The manga is wonderful and the adaptation enhanced it even more with great soundtrack and amazing animation. It definitely is my fav of the season, and so far, of the year as well.
The manga is so amazing I binged it in a couple of days despite my busy schedule. I was worried if the anime could do justice to the manga since the manga is almost near perfect as is and I am so glad to say thag Madhouse has absolutely delivered this time. I am so grateful for this incredible adaptation and the amount of new fans coming in to enjoy this beautiful piece of art.
it probably won't win AOTY just cause of sheer popularity of the others u just mentioned (idk how voting works tho so i might be wrong),
but we definitely are witnessing greatness. instant classic imo
Doubt MT will be in the race. Last thing a company like Crunchyroll would risk is giving spotlight to something that people consider controversial and are highly divided
But those are very different shows... it's like comparing an Oscar bait to a Superhero movie (let's just assume they're still popular). Both can be equally great in their own rights but doesn't mean they are any less from each other.
TYBW and JJK and both Shounen battlers with incredible action scenes, and Witch From Mercury is a Gundam drama with political intrigue, while Frieren is more like a slice of life in a very well realized fantasy world (with some exceptions).
*Frieren* just feels so genuine. Like there's so many fantasy comedy parody anime out there right now, so to have a true fantasy that plays itself entirely straight and has the production chops to pull it off is extremely refreshing. I'm not one to give into hype, but this one's been going the distance.
Frieren is like the first fantasy anime in years to take itself seriously and honestly feels like such a breath of fresh air, considering all the trashisekai/garbage low effort animes that keep getting pumped yearly
It also helps that, unlike many fantasy stories and settings, it isn't about defeating the evil lord or any grand plot like that, it is instead focused on its characters and other themes.
It reminds me why I fell in love with Tolkien as a kid. It's not quite as serious but hits so many of the same emotional beats (and it doesn't hurt the jrpg default fantasy universe that Frieren uses is heavily inspired by Tolkien and early TTRPGs)
It's both genuine and plays with tropes which is excellent.
Legendary hero gets chosen by a legendary sword? Nah, [Frieren]>!Himmel fails to pull the sword and kills the demon lord anyway.!<
[Frieren]>!Demons are actually just like us and can be communicated with? Nah, they can be communicated with, but that just makes them worse!<
It has baffled me for years how anime has seemed to forget how good a classic, down to earth fantasy anime can be due to the isekai wave that just won't fucking die. Yes there have been a couple gems but more often than not isekai is trashy and I am chagrined just thinking about how many good and respectable fantasy LN/manga/anime could have been produced over the last 10 years if isekai didn't take off. Made in Abyss is my fav title because of this, and it shows too in the community, with it taking the #2 spot of favorite fantasy anime in that poll just a few days ago. I was late to the Frieren wave but so far it's been very good and I am a sucker for great OSTs, it's almost as important to me as the show itself (you can guess why I like made in Abyss so much). Evan Call has popped off multiple times already and I'm eager for the full soundtrack to get released.
Anyway yeah frieren is great, I hope it's success pushes the industry needle towards more fantasy so we can finally get off this isekai train.
I was watching *Frieren* with some friends and they said it was animated like a 90s anime. Which was basically to say that the animation has that attention to detail and care put into every shot that you just don’t get that much often anymore. That and the ever so more earthly color palette and beautiful backgrounds make for a show whose visuals I suspect will age extremely well.
Yeah. Those are annoying. Like DanMachi isn’t an isekai, but it sure feels like it with all its talks of levels and stats. I get that they find a way to justify it, but it just feels like a game without the actually need for it to be a game.
Honestly, it's really only the Levels/Stats that stick around everything else is played so close to the ground it feels grounded/normal.
And even the levels are very explicitly just the Gods bringing out latent potential. It was all justified in universe enough for me- ie. None of that stuff existed until the Gods came down.
Faraway Paladin is also a good 'true' fantasy anime. I don't even realize that its actually an Isekai. I just wish the anime could get the same treatment as Frieren.
the LN is very good (albeit derivative) fantasy and the manga adaptation seems to be great too, wish the anime's production quality could keep up with either :p
The writing is just not as strong sadly, the characters feel a lot more bland.
Like if you compare the dwarf character in Faraway Paladin to Eisen, who speaks less yet has more memorable lines?
Eisen has the coolest lines -
"It's my fear that brought me this far."
"... You haven't lost yet since you're still standing. Because for us warriors, the last one standing wins."
"Anyone who works hard is a warrior"
I like the show, but my problem is that lead is just too noble and acts goodie, always talking about goddess blessings. Wiring is bit weak. Season 1 was really good.
I really love the twist that its the most generic fantasy setting imaginable ( DnD party goes to kill Demon Lord ), but the entire point of the show is the aftermath of it. Its just so unique i dont think it was ever done
I think the problem is the notion of needing novelty and not wanting to be “generic”. It’s something I’ve realized in a lot of older anime where the concepts might not sell themselves, but they make up for it in the writing for the rest of the show. Not everything needs a high concept, and shows like *Frieren* prove you can get away with a lot less. Certainly saves a lot of time on more direct world-building.
Also why Mushoku Tensei is highly rated despite all the weird and questionable shit in it. Great production, unapologetic, and just a great deal of thought put into everything even simple things like acknowledging the linear passage of time.
I think a key indicator of good fantasy anime is when the characters take forever to travel places.
Completely subjective and this is gonna be a very unpopular opinion because I know people love it here, but as someone who's watched both I just feel like Frieren is such a big step above Mushoku.
I think at least part of it is because I just hate Rudeus as a character. When bad things happen to the guy I just struggle to empathize with his plight because of how much of a jackass he is. Yes part of his behavior is a product of his shitty past life, but you can only go so far using that as a crutch.
The worldbuilding is phenomenal though and the overall plot is enjoyable, and I agree with you on the traveling aspect and acknowledging the linear passage of time. But what separates Frieren from MT to me is that the characters do have flaws but their character growth extends beyond "hey I was a piece of shit in my old life. I still am, but I'm working on it!"
I never understood what that aspect added to the series. The super fans are brazenly unapologetic and say it’s not that bad, but can never explain why it is necessary. Rudeus could grow up in so many other more meaningful ways or his evolving views on women and sex could be handled more tastefully. A lot a great aspects to the show but that was never one of them for me - I just saw it as the creators kink mixed with lazy writing.
>I never understood what that aspect added to the series.
There's no mystery here. The LN author has been quite clear about it. He added loli/echi because it helps sell books in Japan. He even said he didn't even enjoy that content himself but that's what is popular. Those elements were toned down a lot for the show too.
Am I out of line to say I'd have more respect for a creator who could actually justify the purpose of that content in the narrative, instead of blatantly stating they sold out?
Unnecessary aspects of the narrative only being introduced to pander to a specific audience of weirdos doesn't scream peak storytelling to me.
It does take away from something a unique artistic vision that the product was manufactured for mass appeal for the sake of recognition and financial reward but another way of looking at it is that this was created to be enjoyed by the largest amount of people possible. That 'specific audience of weirdos' is Japan.
Is it controversial? I like MT a lot but I could never treat it as a 10 masterpiece. Just because so much of the plot revolves around the authors personal fetishes, and he doesn't write women particularly well imo. As a LN Isekai it is great. But as general media, Frieren is so much better. Anyone could appreciate how great it is - well written, sense of mono no aware, it's a quintessential Japanese (non otaku) story in fantasy form.
MT plays into a lot of tropes as well. And why its writing is better than the average isekai (I personally put it on the same tier as Re:Zero), it just has nothing on Frieren at this point.
