One piece of advice as you watch this: there are no unimportant things in it. The smallest and least important seeming scene or line tends to have payoffs later in the show.
Rewatching the first episode after watching this show 4 times and reading the manga makes me so sad for Himmel. He truly loved Frieren so unconditionally that he was willing to forgo his own happiness, desires. and most of all his lifetime to allow her live her life how she wanted. As you watch the show you see a lot of his more selfish acts are actually for her benefit that she won't see or appreciate until he is long dead. It breaks my heart to know he never got to spend his life with her, but he didn't care because any time he got to spend with her was enough for his lifetime.
@@PixxiesPlanet It also had a different ED - it comes up in Episode 11 though during the episode. I recommend listening to the full song afterwards though - it is (in my honest opinion) the best of the OP/EDs.
The names are mostly German words that more or less resemble the characters traits. So the pronunciation would be German too. Frieren - freezing / to be cold Himmel - heaven / sky Heiter - cheerful Eisen - iron Fern - distant Flamme - flame Aureole (city) - something like a halo, hence "where the souls rest" I wrote this at the beginning of your reaction, just in case you look it up during the reaction :D Edit: Ok you knew they are German. The first 4 episodes were released at once, that's why it feels a bit abrupt. Stick to she show, Frieren will grow on you.
"Sousou no Frieren" can be translated as “Frieren of the Funerary Rites", an appropriate description of someone who will live long enough to bury all her friends.
'stop drinking, stop drinking' nice timing while I'm sitting here with beer in my hand. Btw fun fact, the name of characters in frieren kinda describes they're personality. Frieren - cold, heiter - bright, himmel - heaven - I guess this one is more like predicting the future.
I, and many others, are of the opinion that episodes 8, 9, and 10 are best watched in a single sitting. This isn't a universal belief, but when you get to them I suggest having budgeted the time to do this, even if you choose to do otherwise.
Nice review. I hope you stick with this anime. It is really worth it. On your opinion of Frieren, it will take time to tell. She is 'hopelessly dense' as someone calls her out as in a later episode. I have seen people get really mad at her in later episodes. She is also somehow badass, cool, competent, while being adorable , hopeless, and clueless. She will grow on you while you throw up your hands and want to shake her. The hardest thing is her lack of emotion resonance with people and an inability to pay attention to other's actions that boarders on autism. It makes for a character with more range than most main characters despite her muted personality. I'm curious to see how she grows on you as someone you like or abhor.
I think it’s great to have a character than needs to grow on you, it helps with the building of the story. “Hopelessly dense” would be on my grave stone 💀😂
I feel like you misinterpreted why Freiren didn't take Fern on as an apprentice. It was because if she did Fern would most likely end up dead since she was still learning the fundamentals and that'd be a shitty thing to do to a friends ward. Also don't know if you noticed but when you exclaim your breath is picked up loudly by the mic. Theres covers you can get to prevent thag i believe.
