Hmmm, not sure about that. Kraft left his mark on the world way before Frieren (who mostly stayed isolated and alone before Himmel). So it would make sense that his statues would be way older.
@@intrinsicstar2108 While you are accurate on the whole statue part, Kraft could easily just have done things during the 1000 years Frieren was doing basically nothing until she met Himmel. Ep 11, 18:46, Kraft litterally says to Frieren, "You're young." Kraft is older enough compared to Frieren that he can talk down to her regarding age, like how a middle aged person could talk to a young adult, now add on to that the way Elves percive time in this series and it's not a streach that Kraft might be 1500~3000 years old, or maybe even more, who knows.
Kraft being a monk really nicely ties into how faith is a counter to nihilism. He's been on the same journey that Frieren is on right now and found an answer that really tugs at the desire to make some kind of difference with your life: time will forget. The story shows that it's true, even an ancient like Frieren has no idea of his accomplishments, yet also incorrect. His actions as a hero in the past, whatever they were, have had an effect on how the world progressed and continues to progress. People might not know anything about the great-great-grandma of Jerry Siegel, but like the meme of the giant dominoes, her existence has a direct genetic line leading to the creation of Superman, which has inspired and will inspire millions if not billions of people long after Superman as an intellectual property fades into the irrelevancy of public domain. It's not just standing on the shoulders of giants, the giants stand on the shoulders of the countless, nameless people's efforts that granted them the opportunity to be as influential as they were, some of which may well have been giants themselves. A proverbial giant like Kraft is in the strange place where he should, by all rights, never be forgotten. Being immortal he could always just remind people of what happened, but that's not how elves roll in this world. Prestige is fleeting, no matter how much convenience it buys you. The curse of celebrity is that eventually what was done in the past is replaced with the skepticism of capability for what will be done in the present or the future. But despite all of that, Kraft remains a good person, having faith that while his actions may be forgotten, the ripples of effect are nigh-impossible to stop. It also contrasts with Serie who is in a sense faithless, finding it perplexing that she still feels the need to care for and teach others. Serie is effectively a deity of magic as far as raw might and experience is concerned, which grants her not prestige, but reverence. She doesn't need to remind people of her capability because it's readily apparent to every mage that exists in the same room as her. Despite that, she's weighed down by by the ennui that no human mage could come close to a sneeze of what she's capable of, and the only other elf mage anyone gives a hoot about doesn't have a mindset to push those boundaries in a satisfying way. No matter what actions she takes, nothing will change, yet against her own nihilistic rationality she continues to try because of emotional needs that she doesn't fully understand even after all of this time. Both devote their time to something in an attempt to escape the entropy that surrounds them, both have infinite time to make a difference. However, Serie is actively trying to foster change to prove it's possible, while Kraft knows that all change is beyond his control and has already begun.
Amazing review, this is exactly why this show is soo dense and mature! I mean, young folks will really like the show even with The slow pacing but Man if you have any degree or are a person who had any study about philosophy, teology or humans in general (even the coach ones) this show blow yp your mind how dense and amazing he is. The holy bible of New generation
I love the detail of Kraft originally having been a warrior who then became a monk to carry on the work and legacy of his long dead and forgotten friend, who was a priest.
I love that Kraft calls out frieren. "What ELSE have you done" because in all honesty, shes been alive for more than a millenia and basically just done one thing. And you get the sense that EVERY elf has helped save the world at one point or another.
Well, every elf still alive has, since every elf still alive would have had to escape the Demon King's army trying to wipe them out. They were kind of forced to interact with the world and help save it at different points. Those that helped save the world before the Demon King would be the most likely to survive the purge. The normal everyday elves would die as her village did. The strong were the ones left and yeah a strong elf has likely been a hero at some point.
