Let’s take a look at something from the Fall 2023 anime season that recently wrapped up – Sousou no Frieren. Interesting how the Japanese title differs from the English one. Frieren: Be…
Apr 17, 2024 • Subscribe
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Sousou No Frieren
The only thing very certain in life is death. Other than taxes, of course. But yes, the one thing that all living things cannot avoid is death. Unless…
Sousou no Frieren
A manga about the elf Frieren who was the magician in the hero's party who saved the world. A story follows Frieren decades later as she decides to…
Sousou no Frieren – 23
Let's be honest - when you're as OP as Frieren is, it's not that hard to have fun in a place that for most would be a death…
Sousou no Frieren – 09
So it was actually a battle shounen all along? The B-team took the field for almost all of this episode. But in Sousou no Frieren that’s all relative,…
Sousou no Frieren – 18
Why do shows that stand out for being distinctive try so hard to be conventional?
Sousou no Frieren – 09
Sven if this isn't where I expect Frieren to spend most of its time, it's nice to know it can deliver the goods when it's in this mode.
Sousou no Frieren – 07
It's always interesting to see what happens when a slice of life series switches to plot-driven mode - some can handle it and some can't.
Sousou no Frieren – 09
「断頭台のアウラ」 (Dantōdai no Aura) "Aura the Guillotine" So it was actually a battle shounen all along?
Sousou no Frieren – 22
Frieren is certainly good at quiet and reflective, but that really applies to when it's pondering the big issues of existence.
Sousou no Frieren – 15
「厄介事の匂い」 (Yakkai koto no nioi) "Smell of Trouble" One of the things Sousou no Frieren is very good at is scoring points when no one is saying anything.
Sousou no Frieren – 12
I definitely think the less conventional Sousou no Frieren is, the better it fares. That may be the reason Fern kind of annoys me.
Sousou no Frieren – 05
Normal service is resumed with a single episode of Frieren at the Funeral. But it's still a series quite content to take its sweet time.
Sousou no Frieren – 06
Sousou no Frieren's 6th episode is another adventure in slow-play mode, and it's working pretty well for me.
Sousou no Frieren – 14
「若者の特権」 (Wakamono no tokken) "Privilege of Youth" In the “wistful” area of the emotional spectrum, Sousou no Frieren treads with supreme confidence.
Sousou no Frieren – 14
I haven't loved every episode of Frieren by any means (though there have been no outright clunkers), but the last two have been really good.
Sousou no Frieren – 19
「入念な計画」 ( Nyuunen na Keikaku) "Nyūnen na Keikaku" Steal the stille.
Sousou no Frieren – 05
「死者の幻影」 (Shisha no Gen'ei) "Phantoms of the Dead" "Confront the darkness, embrace the truth."
Sousou no Frieren – 11
This matter of religious belief seems to me the fundamental question Sousou no Frieren is most interested in exploring.
Sousou no Frieren – 13
「同族嫌悪」 ( Douzoku Ken'o ) "Aversion to One's Own Kind" Party complete?
Sousou no Frieren – 11
「北側諸国の冬」 (Kitagawa shokoku no fuyu) "Winter in Northern Countries" Sousou no Frieren's flirtation with battle shounen appears to be over
Sousou no Frieren – 08
We're a third of the way - almost - through Sousou no Frieren now. So I think it's fair to start making some general assessments.
Sousou no Frieren – 16
「長寿友達」 ( Chouju Tomodachi) "Long-lived Friends" In a way, I think this story is as much as anything about how precariously one must balance to try and live in the…
Sousou no Frieren – 10
「強い魔法使い」 (Tsuyoi mahoutsukai) "Strong Mage" It’s just a good thing for this story’s human race that Frieren chose to be on their side most of the time.
Sousou no Frieren – 20
Who really thought a thrift shop Hunter Exam arc was what Sousou no Frieren needed just when it seemed to be finding its stride?
Sousou no Frieren – 10
It's just a good thing for this story's human race that Frieren chose to be on their side most of the time.