I’m sure more will be uncovered in later episodes, but I have tried not too look into it to sully my first impression. I was very upset with Frieren and was making jokes abt her being difficult towards humans. But yes, I’m sure there are other factors. I try to remove as much noise in post as possible. But; covers = money. Edit : I lied I found one laying around the house 😂
I found the paradox amusing that you say you didn't like the show because you cried... but it's a testament that it's a great show because it DID make you cry, lol. Welcome to the rabbit hole that is Sousou no Frieren! I hope you really enjoy this anime series! A lot of modern Japanese fantasy is tailored after the Lord of the Rings. Frieren is very Tokeinesque, so Elves are nearly immortal, Dwarves live a few hundred years and humans 70-90 years. Just a few things if no one else has mentioned it; this anime is really about paying attention to little details, as small things make emotional impacts later in series. For instance, the reason why Frieren buys a hair clip in Episode 3 that had a butterfly design was because in Episode 2 the first time Fern showed Heiter her magic, she made an illusion of glowing butterflies. You DO learn why Frieren has a habit of collecting spells, and it all starts with her master, who is revealed in Episode 4 and you learn way more about her in the penultimate mid-season episode 10. There is speculation that since Priests are the only ones who can effectively use holy magic (dispelling and resisting curses, casting holy affinity offensive magic, blessings and healing) that they are also granted longer lives than normal. Some people even say that Heiter passed away when he was over 100. Every name in Frieren is a German word and they have meaning. There is a school of thought that this whole story is Frieren's reminiscence, since people are named for concepts that encapsulates a memory/impression, rather than normal German names. Frieren - Freezing - it's speculated that Frieren's emotional state was frozen by tragedy revealed in Episode 10, and that her master was instrumental in thawing her, culminating in meeting with her friends. Another interpretation is that Frieren's relational state was frozen, an her time with Fern will continue the change in her that her time with Himmel did. Himmel - Sky or Heaven - pay attention to the times they show the Sky, as it almost always refers to Himmel or the memory of him Heiter - Jolly - Heiter is shown in future flashbacks as deflecting difficult emotional stress with humour or self-deprecation. Eisen - Iron - a great name for one of the strongest warriors in history Fern - Remote or distant Stark - Strong Flamme - Flame - The founder of Human Magic, Frieren's human Master. Potentially named for the Promethean legend, the giant who taught the gift of fire to humans (technology & civilization) in Greek mythology, but also for setting Frieren on the path to thawing her heart. Qual - Torment Aura - Aura Lügner - Liar Linie - Line, as in production, watch the way she summons things Draht - Wire Graf Garnat - Count Garnet - the stone that is part of the family amulet is a red garnet. Kraft - Power, Strength Sein - Being or Existence Kanne - Container or pot Lawine - Avalanche Wirbel - Whirl or Vortex Übel - Evil or Villain Denken - Thinking Land - Country Richter - a reference to the founder of hte Richter Scale, the measure of earthquake intensity Laufen - Runner Ehre - Honor or Glory Scharf - Sharp Sense - Scythe Genau - Exactly or Precisely Falsch - Wrong or Mistaken Lernen - Learn Edel - Noble Blei - Lead the metal Dünste - Steamy or hazy Ton - Sound or Tone Länge - Length of time or duration Methode - Method Serie - Series, as in items in a group (a book series, for example) - obvious, given her encyclopedic memory and her offer of "privilege." Notice that the way time is marked in the anime is based on Himmel's death (such as "20 years after the Death of Himmel the Hero.") It's not certain if this is universal or how Frieren marks her time. Frieren recently toppled FullMetal Alchemist from the top spot on MyAnimeList (MAL), where it had sat for more than a decade. Both are praised for excellent characterization, complex and nuanced issues, delicate handling of plot, emotional intensity and touching sentimentalism. Lastly, the series is named "Sousou no Frieren." While this has often been translated as "Frieren The Slayer" that is kind of inaccurate. "Sousou no" is the act of "sending off" as in a funeral. So while the manga title may be translated as "Frieren, the Final Farewell to the Dead" since that's more literary, the more precise translation is "Frieren the Undertaker." This has more than one meaning, but the two most common interpretations is that we learn that Elves in Frieren are essentially immortal, so Frieren will eventually "send off" all her non-elven friends. The second meaning is to "see someone off" is also a euphemism for killing and Frieren is first identified by a demon as the titular character in Episode 8.
Woa. While I welcome that, I’m not going to read it when it mentions other episodes! I haven’t seen the show and I really don’t want it spoiled. Please be mindful that I am only this many episodes in and I really don’t want any information outside of what is already there. People have been really kind to not spoil it, and I would hate to not read comments because someone spoils the show.
watch the english dub. even if you don't react to it. it's the only dub i've seen where they actually nailed the pronounciation of everybody's name and locations in a way japanese physically can't. but the japanese VA were also fantastic to be fair. it's an anime worth sticking with. it blew my mind.