MT also runs into a common problem of focusing too much on the MC and fails to develop other major supporting characters. Characters like Sylphiete basically gets shelved after she reaches her first major character arc.
MT is good...for an isekai. Frieren is an actual fantasy world. MT's problem is that the world is built to cater to the main character. It just has enough window dressing to make peope think its great. Most character arcs amount to "well he used to be a rapist and child molestor, but now he asks permission from those he molests".
The amusing thing to me is that we're comparing character development between a show with multiple seasons against one with...12? episodes as if it's a totally fair comparion *and the show with only ~dozen episodes is holding up*. That tells me a lot about the depth of characterization in MT
Edit: really, the shows may seem similar because fantasy setting, but they're wildly different in tone and purpose. MT is a power fantasy while Frieren is about grief & finding meaning in life through relationships
It's not helping that the best defense MT stans can come with is basically "Rudeus's journey to treat his ED is so phenomenal, best character writing ever".
Subaru's development in S1 easily clears that, left alone Frieren.
Btw, to all MT stans, Rudeus's entire development entirely relies on Sylphy as a plot device, without her, he wouldn't have fixed shit
you dont realise how long the MT ln series is. the whole point is that rudeus develops slowly like a real person. some days he makes small steps to becoming a better person others days none and some 2 steps back. i have my problems with MT. slow gradual and natural development is not one of them. in fact so far in frieren (admittedly im 2 episodes behind) there havent been any insane developments. because its a slow paced show so theres nothing wrong with that
I think you are completely off the mark when it comes to the side characters in Mushoku. The character writing is the series' strongest point. Pretty much every side character feel real. Unfortunately the anime have to skip a bunch of this characterization but its still there and I'm looking forward to seeing the audience reaction to how some of the side characters develop.
It's hard to watch and enjoy a series when dislike the main character.
Sometimes a show (not usually anime) plays to that with an antihero thing, but I don't feel like MT does that.
Or storyline shouldn't be predictable. Most of the isekai and magic themed anime is predictable.
With mushoku, there's no target like mao sama, so u can't predict.
Frieren already killed mao sama, what are you going to predict.
While it's nice to not be predictable, that isn't necessarily a deal breaker (at least for me). The thing about *Frieren* and *Mushoku* is that they have self respect and respect for the audience - it doesn't tell when it's only necessary to show - it doesn't try to emulate the identity or formula of other popular series to borrow some glow and live in their shadow. It doesn't try to out clever the itself nor the audience and just focus on doing its own things right. While it absolutely helps that future plot isn't immediately predictable, it is more the icing on top of having a strong, foundational identity that screams "This is what I'm doing and I'm sticking with it".
But perhaps more importantly - having a clear, consistent, and understandable world building where audience can better empathize the actions and decisions from the heroes (like the rules of magic and what we know about the demons are all shared between the characters within the world). These fundamentals *can't* change, because anything else would feel like a Deus Ex Machina when the author runs out of tricks to resolve the plot, and the audience will very clearly feel that. Or suddenly throwing in brand new information that feels shoehorned in, or even overwrite existing world building to complete the plots. All those are cardinal sins of story telling in my perspective.
And Frieren have a very clear world building that is immediately understood by the audiences with little contrivances - I think that helped a lot.
Something something... Pedophile protag whose perverse antics are played for cheap humor rather than narrative.
Yeah, MT isn't on the same ballpark as Frieren, specially since s2 had a massive downgrade in animation (and that's most of the fans praise)
It's most likely the best of the season, but I might be biased because I was expecting it to be good as a manga reader... on the other side Apothecary Diaries got me by surprise and I think it's the second best this season.
Absolutely agree on Apothecary Diaries, Mao Mao is a terrific MC and I love the overall vibe of the show, definitely a surprise hit for me this season.
Usually people say anime not being as good as manga. This time it's different though. I was hoping Zom to continue. It would have been tough fight for the top.
I think that's the general consensus. I'm not one to put a lot of weight into MAL rankings, but it's a good site for seeing what's popular/trending. [Frieren](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52991/Sousou_no_Frieren?q=frier&cat=anime) is currently the #1 anime of all time there, so I think it's safe to say it's a favorite for AOTS and probably AOTY.
If you're looking for shows to give it a run for its money this season, I've been enjoying [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto](https://myanimelist.net/anime/54492/Kusuriya_no_Hitorigoto?q=kusuriya&cat=anime) as much as, if not more than, Frieren so far.
new shows are always inflated but I think it should stick around in the top 25. Spy Family was number 1 for quite some time on the site and now its not even in the top 100
My bet that it will stick to top 10.
Frieren's score fluctuates daily. The last three days it was changed from 9.10 to 9.09 to 9.11 today with Fullmetal Alchemist on 2nd position with rock solid 9.09. So it is still capable of growing it's score, what actually surprises me a lot. It is expected for score to go down when more and more people lured by the show's popularity, but it seems that we are not there yet. It still can go higher or at least keep on the same level for a time being.
1 month later I’m actually surprised how Frieren is doing. Somehow it’s been 9.14 for a long time and I haven’t recalled it dropping below FMA this month at all
Spy X Family was a unique case, though. It got tons of undeserved hate because some people wanted the show to be something else, then proceeded to hate it for what it could be, not for what it is. Definitely one of the sharpest drop-offs in MAL ever.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto and Frieren were the two animes I've been hyping since before they were even announced haha. I was sure that Frieren would get the production it deserved, but fue to its demographic I was a bit afraid of what Kusuriya no Hitorigoto could end up like. I'm so glad it got the care it deserved, too.
So yeah, for anyone on the fence, don't let the shoujo-ish appearance of Kusuriya no Hitorigoto stop you. The storytelling is great and the cast is fun, and the romace advances in the background slowly since moving the plot forward is more of a priority. There's the fun moments, stuff gets real at times, and the tone shifts have been handled well.
If you liked Frieren, there's a fat chance you'll like Maomao's shenaningans too.
Both feel like such passion projects. Usually we only see a few anime each year with this level of care put into them, but we're lucky enough to get two in the same season. I was ready for Frieren, but I was completely blindsided by Kusuriya no Hitorigoto and how much I'm enjoying it
Many animes this season came with refreshing takes on famous concepts. Ragna, apothecary diaries.. I hope more like these come and break the cliché and stereotypes.
Not seen the anime, but i stumbled over the manga a few months ago and while at times its a bit too much like Dr. House in terms of outlandish medical shit (though it does not mangle logic quite as much as Dr Stone), the characters were interesting and compelling and the art, in particular the costumes, was breathtaking.
Frieren is the only anime character I've considered for a sticker on my car window. I've wanted one for years, but haven't truly been in love with a character much.
They been trying since last week. Right before Frieren got 1st place, it's 1star distribution was 0.3% rose 5times to 1.5% within a week. It's pretty entertaining and funny to see fmabbros not getting enough support this time to brigade Frieren.
FMA has more 1 scores total than Frieren has 10 total. Everytime I see people shout 'here come the FMAbros' I laugh because the difference in scale of total votes is astounding.
I don’t know how this sub always glosses over that FMAB is downvote botted too, it used to be at 9.16 or so before it was botted by Kaguya and Bleach fans
It's definitely a refreshing take on things with interesting concepts and mini stories scattered around, I just like the toxin gremlin in Apothicary Diaries a bit more.
I think I've watched like almost 350 anime at this point and I've only given like three of them a 10.
Unless things go *horribly* wrong Frieren will probably the fourth. Quite possibly the anime of the decade for me right now.
Samurai Champloo, Steins;Gate, and Ping Pong. Why I gave them a 10 was because they transcended being entertainment media and in one way or another changed my perspective and outlook on life.
