Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Reveals Its Original Story Pitch

Frieren's original pitch was meant to be a far different take on the magical world.

By Evan Valentine

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End has been a big mover and shaker in the anime world since Studio Madhouse introduced the character and her journey to learn more about the world around her. Thanks to the titular elf's long-lasting life, she has come to realize that she needs to know more about humanity and approach her days differently. While the series became a heartfelt exploration of mortality, the original pitch for Frieren: Beyond Journey's End was set to be far different as explained by Shonen editor-in-chief Ooshima Kazunori.

During a recent interview, Kazunori discussed the original manga's origins while also dissecting how the series almost was far different from what we would come to know, "The plan for Frieren was submitted to the editorial department in 2019. Yamada-sensei, who has already had two serialized works, said in the initial meeting with his editor that, "Let's go with a gag story about a hero and a demon king!"  

frieren.jpg
(Photo: Madhouse)

Frieren's Introduction Changed The Game

Ooshima then described how the opening story of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End struck such an emotional chord that the meat of the story changed as a result, "However, the name that came up was the story that you all have seen, about a long-lived magician elf who, after losing a human hero, realizes the difference in the time axis of the two races and sets out on a journey to learn about humans, and it was an emotional first episode. Abe-sensei also read the name carefully and said, "It's a very beautiful story." 

If you want to catch up on Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, the first season is streaming on Crunchyroll. Here's how the streaming service describes the heartfelt anime tale, "Elf mage Frieren and her courageous fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. But Frieren will long outlive the rest of her former party. How will she come to understand what life means to the people around her? Decades after their victory, the funeral of one her friends confronts Frieren with her own near immortality. Frieren sets out to fulfill the last wishes of her comrades and finds herself beginning a new adventure..." 

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Want to see what the future holds for Frieren and her emotional quest? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the all the latest updates on the immortal elf.  

Via Oricon

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