As many have said, and you noticed yourself, the names are all German. Knowing what the names mean can have a lot of added value... Just watch for how often we get shots of the sky or Frieren framed against the sky, showing that Himmel is symbolically with her as the show goes on. There is a German RUclipsr, Storieswithstyle, who has a lovely video going into the names (people, places, spells) used in the anime up to episode 16. It is very much worth watching, and each name is timestamped.
PLEASE DO NOT give spoilers to other episodes. If you want to make comments please keep them to the episode from the reaction ❤
It's by accident not 'on accident'.
It's crazy how this show made me feel nostalgic in the first episode.
Like, I DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY MEMORY TO BE NOSTALGIC YET
I wanted to hear so much about their lives, and I hope I get that 😭
One piece of advice as you watch this: there are no unimportant things in it. The smallest and least important seeming scene or line tends to have payoffs later in the show.
I love that! I will be sure to try and find them.
@@PixxiesPlanet you WILL miss things. You will probably miss things on a re-watch. It's far more dense on details than it seems.
Rewatching the first episode after watching this show 4 times and reading the manga makes me so sad for Himmel. He truly loved Frieren so unconditionally that he was willing to forgo his own happiness, desires. and most of all his lifetime to allow her live her life how she wanted. As you watch the show you see a lot of his more selfish acts are actually for her benefit that she won't see or appreciate until he is long dead. It breaks my heart to know he never got to spend his life with her, but he didn't care because any time he got to spend with her was enough for his lifetime.
So I’m going to bawl my eyes out 😭😭😭😭
I’m so glad that it has such a good rewatch-ability
@@PixxiesPlanet It really is a beautiful anime, and the next season is gonna be insane I can't wait.
Aren't you concerned at all about spoiling the show for her?
@@Ludovit110 people don't think at all it seems
Keep watching.
Oh I ammmmm
The first 4 ep were released as a movie thats why it feels abrupt.
Shame they didn’t release this as such, as it would have made so much more sense
They broadcast all on the same night.
and now on CR they are separate
Yea it was released at the same time.
@@PixxiesPlanet It also had a different ED - it comes up in Episode 11 though during the episode. I recommend listening to the full song afterwards though - it is (in my honest opinion) the best of the OP/EDs.
The star dies, he dies. That a generation of a hero which comes along every 50 years - short time for Frieren
Frieren is a cold character. It's her name, after all.
Welcome to Frieren 😊
Thank you for sharing 😊
Thanks for coming along 🫶🏻
Frieren's first 4 episodes are mean to be watched together cuz its the prologue . The reason you felt that that 1st ep's end was abrupt was due to it.
I didnt know this, i wish they did a mega ep for the prologue, but will watch the rest in one go!
@@PixxiesPlanetit released as a movie in a 2 hr timeslot
The names are mostly German words that more or less resemble the characters traits. So the pronunciation would be German too.
Frieren - freezing / to be cold
Himmel - heaven / sky
Heiter - cheerful
Eisen - iron
Fern - distant
Flamme - flame
Aureole (city) - something like a halo, hence "where the souls rest"
I wrote this at the beginning of your reaction, just in case you look it up during the reaction :D
Edit: Ok you knew they are German.
The first 4 episodes were released at once, that's why it feels a bit abrupt. Stick to she show, Frieren will grow on you.
AFAIK only one character is left out of this naming convention.
@@ObiwanNekody Which one do you mean? Can't come up with one, except maybe "Demon King" but that's more like a title and not his name.
"Sousou no Frieren" can be translated as “Frieren of the Funerary Rites", an appropriate description of someone who will live long enough to bury all her friends.
Gosh that is so sad
'stop drinking, stop drinking' nice timing while I'm sitting here with beer in my hand. Btw fun fact, the name of characters in frieren kinda describes they're personality. Frieren - cold, heiter - bright, himmel - heaven - I guess this one is more like predicting the future.
haha, im sorry :D
Thats a lovely way to showcase the characters
If you still haven't watched Anohana... Don't. First ep of Frieren made me sad. Last couple of episodes of Anohana made me cry for an hour.
now i *have* to watch it
If you put something like "first reaction" "first time warching" or something similar in the title, it should have a better reach for the algorithm
I, and many others, are of the opinion that episodes 8, 9, and 10 are best watched in a single sitting. This isn't a universal belief, but when you get to them I suggest having budgeted the time to do this, even if you choose to do otherwise.