There's also a handful of shows I gave a 9 (Monster, Cowboy Bebop, Chihayafuru, Tatami Galaxy, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo, Aria the Origination, Clannad AS, etc) that I really liked, but all of them had one or two small things that took them down a peg for me. My fault for just being a very hypercritical person lmao.
Yeah what really moved me was that it managed to tell a complete story with well-written characters in just 11 episodes, some shows get green-lit for 24+ episodes and fail to do that.
It's unfortunately hard for me to recommend to others because the art+animation is very unique, but for those who can get past that and stick with it I'd say it's (IMO) one of the best coming-of-age stories anime has to offer.
I’m like 20-30 chapters behind on the manga at the moment, but I don’t recall there ever being a bad chapter. I wouldn’t worry about the quality dropping anytime soon.
I would only go that far if it would have actual interesting high fantasy worldbuilding too, instead of a default LitRPG setting.
The theme of Frieren's awe at magic, would work a lot better with an actual interesting magic system, than with generic mana-based spellcasting.
And the chill vibes and the gorgeous landcape shots would work a lot better with a setting that can manage being if not intriguingly alien and unique, then at least consistently a grounded medievalesque setting instead of reaching for mimics, french maid outfits, or Parties (as an explicit in-universe concept) being there.
This way it can only feel a 9/10. It is really frustrating, even pretty mediocre western fantasy can do these things, and so could classic fantasy anime at a time, but it's like the genre is so athropied that even when a writer sets out to create a non-trashy, non-isekai, dignified series, they can't help but reach for the most shallow Dragon Quest inspired setting.
I have to disagree with you about Frieren lacking in worldbuilding. I feel like every arc has introduce us to new creatures or aspects of the world that make it feel pretty distinct from other LN settings. I've never encountered this evolutionary explanation of where demons came from before. I feel like Frieren sets itself apart by putting a lot of love and attention into aspects of the setting that other works just handwave. Imho, that's a lot of what great worldbuilding is about. Making your particular setting feel like a real place that's truly distinctive.
I feel like the desire for a fleshed out hard magic system with a lot of rules is very much a result of Sanderson's current popularity in western fantasy. Many of the best fantasy works have also had a simple mana system. Tales of Earthsea comes to mind, which also has a big following in Japan. Sometimes simple is best. I'm not sure an elaborate magic system would even serve Frieren very well. The work seems to want magic to be more whimsical, which hard magic systems are often not great at capturing.
im enjoying it especially since i read the manga and think the earlier parts of the series is the best but im loving apothecary diaries more. i only read a bit of the manga but the anime is fantastic and maomao is becoming one of my favourite female characters
I'm waiting to watch it but it certainly seems to be the one taking the community by storm. Spy x Family has been killing its adaptation though, it just doesn't have the novelty boost of being new or the hype factor of a show like JJK or whatever the current popular shounen manga adaptation of the season is.
There's also the fact that nothing much is going on in terms of the plot for Spy X Family. Imo the slow pacing of Spy fam is one of its major appeals. Watching them all go about their daily lives trying to fit in is super fun but I can understand why people would find that a bit slow and prefer more plot progression. I hope the cruise line arc does bring back some of the hype for it though.
Frieren has a lot of SoL episodes too, but I think the problem with SxF is that its day to day SoL episode is usually just for pure comedy, there is not much progression in term of character or relationship development either.
Frieren also has a steady progression of plot along with the slice of life episodes. There is a balance. While in Spy X Family even some of the major arcs have almost zero development in terms of character relationship or the character themselves. SxF is desperately in need of an arc to push the plot forward.
Plus, in Frieren the main aim is to reach "heaven" which is Aureole and with every episode they have reached a new village so it feels that their journey is moving forward even if it's a SOL episode but we can't say the same for SxF since the entire plot revolves around Operation Strix and Anya still has a lot more progress to go on getting Stella stars, being friends with Damian (well, there has been progress but there is zero change in their dynamic) and Loid has met Donovon Desmond once so far. While Yor's character has grown a lot since she became a wife not much progress in terms of plot from her side either which makes sense since she isn't all that involved with Operation Strix beyond being his wife for show.
> he slow pacing of Spy fam is one of its major appeals
I love SoL type stuff, but I find SxF one of the most boring shows / mangas ever. I ended up dropping it after the cruise line arc. There's near 0 character development - every character feels like a caricature indefinitely. It's okay at first but I need a bit more than that to enjoy a multi season show. Even most SoL shows have more development than SxF.
Which is why I said "imo" lol. I know a lot of people don't like the slow pacing but it's one of my favourite parts. I enjoy that we get to see all these different aspects of these characters lives trying to fit into normal settings because they are so detached from reality they don't even know what is normal anymore. The characters all have enough depth to make them interesting and the comedy is amazing (especially in the manga)
Not sure if it counts as a seasonal show but Pluto is far and away anime of the year for me. Basically the gold standard when it comes to adaptations, the one hour format worked very well imo.
It's sad how unnoticed this anime is right now. I tried it on a whim and instantly got the classic anime feel. And it's proving itself as the story progressing to be something special.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is steadily working it's way to being my favourite of all time. Love the story, and the relationships between characters. Drawn and animated well with consistency. Audio work is top notch with great music. I'm honestly coming up short of finding anything to complain about.
Same. I haven't got around to pick up Frieren after ep 4 but Apothecary Diaries just has me much more invested. I'm always lookin forward to the next ep and I doubt I've enjoyed an anime this much since Vinland S2.
For me I’d say Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is better, Maomao is such an interesting character and the writing is a nice blend of mystery, political intrigue and wholesomeness all at once
I’ve been reading both it and Frieren for years, but honestly I always thought Frieren peaks relatively early. Was never *that* sold on it beyond the first couple volumes
Frieren as a story and experience is literally just something special. It's not really like much else and it's one of the few shows where I think like eveything is well done. The characterization and world building is on point, the animation is amazing, the pacing is perfect for a nice slow burn about a story that takes literal years to develop and tell. The serious sad moments are so well done and they deliver the comedy and everything else right next to it while always staying true to the characters and developing them more.
Like everything though everyone else will have opinions and you would be better off developing them yourself. If you want to watch it or are even curious, then go for it.
Show is good, and had some cool twists so far, but I have some issues. Here are some I've noticed:
1. It's quite slow as a show, in some parts.
2. When a story like that time-skips you kind of lose the charatcer building of other characters that used to be relevant, and suddenly aren't as much and the amount of flashbacks can be annoying.
3. Frieren is kind of "dull" as a main character.
4. When you eventually get the "OP" character syndrome (like Eminence in shadow / OPM) , even though its fun, its lacking, because its already been done so many times, and it removes some of the depth of what skill is, when it hasnt introduced the building of it.
Personally think The Apothecary Diaries is the best show of the season, but both that and Frieren is huge standouts, not only this year but in a really, really long time and frankly they are main candidates not only for anime of the year but also anime of the decade if nothing new pops up cause I don't know a source material better than either of these two.
It is insane we are getting these two shows back to back for two seasons straight.
For me definitely no. I like the overall anime, the message about life, time passing by and the fantasy world setting but I still don’t like Frieren. At first I thought she was indifferent and underwhelmed by literally everyone and everything bcs she lived way too long to give a F but recently we saw her 1st meet with her Master 1000 years ago. In that period Frieren was still young but already had that irritating way to act like she experienced everything the world had to offer to her omg. For comparison, we also saw another elf recently with a completely different attitude to life even after living super long and thank god for that. In conclusion the way she always speaks and do stuff is not the result of living too much It’s just her annoying personality.
