Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2020)
[葬送のフリーレン]
Volume 1
Author: Kanehito Yamada
Artist: Tsukasa Abe
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics
Synopsis:
Fifty years after the defeat of the Demon King, the Elven mage Frieren goes on a journey to better understand humanity.
Story/Characters:
If you have already read my review of the first season of the anime adaptation, you already know my overall opinions of the story. The fact that we have this entry here is proof enough that I liked it well enough to go out and buy the original manga. A lot of times, there's a good reason the ever after part of a story is left vague, but here we actually have a strong case for what comes next actually being the more compelling story. This is one of the best portrayals of the detachment of a long-lived species like Elves and the difficulty of bridging the gap between the lives of mortals and that of nigh-immortals. We get teased with the backstory through little flashbacks that connect to the new adventure that unfolds. There's a nice subtle quirkiness to the characters that is never laugh-out-loud funny but amusing in an easygoing sort of way that fits with the mostly chill vibe of the series.
In this volume, we establish the premise and we get our protagonist Frieren on her way with her apprentice Fern in tow. There's a bit of cleverness involved in how Fern comes to be Frieren's apprentice that I like and there are interesting ways the two are both on the same wavelength and also diverge. Fern, like Frieren, is fairly reserved emotionally, but the young apprentice has a greater sense of practicality to her than her eccentric master and her focus is more immediate as opposed to Frieren whose mind is often more adrift in the seas of Time. Things are not always just easygoing, though, as we see in the confrontation with the demon Qual, and this will be come something of a trend with the occasional battle chapter to break up the more slice-of-life episodes. We close this volume with Frieren being given a specific objective to work toward, which helps give the plot a little more focus (not that it would've necessarily been a problem to simply have Frieren and Fern wander around at random so long as the material remained fresh).
Art:
In retrospect, I feel a bit silly about it, but I'll admit that the artstyle took me a little getting used to. The faces seemed a bit too broad and plain and Frieren's ears were a little too thick for my preference on Elven aesthetics, but eventually it grew on me and I think the somewhat simple style of the character designs complement the tone of the story well. The attention given to backgrounds, architecture and such deserve note and the rendering of magic spells is quite impressive (something beautifully brought to life in the anime). There's some nice visual comedy with some of the facial expressions, used sparingly, and the strong emotional beats are delivered quite well. (For instance, the scene after Himmel's funeral when Frieren finally breaks down and cries is one of the most memorable shots in the series and we get it in the first chapter.)
Conclusion:
This is fine first entry in a truly lovely series. If you've gotten tired of the typical high fantasy adventure story, you might find this is right up your alley. We have a rich world filled with interesting characters and it only gets better from here. I can easily recommend this for your collection and encourage you to get it.
Own It