Himmel is prominent enough in this series that he has been voted favorite character in some of the popularity polls.
Nice review. I hope you stick with this anime. It is really worth it.
On your opinion of Frieren, it will take time to tell. She is 'hopelessly dense' as someone calls her out as in a later episode. I have seen people get really mad at her in later episodes. She is also somehow badass, cool, competent, while being adorable , hopeless, and clueless. She will grow on you while you throw up your hands and want to shake her. The hardest thing is her lack of emotion resonance with people and an inability to pay attention to other's actions that boarders on autism.
It makes for a character with more range than most main characters despite her muted personality.
I'm curious to see how she grows on you as someone you like or abhor.
I think it’s great to have a character than needs to grow on you, it helps with the building of the story.
“Hopelessly dense” would be on my grave stone 💀😂
Heck, in Frieren, most side characters who get names get more depth than main romantic leads in other anime.
I feel like you misinterpreted why Freiren didn't take Fern on as an apprentice. It was because if she did Fern would most likely end up dead since she was still learning the fundamentals and that'd be a shitty thing to do to a friends ward.
Also don't know if you noticed but when you exclaim your breath is picked up loudly by the mic. Theres covers you can get to prevent thag i believe.
I’m sure more will be uncovered in later episodes, but I have tried not too look into it to sully my first impression. I was very upset with Frieren and was making jokes abt her being difficult towards humans. But yes, I’m sure there are other factors.
I try to remove as much noise in post as possible. But; covers = money.
Edit : I lied I found one laying around the house 😂
I found the paradox amusing that you say you didn't like the show because you cried... but it's a testament that it's a great show because it DID make you cry, lol.
Welcome to the rabbit hole that is Sousou no Frieren! I hope you really enjoy this anime series!
A lot of modern Japanese fantasy is tailored after the Lord of the Rings. Frieren is very Tokeinesque, so Elves are nearly immortal, Dwarves live a few hundred years and humans 70-90 years.
Just a few things if no one else has mentioned it; this anime is really about paying attention to little details, as small things make emotional impacts later in series. For instance, the reason why Frieren buys a hair clip in Episode 3 that had a butterfly design was because in Episode 2 the first time Fern showed Heiter her magic, she made an illusion of glowing butterflies. You DO learn why Frieren has a habit of collecting spells, and it all starts with her master, who is revealed in Episode 4 and you learn way more about her in the penultimate mid-season episode 10.
There is speculation that since Priests are the only ones who can effectively use holy magic (dispelling and resisting curses, casting holy affinity offensive magic, blessings and healing) that they are also granted longer lives than normal. Some people even say that Heiter passed away when he was over 100.
Every name in Frieren is a German word and they have meaning. There is a school of thought that this whole story is Frieren's reminiscence, since people are named for concepts that encapsulates a memory/impression, rather than normal German names.
Frieren - Freezing - it's speculated that Frieren's emotional state was frozen by tragedy revealed in Episode 10, and that her master was instrumental in thawing her, culminating in meeting with her friends. Another interpretation is that Frieren's relational state was frozen, an her time with Fern will continue the change in her that her time with Himmel did.
Himmel - Sky or Heaven - pay attention to the times they show the Sky, as it almost always refers to Himmel or the memory of him
Heiter - Jolly - Heiter is shown in future flashbacks as deflecting difficult emotional stress with humour or self-deprecation.
Eisen - Iron - a great name for one of the strongest warriors in history
Fern - Remote or distant
Stark - Strong
Flamme - Flame - The founder of Human Magic, Frieren's human Master. Potentially named for the Promethean legend, the giant who taught the gift of fire to humans (technology & civilization) in Greek mythology, but also for setting Frieren on the path to thawing her heart.
