanying her is Fern, an orphan apprentice mage taken in by Heiter, and later Stark, a young warrior trained by Eisen. Unlike her previous adventure, this journey focuses on Frieren's internal growth as she retraces her old steps, discovering how the small actions of her former comrades shaped the world and its people. The narrative explores themes of legacy, memory, and the importance of the fleeting moments shared between friends.
Series overview
Cast and characters
Production and release
In September 2022, it was announced that the manga series would receive an anime adaptation.[2][3] It was later announced that it would be a television series produced by Madhouse and directed by Keiichirō Saitō, with script supervision by Tomohiro Suzuki and character designs by Reiko Nagasawa.[4][5] The two consecutive-cours first season premiered with a two-hour special consisting of the first four episodes on September 29, 2023, on Nippon TV's programming block Kin'yō Road Show, which is normally reserved for feature films, becoming the first anime series to do so.[6][7][8] Later episodes debuted on the new block Friday Anime Night on the same network and its affiliates,[9] and ended on March 22, 2024.[10] Toho Animation compiled the episodes into seven Blu-ray and DVD sets, which were released from January 24 to July 17, 2024.[11]
In September 2024, it was announced the series was renewed for a second season.[12][13][14] It aired from January 16 to March 27, 2026.[15] The staff and cast from the first season are reprising their roles, with Tomoya Kitagawa replacing Keiichirō Saitō as the season's director. Daiki Harashina serves as the assistant director, while Takasemaru, Keisuke Kojima, and Yuri Fujinaka replacing Nagasawa as character designers.[16]
A third season, covering the "Golden Land" arc, was announced after the airing of the final episode of the second season. It is set to premiere in October 2027.[17]
Eleven short episodes, titled Frieren: Beyond Journey's End – Spell That Does OOO[b] (葬送のフリーレン ～●●の魔法～, Sōsō no Frieren: Marumaru no Mahō), were released on Toho Animation's YouTube channel and on Frieren's official anime X and TikTok accounts from October 11, 2023, to March 24, 2024.[18][19] A second six-episode season was released from April 2 to September 3, 2025.[20][21] A third five-episode season was released from January 19 to March 26, 2026.[22][23]
English release
Crunchyroll licensed the series for streaming outside East Asia,[24] and an English dub directed by Jad Saxton premiered on its streaming platform on October 13, 2023.[25] The company released the series on DVD and Blu-ray sets; the first part, which includes the first 16 episodes, was released on December 17, 2024,[26][27] while the second part was released on September 23, 2025.[28] Muse Communication licensed the series in Southeast Asia.[29]
Music
The music for the series is composed by Evan Call.[5] An original soundtrack album was released on April 17, 2024.[30] For the four-episode premiere broadcast only, the special ending theme song is "Bliss", performed by Milet.[6] The first opening theme song is "Yūsha" (勇者; lit. 'Hero'), performed by Yoasobi, while the ending theme song is "Anytime Anywhere", performed by Milet.[31] The second opening theme song is "Sunny" (晴る, Haru), performed by Yorushika,[32] while the second ending theme song includes a different section of "Anytime Anywhere".[33] For the second season, the opening theme song is "Lulu.", performed by Mrs. Green Apple,[34] while the ending theme song is "The Story of Us", performed by Milet.[35]
Reception
Critical reception
The anime adaptation has received critical acclaim. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End holds an approval rating of 100% based on five reviews, with an average rating of 8.8/10.[36] Since the start of 2024, Frieren has been the top-rated anime on MyAnimeList and Anime News Network.[37][38] Digital Spy's Ali Griffiths praised it as one of the best fantasy anime of 2023, citing its themes surrounding the passage of time as well as praising the show's "cozy, calm atmosphere" and sound design.[39] Richard Eisenbeis of Anime News Network praised the dynamics between the main characters as Frieren's character and backstory develop.[40] Jenni Lada of Siliconera considered it one of the best anime of late 2023, praising Frieren's depth as she seeks to reconnect with Himmel following his death in the first episode, while also noting other events in the manga transition from drama to slice-of-life.[41]
