How One Anime Fixed Isekai's Main Issue

Frieren is a breath of fresh air in the very saturated Fantasy genre in recent anime.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro
1:32 Part 1: Hoping for a Better World.
7:06 Part 2 Changing for a Better Self.

Music:

Suite Bergamasque - Claire de Lune
Following the Stream - Jon Bjork
Living in a Fantasy - Pulsed
Careful Now - Arthur Benson
The Universe Between Us - Gavin Luke
Seasons of Change - Gavin Luke
Lost Empire - David Celeste
Coco Begins His Journey - David Celeste
A Ten-Course Banquet - David Celeste
April in Detroit - David Celeste
Love and Friendship - David Celeste
The Inventor - David Celeste

#frieren #anime #videoessay #fantasy #isekai #isekaianime #frierenbeyondjourneysend #beghast

[Beghast-tv]

Hello everyone,

I have been looking through your comments and began noticing a trend, so I want to clarify something:

I know that Frieren is not an Isekai, I have never said that it was, and I thought I made it pretty clear by explaining what the sub-genre was in the video.

Also, clips of shows coinciding with specific parts of the script should not necessarily be taken as us targeting that show in particular. This critique is not of this or that Isekai anime, but rather of the general principles that seem to be followed by most of them (hopefully the handful of segments where we are intentionally using specific clips and images to make a certain point should be rather evident).

In other words, using clips of much beloved shows like Re:Zero and Mushoku Tensei stems from the fact that, as some of the best Isekai out there, they inevitably represent the genre. And, like it or not, this also means that they may carry some of its problems. With that being said, both shows are clear examples of Isekai that do not shy away from fully utilizing the formula, and that try to tell an interesting story about change and growth through their flawed protagonists (hence why we purposefully use clips of them in our “exceptions” segment), while also introducing unique and fresh worlds that have their own history and mysteries.

Thanks again for watching our video!

[burquinhaw]

"you dont need a second life, or a second world to have a second chance"

[Singing_Couch_Potato]

"when you say a little longer, how many years is that?" I remember how hard Fern's line hit me.

[lifesIronyboard]

As a widowed man reaching retirement, this anime is an emotional experience. I look at my very old photos and see myself looking a lot, metaphorically speaking, like Himmel and then I look in the mirror today and see the balding old man and I can feel that cut between the Hero's party at the start and when they later re-unite for the meteor shower and, for me, it really seems that fast to go from one to the other. It is also so refreshing to see that Frieren is not the perfect in all ways main character seen so often. It is so refreshing to see a real multi-faceted character. She annoys her companions, does really foolish things like falling for mimics over and over and yet she is unbelievably powerful. She shows that one can be the greatest and yet not be perfect. It makes one feel safe to laugh at their own shortcomings - almost like they add to your character as a person instead of making you seem somehow less.

[theaureliasys]

Reasons I liked Frieren so much:
It's old style. It takes it's sweet time, shots linger and are detailed.
It doesn't try to assault my senses, it asks if they may have a dance with me like a gentleman.
Outside of very select scenes it doesn't do the fanservice tropes, and even then, they aren't FOR fanservice.
The good guys aren't creeps who never learned to grow up. (Seriously, Stark is more adult at the start than most protags these days)
It actually managed to craft emotional story lines.

I loved spice and wolf growing up. This is that.

[LunaNox]

Frieren makes me cry. I still can't stop watching it. It came out in a time in which i couldn't relate more.
Here is my story.
When I was 12 I got into a online game. At that time I didn't even know how lonely I was. I had given up on other people and making friends.
Right at the start I was invited to a guild and just joined it, not knowing what it actually was or what the people would mean to me in the future. At first I stayed shy and didn't talk much with them. But the more time I spend with the game, the more I realized the benefits of comunicating through it with others.
But it took me years until I realized that it were the other people who kept me playing and I really enjoyed their company.
I was 19 when we first met in "the real world", and I remember it as one of the happiest days in my life. They all cared a lot for me, well it probaly helped that I was the youngest, way younger then most of them. As the years went on everyone got older and some stopped playing the game. When corona came, many found their way back into the game and I was actually very happy. But things werent anymore the same. Our leader was actually very annoyed from the game and seemed to just play on, because there was nothing better to do. After corona was over, very less of our guild still met to play. Especially our leader, who was there from the beginning, till 2022 that were more 10 years and we met every year at least once in "real life". He was 8 years older. While corona we couldn't met. And after it was everything was allowed again our leader tried to initiate another come together, but everyone was so busy with theire life that I was the only one who responded. I also was busy and didn't arange to just meet him again. I deeply regret it now.
He died this year on a short sicknes. I don't know exactly what it was, but one of our members who had always close contact with him gave us the info. We were all shaken and want to meet again at the first place we once met. But until now we didn't even search for a date.
I think only because of this guild I found back my faith in people and giving others a chance to surprise me in a positive way.
After meeting my guild the first time, I made some friends around my town, and lost as the time passed the contact with some as well.
The game, I still don't wana stop playing is Guild Wars/2, it has one of the friendliest community in all mmorpgs. But becoming 30 this year I also don't have much time for it. And its not anymore as much fun as it was when I started or when Guild Wars 2 came out. At least 4 people still try to keep the contact through the game as well. I just often think back at how fun it was with our leader and how much he and the others helped me developing social skills. But right now I feel more lonely than ever....