Even more than that, she hasn't visibly aged a day in the last thousand years. So, presumably, she's at least 10,000 years old and yet _still_ only has one notable accomplishment aside from her general magical prowess, which we learn later isn't actually that impressive when measured against her age-group peers. What's more, until we meet Kraft and see that elves do have an "adult" state, it's easy to assume that elves live as eternal children and Frieren looks as old as she's ever going to. But then Kraft looks at her, hears her tell her story, and goes, "oh, damn, I forgot you were so young," and it's just like...oh. OH. Elves really do see time different, if someone who's probably seen a dozen millennia is "young and inexperienced." And what's more, suddenly Frieren's general teenaged behavior makes sooo much more sense. She's not just some eccentric old crone who doesn't age and picked up odd habits over the years, she's acting like a lazy teenager because she _literally is one._
What really brought Krafts age foreward to me was when he asked what Frieren did. When he wa answered by Fern, that she was part of Himmels legendary party, he only replied "And before that?". That was an "oh Shit" Moment to me.
Even better is how we know the answer to it already, so we know _exactly_ how hard that question hits Frieren. She wasn't preparing, or training, or any of that. Not over the last 1000 years, anyway. She was just...vibing. Existing in the background of history, rarely bothering to interact with anyone for anything and secretly loathing herself for it. And then she gets asked that question and...oh boy. It has an answer, but we both know it and know that Frieren _really_ doesn't want to talk about it.
Also, some nice subtle storytelling in regards to Kraft’s character from the little we know about him: He was a warrior who fought alongside a Priest, and now he’s a monk. Perhaps, this companionship had a lasting impact on his life given to change in class
Episode 11 - is one of those episodes I came to appreciate more upon reflection. I rarely see an anime or manga provide a nuanced perspective of personal faith such as this. Typically, especially in Isekai, religious characters are more constructed from tropes with very little to say on the actual nature of their faith. The fact that Heiter, Kraft, and later Sein are all pretty distinct characters despite being in this setting's clergy is itself remarkable, and that none of them are overbearing in their devotion even more so. Kraft dealing with his eternal isolation through belief in the Goddess is such a bittersweet concept, and it really shows how Elves really need a Thing to motivate themselves with -- for Serie it was magic, for Kraft it's become his religion, and Frieren... has momentarily lost her raison d'etre after killing the Demon King.
No, frieren never lost her cause cause Demon king was never her cause. Remember flamme said she is mage of peace era , she even rejected serie's spell .
exactly, so many fantasy (both Western and not) either goes with a bland reskin of Catholicism (maybe maybe Islam) or just some bizarre cult that makes everyone in it look stupid or fanatical
Finally, Someone talks about Kraft's character! He's so cool. Loved how his cope for the loneliness of longevity was to turn to religion whole heartedly. It just seemed like a unique choice to give a character like his and Frieren's. It was also a direct juxtaposition to Frieren's own jaded beliefs, which were shaped by her Longevity and experiences.
The embodiment of "Live, like there's always tomorrow Pray, like there's no tomorrow." The original quote was meant for human who only have a short lifetime to balance both enjoy their short lived life while having unwavering faith. But for Kraft, it has different meaning. He enjoyed life, had his adventure in times long forgotten, and to balance it, he used his remaining lifetime to faith.
One of my favorite things about this show is that it doesn't go out of its way to tell you the lore and history of the world, because it doesn't matter in the context of the journey the characters are on. We know as much about the world as the characters do, and realistically, that would need to be very little because they're not playing politics nor are they historians. They're just on a journey.
Meeting Kraft and hearing his story made me quite melancholic and emotional at the end. He had great adventures, met awesome friends and companions, was a hero who statues were made for and now this is all lost in time, except for himself 😢 And this might also be a glimpse into Frierens future. People now still know about the heros party and that they defeated the Demon King. But what about in a 100 years, or 500 or a 1000. She'll be the only one around, too, and this is so sad. But also what depth really means.
To me, I can’t really put it into words but the vibe of Frieren is just perfect for me. The way they blend the cinematography, soundtrack, and dialogue together really adds to it.
Spoilers for the first season of the anime in this comment. I had a thought, and I figured I would run it by the creator of this video because I wondered what he would say about it. It was played off as a gag, but I wonder if Fern picked the "laundry" spell she earned from becoming a first-class mage because previously a demon used the blood on her clothing to track her. Like if she had that spell then, it would have never been a problem.
I think it can be a little bit of both her learning to appreciate more mundane and silly spells from Frieren and going for something that genuinely brings her joy, and also because of the practicality it brings due to both their traveling as they may not need to stop as often to clean off their clothes, but it can also help them rid off smells and substances that would detract them.