Dan Mansfield of The Fandom Post praised the anime's fights and narrative, but felt some sexual jokes were out-of-place despite appreciating the humor overall. While commenting on Frieren's personality, Mansfield appreciated scenes in early episodes in which Fern comforts Stark, who is worried about being scared.[42] Kambole Campbell of IGN praised the production values and the show's "simple but moving" narrative.[43] Cy Catwell of Anime Feminist enjoyed the soundtrack, comparing it to the music of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and praised Madhouse's animation.[44] Ayaan Paul Chowdhury of The Hindu called it "the future of fantasy" and wrote: "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End dares to carve its own path amidst the cacophony of familiar tropes and archetypes".[45]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Yahoo! Japan Search Awards | Anime Category | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | 4th place | [46] |
| Asian Pop Music Awards | Best OST | "Yūsha" by Yoasobi | Nominated | [47] | |
| Best Lyricist | Milet for "Anytime Anywhere" | Nominated | [48] | ||
| 2024 | Tokyo Anime Award Festival | Best Music | Yoasobi | Won | [49] |
| Japan Character Awards | New Face Award | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | Won | [50] | |
| 29th Shanghai Television Festival | Best Animation | Nominated | [51] | ||
| Best Storytelling | Nominated | ||||
| 46th Anime Grand Prix | Grand Prix | 4th place | [52] | ||
| Best Character | Frieren | 7th place | |||
| Best Theme Song | "Yūsha" by Yoasobi | 6th place | |||
| "Anytime Anywhere" by Milet | 9th place | ||||
| "Sunny" by Yorushika | 10th place | ||||
| Best Voice Actor | Atsumi Tanezaki | Won | |||
| Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Anime | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | Won | [53] | |
| Daruma for Best Slice of Life Anime | Won | ||||
| Daruma for Best Ending | "Anytime Anywhere" by Milet | Won | |||
| 19th AnimaniA Awards | Best TV Series: Online | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | Nominated | [54] | |
| Best Anime Song | "Yūsha" by Yoasobi | Nominated | |||
| 14th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Character (Female) | Frieren | Won | [55] | |
| Best Character Design | Reiko Nagasawa | Won | |||
| Best Screenplay | Tomohiro Suzuki | Won | |||
| Anime Buzzword Awards | Bronze Prize | Himmel theory / Himmel syntax, "It's what Himmel the hero would have done" | Won | [56] | |
| 4th Astra TV Awards | Best Anime Series | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | Nominated | [57] | |
| 2025 | 7th Global Demand Awards | Most In-Demand Anime Series of 2024 | Nominated | [58] | |
| Tokyo Anime Award Festival | Animation of the Year (Television) | Won | [59] | ||
| Best Music | Evan Call | Won | |||
| 2025 Music Awards Japan | Best of Listeners' Choice: Japanese Song | "Sunny" by Yorushika | Nominated | [60] | |
| 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Anime of the Year | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | Nominated | [61] | |
| Best New Series | Nominated | ||||
| Best Drama | Won | ||||
| Best Animation | Nominated | ||||
| Best Background Art | Won | ||||
| Best Character Design | Reiko Nagasawa | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | Keiichiro Saito | Won | |||
| Best Main Character | Frieren | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Character | Fern | Won | |||
| Himmel | Nominated | ||||
| "Must Protect at All Costs" Character | Frieren | Nominated | |||
| Best Anime Song | "The Brave" by Yoasobi | Nominated | |||
| Best Score | Evan Call | Nominated | |||
| Best VA Performance (Japanese) | Atsumi Tanezaki as Frieren | Nominated | |||
| Best VA Performance (English) | Mallorie Rodak as Frieren | Nominated | |||
| Best VA Performance (Castilian) | Sandra Villa as Frieren | Nominated | |||
| Best VA Performance (French) | Marie Nonnenmacher as Frieren | Nominated | |||
| Best VA Performance (Hindi) | Natasha John as Frieren | Nominated | |||
| Best VA Performance (Italian) | Martina Felli as Frieren | Nominated | |||
| Best VA Performance (Spanish) | Erika Ugalde as Frieren | Nominated | |||
| 20th AnimaniA Awards | Best Anime Song | "Sunny" by Yorushika | Nominated | [62] | |
| 2026 | 21st AnimaniA Awards | Best TV / Movie: Disc Release | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | Pending | [63] |
Notes
- Label consisting of numerous companies
- English title per Crunchyroll, LLC's home media releases.