I think reading this manga as an old person gives a different set of feelings than someone with their lives still ahead of them. I picked it up in my 64th year, and having lost family and friends over the past few years the melancholy feels very realistic. I'm enjoying the hell out of the manga and expect to enjoy the anime, too.

This aged incredibly well.

This manga has the best portrayal of demons I've seen. They only evolved to look and sound like humans in order to hunt humans more efficiently but can't understand human emotions and ethics no matter how hard they try. They are predators through and through. Love it

Oracle Geoff casually parting the veil and gazing into the future to declare this anime of the year before it even came out.

I love how its subtly implied that the hero Himmel loved Frieren but she was to oblivious at the time to notice. He even passed away w/o marrying anyone else or having kids

One thing I like about this manga is how it shows how much impact the hero and his party had on future generations. For the heroes, they did the equivalent of a random side quest to kill a few monsters or something. It's even brought up occasionally that they should focus more on slaying the demon king instead of taking so many detours. For the villagers and their descendants however, they owe their village and lives to the heroes making the simple decision to pause their journey and help them out.

I really like this manga. It's got immaculate vibes, good action, fun characters, melancholy as hell, very enjoyable

Frieren gives a pretty fresh take on "evil" demons honestly. In most other stories, demons are basically just bad people with extra steps. And in those stories, there will always be instances where the authors try to make the readers empathize with them. Even in dark fantasy like Berserk, the Apostles still retain some human emotions and can have regrets and such, making us readers empathize with them. In Frieren, it's just "Nope, we can't understand the demons, and neither can they understand us, the only path we can cross is that of mutual destruction."

Because of so many isekais I have began to forget what actual pure fantasy animes are like😢

Geoff, i need you to know that watching your videos is very bad for my free time. You've yet to lead me astray in a recommendation, so i keep reading and watching them all I really appreciate the videos, and you being a fellow Canadian gives me a strange sense of pride. Hope you keep enjoying what youre doing for many years to come!

Frieren at the Funeral is the way fans translated the title which given the whole setup of the two hero team members passing on definitely has a special feeling.

Im so glad more people are reading this manga and that it’s getting an anime adaptation. Frieren just feels so good to read. It’s deep and thoughtful, the story is more classic fantasy instead of the overplayed video game style fantasy, which makes it just a breath of fresh air overall. Absolutely love it

Frieren has a lot of quiet moments like Berserk, there are lots of scenes with no dialog, just characters in the moment. Which might throw off a few people. But yes, this is a very good series.

This video aged exceptionally well.

Coming from the future: you were right

One other thing to sell the series, I believe that Frieren is set to be voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki, who also voiced the lead Chise Hatori in the Ancient Magus' Bride, and Anya Forger in Spy X Family. So we should have a VA with proven emotional, and comedic chops.

Nice use of the Champion's Ballad as background music for this one. The emotions behind the music from BotW when Link is remembering his old, departed friends is extremely relevant to Frieren's journey.

Frieren is one of those beautiful pieces of fiction that make you think - a lot. The demon's are so unlike anything in our own material world - they use both the bad, and, even more terrifyingly, the good, as tools against humans to prey on them. They use lies and communication, again, as a tool to prey on humans, but in a completely inhuman way. They feel less like beasts and more like something cosmically intangible, like a black hole that sucks in all light and matter to keep becoming larger and larger - there's no ill intent in the destruction of everything that would come into it's orbit, but simply the forces of gravity playing out

it's awesome how, in spite of how much this video hyped the show, it still blew past expectations it and every other video set for it

That "Well, he directed Bocci the Rock so..." literally made me laugh. You're right, no other credentials needed.