@@ThyFloorestFloor As it stands, it is only a theory, but given how Frieren thinks about magic, I expect Fern to be very much the same. That is abundantly clear in Fern's interactions with Serie. This video series talks a little about it; for all the mundane magic Frieren knows, there seems to be a reason why she would seek out that specific spell, whether it be deep or equally mundane. For all their differences, we learn by the end of the anime that Fern's feelings on magic reflect Frieren's. So I can easily picture her picking, from all the spells in the world, one that saves on travel time and expenses. With all of that said, I was wondering if there was a deeper reason Fern would narrow it down to washing clothes, and that was the connection I made.
The dragon cut that you focused on in this video was animated by the phenomenal chris (or Yen_BM). He is a newer-ish animator in the industry who has recently blown up due to his incredible yutapon inspired fusion of old and new yutapon styles. Most of his best and biggest works are his highlight animator features on One Piece, and like many web-gen animators, he has big connections with team go and the seshimo line at mappa. Specifically csm, with one jjk appearance (on 2x17, who could have guessed). As a yutapon inspired animator, I cant imagine what it was like to work on a action scene with the man himself, and so many of the best in the industry right now. Frieren's ability to get the best on board rivals jjk, in every better way. Chris has a channel here on youtube where he upload his production materials, please go subscribe to him.
I tried to find people talking about the animation and I came across a video where it sounds like the showrunner was able to recruit a bunch of legends on short notice. This show has a magical feeling about it - one of those things that just HAS to happen.
I wonder how did you find all these interesting thing about frieren. then when you talking about it make me realize how amazing this show is. meanwhile I find other channels (especially in my country) can just say it's good or bad, then comparing it with other shows and that's about it. and this is one of the reasone why I love your channel, it just feels different, refreshing and most importantly it feels more personal.
Never have I had a series pull me in such a way that after binging the entire Frieren manga in one sitting, I wanted to start all over again. There is so much soul to the writing of the stories of these characters, the slow pace not only has a nice contrast to the action, but also gives so much spotlight to the depth of these people. The subtlety, and the confidence behind that subtlety. Loneliness, solitude, isolation, and how they interact with love as an emotion, not necessarily in the romantic aspect, but the humanity of it all, the appreciation, the longing - love for "being." It's a show that uses time to hurt us, but also, it's a show that also uses that pain to bring a warmth that sinks, and stays, and makes you wish to return to that warmth, just like the characters in the story.
one of the things i love the most about how subtle ways frieren carries herself is that her penchant for collecting spells and which ones we get to see her get all connect her to people she cares about or has encountered. its had subtle moments like when she gets a spell that makes grapes more sour connecting to eisen's favorite types of grapes, and its had more obvious moments like serie remembering all of the favorite spells from her past apprentices (which inadvertently links her with frieren and arguably fern). we think "oh, frieren's weird quirk and idle passion is collecting silly spells. weird how that seems so trivial and useless" but it really isnt when taken in the grand scheme of who frieren is and what story Frieren the anime is telling. From the fundamental aspects of the overarching theme of Frieren the story, the core value it brings is honoring and celebrating the small trivial actions and quirks about people and humanity. I think thats why, at least for me, it makes the anime so enjoyable and bittersweet and *human*. anyways, really enjoying this series of videos where you deep dive into the show, keep up the good work!
A relevant concept from game design: depth / complexity = elegance. In other words, complexity is the cost of depth, and elegance of design is about maximizing the exchange rate.
Wow, thank you! I now understand why some stories are deep. I had a shift of paradigm, my world got bigger thanks to you.I wish more people would get this understanding and talk more about it while discussing their favourite stories. I definitely will try to share this knowledge to as many people as I can. Love your voice and analysis by the way, it is so calming and satisfying. And also your game with words on screen, such a cool tool to help tell the story/present information.
You made me discover this show and Im very thankful for it. Now I can't shut up about it, and at the same time I try not to speak about the story because I don't want to condition or tease people, so that they can have the most pure and unbiased experience possible.
