Sousou no Frieren

During their decade-long quest to defeat the Demon King, the members of the hero's party—Himmel himself, the priest Heiter, the dwarf warrior Eisen, and the elven mage Frieren—forge bonds through adventures and battles, creating unforgettable precious memories for most of them.

However, the time that Frieren spends with her comrades is equivalent to merely a fraction of her life, which has lasted over a thousand years. When the party disbands after their victory, Frieren casually returns to her "usual" routine of collecting spells across the continent. Due to her different sense of time, she seemingly holds no strong feelings toward the experiences she went through.

As the years pass, Frieren gradually realizes how her days in the hero's party truly impacted her. Witnessing the deaths of two of her former companions, Frieren begins to regret having taken their presence for granted; she vows to better understand humans and create real personal connections. Although the story of that once memorable journey has long ended, a new tale is about to begin.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Frieren Main

Tanezaki, Atsumi Japanese

Fern Main

Ichinose, Kana Japanese

Stark Main

Kobayashi, Chiaki Japanese

Himmel Supporting

Okamoto, Nobuhiko Japanese

Übel Supporting

Hasegawa, Ikumi Japanese

Flamme Supporting

Tanaka, Atsuko Japanese

Eisen Supporting

Ueda, Youji Japanese

Heiter Supporting

Touchi, Hiroki Japanese

Sein Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Denken Supporting

Saitou, Jirou Japanese

Fukushi, Yuuichirou Producer

Taguchi, Shouichirou Producer

Aoki, Haruka Producer

Itou, Yuukou Producer

Reviews

Mar 30, 2025

Artma_Desu

Recommended

Sousou no Frieren – A True Masterpiece in Its Own Right.

It’s rare for an anime to leave such a profound impact that I feel the need to stand up and applaud truthfully for the entire moments of the show. The first and last time I experienced this was with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and now, Sousou no Frieren has earned that honor. While both shows are masterpieces, they achieve this status in entirely different ways.

FMAB is a complex epic, weaving intricate plot twists, deep world-building, and unforgettable ost and characters with a perfect storyline, nothing left,its the real definition of perfect. Sousou no Frieren, on ... the other hand, embraces simplicity—yet within that simplicity lies its brilliance. It doesn’t rely on grand revelations or fast-paced action; instead, it invites the viewer to reflect, to feel, and to appreciate the beauty of time, companionship, and personal growth.

Some may call this anime overrated, but I believe that comes from those who judge anime strictly by old-school complexity, expecting every masterpiece to follow the same formula. However, true enjoyment comes from embracing a story with a pure heart—one that allows you to relax and be immersed in its world without rigid expectations.

As an anime enjoyer, I love Sousou no Frieren not for what it isn’t, but for what it is: a heartfelt, soul-soothing experience that reminds us of the passage of time and the value of the moments we share. And at its core, that is what anime is meant to do, amuse, move, and leave a lasting impression.

Masterpiece.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Mar 29, 2025

duskwoven

Mixed Feelings

Sousou no Frieren is one of those anime that, on paper, should be right up my alley. A slow, reflective journey about an elf mage outliving her companions and coming to terms with the passage of time? Sounds beautiful. And honestly, it is, the visuals are stunning, the atmosphere is peaceful, and the themes of memory and loss really hit in certain moments. Madhouse did a fantastic job with the animation, and I can’t deny that the art direction is gorgeous.

But… I don’t know, something about it just doesn’t fully land for me. I can see why people love it, and I won’t deny that ... it has some genuinely great moments, but I kept waiting for that deep emotional connection, and it never really happened. The pacing is really slow, which is fine for a contemplative story, but sometimes it feels like it’s just wandering without much purpose. Frieren as a character is intriguing, but she’s also so emotionally distant that it makes it hard to feel for her the way I wanted to. I kept hoping for a spark, something that would make me fully invested, but it never quite came.

And then there’s the worldbuilding, it’s interesting, but not super immersive. We get bits and pieces of lore, but a lot of it just kinda exists in the background rather than feeling fully fleshed out. The supporting characters are nice, but outside of a few standouts, they don’t leave a huge impact. I think part of my struggle is that while I do enjoy reflective and cozy anime, I also love stories that bring excitement, warmth, and fulfillment. And Frieren… kinda lacks that for me. It’s a quiet, melancholic journey, which is fine, but I guess I was hoping for something that would stir my emotions a little more.