Just the description you gave of the demons as a villain, a race of intelligent, rational beings that just have such a RADICALLY different view of the world and morality than us, that's a great but hard way to do a villain. If it's well done, that alone is VERY promising for both the manga and the anime.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE ONGOING FANTASY SERIES! I love and relate to Frieren's character, adore the characterization of the demons and love how nonchalant the expressions of everyone is

I've read the manga. The story is touching and bitter sweet. The characters themselves are not grim or gloomy; quite the opposite, they are goofballs in their own way and their eccentricities make the character relationships and dynamics quite entertaining. The lessons or the conclusions to the mini-arcs are hopeful and warm. At the same time, there is always this tone of melancholy and sadness because time passes by, too fast for everyone else aside from the elf. Its a good read and is definitely going to be a great watch. Thank you for shining the spot light on it.

Damn, he was definitely right.

I heard Garnt review this like a year or so ago and I've been buying volumes physical since. It's fantastic. I love how Fern slowly become part of a found family that helps Frieren realize the hero and her friends were so important to her and to break her walls down

I love that everyone is going to have Frieren on their radar. I’ve been in love with it since I read the first chapter, got the volumes on my shelf. Thanks for spreading the word!

Watching this video nearly made me cry. It really reminded me of what I love about Frieren, Mr Basement your script writing is immaculate and heart-touching! I think I'll go reread Frieren now :''DD

Got turned onto this series by Gigguk about a year before the animation announcement. It's been #1 on my watchlist for this coming Fall season, and it's nice to hear more folks finding out about it.

This is definitely up my alley. This show has my vibe an interesting plot involving solid villains, a contemplative look at the familiar, and a very broad perspective.

Frieden's realization about human lifespan - on an emotional level - reminds me of a character I have. In his case, he's a human necromancer who uses magic to keep rejuvenating himself (when he doesn't mess it up and wind up a lich for a few years before managing to pull together the monumental effort to revive from that state). And he'd long, long ago chalked up "human life is short" as a thing he just accepts, so he doesn't get surprised (even if he does mourn, sometimes) when humans grow old and die while he continues on. It's when an _elf_ he knew when the elf was a child is getting so old that his old age is starting to make him slow down and really look _aged_ that it hits him with surprise. He's always held up elves as "living a very long time," so while he intellectually knew he would still outlive any elf if he kept up what he was doing, the fact that, at nearly 1000 years old, himself (in a setting where elves might live to be 800), he was also leaving elves behind...finally hit him with surprise as well as a little sadness.

God I love this manga! It's like a DnD adventure or a high fantasy video game where you beated the final boss and then wander doing side quest a hunting secret bosses. The characters are so well written and all the plot around time, history war, peace, etc, is so well wrapped up! I love it!

Update. Shows a banger

I love this manga and its portrait of demons, also the feeling of a vast history and world, the south hero who was the real hero of this era, the monk elf that was an hero of such and far past that no one rememer, the legendary sword waiting for the future hero who would save the world, the evolution of the magic, macht... So much things The only thing that make me worry its the lack of expressions in our characters, not for me i dont mind, but the people that doesnt know thw story yet

I've been following Frieren for a while and I'm real excited to see you get into it! It's got a lot of the same vibes i love from Witch Hat Atelier and other character-driven fantasy, and the art is gorgeous enough to carry through any slow parts. Definitely one of my faves and I'm looking forward to the anime

As someone who caught onto this manga when it just started being serialized, seeing it grow to this level inspires a degree of pride in me that I've never felt before.

I'm SO glad to see you give the manga a spotlight! I started it last year, was moved to tears from just the first chapter and I've been madly in love with it since.

I absolutely adore this manga and its very melancholic and contemplative vibe. Can't wait to see some of my favorite scenes beautifully animated and then have a complete emotional meltdown.

Frieren hit me completely off guard. Given how many generic game-esque fantasy manga there are in the world I decided to ignore it for a long while, but eventually I decided to give a try and I was sucked in completely. It has some of that thoughtfulness of a Kino's Travels or Mushishi, but can also do breezier stories with lovely character interactions of a Flying Witch, and then hit you with life-and-death action scenes that are reminiscent of Hunter X Hunter. I'm just happy non-manga readers who've never heard of Frieren will have an opportunity to see it.

thank you for covering this one geoff, my brother and i have been reading it together and it's really like no fantasy i've read recently. the atmosphere, worldbuilding, and character writing is so refreshing. it's funny that you used botw music in this-- that's been my main reading soundtrack!

