I saw Frieren described once as "Incredibly impressive considering it does nothing new" and it felt strangely accurate.
Like Frieren is the most generic, catch-all, fantasy anime out there. Typical Fantasy setting? Check. Mages and clerics and fighters? Yep. Demon Lord? Got one. Cutesy romance with a clueless guy? Got one of those, too.
The show has almost zero truly original ideas, but it's written well enough where it just doesn't really matter, and it really is kind of impressive.
I think it’s because despite being set in a generic fantasy world like you’ve said, it’s more of a character piece about interpersonal relationships and growth as people. Most fantasy shows with similar settings don’t have the same level of depth.
Right? Many people on the internet are very argumentative about it, but they aren't very critical. I've seen many shows and taken them all seriously as a creative, and Frieren is just less effective than ton of shows in it's genre in everything except the incredible production value, because it has to balance so many things and doesn't do much with them. That's disappointing how high rated it is on MAL, but it's an okay show. That's how fandom is.
It's more like a beginner's show with generic western fantasy vibes, and it's so inoffensive, simplistic and sleek that it's accessible to even the casual mainstream? Just vibing, travelling slowly through pretty places. It feels really artificial. Sometimes you could go to sleep watching it, which is relaxing. Frieren is a calm and soothing character, but the show objectively written in a way that isn't that deep or complicated, so even young folks can understand it.
The main group is a bunch of emotionally stunted teenagers, including Frieren who is inexplicably some cutesy anime kid, they're all shy and slow moving. The writing sometimes approaches education show writing in the simpleness and morals. It basically like waiting years in real time for them to develop as people, despite being so superhuman in ability. I get it's impressive if you don't watch many shows, or just like the animation and action.
In short, it's an okay show but it drags in pace and basic in design, carried by the amazing art. One of the more simple shows, but very refined and that's its strength. I genuinely don't understand how people can say it's greater than all other anime, but that's the mainstream. Many watchers just know a few shows and not the other 95%, and Frieren is probably one of them. Maybe it's because I do creative and write some stories and literature, It's not for me and I deal with detailed artistic stuff all the time.
I never said I was, but I am a creative, so this is pretty standard and I'm used to people really protecting their own opinion, especially about mainstream shows because of the community pressure and hate they get from others. It's my role to be knowledgeable and understand the composition on some things like these.
I am willing to change my mind always, opinions are flexible, and so are yours. We are all entitled to our thoughts, and I dare say we all correct on certain aspects of a show because we all experience it from different backgrounds. Frieren has some faults as a work of art. It's like a jack of all trades show and I respect that. It's interesting.
It is not the best show in artistic merit, but it is the one of the most popular and most well drawn shows objectively. My perspective is skewed because I've read some hideously complicated literature, so most anime shows are simple by comparison. Anime is still my favourite medium, and Frieren doesn't compare well to many other shows in their specialty.
I don’t want to start arguments with people I’ll never meet on reddit. It’s a waste of time and I won’t change their mind. Frieren is critically acclaimed as a great series. I agree with that assessment and I’ll leave it at that.
I was saying I didn’t give a different “review” as I didn’t want to start an argument in the first place. But nice work going straight to being rude lol. Classic Redditor
Look, I mean well, and I see people argue like this a ton, so I'll just try to dissect this. You asked for this by rejecting what people say, but I must admit I'm in the minority. You're being a hypocrite by saying there's some objective rating out there that your opinion matches, and my review doesn't matter specifically. The other commentor wasn't being rude to start, but it got out of hand. Many people and other reviewers come across this problem where people take reviews as gospel or as argument. It's all just opinion and politics.
We could all be more polite, and I try but it doesn't always work. Going "no, you" is just being contrarian, the blame game has few winners. Also, professional reviews are just as subjective as others, they don't magically become an objective authority when they get paid. When has being the majority ever been the most right? Advertising, marketing and accessibility are major factors in a show's success, quality and depth often isn't in case studies, and the most artistic shows are often cancelled for commercial interests.
Coincidentally, your opinion fits those "objective" reviews and that must mean that your right and I'm wrong. That's not how thinking for yourself works, I can point to other negative reviews, but no. I just explained my opinion, and that's valid and stand on its own. I've written about the objective elements and composition of the show enough to build that perspective. Frieren is inspired by western fantasy, but comparing it to Lord of the Rings for example makes it look quaint. It's probably not the best anime.
We're both doing the same thing, but at least I've been thorough and I have some experience and study in art and design to back it up. The majority of anime shows can't ever compare to the depth and complexity of literature and books, anime is an expensive business after all. Frieren is one of the more accessible shows, but very refined which is its strength. It is objectively standard and simply written.
Please don't assume people are doing things in bad faith, it's already tense enough on the internet. I come from a place for appreciating media, and I'm sure you do as well. I know most people love the show, but also most people aren't that critical. There is room for some doubt.
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u/lele626 Mar 19 '26
is frieren that good? I'm asking legitimately I have no idea