Shounen Sousou no Frieren

Erinyes · Nov 15, 2020

Have started it since nomination round coz, i came across it once, and like Farf i thought it was an isekai :arf

just didnt pay attention to it, but after reading what Farf-cha and Asa-chan said, it picked my curiosity so started it, i only read a couple of chaps so far, interesting premises, and for some reasons,. art wise, it reminded me an anime my bro used to be watching (chronicles of Lodooss war, Mc looks similar to an elfe ive been seeing in the dvd jacket lol) but might be just the fantasy genre type of character ? will give my opinion later, i have not read enough yet, but pretty interesting start, i will try to catch up asap.

Riku · Nov 15, 2020

Chapter 11.

So the party is growing now. Not sure I like it. Stark is an curious character, but I kinda hoped the series would focus on the relationship of Frieren and Fern. Frieren is such a complex character, that I'm not sure if splitting the page time with more characters is a good thing.

Also, I'm not fond making fun of peoples looks or bodies. Fern lost a lot points from me. Actually that "You have small dick" part was very out of place for this series tone this far. Very disappointing.

Farfalla · Nov 15, 2020

Ustegius said:
Chapter 11.

So the party is growing now. Not sure I like it. Stark is an curious character, but I kinda hoped the series would focus on the relationship of Frieren and Fern. Frieren is such a complex character, that I'm not sure if splitting the page time with more characters is a good thing.

Also, I'm not fond making fun of peoples looks or bodies. Fern lost a lot points from me. Actually that "You have small dick" part was very out of place for this series tone this far. Very disappointing.

Yeah, Fern can be quite toxic, LOL. She went from rather stoic to kind of a negative person to me... seemed a bit out of place, since she was a survivor that valued the ones that helped her. On the other hand, I got curious about the animosity she has towards Stark. Maybe she's just territorial... Still not a great behaviour, but wondering what's behing it.

Copy Panda · Nov 18, 2020

Ooo Noona should add knights of sidonia to the voting list

Farfalla · Nov 18, 2020

Copy Panda said:
Ooo Noona should add knights of sidonia to the voting list

Pandu, you missed the [re]suggestion and the voting rounds c.c

Copy Panda · Nov 18, 2020

Nooo noona closed it too early

Farfalla · Nov 18, 2020

It's always the same durations ^^ next time I'll tag you harder

Zirconium · Nov 22, 2020

Story: I enjoy this manga a lot so far. Instead of the actual main story we get to see a plot that strongly reminds you of a sequel. I think that‘s what makes the premise new and refreshing. Furthermore, I agree with you guys about the heartwarming and wholesome chapters. There were times where I almost cried but I managed to hold back my tears so far, lol.

Characters: The characters are lovable. Foremost, the sisterly relationship between Frieren and Fern is sweet and adorable. Despite of their age differences Fern seems to be more mature and reasonable than Frieren most of the times though. Loved the chapter when Fern thought that Frieren would buy unnecessary stuff again. xD

Art style: It‘s pretty good. The color pages are amazing and I especially appreciate Frieren‘s character design.

Bible Black is my Bible · Nov 22, 2020

Hi, I'd like to join the group read.

Farfalla · Nov 23, 2020

Sure! We're currently reading Sousou no Frieren and we'll start a new round of series suggestions and selection on Dec 1st ^^

Bible Black is my Bible · Nov 23, 2020

Awesome! Idk if I have time to get totally caught up but I'll try to get a couple volumes in so I can discuss it a bit. My friend reccd it to me and I read a couple chapters, I really enjoyed it but then I got busy. As for the suggestions, how mature can they be? I just read an awesome but obscure romcom from the 80s that I wanted to suggest but it has a decent bit of sex in it.

Farfalla · Nov 23, 2020

Ah, reading only the first volume is enough for the discussions in here. People are free to read further and keep the comments coming, but the "pact" is only about the initial chapters^^ This works more like a recommendation and exchange corner. So based on what you said, you could participate alrdy!

