Summary
- Frieren anime gained quick popularity with fans, despite doubts from some about its potential success.
- Weekly Shonen Sunday Editor-in-Chief had reservations about Frieren’s charm, but she became a beloved character.
- Frieren manga’s success may have been jeopardized if the main character’s personality had been altered to fit a different vision.
Frieren, the main character of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, might not have been as popular as she is today. The Frieren series quickly became very beloved, but not everyone believed in its potential and thought it would be as popular as it is right now.
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Weekly Shonen Sunday Editor-in-Chief was one of those people who did not think the series would go as far as it did.
Frieren’s Success Surprised Many
Weekly Shonen Sunday Editor In-Chief Thought The Series Wouldn’t Do As Well
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is an anime that first debuted with its first anime season not too long ago, in late 2023. This new anime was an instant hit with fans and gained popularity very quickly, as people fell for the main character, Frieren, an elven mage.
The manga itself started a few years earlier in 2020, and is still ongoing, even though the series is technically on a hiatus at the moment — something many fans are disappointed about. The series has been on hiatus since the end of 2024 with no return date in sight for now.
Nevertheless, fans are at least looking forward to the second season, which already has a release window confirmed.
While the anime is very successful, the Frieren manga could have taken a turn for the worse. The Frieren manga is the work of writer Kanehito Yamada and illustrator Tsukasa Abe, and their work could have been modified, as Weekly Shonen Sunday Editor In Chief, Kazunori Oshima, did not have high hopes for the series.
This is what he said:
Q: Mr. Oshima, when you saw the drafts and other materials before the serialization of “Frieren” began, did you have any premonition that it would be a hit?
Oshima: I didn’t foresee it would get this far… It was already very interesting at the planning stage, but when I was writing my thoughts on the serialization project, I said, “I wish the elves were a bit more charming,” which is a really off-base comment considering how popular Frieren is now (laughs). I think Ogura must have thought, “Are you kidding me?”
Seemingly, Oshima’s biggest issue seems to be with Frieren’s character herself, who he felt was not charming enough. Frieren, however, became the most popular character of her series, and is widely beloved in general.
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That’s, in a huge way, thanks to her attitude. Had her personality been modified to fit Oshima’s vision, the Frieren series might have never taken off like it has today, and possibly flopped.
Where To Watch Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End?
The Series Is Available To Watch on Crunchyroll
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End quickly became one of the biggest series of the last few years, and for a good reason. The story and characters resonated with many fans, and the series will only grow in popularity once its second season drops, and when its manga finally returns. For now, fans of Frieren can rewatch the first anime season, and people who haven’t given this series a chance yet can check it out with all episodes available on Crunchyroll.