I bet Frieren has a spell to stifle allergies.

The first four episodes of Sousou no Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, alternatively, Frieren at the Funeral) released simultaneously. These sorts of drops (and extended-length first episodes) seem more common recently, but the first four Frieren episodes break at natural points in the story, so they should be digestible for busy viewers trying to find time to watch them all. I suppose that's appropriate, as Frieren is very much about how people use the time they have, after all.

That's nice luggage, but it's less convenient than a rucksack.

As an elf, Frieren measures time on an entirely different scale than her human companions. For her, the 10-year adventure her party completes at the start of the story disappeared in a flash, as did the subsequent decades. I've been enjoying the ongoing manga's portrayal of how Frieren forces herself to value moments that she would normally regard as ephemeral. Through four episodes, the anime captures this mood perfectly. It's also beautifully animated. Naturally, I'm looking forward to the rest of its planned two-cours (not even split cours!) run. Don't get a lot of those anymore.

Do your homework, Fern.

Fans of the Frieren manga have a lot to enjoy here, but what about newcomers unfamiliar with the source material? What can they expect? Aside from its different perspective on the otherwise familiar "defeat a demon lord" story, I also like its portrayal of magic as a discipline to be studied, taught, and improved upon from academic and engineering standpoints. At the same time, Frieren's hobby of collecting quirky (occasionally useless) spells is also endearing.

They fly now.

There's a recurring question in the series concerning the enjoyment of magic for its own sake. I appreciate that Sousou no Frieren includes this aspect alongside its depiction of magic as a vehicle for work, and as a weapon. Honestly, there's a lot to like in this series. I can't claim there's something for everyone, and perhaps not all viewers will enjoy it as much as I do, but I do recommend spending time with it.

I don't mention Witch Gundam until the end.

I started out thinking about doing a "Best Anime of 2023" summary, considered a "Favorite Anime of 2023" post would be better instead, then briefly contemplated an "Underrated Anime of 2023" write-up next before settling on just highlighting a few series I enjoyed without constraining myself to any particular category. And here we are. Don't be afraid of your freedom.

This is the face Anna makes when she overhears people speaking from the heart.

Foremost is BokuYaba (Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu | The Dangers in My Heart), which I'm front-loading because its second season begins on January 7th. Get on it, if you haven't already. This has been a hard sell on occasion because summaries describing it are so misleading. The irony is not lost on me that a series I praise for its authenticity deceives the audience at the outset with misdirection. As I've previously advised, Kyoutarou is not an "edgelord," he's a cringelord. BokuYaba is about the mistakes that occur when people make bad assumptions about themselves and others. Likewise, it's a mistake to make assumptions about BokuYaba.

MVP.

Second, I got to BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! late, but better late than never, eh. I had initially written it off as some sort of Cute Girls Doing Cute Thing show cobbled together as a vehicle for yuri 'shipping, but it turns out to be about DRAMA. Probably, technically, it's melodrama, but that bit when Best Girl Rāna starts backing up the singer (whose pockets may still be filled with rolly pollies) while she's forcing herself to bleed out on stage instead of packing up so everyone can get the Hell out of there? And then Rāna seamlessly transitions to The Forbidden Song that causes the Begging Bassist to go completely mental as The Quitter quits the venue and nearly banishes herself from the hero's party by piling down some stairs? That is some Good Shit right there.

Especially if the entire story includes telescopic sex.

Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia (Insomniacs After School) was a lot better than I was expecting. It's not much of a stretch to imagine a couple of teenagers who spend a lot of time napping together might also fall in love, so, spoilers, I guess. Mostly I'm glad neither of them tragically dropped dead at the end of the anime or some bullshit like that. The manga did end recently, but the U.S. release is still 10 volumes behind, so I'm on the fence about reading it before it's caught up, considering how many other titles I'm still following. What they ought to do is make more of the anime and cover the entire story.

Not one Like!

The IDOLM@STER Million Live! was entirely too short considering how many idols it featured, but at least we got an Umi episode. If y'all ain't heard, I do love me some Umimi.

I enjoyed how nonchalantly Frieren made this decision.

Beyond this list, there are a lot of really good shows that I watched in 2023 that you probably already know about. Like, is it necessary to say I'm enjoying Sousou no Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End), or that Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury) was fuckin' great? The former is hugely popular and is continuing into the Winter 2024 anime season, and the latter is frickin' Gundam, so it's not as if anyone is going to forget about it. I certainly won't. Honestly, there is entirely too much capital-G Good anime each year, and 2024 doesn't seem as if it will be any different.

Don't hurt him. He's just a child.

After 21 episodes, I presume most viewers have noticed Sousou no Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End) adopts understated, laid-back approaches to most of its tasks and conflicts. Neither Frieren nor Fern tend to get particularly excited about anything, even during life-and-death struggles. Only Stark's occasionally quavering voice externally reveals much anxiety, typically from stifling his despair over companions who don't seem outwardly concerned about their shared predicaments. Fern, in particular, has come a long way from the terrified girl fleeing from her first violent encounter (against an scary monster that she can—and does—easily defeat). Now she displays no emotion as she uses "boring" attacks to dispatch a fellow mage (without even harming her).

Maybe you'll find a grimoire containing umbrella magic.

I presume not everyone enjoys the tone or nature of these fights, particularly if there's an expectation for something more dramatic than waiting for Chekhov's Rainfall to finally factor in as a decisive tide-turning element. However, given the unflagging popularity of the Frieren anime (and manga), I have to assume I'm not alone in relishing extended moments where Frieren simply stares as she patiently waits for her opponent to fuck up. It's fitting for someone who has all the time in the world.