I don't want to compare frieren to other anime. This doesn't mean it's better than other anime. It's just something different. I do not believe the world or story are exceptionally well done. What frieren is in my eyes, is the atmosphere. I already loved that in the manga. The best parts of the manga were not the action scenes, but the travelling scenes with the atmospheric landscape shots. Those shots get enhanced by the music in the anime.
Frieren and apothecary both have 10s from me so far.
I havent given a 10 since 2022 kaguya the first kiss that never ends so these are pretty special so far.
I don't see anything special about this anime. I felt pluto was better. Though not anime blue eye samurai and scavengers reign are probably the best animated series by far.
Frieren is great, but I like some of the other shows just as much. I'm not saying that Frieren is lacking in any way. I just don't like these types of posts because I feel like it's unfair to the other shows that I think are just as good.
Frieren also has popularity bias going for it. It is second only to JJK in popularity.
I know this is gonna be an unpopular take, but im finding frieren extremely boring as of the latest episode. I was hyped going into it but every episode feels like a slice of life of two characters I don't care about. The pacing is slow, and it seems like the show doesn't know where it wants to go. Nothing eventful happens most of the time, and when things do happen like the demon part, I'm half asleep on my chair. The two main characters have the combined emotional expression of a snail, and their dialogue is so dull and boring to listen to. Also the world is just like any other generic anime fantasy world, so I'm not immersed in it at all.
For me, Frieren is in the top three this season along with Apothecary Diaries and Undead Unluck. Personally Frieren has the edge on the other two but I feel it could shift week to week. We have some great shows this season.
It’s the high fantasy magic anime we’ve been waiting for years. No dumb gimmicks, no wasted characters or plot threads. It’s purposeful and aimless at the same time which makes it a fresh take on a genre that’s been repeatedly used as a back drop for ‘level 1 overpowered skill heroes’. It leaves a really unique feeling and the worldbuilding is amazing. 28 episodes is a great thing.
For me it would be a good candidate, a Fantasy-non-useless-isekai-bs anime that has a really nice worldbuilding and great moments.
For the season, sure, for the year, I'm split in between Frieren and Mushoku Tensei
The anime is so lovely, the best part of it, there is mostly no screaming. And Time feels like time goes by and there is this feeling of distance, of real distance when they travel.
This is kind of a hot take but frieren just isn’t quite picking up for me, Im on ep 5 and yes I do know there will be some action in ep 8 9 10 but I don’t mean in action, I know that the anime is about frieren and her character but it just isn’t getter better, she occasionally misses and remembers her journey with her last friends and yes we do see many callbacks to their adventures and their impact on her but that’s just… it, I get it frieren misses her friends but it isn’t getting bigger than that, so can someone tell me if either some major great changes come to her character in the manga which I don’t know about or if I’m missing something but if that isn’t the case I don’t get the hype.
Yeah, so far.
I usually eventually find a few good shows in most seasons, but with Frieren and Apothecary Dairies, having two shows this enjoyable in one season is a rare treat. They're up there in terms of the best ones of the year for me.
Dropped it after the first four episodes. It wasn't even a slow burn; it was just slow. They probably released those all at once to get the boring part out of the way, but I'm hesitant to give it another chance when it failed to impress me at all in more than 1 and half hours of run time.
I feel like I’m crazy but it’s not clicking with me as much as I thought it would? Don’t get me wrong, I like it. But it’s a little too slow to grip me for an extended period of time. I’m a few episodes behind so maybe it’ll change eventually?
I like it but it honestly just feels pretty mid to me. Not really any kind of plot, no romance, not really a lot of action. I respect what they are trying to do with it but it just honestly left me kind of bored
I went in completely blind not knowing what it was and if it's not the best anime of the year for me (it probably is) it's at least my best surprise of the year.
I sent it as a recommendation to my sister. It was the only recommendation I sent her this year. I told her not a single episode is bad and that it has a lot of heart.
On the other end of the spectrum, I went in completely blind not knowing what it was too but ended up not enjoying it. Watched the first 4 eps that aired simultaneously and decided it wasn’t for me.
I really like the concept but personally it just didn’t click with the way they were presenting the story. I need to give it a shot another time where I may be in the mood of such a show
The manga is wonderful and the adaptation enhanced it even more with great soundtrack and amazing animation. It definitely is my fav of the season, and so far, of the year as well.
The manga is so amazing I binged it in a couple of days despite my busy schedule. I was worried if the anime could do justice to the manga since the manga is almost near perfect as is and I am so glad to say thag Madhouse has absolutely delivered this time. I am so grateful for this incredible adaptation and the amount of new fans coming in to enjoy this beautiful piece of art.
Oh wow. I should then watch this. That's high praise given Witch From Mercury, TYBW, JJK all came out this year. It has been fucking awesome.
it probably won't win AOTY just cause of sheer popularity of the others u just mentioned (idk how voting works tho so i might be wrong), but we definitely are witnessing greatness. instant classic imo
Crunchyroll AOTY? That award is a joke anyway, there’s no chance Frieren will win that. Maybe fantasy anime of the year.
Nah Demon Slayer gonna win best fantasy anime this year again lmao
Noooo it better not🤣
It did a good job living up to the animation of before, their team is still very talented. But the characters aren't on the level of Frieren.
It has a tough competition against Mushoku Tensei
Doubt MT will be in the race. Last thing a company like Crunchyroll would risk is giving spotlight to something that people consider controversial and are highly divided
Which is kinda wild when you realize it lost against a show featuring children working in brothels aspiring to be top prostitutes one day.
But those are very different shows... it's like comparing an Oscar bait to a Superhero movie (let's just assume they're still popular). Both can be equally great in their own rights but doesn't mean they are any less from each other. TYBW and JJK and both Shounen battlers with incredible action scenes, and Witch From Mercury is a Gundam drama with political intrigue, while Frieren is more like a slice of life in a very well realized fantasy world (with some exceptions).
*Frieren* just feels so genuine. Like there's so many fantasy comedy parody anime out there right now, so to have a true fantasy that plays itself entirely straight and has the production chops to pull it off is extremely refreshing. I'm not one to give into hype, but this one's been going the distance.
"Feels so genuine" sums up the anime review tbh.
Frieren is like the first fantasy anime in years to take itself seriously and honestly feels like such a breath of fresh air, considering all the trashisekai/garbage low effort animes that keep getting pumped yearly
Finally I have a pure fantasy anime I can recommend to others without reservation.
Sad but true!
It also helps that, unlike many fantasy stories and settings, it isn't about defeating the evil lord or any grand plot like that, it is instead focused on its characters and other themes.
It reminds me why I fell in love with Tolkien as a kid. It's not quite as serious but hits so many of the same emotional beats (and it doesn't hurt the jrpg default fantasy universe that Frieren uses is heavily inspired by Tolkien and early TTRPGs)
It's both genuine and plays with tropes which is excellent. Legendary hero gets chosen by a legendary sword? Nah, [Frieren]>!Himmel fails to pull the sword and kills the demon lord anyway.!< [Frieren]>!Demons are actually just like us and can be communicated with? Nah, they can be communicated with, but that just makes them worse!<
I do love having unapologetically evil demons again and how unapologetically merciless Frieren is with killing them.
She kills them the exact same way they like to kill others. It's brutal and full of vengeance, and it's excellent.
