Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is the Best Manga I Have Ever Read

I say this without sarcasm or hyperbole as a person who has been reading manga obsessively for more than 20 years now: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is the best manga I have ever read. I can't even think of a single other one that even comes close. I've been reading it weekly in Japanese for over a year now—and it's stunning how often I find myself on the edge of tears while reading it.

On the surface, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is built around a simple question: What happens to the heroes after they defeat the Demon King and go their separate ways? Now, this could have made for a fun little thought experiment all on its own, but what makes this story truly special is the viewpoint character it is centered around, the titular Frieren.

Frieren is not the knight, warrior, or priest of her four-man party—she is the wizard. But more importantly, she is an elf—and in the world of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, elves are basically immortal. Because of this, Frieren has a fundamentally different sense of time than the other members of the party—even the exceptionally long-lived dwarf. To the two humans in the party, the decade they spent with Frieren on their journey was a sizable portion of their lives. To Frieren, it was like a day.

But here's the thing: even a single day can change the course of a person's life.

In Japanese, the title of this manga is “Sōsō no Frieren”—literally translated as “Frieren at the Funeral.” This is because the funeral for Himmel the Hero at the end of his long life—when she stands before her friend's body with the countless people who owed their lives to him surrounding her—is the defining moment of her millennia-long life. It's the moment she realized the mistake she had made—that she didn't make use of the time she could have had with him.

But even more than that, it's only after he is gone that she even starts to realize how much he meant to her—how deeply he had changed her in their all-too-brief time together. While she is determined to not repeat this mistake and make every moment count going forward, the fact remains that doing so is antithetical to the very way she perceives existence.

When it comes down to it, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is the story of a person incapable of viewing the world as humans do, desperately trying to make interpersonal connections and learn what it means to live a mortal existence. From this comes a deep exploration of the human condition—especially once her first new party member, Fern, enters the picture.

With Fern, Frieren finds herself in the role of mother and master—and sometimes daughter due to her own lackadaisical nature. While she never planned on taking a human apprentice (as by the time they were fully trained, they'd be on their way to old age), through Fern, Frieren is able to experience a relationship unlike any she has had before. Moreover, being with Fern grants Frieren new insight into her adventures with the long-dead Himmel—teaching her lessons that she is only now able to truly understand.

Yet, as much as the story is about Frieren and her growth as a person, it wouldn't work half as well without an amazing cast supporting her. Fern is a driven young orphan, hoping to live up to the expectations of the man who saved her life—and the immortal elf she travels with. On the other hand, Stark, the third member of Frieren's new party, is constantly battling with his own perceived cowardice. His is a story about accepting your own weaknesses, trying to overcome them, and relying on others for those times when you fail.

While the themes explored are treated with all the seriousness and gravitas they deserve, the manga is rarely a downer. In fact, it's quite the opposite, with plenty of light-hearted conversations and deadpan comedy. Sure, the roots of Frieren's journey of self-discovery are bittersweet at best, but the change they have caused in her is a beautiful one. It's truly a wonder to be a part of.

And best of all, the story never gets old—it just gets better. Sometimes chapters are stand-alone and explore a simple theme. Sometimes they are loosely connected and build on past chapters—with tiny seeds that seemed like throwaway lines blossoming into full, dynamic tales. And sometimes they are a part of massive story arcs filled with combat and action. Regardless, all contain some insight into our characters, the world they inhabit, and the very essence of human nature.

All of this is why Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is the best manga I have ever read. Now that its first volume is finally out in English, give it a shot if you haven't yet. You won't regret it.