Im gonna cry. Something about Frieren (the show) combined with your videos summons feelings I once felt in the past, the thoughts and events causing said feelings being remembered once again. I never knew I forgot, I had already lost a significant part of me to time and questionable decisions... I don't know how to interpret the phenomenon of my hair standing on end-is it a call to action? Is it a sign that I should take a moment to reflect on the past? Sigh..
Absolutely incredible once again. I'm so glad I stumbled onto you! I adore your video essays and you've helped me to view a show I already loved with a new appreciation! Amazing work!!
My contribution to the tiny details is that how Frieren has clearly bared in mind the love for her friends in the spells she collects - the main one I noticed was how she collected a spell for making grapes sour , just how Eizen likes them.
First time watching your video,, have you already cover the hero of the south? That's another layer of deep, because there are other hero party other than Himmel's. Frieren's encounter with the hero of the south is amazing example.
Despite knowing nothing of his host its amazing how within seconds of meeting Kraft, Stark manages to address the hope and fear that drives this egnimatic elf by acknowledging his hard work in maintaining his diciplined lifestyle as well as impliing that Kraft must be famous. Its only towards the end of the episode that explains why Kraft chooses to have faith in the godess, that his works are remembered and his existence has meaning. Its no wonder Stark is beloved by the common people as sort of awkward social savant.
Frieren is a show of "they didn't have to animate this but they did anyways" and it elevates the whole package a lot, adding to it and pulling you in without being a distraction.
"All the people who remembered my great deeds died hundreds of years ago." Kraft is one of the most tragic characters in the series, but I sympathize with him and understand why he can smile. He's learned that you keep moving forward, take life as it comes, celebrate the good in your life, and let the bad parts of your life shape you into something better, moving you to a better place. Kraft isn't bitter, but it's obvious that part of him does lament that his good deeds are forgotten. So he does more good as a monk, and helps more people along the way. It's not about making a name for himself again, but about helping where he can and having something to do for himself and others. Kraft's perspective and story ISN'T nihilistic. His deeds DO matter, even if they're not remembered. I actually find Kraft to be a very hopeful and positive character because he's picked himself back up and found a new purpose.
“Sic transit gloria mundi”, is the main theme behind Kraft’s and Frieren’s life’s as elf’s. It’s what they say to a new pope when they anoint them. I wonder if the pope cloak she sports was an intentional detail.
Animator here. It's very common practice to animate 2 different subjects on different frame rates. Each movement may need different timings to look convincing. The only reason to sync them up is if they interact with each other like the fox and the snow
One concept I like alot with Frieren, which also hammered in Jujutsu Kaisen, is how humanoid creatures like demons and curses have their own nature, one that they never fail to follow. Even as much as we human try to see them as our own, to relate to them, because they mimic us, but both these shows, makes it clear that these beings are not human, do not follow our morals or ethics. Its also very close to how humans tend to humanize gods or God, instead of understanding those beings or Being's nature.
I appreciate your analysis and hope things go well for you. There is a key point it think is sometimes missed, Frieren was incredibly young and damaged when Flamme recused her..Flamme a child orphan rescued her raised her, isolated her, and gave her life mission. The language in the first episode makes Frieren a little over 1000 a thousand years later. She thought she had missed her chance to do anything. As an order she flew under the radar trained and left no mark on history until, she in an act of kindness rescued an orphaned and scared Himmel in the woods. That act of kindness set Himmel on the path of doing random acts of kindness that he would do to his death. She was alone and the only people who she knew and were family including her master had died 1000 years ago. Himmel then tried to show the world the kindness that she inspired and never doubted what she was under the detachment she created to protect her emotions. Himmel then changed Heiter and Eisen through his life and inspired them and everyone to pass it along. When the hero’s party was so overjoyed by her creation of a field of flowers , a spell she was told was important, but useless, she set upon the chasing of spells to bring joy to others. She didn’t really know how important it was to her, but all the reason for everything she did till she met fern was to bring happiness to those who mattered to her. It’s only revealed in the manga later, that she takes whatever garbage the people can offer so that the people dont feel endeared to her, another thing Himmel showed her. She has very few vices but bringing happiness to those that matter to her is her biggest. Kraft the monk ever still refers to her as not very old. She is still a child trying to figure out the world, and why people who think she is a mother to Fern I believe are wrong. She is a sister, family and in her world adopted family is more important because like friends you choose to spend you life with them. She was very slow in her beginning travels with Fern to protect her and train her before they did anything dangerous. Fern thinks its because its because she is easily distracted, but she needed to wait till Fern was ready to handle things. Fern was so overjoyed by her prepared that to fight that when she went to fight Aura , fern destroyed with little effort a demon. Frieren still follows her old masters wished by trying not to leave a mark and asks for no special favor or attention at any time to leave no mark on the world. Please continue your fine work and analysis is most enjoyable. I hopes some of my perspectives bring some minor amount of mirth and insight to a show that will clearly grow in its ability to bring enjoyment to a larger audience
One of the things I really like about Frieren is how it sets the story within the greater world and timeline in that the characters and their adventures are only one small part of it. Frieren and the Hero's Party's defeat of the Demon King might be the most momentous event of their age, and in other stories might be the sole focus, but here its show to be just one of may tales. I love the inclusion of Kraft, the forgotten hero... and the Hero's Sword (the real one, not Himmel's) which, while mistaken as being part of the Demon King story by people of the time, actually seems to belong to some completely different tale yet to be told.