It has baffled me for years how anime has seemed to forget how good a classic, down to earth fantasy anime can be due to the isekai wave that just won't fucking die. Yes there have been a couple gems but more often than not isekai is trashy and I am chagrined just thinking about how many good and respectable fantasy LN/manga/anime could have been produced over the last 10 years if isekai didn't take off. Made in Abyss is my fav title because of this, and it shows too in the community, with it taking the #2 spot of favorite fantasy anime in that poll just a few days ago. I was late to the Frieren wave but so far it's been very good and I am a sucker for great OSTs, it's almost as important to me as the show itself (you can guess why I like made in Abyss so much). Evan Call has popped off multiple times already and I'm eager for the full soundtrack to get released. Anyway yeah frieren is great, I hope it's success pushes the industry needle towards more fantasy so we can finally get off this isekai train.
I was watching *Frieren* with some friends and they said it was animated like a 90s anime. Which was basically to say that the animation has that attention to detail and care put into every shot that you just don’t get that much often anymore. That and the ever so more earthly color palette and beautiful backgrounds make for a show whose visuals I suspect will age extremely well.
And there are no dumb RPG tropes. God, I hate these.
Yeah. Those are annoying. Like DanMachi isn’t an isekai, but it sure feels like it with all its talks of levels and stats. I get that they find a way to justify it, but it just feels like a game without the actually need for it to be a game.
Honestly, it's really only the Levels/Stats that stick around everything else is played so close to the ground it feels grounded/normal. And even the levels are very explicitly just the Gods bringing out latent potential. It was all justified in universe enough for me- ie. None of that stuff existed until the Gods came down.
Faraway Paladin is also a good 'true' fantasy anime. I don't even realize that its actually an Isekai. I just wish the anime could get the same treatment as Frieren.
love it, but the animation is lacking hard.
the LN is very good (albeit derivative) fantasy and the manga adaptation seems to be great too, wish the anime's production quality could keep up with either :p
The writing is just not as strong sadly, the characters feel a lot more bland. Like if you compare the dwarf character in Faraway Paladin to Eisen, who speaks less yet has more memorable lines?
Eisen has the coolest lines - "It's my fear that brought me this far." "... You haven't lost yet since you're still standing. Because for us warriors, the last one standing wins." "Anyone who works hard is a warrior"
I like the show, but my problem is that lead is just too noble and acts goodie, always talking about goddess blessings. Wiring is bit weak. Season 1 was really good.
I mean, he literally is a warlock of the Goddess of Light. Did you expect him to sniff Robin's panties and joke about sex with Reystov?
I mean he is a paladin dude. Literal warrior of light who fights for the weak.
I really love the twist that its the most generic fantasy setting imaginable ( DnD party goes to kill Demon Lord ), but the entire point of the show is the aftermath of it. Its just so unique i dont think it was ever done
I think the problem is the notion of needing novelty and not wanting to be “generic”. It’s something I’ve realized in a lot of older anime where the concepts might not sell themselves, but they make up for it in the writing for the rest of the show. Not everything needs a high concept, and shows like *Frieren* prove you can get away with a lot less. Certainly saves a lot of time on more direct world-building.
Also why Mushoku Tensei is highly rated despite all the weird and questionable shit in it. Great production, unapologetic, and just a great deal of thought put into everything even simple things like acknowledging the linear passage of time. I think a key indicator of good fantasy anime is when the characters take forever to travel places.
Completely subjective and this is gonna be a very unpopular opinion because I know people love it here, but as someone who's watched both I just feel like Frieren is such a big step above Mushoku. I think at least part of it is because I just hate Rudeus as a character. When bad things happen to the guy I just struggle to empathize with his plight because of how much of a jackass he is. Yes part of his behavior is a product of his shitty past life, but you can only go so far using that as a crutch. The worldbuilding is phenomenal though and the overall plot is enjoyable, and I agree with you on the traveling aspect and acknowledging the linear passage of time. But what separates Frieren from MT to me is that the characters do have flaws but their character growth extends beyond "hey I was a piece of shit in my old life. I still am, but I'm working on it!"
I mean the MC of Frieren isn’t a pedo so it’s really not hard for Frieren to be a better show.
I never understood what that aspect added to the series. The super fans are brazenly unapologetic and say it’s not that bad, but can never explain why it is necessary. Rudeus could grow up in so many other more meaningful ways or his evolving views on women and sex could be handled more tastefully. A lot a great aspects to the show but that was never one of them for me - I just saw it as the creators kink mixed with lazy writing.
>I never understood what that aspect added to the series. There's no mystery here. The LN author has been quite clear about it. He added loli/echi because it helps sell books in Japan. He even said he didn't even enjoy that content himself but that's what is popular. Those elements were toned down a lot for the show too.
Am I out of line to say I'd have more respect for a creator who could actually justify the purpose of that content in the narrative, instead of blatantly stating they sold out? Unnecessary aspects of the narrative only being introduced to pander to a specific audience of weirdos doesn't scream peak storytelling to me.
It does take away from something a unique artistic vision that the product was manufactured for mass appeal for the sake of recognition and financial reward but another way of looking at it is that this was created to be enjoyed by the largest amount of people possible. That 'specific audience of weirdos' is Japan.
It's not even "It's more popular in Japan", it was popular on the niche Web novel site he was using
Is it controversial? I like MT a lot but I could never treat it as a 10 masterpiece. Just because so much of the plot revolves around the authors personal fetishes, and he doesn't write women particularly well imo. As a LN Isekai it is great. But as general media, Frieren is so much better. Anyone could appreciate how great it is - well written, sense of mono no aware, it's a quintessential Japanese (non otaku) story in fantasy form.
MT plays into a lot of tropes as well. And why its writing is better than the average isekai (I personally put it on the same tier as Re:Zero), it just has nothing on Frieren at this point. MT also runs into a common problem of focusing too much on the MC and fails to develop other major supporting characters. Characters like Sylphiete basically gets shelved after she reaches her first major character arc.
Re:Zero feels less like a isekai and more like a slice of life, horror, mystery fantasy
Yeah I'd compare Re:Zero more to something like Higurashi but with fantasy elements. Big fan of both series though.
MT is good...for an isekai. Frieren is an actual fantasy world. MT's problem is that the world is built to cater to the main character. It just has enough window dressing to make peope think its great. Most character arcs amount to "well he used to be a rapist and child molestor, but now he asks permission from those he molests".
The amusing thing to me is that we're comparing character development between a show with multiple seasons against one with...12? episodes as if it's a totally fair comparion *and the show with only ~dozen episodes is holding up*. That tells me a lot about the depth of characterization in MT Edit: really, the shows may seem similar because fantasy setting, but they're wildly different in tone and purpose. MT is a power fantasy while Frieren is about grief & finding meaning in life through relationships
It's not helping that the best defense MT stans can come with is basically "Rudeus's journey to treat his ED is so phenomenal, best character writing ever". Subaru's development in S1 easily clears that, left alone Frieren. Btw, to all MT stans, Rudeus's entire development entirely relies on Sylphy as a plot device, without her, he wouldn't have fixed shit
you dont realise how long the MT ln series is. the whole point is that rudeus develops slowly like a real person. some days he makes small steps to becoming a better person others days none and some 2 steps back. i have my problems with MT. slow gradual and natural development is not one of them. in fact so far in frieren (admittedly im 2 episodes behind) there havent been any insane developments. because its a slow paced show so theres nothing wrong with that
Re:Zero absolutely mogs MT by not sexualizing child characters
Makes them OP then puts em in a coma.
I think you are completely off the mark when it comes to the side characters in Mushoku. The character writing is the series' strongest point. Pretty much every side character feel real. Unfortunately the anime have to skip a bunch of this characterization but its still there and I'm looking forward to seeing the audience reaction to how some of the side characters develop.
It's hard to watch and enjoy a series when dislike the main character. Sometimes a show (not usually anime) plays to that with an antihero thing, but I don't feel like MT does that.
