Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Absolute Cinema!

This is a special, special show, it affected me in ways I never have been affected before, it made me nostalgic for memories that aren't mine and experiences that aren't real, it drew me in 100%. I'm not as taken in by the Himmel stuff as others but everything else hit the mark, Frieren is a wonderful character that does immortality right, the fern and stark romance works well, and the side-characters are all memorable in their own way. And by God, it looks amazing and has great direction. It is also a very feminine show, addressing traditionally feminine emotional themes and not focusing on masculine coded behaviours like strength, violence and glory, it's pretty cool to see an anime approaching fantasy from that mature untypical angle. A modern classic that will deservedly be in the top 10 anime of the 2020s.

This show teaches us to value the small momemts we have with those we love. Life is long, but it's also short. When you look back on your life, you are unlikely to first think to the grand achievements, but rather to the memories and connections made along the way. Those are what we cherish most. My favourite part of the show is the range of emotions it can make you feel, even within a single episode. You can mourn a loss, savor daily life, appreciate the beauty of 'useless' things, and get hyped up by an epic fight scene within just 25 minutes.