I remember watching a video online about a manga called Sousou no Frieren. In it, the person was talking about how the story and characters were so very well develop, you could not help but fall in love with them. It was also mentioned about how the story portrayed loss, nostalgia and the feeling of cherishing the ones you love while they were still with us.
It immeaditely caught my attention, as I was looking for a more personal and introspective story to follow. After almost 20 years of reading and watching shows, I was craving for some character development and good dialogue. To my surprise, and after reading the first 3 chapters of the manga, I fell in love with it. The story, the art, the dialogues, and the interection between them. I remember thinking: "god I wish someday this masterpiece could be adapted into an anime."
Fast forward a few years later, we got Sousou no Frieren, the anime, and its all I could have ever hoped for it to be. Madhouse´s adaptation of Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe is what the industry of anime really needed right now.
The anime follows the story of an elven mage after her party of heroes defeat the Demon King and save the world. The catch is that the main protagonist ages considerable slower that her peers, so death and loss of friends are things she must deal with on a regular basis.
We get to see how she deals with grief through her eyes, and how she gets a new resolve that pushes her to get to know people more, and learn to appreciate little moments with the ones she loves.
Madhouse study takes this story and elevates it beyong our imagination, a more in depth storytelling and character development, with new and expanded scenes that complements the original story. The characters and dialogues are top notch, and serve as the main asset to move the story forward. Additionally, the anime uses flashbacks in a beautiful way, that gives further context to what Frieren is thinking or feeling.
Evan Call (Violent Evergarden), collaborates with his brillance to the soundtrack and they could not have picked a better writer for the music. As the story is very personal, the music fits perfectly with it.
Animation is also one of the strongest points in the show, from the subtle movements of people dancing to the more frenetic action sequences, the animators spoil us with marvelous pieces, one after the other. Every chapter is animated to perfection... every chapter.
In conclusion, I urge every anime fan to watch this show. Try a different kind of story and you will not regret it. Expand your vision and enjoy what this show has in store for you.
9/10