I'm so glad it was Madhouse that adapted it. They're not as prolific as they used to be a decade or so ago but IMO they're still the GOAT of animation studios. So many times when watching even just a simple scene of Frieren and Fern walking through the woods the animation quality was so good that I thought to myself "They're just showing off now"

So, funny thing I noticed about the original party's names: Frieren = German word for "freezing" (as in, you feel cold, not freezing water). Eisen = German word for "iron". Himmel = German word for "Sky" or "Heaven". Heiter = means "jolly".

Episode 7's introduction of Demons is what really sold me on the show's writing, much better than whatever Demonslayer is doing right now.

I'm so glad the anime studios started funding fan favorites mangas , without only considering if it's marketable or not .

I will be one hundred percent honest. I've been watching anime for over ten years. This was my first manga I've EVER read. (maybe I've peaked at other for a few pages... but I didn't *read* them) I got up into the early 90's chapter wise, in May 2022. What you said about it being hard to put down, TRUTHS my dude. I remember just wanting to look at it, a few pages, just a peak. The premise was interesting enough to grab my attention. But for me to want to read it on a five inch (12 cm for the rest of the world) screen, it was good. I'd read it after work, when I woke up and fell asleep on it a few times, late into the night. And so, it became the first manga I've ever bought as well (next volume comes out in October!!!). (I wanted it to be my first manga to anime experience, but Oshi no Ko beat me to it, so I'll just consider that a trail run since only the first volume had been released in English at the time, then the second while it aired. Even the third, released last month so bought but not read yet, doesn't reach the end of the anime. Volume four in November.) Between what you said about demons being alien and evil, I strongly have to say alien. They appear evil, yes. But due to their nature in this story, they literally can't be evil. That's something my mother says a lot, that demons aren't evil, yet do thing humans would say is evil. So, demons are evil? No, and it's so well done. In that, I'm remembering and referring to the demon in the 80's, chapter wise, into the 90's. It dived so much into that demon. I would hope the anime gets to him, but know it will need a season 2 for that most likely. By my best estimate, up to volume 6 of the manga will get adapted (a bit difficult to always discern, but going off the first ep 2 hour special, I assume the first two volumes into that episode, then three episodes per volume if totaling 12 episodes). It will be an amazingly fun ride to see all this in color (one of my biggest problems getting INTO manga, no color). Why haven't I gone back to it? It was hard to put down. I saw myself nearing the end of what had been released. Every week a new chapter was translated, posted, and knew I'd catch myself in a fit of needing to know what NEXT!! However, I ended right as the backstory of the demon finished. Right before the big battle with said demon. Right at the top before the peak climax. And so, I was calm. What was said had been spoken, much like the end of a conversation before the start of a new one. I didn't feel plagued by the need to worry, fret, and hunger to go forward. Excited for the anime. When you started talking about people and what they worked on, I had one anime for each of them. One Punch Man, Violet Evergarden, Bocchi, Sonny Boy and Overlord (minus newest season, to change after I watch HunterxHunter, so around December or so). Was stone (cause I know nothing) until you said Violet. What I can tell by your enthusiasm, it will be a good anime, with visuals, music and script all awesome. On a side note, Frieren is kind of alien as well, though a different variety then demons. I feel they do the long elf life quite well, with small things such as human life, or adventuring requirements, being so short lived. I remember her complaining about not being able to keep up with all the changes when they when to go take the first class mage test (I believe that will be animated, so very fun there). If my mother didn't hate manga/comics, I think she'd like this story. (She can't get behind the picture paints a thousand words. If it got a light novel, I'd hand it to her in a heart beat.) I think I'll be someone who has the manga open as I watch it. Not... sure (cause subs).