To be fair, the execution of the genre is well done. It delivers exactly what it promises, a slow, meditative fantasy about time and remembrance. And I’ll still keep watching because I’m curious about where it’s going (and, well, I don’t really have anything else lined up at the moment). But if I’m being honest with myself… my feelings just aren’t fully there. The animation is beautiful, the themes are solid, but sometimes, no matter how well-crafted something is, it just doesn’t click on a personal level. And that’s okay!

TL;DR: Sousou no Frieren is a beautifully crafted anime with stunning visuals, a peaceful atmosphere, and strong themes of memory and loss. But while I appreciate what it's going for, the slow pacing, emotionally distant protagonist, and somewhat passive worldbuilding make it hard for me to fully connect with. I get why people love it, it has that quiet, reflective charm. But for me, it feels more like a nice, cozy watch rather than something truly profound.

(And hey, if you love it, that’s awesome! This is just my opinion, and everyone experiences stories differently. No hard feelings, yeah?)

Thanks for reading! Have a nice day! (っ◞‸◟c)♡

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Mar 16, 2025

sweetooth_nerd

Not Recommended

Funny

This is got to be the most overrated thing i have ever seen. Not just MAL but other forums are also going crazy over this for no good reason. I bet most people who were disappointed with this show was due to this hype. I was.

Firstly Frieren does have good ost and great animation. The concept is also new compared to isekai and generic shounen. It is fine on that front. It has some wholesome moments. All over the story is ok. BUT THAT IS IT. PERIOD.

Characters are OUTRIGHTLY BORING AND FLAT. There is absolutely nothing interesting about them, frieren is not a good ... example of someone who has lived 1000+ years, fern and stark are the most generic characters ever, neither have an ounce of complexity in them. Himmel and his party members are idealistic heroes. I remember someone bringing this up online, and they were told oh the characters are not exaggerated like other anime characters. Forget exaggerated, characters in this show do not even feel human. Humans in general have more range of emotions and are much more complex than the cast of Frieren. I cannot even imagine how complex an elf should be, but here all of them are like a pre-programmed robot.

Then comes the world building. Some people actually say that this is next to JRR Tolkien. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? There can be no greater insult to LOTR than this. This show has picked the most used world building ever, which btw Tolkien established. The hero, dark lord, elves, dwarves, pray tell me what is "unique" about this. People are going on and on about the legend or masterpiece this show is. No it is not. The anime should at least try to create its own world before trying to become a masterpiece.

All this hype is really wasted on this show. I feel like as if people do not have good taste anymore, they do not understand the meaning of words legend or masterpiece. They just want the most "safe" show, with nothing controversial, which does not require a lot of braincells to understand it. You can just watch stuff like this and forget it next day. There is no depth, no complexity, no thrill in Frieren. Its just a mid show which came at the right time.

I love anime mostly for the innovation it brings, the other shows which people call big 3 or masterpieces or previous number 1 FMAB (i am not a huge FMAB fan, so its not like i am bitter about the ranking and writing this) have all put effort in world building and characters. And to top it they have unique premise, great ost, animation and story. They might not be without flaws, but they are popular for a reason. They are well balanced, while frieren is either mid or bad in everything. For me characters and world building are very important. The story can be slow or take a direction fans might not like. I am ok with all that and the author has the right to write what they want to. But i judge these two things strictly. If you are like me, please do not waste your time like i did. Its a 5/10.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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	Does Frieren really deserve top 1 spot? ( 1 2 ) GabrielNaice - Apr 1	74 replies	by -DxP- »» 1 hour ago
	I Don't Even Why Everyone Like This. ThatOneGuy2131 - Mar 31	33 replies	by -DxP- »» 2 hours ago
	Poll: Sousou no Frieren Episode 23 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Feb 16, 2024	320 replies	by bakakisima »» 2 hours ago
	My idea for season 2 - because I'd watch the hell out of it 24frame - Mar 31	10 replies	by DragyG »» 2 hours ago
	Poll: Sousou no Frieren Episode 20 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Jan 26, 2024	285 replies	by bakakisima »» 3 hours ago