Beauty in the story of doomed love

Freyren: Beyond the Journey's End Follows the long-lived titular Freren as he travels with a new party. Most of the story takes place in Freren's current journey, but uses his current experiences to rewrite and reframe the experiences he had with his previous party years ago. One of the most important elements to revisit for Freire is his old party hero Himmel. Himmel is known throughout the land as the leader of the party that defeated the Demon Lord.

But the show begins with his death. Viewers only come to know more about Freren through his memories. As she continues her journey, she looks back and within herself to realize that she may have had feelings for Himmel that went beyond friendship. Those feelings and moments hint at a more romantic interest between the two, but the beginning of the show makes it clear that she didn't realize it until her death.

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How does Freyren's journey portray love?

Knowing how this love story ends, the show asks the viewer not to hope for a happy resolution but to enjoy the journey. The flashbacks that show Himmel and Freire's growing relationship are the essence of their journey, not just the lead up to their reunion. As with all great moments, they are difficult to recognize until they have passed. Frieren's journey is about knowing these moments and the show wants to convey the message that it is in these moments that one can know if one truly feels love. It's a love story tied to the moments of connection they have, and how important those moments become in the future.

Due to the inherent hidden flow of time in this show, these flashbacks also put the viewer in Freren's shoes. The audience learns the true meaning of Himmel's romantic gestures at the same time Freiren himself makes those connections. Presented in this way, this love story not only connects the viewer with Frieren, but also reinforces the main themes of the journey, which is far more important than the final destination.

The meaning of showing love

This presentation of a love story is a description of what love really is and how it blossoms. While most love stories feature only grand gestures and people falling head over heels, Freiren instead takes a more subtle approach. It shows how a person can go from an acquaintance to a potential partner. It moves beyond the obvious, like Himmel having a deep knowledge of flowers and giving Friaren a ring with flowers that can only mean one thing, and instead shows the little things. A look, a brush of skin, doing something just for a smile, all these little moments that are part of a growing romance that reveals itself before the people involved might even realize it.

Of course, it can be argued that this story is inherently a tragedy. It shows a loss, Himmel's death, and then gives all these flashbacks that make the loss hurt even more. So far, it can be said that it is really difficult to know the impact of something or someone until it is gone. The existence of such an important piece of life is not diminished by not understanding it in the moment, and in fact honors that importance by continuing to look back as we move forward. Freyren: Beyond the Journey's End It argues this point wholeheartedly.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is now available to stream on Crunchyroll.

Freyren: Beyond the Journey's End

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is an anime adventure drama series based on the manga series created by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe. After his party's victory against a powerful demon king who threatened to destroy their world, Freren, an elf, struggles to find his place fifty years later in a new world with an uncertain future.

Publication date

September 29, 2023

Seasons

1

Number of episodes

28

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Frieren: Beyond Journey's End deals with the passage of time, and as a result, complacency is the main undercurrent of Frieren's journey.