Sousou no Frieren – 12
「本物の勇者」 (Honmono no yuusha) "A Real Hero" I definitely think the less conventional Sousou no Frieren is, the better it fares.
Sousou no Frieren – 16
In a way, I think this story is as much as anything about how precariously one must balance to try and live in the moment.
Sousou no Frieren – 18
「級魔法使い選抜試験」 ( Ikkyuu Mahoutsukai Senbatsu Shiken) "First-class Mage Exam" Why do shows that stand out for being distinctive try so hard to be conventional?
Sousou no Frieren – 17
「じゃあ元気で」 (Jaa Genki de) "Take Care" Just as I'm really getting into it, Frieren is headed for big change
Sousou no Frieren – 13
We're going to be together for a long time, so the more narrative arrows this series has in its quiver the better.
Sousou no Frieren – 20
「要な殺し」 (Hitsuyou na Koroshi) "Necessary Killing" Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I suppose.
Sousou no Frieren – 19
The association is fine with mages dying in the name of filtering out the weak, but are they also trying to filter out the non-sociopathic?
Sousou no Frieren – 17
This is a good mode for the series to be in - let's hope the myriad major changes about to happen don't throw it off its game.
Sousou no Frieren – 15
One of the things Sousou no Frieren is very good at is scoring points when no one is saying anything.
Sousou no Frieren – 08
「葬送のフリーレン」 (Sōsō no Furīren) "Frieren the Slayer" The versatility Frieren has shown in the last couple of episodes has impressed me.
Sousou no Frieren – 21
More Denken, please - he's certainly the best available cure for what ails Sousou no Frieren at the moment.
Rolling Review – Sousou no Frieren – Episode 01
Episode Synopsis: Frieren, an elven mage, and her companions (Himmel the human hero, Heiter the human priest, and Eisen the dwarven warrior) have just returned to the royal…
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 15
Episode Synopsis: The party comes across a village where all of the inhabitants seem to have suddenly fallen asleep. Deducing the cause to be a curse from some…
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 20
Episode Synopsis: The initial test of the first class mage exam escalates as Fern and her team defend their Stille from Wirbel’s trio. Every mage in the battle…
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 04
Episode Synopsis: Frieren and Fern spend the winter clearing the flotsam near a coastal village the party visited on their last adventure. Frieren wishes to see the first…
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 11
Episode Synopsis: Frieren and company wrap up their stay with Graf Granat, and determine the next stop on their journey to be the magical city of Äußerst. On…
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 05
Episode Synopsis: Freiren and Fern begin their adventure, retracing the steps of the hero’s party. In a mountain pass, they encounter a creature that can create illusions of…
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 08
Episode Synopsis: Frieren handily escapes Draht’s clutches to rejoin her companions, sending the pair off to deal with Lügner while she focuses on stopping their mistress. Later that…
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 19
Episode Synopsis: Taking stock of their capabilities and limitations, Frieren and her teammates resolve to take drastic measures to drive a Stille into their hands. Fern’s team defends…
First Impressions – Sousou no Frieren
One of the fall anime' seasons most anticipated premieres, "Sousou no Frieren", and it doesn't disappoint. LiA dives in deep.
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 25
Episode Synopsis: The assembled mages discuss how to defeat Frieren’s doppleganger. Frieren reminisces about the second time she met Serie, after Flamme’s death and at the start of…
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 07
A time-honored tradition Episode Synopsis: Frieren and company help a merchant stuck at a mountain pass and escort him to the town beyond, which is celebrating the anniversary…
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 18
Episode Synopsis: Frieren, Fern, and Stark make it to Äußerst with a few months to go before the First Class mage exam. Upon entering the exam, the first…
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 12
Episode Synopsis: Struggling through a blizzard, the party makes its way to the Village of the Sword; a settlement famous for protecting the weapon wielded by Himmel against…
Sousou no Frieren – Episode 24
Episode Synopsis: Deep within the tomb where our heroes face their latest trial lies a fiend capable of creating perfect replicas of the mages within the dungeon. Different…