Its is a refreshing trope-braking that elves arent just a "sexdoll with tits and pointy ears" but we follow the story from her perception of time flow... Ep1 hitted like a truck. After Oshi no Ko I wont say it will be a braking heartwrenching scene, but it will fuel the melancholy and will scratch some existential itch, but the same time with some upbeat nihilism. Not sure if I should make a SPOILER, since this IS the core team of the whole story: Some people and traditions are long forgotten, while Frieren experienced those statue erections first hand. Generations passed for humans, and all they know is "someone who made some great effort". Its a tradition now to keep a festival on the same day of the year, because only a few elderly able to even recall what happened... Its a duality that your actions can be forgotten and remembered the same time... The multiple timelayers give some interesting stories to tell. The first demon generals defeat was shockingly good. I laughed hard when the new group arrives to a city that is under a blockade and Frieren casually walks to the inn, requesting a room and a job so she can stay for a couple of YEARS! While the two human member of the party wants to solve the quest, because they cant afford to settle down... :D The amazing uplifting stories that the party who defeated the demon-king wasn't even a group of chosen ones. SPOILER REALLY NOW: It was such an amazing twist that Hero-Himmel could not even pick up the demon-slayer-chosen-one-legendary blade... And I am all ready for the mimic-jokes XD

I've been tiptoeing around that manga for some time. As a German native speaker it's quite hard to stay in the flow when _all_ the characters are named like 'Freeze', 'Sky', 'Cheerful', Iron', 'Far', 'Strong', etc.

... 4 months later, and there is more to this adaptation than the story. And that ED is hitting ALL THE FEELS.

Holy shit! The anime is the embodiment of perfection.

Yesss!!! I'm so excited you got to partake in this Masterpiece! I'm equally excited by the mostly stacked names attached to the making of the adaptation!

When I read the manga I would cry often just by reading "28 years have elpsed since Hero Himmels passing...". Time is such a powerful character in the story,

This video is the reason I checked out the Frieren anime and I'm glad I did. It's every bit as good as Geoff said it was. I'm reading the manga now, I'm about halfway through Volume 3. I'm getting the paperback volumes from my library.

this is genuinely the most a single piece of media has moved me in a really long time, it was kindof scary tbh

I’m really looking forward to this one. “Frieren” has this blend of world building, stand out characters, emotional beats, slow life AND epic fights, deep lore… it’s a total package and set to be one of my top anime’s ever. Vinland saga good.

I haven't read the manga, but the anime has been slaping very hard for 5 episodes

Feck (and you too YuPoop xD) you Geoff... I knew I shouldn't have watched the video knowing that the manga is ongoing. Most of the Sunday went away catching up with it xP

If you want another manga with excellently-written large passages of time, check out "Enough of This Slow Life! I Was Reincarnated as a High Elf and Now I'm Bored"... yeah that title certainly comes from a LN alright. This series is like Frieren where it will jump huge amounts of time and shows just how decisions made reflect back years later, except it's "currently" happening rather than happening mainly before the story starts. This series and Frieren somehow create a much more convincing passage of time than any other series I've read, so I'd recommend that to anyone who bothers to read this.

This is intresting. For one yeah, it would be nice if Isekai was not the only flavor of fantasy on offer in anime. As a long time fan of fantasy. It's cool to get a story from the perspective of an elf. Rather than humanity. To humans in many fantasy settings. Elves can seem aloof and unconcerned with the affairs of the world. To an elf. Humans can be the proverbial candle that burns twice as bright, and half as long. With such short lives, that they can never gain a broad perspective on the world they live in. Rarely do we get to see this from the eyes of an elf themselves. I'm definitely gonna check this one out.

I’m excited for your reaction to the later chapters with the Demon Macht who’s one of my favorite villains of all time. Also hoping for a main channel vid once the anime comes out.