About suggestions limits, some big series like Berserk has plenty of gore, nudity and sex (and well they're common topic in the forum). If we follow the forum rules and keep the thread content free of 18+ images and verbalization, it's fine o/

Lambu · Nov 25, 2020

Well, 3 am and I managed to read the first two volumes (Chapters 1 -17) :lmao

Will try to make the review as spoiler-free as possible for anyone that hasn't read that far. o/

The first thing that got my attention was the art. It carries that air of "depression", the type of structure with spaced events that you would see in the final chapter of a shonen manga and it goes really well with what it portrays: The End of a Journey.

It feels like to start reading the Lord of the Rings with the Gray Havens chapter. You feel like you should feel nostalgia , or even sad since the veil is covering the stage but you can't, because you dont hold memories of what transpired. Things happened, life goes on, thats all there is to it for us and our uncommon main character.

The Hero Himmel could easily be the typical isekai protagonist with character traits of a potato. Goodhearted, slightly pervy, very powerful and friendly. Eisen and Heiter being the colourful companions with quirky behaviour and Frieren closing that group as the stoic and overpowered 1000 years old loli.
One could look at a synopsis of an average LN and find these tropes with ease, but what this manga did was not to tell a story told a million times by now. It started with the epilogue/sequel/spinoff, showing characters at the end of their roads and moving away from the grand tale.

This is why the story holds such a nostalgic feeling, by following the immortal girl with the abnormally slow perception of time we can directly connect with Frieren's feelings towards her journey. "10 years, thats not much" readers will think the same since the events of those years are portrayed as an afterthought instead of a durable memory.
But that changes when Frieren starts another journey and goes to "re-live" those events. She starts to feel that nostalgia like humans do, she starts to cherish her memories, to appreciate bonds and the time spent creating them.

The main premise of this story is not about "moving on" from things past, its about remembering, to think fondly of your memories and hold them close to your heart. Just like you do in a funeral...
I have to say, the moment I realized what the author meant with the title I was very impressed. Reminded me a bit of Fumetsu no Anata e with the theme of immortality and its core idea behind the meaning of life.

So far the story has been very entertaining, following Frieren and Fern's relationship as the second grows up one can appreciate how they complement each other.
While Fern absorbs the vast knowledge of the elf and follows her teachings to become a good sorceress, Frieren sees things she faced before and deemed not worth her emotions and, upon the second glance, she manages to understand the meaning behind what they did, what Himmel and the others meant each time and how much she misses them now that she knows.

Then comes Stark that represents the observation of a cherished person's legacy. How many of us look at the baby of a good friend and when it grows up you see how they became good men or women? Dont we feel a tint of pride and joy? Isn't that the concept behind godfather/mothers?
We share just a tiny bit of the success of our loved ones, because we cherish those people we will also cherish their afterglow. Frieren experiences just this when looking at Stark and I can't wait to see their relationship develop.

Same with Fern, her and Stark are the future, the seeds of two great people with different teachings, ideals and personalities.
Of course this only leaves room for occasional disagreement, prickly banters and subsequent arguments. They are vastly different but their goals are essentially the same: to become someone in that world and make your protectors proud. That goal keeps them together and will deepen their relationship with the passing of time.

Even with the lighthearted comedy, the tone of this series is dark and doesn't cut short when it comes to depict grotesque scenarios, manipulation, gore and death.

The enemies in that world, the Demons, are something terrifying. Not in the sense of dangerous, even if they are, but in the sense of intelligent minds that live and strive for pain and deception. True evil, something with which you can't possibly co-exist.
I was rather relieved to see the classic depiction of demons instead of the now overused trope of the "misunderstood" victims of the world.

This time and age tends to teach us that you are free to do, go and become what you please and that your individuality is to be preserved over anything else.
The perspective isn't wrong, but its definitely not correct in the real world either. We live subjected to morality and society in order co-exist and be accepted by other people, Law exists to enforce that order, and still there will always be people that dont follow those parameters.
Where does your right for individuality end? Does everyone truly deserve to be understood? One could argue that the concept of "evil" comes from the complete disdain towards anything but yourself and it takes its foundation from stepping onto anything in order to achive your desires.