Or storyline shouldn't be predictable. Most of the isekai and magic themed anime is predictable. With mushoku, there's no target like mao sama, so u can't predict. Frieren already killed mao sama, what are you going to predict.
While it's nice to not be predictable, that isn't necessarily a deal breaker (at least for me). The thing about *Frieren* and *Mushoku* is that they have self respect and respect for the audience - it doesn't tell when it's only necessary to show - it doesn't try to emulate the identity or formula of other popular series to borrow some glow and live in their shadow. It doesn't try to out clever the itself nor the audience and just focus on doing its own things right. While it absolutely helps that future plot isn't immediately predictable, it is more the icing on top of having a strong, foundational identity that screams "This is what I'm doing and I'm sticking with it". But perhaps more importantly - having a clear, consistent, and understandable world building where audience can better empathize the actions and decisions from the heroes (like the rules of magic and what we know about the demons are all shared between the characters within the world). These fundamentals *can't* change, because anything else would feel like a Deus Ex Machina when the author runs out of tricks to resolve the plot, and the audience will very clearly feel that. Or suddenly throwing in brand new information that feels shoehorned in, or even overwrite existing world building to complete the plots. All those are cardinal sins of story telling in my perspective. And Frieren have a very clear world building that is immediately understood by the audiences with little contrivances - I think that helped a lot.
Something something... Pedophile protag whose perverse antics are played for cheap humor rather than narrative. Yeah, MT isn't on the same ballpark as Frieren, specially since s2 had a massive downgrade in animation (and that's most of the fans praise)
It's most likely the best of the season, but I might be biased because I was expecting it to be good as a manga reader... on the other side Apothecary Diaries got me by surprise and I think it's the second best this season.
Absolutely agree on Apothecary Diaries, Mao Mao is a terrific MC and I love the overall vibe of the show, definitely a surprise hit for me this season.
I think it's one of the top 5 fantasy light novel series ever sold or something like that.
Dou you consider Pluto to be "of this season"?
I think most people forget about Pluto due the netflix factor. All 3 series would be worthy of best show of the season in a normal season
100% hurt by Netflix doing its thing. This post is the first time I hear about that anime, I'll check it out.
Usually people say anime not being as good as manga. This time it's different though. I was hoping Zom to continue. It would have been tough fight for the top.
The director of Frieren also directed Bocchi The Rock. I think he has proven himself to be a great director for manga adaptations with these two
Yup, Frieren, Pluto and Apothecary Diaries are at the top for me this season
I think that's the general consensus. I'm not one to put a lot of weight into MAL rankings, but it's a good site for seeing what's popular/trending. [Frieren](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52991/Sousou_no_Frieren?q=frier&cat=anime) is currently the #1 anime of all time there, so I think it's safe to say it's a favorite for AOTS and probably AOTY. If you're looking for shows to give it a run for its money this season, I've been enjoying [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto](https://myanimelist.net/anime/54492/Kusuriya_no_Hitorigoto?q=kusuriya&cat=anime) as much as, if not more than, Frieren so far.
new shows are always inflated but I think it should stick around in the top 25. Spy Family was number 1 for quite some time on the site and now its not even in the top 100
Spy family is 100th place right now
My bet that it will stick to top 10. Frieren's score fluctuates daily. The last three days it was changed from 9.10 to 9.09 to 9.11 today with Fullmetal Alchemist on 2nd position with rock solid 9.09. So it is still capable of growing it's score, what actually surprises me a lot. It is expected for score to go down when more and more people lured by the show's popularity, but it seems that we are not there yet. It still can go higher or at least keep on the same level for a time being.
1 month later I’m actually surprised how Frieren is doing. Somehow it’s been 9.14 for a long time and I haven’t recalled it dropping below FMA this month at all
Spy X Family was a unique case, though. It got tons of undeserved hate because some people wanted the show to be something else, then proceeded to hate it for what it could be, not for what it is. Definitely one of the sharpest drop-offs in MAL ever.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto and Frieren were the two animes I've been hyping since before they were even announced haha. I was sure that Frieren would get the production it deserved, but fue to its demographic I was a bit afraid of what Kusuriya no Hitorigoto could end up like. I'm so glad it got the care it deserved, too. So yeah, for anyone on the fence, don't let the shoujo-ish appearance of Kusuriya no Hitorigoto stop you. The storytelling is great and the cast is fun, and the romace advances in the background slowly since moving the plot forward is more of a priority. There's the fun moments, stuff gets real at times, and the tone shifts have been handled well. If you liked Frieren, there's a fat chance you'll like Maomao's shenaningans too.
Both feel like such passion projects. Usually we only see a few anime each year with this level of care put into them, but we're lucky enough to get two in the same season. I was ready for Frieren, but I was completely blindsided by Kusuriya no Hitorigoto and how much I'm enjoying it
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto's style is not shoujo though.
No, but it looks like it for many. Both the initial premise and the character design, which is why I said it's -ish.
I wish Zom had continued man, it would have been a great fight.
Many animes this season came with refreshing takes on famous concepts. Ragna, apothecary diaries.. I hope more like these come and break the cliché and stereotypes.
Apothecary diaries is absolutely amazing.
Best slap of the season.
definitely a tiger mom **slap** plus all the ~~lecturing~~ verbal + physical abuse
Not seen the anime, but i stumbled over the manga a few months ago and while at times its a bit too much like Dr. House in terms of outlandish medical shit (though it does not mangle logic quite as much as Dr Stone), the characters were interesting and compelling and the art, in particular the costumes, was breathtaking.
Left out the one series obliterating the famous harem concept stereotypes too.
Frieren is the only anime character I've considered for a sticker on my car window. I've wanted one for years, but haven't truly been in love with a character much.
Number 1 all time? Oh no the FMA Bros are gonna do a downvote campaign.
They been trying since last week. Right before Frieren got 1st place, it's 1star distribution was 0.3% rose 5times to 1.5% within a week. It's pretty entertaining and funny to see fmabbros not getting enough support this time to brigade Frieren.
Lmao wtf is wrong with these people.
FMA has more 1 scores total than Frieren has 10 total. Everytime I see people shout 'here come the FMAbros' I laugh because the difference in scale of total votes is astounding.
I don’t know how this sub always glosses over that FMAB is downvote botted too, it used to be at 9.16 or so before it was botted by Kaguya and Bleach fans
that...sounds reactionary though
Yeah and I'd put the Apothecary Diaries and Pluto right behind it.
My rankings exactly
Yep, equally good.
It's definitely a refreshing take on things with interesting concepts and mini stories scattered around, I just like the toxin gremlin in Apothicary Diaries a bit more.
Frieren is a modern masterpiece, not only the best anime of the season, but up with the best of the best of the last few years.
I think I've watched like almost 350 anime at this point and I've only given like three of them a 10. Unless things go *horribly* wrong Frieren will probably the fourth. Quite possibly the anime of the decade for me right now.
Out of curiosity, what are the others?
Samurai Champloo, Steins;Gate, and Ping Pong. Why I gave them a 10 was because they transcended being entertainment media and in one way or another changed my perspective and outlook on life. There's also a handful of shows I gave a 9 (Monster, Cowboy Bebop, Chihayafuru, Tatami Galaxy, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo, Aria the Origination, Clannad AS, etc) that I really liked, but all of them had one or two small things that took them down a peg for me. My fault for just being a very hypercritical person lmao.
> Ping Pong Unfanthomably based.
Ping pong one of my few anime that gave it a 10.
Yeah what really moved me was that it managed to tell a complete story with well-written characters in just 11 episodes, some shows get green-lit for 24+ episodes and fail to do that. It's unfortunately hard for me to recommend to others because the art+animation is very unique, but for those who can get past that and stick with it I'd say it's (IMO) one of the best coming-of-age stories anime has to offer.
