"She will carry our memories into the future."
My favorite anime of last year (and maybe of all time??) Frieren: Beyond Journey's End takes several story tropes and subverts each one. The story begins after the heroes have defeated the evil demon king. The anime centers around Frieren (an immortal elven mage) traveling the world and visiting her cherished friends as they continue to age, all while training her apprentice, a human mage named Fern.
I've never related to a main character moreāshort and soft spoken with a monotone voice, responding to strangers questions with blunt straightforward answers, and a love for sleeping in. Watching Frieren grow to understand the value of friendships, and how to express that care and appreciation to those friends, was what kept me hooked early on.
The other main party members, Fern and Stark, initially appear to be anime character stereotypes (quick-tempered girl and shÅnen-hero boy). Thankfully, those assumptions quickly dissolve as you watch the group interact with one another and showcase more depth as they travel together (an inherently intimate experience IRL, let alone in a fantastical world). The worldbuilding is meticulously simpleāthe rules of magic are easy understand and the political landscape of the post-demon king world is easy to follow. The plot never feels overcomplicated even as the lore expands. Simultaneously heartwarming and heart wrenching, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End has only left me more wanting more ~
