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As someone who has been watching anime for the past decade and finished hundreds, it's refreshing to witness a show that isn't just good but stands among the greatest to air.

In 2022, I stumbled upon the manga Sousou no Frieren. I binge-read it to the latest chapter and loved it. Fast forward 1.5 years, and I was surprised to see the Frieren anime airing and topping the charts on MAL. It was shocking in two ways: first, that I had somehow missed the announcement of its adaptation, and second, that it had become the top-rated anime. Typically, manga or shows I enjoy don’t receive such ... high praise, so I presumed it was another case of an overrated show. Many shows like Attack on Titan and Oshi no Ko have reached the top only to fall after a few days. So I thought the same would happen with Frieren.

Going in, I kept my expectations low, but from the first episode alone, I knew it was shaping up to be something special. Now that I have finished the series around 10 times and reread the manga about a dozen times, I can finally put down my thoughts.

Now telling what's good about Frieren is easy. The story, animation, characters, OST, pacing, art direction, and voice acting are, in my opinion, pretty much perfect. However, finding flaws is hard. The only criticisms I can offer are nitpicks about very specific things, like disliking a frame or two of animation or finding a music track overused and out of place in one scene. Some criticisms I’ve seen include the show being too slow and characters showing very little emotion.

In my opinion, the pacing is nearly perfect. Its slower pace gives the story, characters, and scenes more weight. The show is never so slow that it becomes stale and boring; it’s structured in a way that there's always something going on. I’d even argue that some scenes could have been a little slower.
Regarding the lack of emotion and stoicism in characters, I can understand where this criticism comes from, as there are many characters with very stoic personalities. Most characters that don't show much emotion are often strong, stoic figures like the antagonists, the demons, who naturally lack emotions, and most of the human cast who are highly trained mages, which explains their composed demeanor. However, even among them, many display more emotion than just stoicism. Even demons aren't completely emotionless, and I think the show balances this fairly well. Then again, my love for the show could cloud my eyes, and I could be wrong.

Now that I have finished the anime and caught up to the manga, the series has placed itself among my favorites, and I cannot recommend this anime enough. Shows like FMAB and AOT are rare, and it's good to see so many people loving this show as much as I do. Here's hoping that season 2 will be announced soon.


Overall, Sousou no Frieren is an exceptional anime that excels in pretty much everything. While I could nitpick and find flaws that might eventually bring my rating down to a 9, I think it's enough to warrant a 10/10.

If you are interested in a typical fantasy story about an OP MC, then this novel is for you. Summary below.

Story: As for the novel's plot, there isn't anything new or innovative as far as fantasy novels go, but overall it's a smooth read with many interesting components that will keep you reading. The story follows the typical tropes of reincarnation: saving people with your OP skills, becoming an adventurer, and living somewhat peacefully with fights here and there. What sets this apart from other fantasy novels is that, rather than having a main villain, the MC decides her own adventures, so there will be ... many large and small storylines throughout the novel.

Characters: For the most part, they are fine, but as the story mostly revolves around our MC, there isn't much character development for other characters besides the MC, and most characters seem one-dimensional at times, but saying there isn't any character development would be wrong. Usually, characters start strong with their introduction but pretty quickly become MC hypemen in a way.

Art: The art in this novel is pretty good. There are lots of character portraits and vistas.

Summary: A typical fantasy story with the same tropes as others but with many interesting storylines. Good MC but not great side characters. Amazing art. Overall, it's better than most reincarnation novels but suffers from being more of the same (7/10).