God I love this manga, it can make my whole day when there's an update. As far as the demons go, it's tempting to think of their use of speech as a Chinese Room / super advanced form of ChatGPT, but there IS something there, some sort of element that could be considered emotion / discretion...and honestly that makes it all that much more bizarre. At one point a character suggests that humans and demons are the product of convergent evolution, like sharks and dolphins. Forms and needs very similar to the other, but utterly alien to each other.

A few days ago I came across a discussion about Frieren in a random comment section on Crunchyroll where the description amounted to little more than, ‘elf watches her friends die of old age while she remains young’, immediately tracked down and read the first few chapters, cried a lot, and suddenly I’m seeing people all over KZfaq hyping it up. I was also planning on resuming my playthrough of Tears of the Kingdom but now I’m too busy shedding actual tears to spend time with Link…

Stopped the video halfway through. Read the first three chapters and my cold dead heart is full of feelings now.

I'm glad you're optimistic, but there's no reason to get excited for an adaptation until it launches and proves that it's worth getting excited over.

Man, that background Zelda music just hit so well.

I binged it in the last week before the last episode. It's the most epic and easily watch ever. 12/10 😊👍

Bro was 10 step ahead of everyone

Just binged the anime the last 2 weeks, having to wait for the last episode 2 days ago. I haven't felt this way about an anime for a long time. I'm still young but I already have regrests and family I'm not spending enough time with. It hits so hard, and I'm so glad I watched this now rather than 10 years ago when I was a teen. This is going to be an anime of the decade, and some people are going to need a few more years to truly realise that.

A spiritual successor to Record of Lodoss War. If it is possible, I believe it. I have not kept up much with anime or manga for sometime. Good to know Mad House & an amazing team is bringing this to life

Oh hey I too also was torn away from TotK and read this to 3am after convinced halfway through your video. Funny coincidence! It’s good. Just…good. Feels like To Your Eternity as you mentioned but there’s times that just feel like it’s high-fantasy Kino’s Journey with a traveling party, which is great (without the 3 day limit though…how often does “we’ll be here for 3 months” come up in this, I swear hahaha)

Hahaha. What a convergence. I just read this last week around when this video came out. An amazing series.

Between this, Dungeon Meshi, and Witch Hat Atelier, I'm finally excited for fantasy anime again.

I read this at my Japanese teacher’s recommendation and I was really impressed by how TASTE it is

If you want to do this all over again, Delicious in Dungeon isn't as many chapters deep, but one of those chapters has a trailer by Studio Trigger, and wouldn't you know it, Studio Trigger just recently announced they're also making the animé!

Daaaaamn. This aged beautifully. I was excited when I started Frieren, then more so when this came out, and now, I am so happy to be in the midst of the MASSIVE success of the anime. Manga readers got that mega validation for their good taste now that everyone everywhere remarks on the power of pasto pastels and lengthy lives in great media.

When I initially encountered this series, you had to buy the volumes and it was incompleate so I just left it alone. Glad to see that it's now available for subscribers!

So glad more and more people are talking about this Monga. I have been following it for years now. It is gorgeous. It is lovely. It is heart-wrenching.

You didn't lie at all! apart from jjk, frieren is my favourite show this year its so well written and beautifully animated.

I wasn’t even a quarter through the video before I pulled up the manga to start reading. Finishing the video, of course, but man do I wanna start reading NOW

Frieren is current my favourite manga of all time. The impact the first chapter had and the strong themes it carries from there, it speaks to so many of us. However as equally excited as I am for the anime for it's stacked staff and story, I feel one major thing it will lack is it's immersion. Reading frieren was such an experience as each page travels you years ahead. It's as if as a reader, you are in control of their lives through a flip of a page or a scroll through the phone. Being in that control of their journey is completely different than just watching their journey. Regardless, I am still every excited and I'm sure my qualms will be thrown out immediately once the anime airs

3 minutes in, and you've convinced me to pick this series up. Sounds like an amazing premise.

This is one of my favorite manga, and frieren herself is one of my favorite characters of all time

Geoff, how could you put this on my radar? I've read the first volume and cried bittersweet tears after every chapter. 😭 What a solid rec, thank you!

