From alchemy to elves, fantasy anime as a genre is ever-evolving and relevant at the same time. And while some make it to the spotlight, others often go unnoticed. Such was the case with Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, an anime that not only took over the internet but surpassed Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in ranking.
Written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe, the story follows the journey of an elven mage who sets out on a journey to defeat the demon king and eventually unite with her comrades.
The manga was published on 18th August 2020 and made its anime debut in January 2024. Moreover, it had an estimated sale of 21 million copies and has also won several awards and accolades, including the Kodansha Manga Award.
However, the manga’s backstory reveals how it wasn’t supposed to be a fantasy but rather, a gag manga.
Frieren: The gag manga
The story follows the life of an elven mage who destroys the Demon King and eventually witnesses her comrade’s natural death. As a result, she takes care of Fern, an orphan kid, and is later joined by Stark, a young warrior. Both Stark and Fern join the elf’s journey in her pursuit of magical education.
However, the manga wasn’t cut out to be dramatic. Rather, it was supposed to be a gag manga that involved the hero as a demon lord as the author revealed in an interview with Oricon News :
Frieren was originally meant to be a gag manga about a “Hero Demon Lord”, but has since changed drastically from its original concept. The Frieren most audiences know is a more somber story that follows the titular Frieren on a journey to reconcile the hero’s death. Frieren is a virtually immortal elf who despite being thousands of years old, still appears young.
This is evident when the protagonist mourns her comrade’s death and realizes the feeble nature of human life and how her existence is beyond the concept of time and age. In addition to that, her self-awareness of her immortality coupled with her aloofness makes her a more relatable character.
However, the anime has impacted several readers as well as viewers with its portrayal of female friendships and relationships. It has also gained popularity and garnered its fanbase, so much so that the series went viral with its full-blown memes on the internet.
Frieren and the neverending saga of memes
With great power comes great responsibility and with greater popularity, there comes a possibility of the anime being meme-worthy. What followed after the popularity of this manga being turned into an anime was the never-ending barrage of memes that went viral on the internet.
In one such instance, Episode 12 of the series had a heartwarming moment between the elven mage and Fern where she gifts the latter a potion to present to Stark for his birthday. However, the elf’s expression was interpreted by many as comical and what followed was a saga of memes with the same template.
To add to that, there were many instances and moments from the anime that were eventually turned into memes and TikToks. Moreover, several cosplayers added to the comical element by recreating these viral memes on the internet.
All in all, the manga’s popularity and success were evident through its ranking, accolades, awards, and sales along with its popularity on social media.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is available for streaming on Crunchyroll.