Aight so aight so
Frieren was fantastic. PERFECT comfort anime. VERYYY slow paced show, and I kind of like it that way. One thing that got SLIGHTLY old was frieren constantly getting these little lessons of "remember to appreciate your friends while you have them". It's a great message dont get me wrong, but it's a little tired! I also love the way the characters are written. You start off thinking they're archetypes, but they end up feeling really organic after a while. And oh man talking about organic, although this world is moderately simple on paper, the way it is fleshed out makes it feel like an actual lived-in world, which ebbs and flows with the tides of time. It's really really cool to see how each of the characters percives reality. Serie and Flame are my favorite characters. They're so myserious and quirky, it's obvious that they both have ancient wisdom. Lawine and Kanne's relationship is really cute.
The animation is quite wonderful, but the characters are not all that expressive. It's a blessing in that the flat expressions that the characters often have gives the show a unique character and charm, but it's a curse since it makes them feel otherworldly at times. Sure the characters don't always need to be looney toons level of emotional expression, but sometimes I wish they'd do more than :| for 90% of the time. I suppose it is charming in a way, the characters are not really supposed to be big personalities.. Stark, Fern, and Frieren all seem to be largely content in their introversion.. and that DOES make the show seem more realistic at times. Leaning further into that, I would not consider this a typical shonen adventure. Sure, they are going on a quest. Sure, they are fighting demons and solving people's problems... but it isn't really paced nor written like one. Though the stakes do get high, it feels more like a slice of life more than anything else. This isn't an unexpected happenstance adventure, all people involved know the score. They know how long the quest will be, and are progressing toward that goal by their own free will. They talk, they learn about each other and themselves, they have needs and wants, the pace is slow and steady. I never left an episode feeling "damn this is so boring" though. The episodes feel very very full, especially earlier on. You watch 10 minutes and think the show is nearly over! Then, ya check the timer and realize how much there is left and feel like wow this show is just so great! Ya'll gave me all that in ten minutes with like 16 more to spare?! How delightful!
Other stuff stood out
Gee I sure hope all the cool and awsome characters we got introduced to play a big role later on (doubt). I'm sure it would not be so bad if they did not though, this journey isn't really about the people in it, it's more about the ripples and marks they leave on those who remember them. Frieren is one long realization that she needs to be better about appreciating those around her while she still has them, since she'll soon be the only one that remembers them. All us shy-shy heads can relate to that one. This is one of those shows that shows up once every 10 years. Changes the tides a little bit, and makes a wave and a ripple in you. This is the type of work that makes you want to fall in love with life again.
Yeah watch this shit. Hop on Frieren.