That is a true Demon, a being that lives to deceive, kill and inflict any kind of damage with the sole reason of getting what you want. Most people tend to hate this kind of villains in literature because they remind us of the dark nature that humans have, but that is precisely why I like them. There really are times when you can't stand for something and there's no other way but to face it and stop it.

I guess I will wait just a little longer to read the third volume and see where it goes, very good sensations and a fantastic read.

Demonspeed · Dec 1, 2020

I just read the first chapter almost teared up. Is it normal or am I too soft? :scry

I really like the art.

Farfalla · Dec 1, 2020

About Sousou no Frieren... With the Manga Club, I started to search for les known series out of curiosity, and then I found this one last month. Nominated it, but before the voting ended, I had read 2 volumes already. It rly got me hooked, and I just devoured the first pages.

Imo, the first chapter is really strong and clever. That moment at the funeral when Frieren gets some sort of reality check was powerful and genuine to me. It set the context for the title of the series and the spirit behind it... Turned the series into a personal journey of reflection and self discovery - instead of an world adventure one.

I love the art. I like this clean but consistent style - rich in details when it matters. Things look like a mix of realistic and shonen-ish, and most of the characters have some sweetness in their appearance (which makes sense to me, since the current main party if of "young" people - Frieren doesn't look like a full grown person).

Tbh I also thought it would be some Isekai thing, but was hoping for a legit fantasy adventure like Record of Lodoss War. In the end, it has spice of life everywhere, and I really like how the fantasy comes as a background - people leading their lives in an RPG scenario. The slow pace is also fitting, made me think of Magus Bride (imo both series share lots of elements, with the setup and focus), which is a series I also enjoy a lot but that can feel tedious if you don't enjoy the journey.

Up until now, I like Frieren the most among the chars... She doesn't feel like that MC built to capture people's hearts, on the contrary, she starts as rather dull, but we get carried into her perspective and warm up to her, her development seems legit and engaging. I also like the bits we get about her former party, they seemed to be rather generic at first, specially Himmel, but when they get focus, they are all really charming (altho... Himmel indeed still needs to get there to me). Still waiting to see more about Stark, and I'm also fond of Fern. She's a more realistic character, with the good looks and often kind demeanor, but that can also be self centered and intolerant, displaying many layers like a regular common person, and not only a single face of good or bad character. She's the gray zone to me, it's subtle, and I appreciate that a lot.

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As the first one, this thread will remain here for whenever we'd like to discuss this series. If it gets active enough, we can promote it to a dedicate series space. Today I'll open the third round of the Manga Club, and we can nominate new gems to be checked. I'll be tagging you all in it :3

--- Double Post Merged, Dec 1, 2020, Original Post Date: Dec 1, 2020 ---

Demonspeed said:
I just read the first chapter almost teared up. Is it normal or am I too soft?

I really like the art.

To me that first chapter is amazing XD I didn't feel like crying so often as others seemed to, but that first one rly took me with defense down.

Demonspeed · Dec 10, 2020

Completed the first volume.

As I said already, I found the first chapter very powerful. And I am not sure if it makes sense to say this but it feels like the art fits perfectly with the tone of the story. I like how Frieren and her old party become more likeable via the flashbacks and what she realizes by reminiscing. Fern is a fine companion so far. But every time I see the "X years since Himmel's death" I can't help but think that the author will suddenly skip several years and we'll witness her death :biblethump

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--- Double Post Merged, Dec 1, 2020, Original Post Date: Dec 1, 2020 ---

Completed the second volume.

Didn't expect more action and stuff but it's not bad. Good to see that Eisen finally got more characterization, he was lacking compared to Himmel and Heiter. His disciple Stark is likeable as well. In all these stories, as basic as they seem at first I find that there is always a bit more. Really fond of the writing in this series.I guess the effects of puberty on Fern are finally visible :amuse