I came across this Manga at the start, and since it was a rec from r/Manga or something similar i just thought it would have taken hold in those circles and was big enough that everyone knew about it. Like, I'm a little shocked that the KY moment didn't reach your ears when it happened. I'm glad you found it. You've got me hyped for the anime now too.

Yes!! I discovered this earlier in the year, and it has quickly become one of my very favorite ongoing stories. I'm so glad you're bringing attention to it!

Sounds like a great story that I won't be able to read due to the severe existential dread and subsequent panic attacks it triggers 🙃

I personally liked the concept of demons in this manga, they are really made with thought.

Well, Geoff, you were right. That opening four-parter was maybe the best anime début I've seen in years, and I know that whenever I rewatch it alone, I am going to be bawling my eyes out.

You're too late, it's already my favorite. But glad to see you proving once again, you're a man of good taste. Cheers!

What a great recommendation! However it was followed by the devastation of realizing not only did I burn through reading it, but that its also on hiatus since like March.

Thanks to this video, I went out recently and picked up volume 1 of Frieren. THEN one week later, I picked up volume 2 of Frieren. AND THEN ... well you get my drift, yes? Admittedly, I did not get very "teary - eyed" about the story thus far, BUT, I instead found my self putting down the story in mid - read and staring thoughtfully at nothing for minutes at a time, contemplating what i just read; the EMOTION, and realization that "Yeah, I've Been There too" washing over me. The manga style is wonderful, and usually peaceful. The dialogue is also easy to follow and appreciate, so I don't see how any competent animation production team and studio can "EF" things up even a little, unless they get lazy and indifferent in their job. In which case EACH AND EVERY member of the team and STUDIO (MAPPA) will wake up in the middle of a dark and stormy night to find a small dark shadow with glaring, pitiless double pupil eyes looming over their awake, but paralyzed bodies, ALL AT THE SAME TIME FOR THE WHOLE NIGHT.

I love when KZfaqrs talk about Frieren. It’s interesting hearing their insights.

Your description made me cry and so now I've subscribed and I'm about to start reading it.

I rarely comment on your channel. I'm all of 4 minutes in, and you've sold me. The very simple premise of this, an effectively immortal person trying to come to grips and understand the - to her - extremely, horrifying transient beings around her, is something that speaks to me. Maybe because I've lived my own life as an outsider, maybe not...I don't know. But, thank you. If nothing else about this channel, this work, has given you a sense of personal connection and fulfillment, please take it here. Here's to many more years, furendo. Cheers.

Frieren has been my favorite manga since the day it came out. There really just is not anything like it, an incredibly human story that accomplishes a difficult balancing act of its pacing, with riveting action to fill in the gaps between these characters just living their lives in this wondrous world. I am incredibly excited for the anime adaptation, and am happy that some of the best out there will be working on it to do it justice.

Just recently watched this series and much like the video game Last of Us 2 I'm left with no idea what to do or watch next. The afterglow this show left me with just reminded me of how anime used to make me feel from way back in the day.

So nice to have an intro for me, feel very included

When you have to click off half-way because you're afraid of spoilers for an anime you are now incredibly hipped for.

This isn't the first time I've heard high praise for Frieren and that's why after this video I now have the first 4 volumes on their way to me.

Thanks for getting me hooked on a manga that's now on hiatus 😢

discovered the manga a month ago, the validation of all the things I love about it was much-needed, thank you

I love the manga. I've been caught up for ages, and still eagerly wait for more in spite of the very slow release times. One of the many things I really adore from the early chapters, is seeing Fern growing up while traveling with Frieren. I love watching Frieren trying to understand Fern as in terms of Fern's own life, Frieren has helped raise and mentor her since childhood. It really sells Frieren's growth from how quickly she dismissed the 10 years on the first adventure at the start as she now tries to do better this time, understanding that while this may be a drop the ocean of her own lifespan, it is precious to those she's sharing it with.