[Ymam_]

Frieren gives me two things as a guy in his 30's.
It gives me the perfect platform to review and reminisce, remind myself of my past and that I can take my time with things.

And weirdly it always reminds me that to dogs, we are the elves

[bakudekumaximum]

What i love about Frieren is that it's in a realm where magic and fantasy is common but the most beautiful and captivating scenes for me were normal everyday experiences that exist in the real world. (Watching a sunrise, making flower crowns, having desserts in a restaurant overlooking a pier by the sunset, a subtle love confession of putting a ring to the person you love, your big brother cooking you a meal for your hard work, two people dancing, crying to a beloved comrade from his funeral, just appreciating things that matter).

[RID_]

Damn if I was the writer of Frieren I'd be crying happy, because this one feels like a really genuine love letter

[AirashiiTiayou]

I knew that Frieren was a special anime when I started ugly crying within the first 5 minutes. While I am a fairly emotionally sensitive person, it takes a certain skill to be able to write in a way that so firmly plants the viewer into the emotions of characters that they only just met a few seconds ago. Normally, you have to kind of get to know the characters and "fall in love" with them to be able to empathize with them, but the way this show was written, it feels like you already know the characters. I don't really know how to put my feelings into actual words. Either way, I'm glad that I randomly decided to start watching Frieren.

[PrzemeQ_XY]

Man... I just want to point out - timing those Anime shots with 'Clair de Lune' was a stroke of genius!
What a quality materail - instant like & subsribe 🙏

[norberto]

I find that frieren as a character relates to people who are lost in life. Reflecting their own experience with feeling lost, but for frieren she has all the time in the world to figure things out while mortal beings rush to their end. But her finding joy in the little things in life reminds us that just because we don’t have one driven purpose doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop and smell the flowers

[ExtinctSomething]

The one thing i liked the most in Frieren is the hero, who was in love with Frieren, knew he wont be there for her forever and decided to make memories. All of those statues of the hero party, were made so future generation knows they werent a fairy tale and to protect Frieren, if the time in far future comes, if nobody remember the hero party anymore would hurt Frieren the most mentally so that why almost each villages, there is a statue of a hero or the hero party.

[werdnaxela]

My wife and I are 30 now and have been watching anime since we were kids in the late 1990’s. I have never looked forward for a new episode release quite like Frieren. Frieren Friday’s will be missed.

What a wonderful way to tell a story about not taking your time with your loved ones for granted, and not forgetting that life is about the journey, rather than the destination. Not only that, the battles and animation are just as good.

Madhouse made a modern day masterpiece IMO. A classic that I will revisit more than once.

[iMoo]

This was a beautiful, intelligent, concise essay. I teared up three separate times, either from understanding of how good Frieren was written and seeing someone else appreciate it, or from your words themselves- of how well written the video itself is.

I cannot give you and your team enough praise. It was genuinely awesome.

[randomname]

How to make a good isekai: stop being an isekai. Makes sense.

[thesunthrone]

Seeing Frieren has filled me with joy difficult to describe. Here's a slow, atmospheric, relaxed story that does not try to frontload any action or try to hook you in with some wacky premise. It lets the episodes breathe, it takes its time with its gentle exposition, its visuals and music aid that exposition and make everything come together near the moment that the characters on screen figure something out.

Frieren takes the viewer seriously. It likes to goof around occasionally, but never too much. It likes to show incredible, flashy action - but never too much. Its animation is conservative and simple in some scenes, overwhelmingly dynamic in others. It is fully mature in what it is.

And really, it's a story that perhaps will resonate with older viewers. I personally have changed homes, changed jobs, changed friend circles and survived friends and family. I've made mistakes, I've also set on mastering skills. Everything about this story resonates strongly, deeply. When Frieren reminisces about Himmel and his unrequited love towards her, I do the same with someone in my own life. When Frieren recalls a quirky friend as she joyfully casts a spell that would make that friend happy, I recall doing similar fun with those friends. When Frieren sleeps past noon and stays up all night, yeah, that's totally me. And when she shows the deep, unmistakeable joy of teaching another in something that she loves - I know that feeling all too well. And she just can't refuse the allure of being able to beat the odds and that 1% chance of a mimic NOT being a mimic finally happens, all to her chagrin - as we all have our specific vices that we are powerless against.

Every single frame, every single note, every single part of this story screams "Live! You matter!". It is so deeply life affirming without getting preachy or pretentious. It just does what it desires, its a clear work of passion for everyone involved, and it moves me with nearly every episode as each of the side characters learn and grow alongside or because of Frieren. It is the perfect story about how even the most aloof, reserved person can still change everyone else's lives for the better, no matter their weird quirks or strange habits.

And for an artist and writer, this show is also a beacon of hope - that you can ignore trends entirely, that so long as you fully devote yourself to telling a story the way you want, there will be people that will see it and appreciate it. No matter what changes in the world, people will always desire to feel genuine human emotion and lived experience that's plain to see in a work of fiction, no matter how many flashy, but substanceless things might drown us at times. Quality will always shine through.

[veckgames]

Not being an isekai is a good start in avoiding isekai issues.

[youtubeuser]

Frieren will become a timeless classical modern masterpiece in future

[HimynameisAverie]

This was an absolutely beautifully done video essay, and put into words a lot of things I love about the show that I hadn't been able to express. And the editing to Clair de Lune in the beginning? So, so lovely. You've got me almost crying on my lunch break 😆🥰