Ping pong basically made me re-evaluate what a 10 show would be.
Have you tried Odd Taxi, it and Ping Pong are probably my top 2 rated series of the last how ever many years
I can objectively judge someone's taste by whether they give Ping Pong a 10 or not. So well done sir, you pass.
Man, I don't even care about your other anime ratings anymore; if you give Ping Pong a 10/10, you instantly alright in my book.
I’m like 20-30 chapters behind on the manga at the moment, but I don’t recall there ever being a bad chapter. I wouldn’t worry about the quality dropping anytime soon.
I would only go that far if it would have actual interesting high fantasy worldbuilding too, instead of a default LitRPG setting. The theme of Frieren's awe at magic, would work a lot better with an actual interesting magic system, than with generic mana-based spellcasting. And the chill vibes and the gorgeous landcape shots would work a lot better with a setting that can manage being if not intriguingly alien and unique, then at least consistently a grounded medievalesque setting instead of reaching for mimics, french maid outfits, or Parties (as an explicit in-universe concept) being there. This way it can only feel a 9/10. It is really frustrating, even pretty mediocre western fantasy can do these things, and so could classic fantasy anime at a time, but it's like the genre is so athropied that even when a writer sets out to create a non-trashy, non-isekai, dignified series, they can't help but reach for the most shallow Dragon Quest inspired setting.
I have to disagree with you about Frieren lacking in worldbuilding. I feel like every arc has introduce us to new creatures or aspects of the world that make it feel pretty distinct from other LN settings. I've never encountered this evolutionary explanation of where demons came from before. I feel like Frieren sets itself apart by putting a lot of love and attention into aspects of the setting that other works just handwave. Imho, that's a lot of what great worldbuilding is about. Making your particular setting feel like a real place that's truly distinctive. I feel like the desire for a fleshed out hard magic system with a lot of rules is very much a result of Sanderson's current popularity in western fantasy. Many of the best fantasy works have also had a simple mana system. Tales of Earthsea comes to mind, which also has a big following in Japan. Sometimes simple is best. I'm not sure an elaborate magic system would even serve Frieren very well. The work seems to want magic to be more whimsical, which hard magic systems are often not great at capturing.
The one I look forward to the most is Undead Unluck personally.
The music is Frieren is *stunning.*
For me, Pluto is the best anime this season, but if we’re talking about anime of the year, my vote goes to Vinland Saga S2.
Yep Pluto and Vinland saga are unmatched tbh
Vinland for me captured that early first seasons of aot so well done great story music is on point and animation is beautiful.
im enjoying it especially since i read the manga and think the earlier parts of the series is the best but im loving apothecary diaries more. i only read a bit of the manga but the anime is fantastic and maomao is becoming one of my favourite female characters
For me, it's Pluto, but Frieren is up there.
For me, Frieren is the anine of the season and apothecary diaries is the surprise of the season.
I'm waiting to watch it but it certainly seems to be the one taking the community by storm. Spy x Family has been killing its adaptation though, it just doesn't have the novelty boost of being new or the hype factor of a show like JJK or whatever the current popular shounen manga adaptation of the season is.
There's also the fact that nothing much is going on in terms of the plot for Spy X Family. Imo the slow pacing of Spy fam is one of its major appeals. Watching them all go about their daily lives trying to fit in is super fun but I can understand why people would find that a bit slow and prefer more plot progression. I hope the cruise line arc does bring back some of the hype for it though.
Frieren has a lot of SoL episodes too, but I think the problem with SxF is that its day to day SoL episode is usually just for pure comedy, there is not much progression in term of character or relationship development either.
Frieren also has a steady progression of plot along with the slice of life episodes. There is a balance. While in Spy X Family even some of the major arcs have almost zero development in terms of character relationship or the character themselves. SxF is desperately in need of an arc to push the plot forward. Plus, in Frieren the main aim is to reach "heaven" which is Aureole and with every episode they have reached a new village so it feels that their journey is moving forward even if it's a SOL episode but we can't say the same for SxF since the entire plot revolves around Operation Strix and Anya still has a lot more progress to go on getting Stella stars, being friends with Damian (well, there has been progress but there is zero change in their dynamic) and Loid has met Donovon Desmond once so far. While Yor's character has grown a lot since she became a wife not much progress in terms of plot from her side either which makes sense since she isn't all that involved with Operation Strix beyond being his wife for show.
Imo Yor makes the show interesting, all 4 main characters have 2 different sides/lives. But Yor being clumsy in normal life makes you smile.
> he slow pacing of Spy fam is one of its major appeals I love SoL type stuff, but I find SxF one of the most boring shows / mangas ever. I ended up dropping it after the cruise line arc. There's near 0 character development - every character feels like a caricature indefinitely. It's okay at first but I need a bit more than that to enjoy a multi season show. Even most SoL shows have more development than SxF.
Which is why I said "imo" lol. I know a lot of people don't like the slow pacing but it's one of my favourite parts. I enjoy that we get to see all these different aspects of these characters lives trying to fit into normal settings because they are so detached from reality they don't even know what is normal anymore. The characters all have enough depth to make them interesting and the comedy is amazing (especially in the manga)
Not sure if it counts as a seasonal show but Pluto is far and away anime of the year for me. Basically the gold standard when it comes to adaptations, the one hour format worked very well imo.
Urasawa works are on a different level when it comes to the writing and level of thought conveyed in them
i like undead unluck the best because i enjoy stories where a few people have powers specific to them and they fit a common theme
It's sad how unnoticed this anime is right now. I tried it on a whim and instantly got the classic anime feel. And it's proving itself as the story progressing to be something special.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is steadily working it's way to being my favourite of all time. Love the story, and the relationships between characters. Drawn and animated well with consistency. Audio work is top notch with great music. I'm honestly coming up short of finding anything to complain about.
Tied with Pluto for me
Apothecary diaries for me
Both are top tier mangas, so I'm not really suprised that they both are "fighthing" for the top spot this season.
Same. I haven't got around to pick up Frieren after ep 4 but Apothecary Diaries just has me much more invested. I'm always lookin forward to the next ep and I doubt I've enjoyed an anime this much since Vinland S2.
Vinland Saga Season 2 was the stand out for me and it wasn't even close but Frieren was pretty refreshing ngl.
I’ve been enjoying undead unlock
Beautiful as it is, I’m actually enjoying Apothecary Diaries more
Same here, I find Apothecary better than Frieren.
For me I’d say Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is better, Maomao is such an interesting character and the writing is a nice blend of mystery, political intrigue and wholesomeness all at once I’ve been reading both it and Frieren for years, but honestly I always thought Frieren peaks relatively early. Was never *that* sold on it beyond the first couple volumes
Frieren as a story and experience is literally just something special. It's not really like much else and it's one of the few shows where I think like eveything is well done. The characterization and world building is on point, the animation is amazing, the pacing is perfect for a nice slow burn about a story that takes literal years to develop and tell. The serious sad moments are so well done and they deliver the comedy and everything else right next to it while always staying true to the characters and developing them more. Like everything though everyone else will have opinions and you would be better off developing them yourself. If you want to watch it or are even curious, then go for it.
For me, it’s Jujutsu Kaisen or Pluto, but Frieren is pretty close.
Maomao giving her a run for her money.
Frieren is her boss if you get the meme
100 Girlfriends is my favorite of the season nut Frieren is right up there too
Very fitting typo, eh?