Qual - Torment
Aura - Aura
Lügner - Liar
Linie - Line, as in production, watch the way she summons things
Draht - Wire
Graf Garnat - Count Garnet - the stone that is part of the family amulet is a red garnet.
Kraft - Power, Strength
Sein - Being or Existence
Kanne - Container or pot
Lawine - Avalanche
Wirbel - Whirl or Vortex
Übel - Evil or Villain
Denken - Thinking
Land - Country
Richter - a reference to the founder of hte Richter Scale, the measure of earthquake intensity
Laufen - Runner
Ehre - Honor or Glory
Scharf - Sharp
Sense - Scythe
Genau - Exactly or Precisely
Falsch - Wrong or Mistaken
Lernen - Learn
Edel - Noble
Blei - Lead the metal
Dünste - Steamy or hazy
Ton - Sound or Tone
Länge - Length of time or duration
Methode - Method
Serie - Series, as in items in a group (a book series, for example) - obvious, given her encyclopedic memory and her offer of "privilege."
Notice that the way time is marked in the anime is based on Himmel's death (such as "20 years after the Death of Himmel the Hero.") It's not certain if this is universal or how Frieren marks her time.
Frieren recently toppled FullMetal Alchemist from the top spot on MyAnimeList (MAL), where it had sat for more than a decade. Both are praised for excellent characterization, complex and nuanced issues, delicate handling of plot, emotional intensity and touching sentimentalism.
Lastly, the series is named "Sousou no Frieren." While this has often been translated as "Frieren The Slayer" that is kind of inaccurate. "Sousou no" is the act of "sending off" as in a funeral. So while the manga title may be translated as "Frieren, the Final Farewell to the Dead" since that's more literary, the more precise translation is "Frieren the Undertaker." This has more than one meaning, but the two most common interpretations is that we learn that Elves in Frieren are essentially immortal, so Frieren will eventually "send off" all her non-elven friends. The second meaning is to "see someone off" is also a euphemism for killing and Frieren is first identified by a demon as the titular character in Episode 8.
Woa. While I welcome that, I’m not going to read it when it mentions other episodes! I haven’t seen the show and I really don’t want it spoiled.
Please be mindful that I am only this many episodes in and I really don’t want any information outside of what is already there.
People have been really kind to not spoil it, and I would hate to not read comments because someone spoils the show.
Also don't diss my boy Heiter, he is the best priest boi
the most corrupt :P
I would cut down on the amount of frame zooming and repositioning in your editing. It can be quite disorienting.
I don’t find that to be the case, but you’ll likely enjoy my next video that’s less edited. (Means less editing for me sooo)
Minics are great for styling hair.
It was only a mere first episode so why...
I noticed, but I would have been better if CR made it a mega ep
watch the english dub. even if you don't react to it. it's the only dub i've seen where they actually nailed the pronounciation of everybody's name and locations in a way japanese physically can't. but the japanese VA were also fantastic to be fair. it's an anime worth sticking with. it blew my mind.
I do go back and watch everything dubbed, I love to see the difference between the VAs 🫶🏻
The English dub is very good. Mallorie Rodak does a great job voicing Frieren. And the other characters are quite good as well.
I'm glad to see its held in such high regard!
As many have said, and you noticed yourself, the names are all German.
Knowing what the names mean can have a lot of added value... Just watch for how often we get shots of the sky or Frieren framed against the sky, showing that Himmel is symbolically with her as the show goes on.
There is a German RUclipsr, Storieswithstyle, who has a lovely video going into the names (people, places, spells) used in the anime up to episode 16. It is very much worth watching, and each name is timestamped.
Ooooh. I’ll come back to this once I have watched the series
@@PixxiesPlanetdefinitely don't watch it before finishing episode 16 because of spoilers 😊
you talk too much
I talk too much *for you*
If you want to watch it without the talking maybe watch it on alone