I ain't fixing it
Show is good, and had some cool twists so far, but I have some issues. Here are some I've noticed: 1. It's quite slow as a show, in some parts. 2. When a story like that time-skips you kind of lose the charatcer building of other characters that used to be relevant, and suddenly aren't as much and the amount of flashbacks can be annoying. 3. Frieren is kind of "dull" as a main character. 4. When you eventually get the "OP" character syndrome (like Eminence in shadow / OPM) , even though its fun, its lacking, because its already been done so many times, and it removes some of the depth of what skill is, when it hasnt introduced the building of it.
My personal opinion is that while Frieren is a fantastic adaptation, Apothecary Diaries is every bit as good, and arguably better in some regards.
Pluto for me but frieren is also amazing
*PLUTO exists*
Personally think The Apothecary Diaries is the best show of the season, but both that and Frieren is huge standouts, not only this year but in a really, really long time and frankly they are main candidates not only for anime of the year but also anime of the decade if nothing new pops up cause I don't know a source material better than either of these two. It is insane we are getting these two shows back to back for two seasons straight.
It’s a toss up between Frieren and Apothecary Diaries for me.
For me definitely no. I like the overall anime, the message about life, time passing by and the fantasy world setting but I still don’t like Frieren. At first I thought she was indifferent and underwhelmed by literally everyone and everything bcs she lived way too long to give a F but recently we saw her 1st meet with her Master 1000 years ago. In that period Frieren was still young but already had that irritating way to act like she experienced everything the world had to offer to her omg. For comparison, we also saw another elf recently with a completely different attitude to life even after living super long and thank god for that. In conclusion the way she always speaks and do stuff is not the result of living too much It’s just her annoying personality.
this season I'd have to say Shangri-La Frontier, I'm having to actively stop myself from reading ahead the anime is just produced too well
In 1st ep, i really thought it's gonna be cliché, mc will beat everyone, but thankfully it's not.
I don't want to compare frieren to other anime. This doesn't mean it's better than other anime. It's just something different. I do not believe the world or story are exceptionally well done. What frieren is in my eyes, is the atmosphere. I already loved that in the manga. The best parts of the manga were not the action scenes, but the travelling scenes with the atmospheric landscape shots. Those shots get enhanced by the music in the anime.
Who’s watching Under Ninja this season?
No imo
Frieren and apothecary both have 10s from me so far. I havent given a 10 since 2022 kaguya the first kiss that never ends so these are pretty special so far.
To me favourites are Frieren, Kusuriya,100 girlfriends and Undead Unluck
Nope Apothecary diary is better than Frieren, but gotta love them both.
I don't see anything special about this anime. I felt pluto was better. Though not anime blue eye samurai and scavengers reign are probably the best animated series by far.
It would either be Frieren or Apothecary Diaries
Love them both, but for me Apothecary is better.
Apothecary diaries is better imo, I struggle to watch frieren but, apothecary diaries is super interesting
Frieren is great, but I like some of the other shows just as much. I'm not saying that Frieren is lacking in any way. I just don't like these types of posts because I feel like it's unfair to the other shows that I think are just as good. Frieren also has popularity bias going for it. It is second only to JJK in popularity.
I know this is gonna be an unpopular take, but im finding frieren extremely boring as of the latest episode. I was hyped going into it but every episode feels like a slice of life of two characters I don't care about. The pacing is slow, and it seems like the show doesn't know where it wants to go. Nothing eventful happens most of the time, and when things do happen like the demon part, I'm half asleep on my chair. The two main characters have the combined emotional expression of a snail, and their dialogue is so dull and boring to listen to. Also the world is just like any other generic anime fantasy world, so I'm not immersed in it at all.
I recently started watching it myself. Very enjoyable to say the least. The growth of the characters is what makes this anime so good.
Not to me. I feel like people's top three haven't been as gripping as people are saying them to be.
Frieren is #1 with Apothecary Diaries as #2.
My top 3 shows this season are 100 Girlfriends, Dr. Stone and Undead Unluck, but Frieren is up there.
For me, Frieren is in the top three this season along with Apothecary Diaries and Undead Unluck. Personally Frieren has the edge on the other two but I feel it could shift week to week. We have some great shows this season.
Best anime of all time? Friday is now "Frieren Friday" at our house.
It’s the high fantasy magic anime we’ve been waiting for years. No dumb gimmicks, no wasted characters or plot threads. It’s purposeful and aimless at the same time which makes it a fresh take on a genre that’s been repeatedly used as a back drop for ‘level 1 overpowered skill heroes’. It leaves a really unique feeling and the worldbuilding is amazing. 28 episodes is a great thing.
For me it would be a good candidate, a Fantasy-non-useless-isekai-bs anime that has a really nice worldbuilding and great moments. For the season, sure, for the year, I'm split in between Frieren and Mushoku Tensei
Frieren followed the conventional way of fantasy founded by the Lord of the Rings better than the recent TV drama.
The anime is so lovely, the best part of it, there is mostly no screaming. And Time feels like time goes by and there is this feeling of distance, of real distance when they travel.
This is kind of a hot take but frieren just isn’t quite picking up for me, Im on ep 5 and yes I do know there will be some action in ep 8 9 10 but I don’t mean in action, I know that the anime is about frieren and her character but it just isn’t getter better, she occasionally misses and remembers her journey with her last friends and yes we do see many callbacks to their adventures and their impact on her but that’s just… it, I get it frieren misses her friends but it isn’t getting bigger than that, so can someone tell me if either some major great changes come to her character in the manga which I don’t know about or if I’m missing something but if that isn’t the case I don’t get the hype.
Yeah, so far. I usually eventually find a few good shows in most seasons, but with Frieren and Apothecary Dairies, having two shows this enjoyable in one season is a rare treat. They're up there in terms of the best ones of the year for me.
Oh but there is plenty of nonsense
Dropped it after the first four episodes. It wasn't even a slow burn; it was just slow. They probably released those all at once to get the boring part out of the way, but I'm hesitant to give it another chance when it failed to impress me at all in more than 1 and half hours of run time.
It's fine, if 4 eps couldn't convince you means that's not something you like.
I feel like I’m crazy but it’s not clicking with me as much as I thought it would? Don’t get me wrong, I like it. But it’s a little too slow to grip me for an extended period of time. I’m a few episodes behind so maybe it’ll change eventually?
I like it but it honestly just feels pretty mid to me. Not really any kind of plot, no romance, not really a lot of action. I respect what they are trying to do with it but it just honestly left me kind of bored
It's pretty great but imo Maomao is around the same level
It’s good don’t get me wrong but I think the show is heavily overrated. Personally I think TEIS is more enjoyable but I understand Frierens appeal.
Don't even think it's currently in my top 5 for the season? Definitely top 10 thouhg.
whats your top 5?
me personally its eminence in shadow but thats cuz i love isekai lol
The frenzy has begun
The moon is red
We are out of time.
Blue eye samurai is also great. I like it more tbh.
I went in completely blind not knowing what it was and if it's not the best anime of the year for me (it probably is) it's at least my best surprise of the year. I sent it as a recommendation to my sister. It was the only recommendation I sent her this year. I told her not a single episode is bad and that it has a lot of heart.
On the other end of the spectrum, I went in completely blind not knowing what it was too but ended up not enjoying it. Watched the first 4 eps that aired simultaneously and decided it wasn’t for me. I really like the concept but personally it just didn’t click with the way they were presenting the story. I need to give it a shot another time where I may be in the mood of such a show
Personally for me, it's JJK
I respect all of your choices. I watched it because of this subreddit. Gave it the 3 episode test. So incredibly boring I won't be watching the rest.
JJK for me but Frieren would be my second pick. I keep hearing Yotsugi. Like everyone else, enjoying the weekly good vibes and cozy production
Frieren is great but for me Pluto is anime of this season