Amazing video as always. . Unrelated topic. For me, Kraft is the most realistic (hopefully not) ship for Frieren because of how both their similar circumstances can become a core anchor for them to be close, Kraft already experienced being forgotten, Frieren is just experiencing that, and the fact that in the entire series, Kraft is the only other Elf we've seen (even in Manga) the two of them may or may not be the only Elves left after the Demon King annihilated most of them, but there will be a time, no matter how long it takes, that both of them longs for more Elf to interact and relate with. Not me shipping them but it's just one of my useless thought I would want others to know...
Went it blind to this anime, instantly loved it. Felt fresh, story was great for me and when action was involved it did not disappoint. Easily 10/10 from me
thank you for teaching me about 1s 2s and 3s. background is three, whatshisname and the ground are 2s and the dragon/snake is 1s. seen the show forgot names and stuff. but god damn, more studios need to learn this. frieren is on of my top 5 probably.
and I dont even like slice of life. but its like fantasy slice of life, it wont be your life, but Its cool to see the life of a basically immortal elf and the struggles they feel after the big boss is already beaten. and the struggles they face, like oh you have to be a certified first class mage to go here, slice of their life, but the level of importance implied through what they show makes it suspenseful. if anything frieren keeps the plot VERY shallow, so that it can DIVE into every other aspect and make it interesting. whats her goal, what are there goals? defeat a demon king? been done already, plot is basically they on a journey. and it dives into every aspect of that and I love it. its not about the destination, its about the journey kinda feel
This is the first video I've seen mentioning the depth of Frieren's animation. Frieren uses three layers of depth in many of its scenes compared to many other animations: foreground, middle ground (mostly where the director wants the viewer to focus on and where the action happens), and the background. However, the anime switches between the three depths (layers) to change the viewer's focus for a more dynamic experience. When compared to other anime, you'll see less dynamic shots that consist of mostly foreground and background.
Sorry to be that guy, but its not purpouses. Its purposes .... No, wait, maybe its purpuos... no, purporous, wait, maybe poroupuses ? Sigh, go ask google then, until then i will stay with poropousouses.
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Im so happy you talked about kraft! I love the guy fr! I cant wait for Madhouse to animate my favorite Villain in the series so far MACHT!!!!!!!!!!!
So many people simply missed the profound significance of Kraft as a reference tool. I was seriously in awe knowing Friene will love so long that everything about the existence of all these towns, citidales, will one day be forgotten The long life of these elves is a blessing and a curse at the same time.. Ou were right, this human world is not meant for the elves Go read “high elf with a long life”
I know everyone that writes struggles with seeing things that inspire them and feeling like they can't compare/keep up. One thing I've been wondering a lot and finding difficulty in though that's kind of adjacent is planning for my next D&D campaign. There's so many interesting things I see in stories I want to draw inspiration from, but it's also such a different kind of writing when you don't have control over the main characters. Idk if you have any experience with this kind of thing, but I think it would be fascinating to compare the stories of something like Frieren to Critical Role, Dimension 20, or even just a random d&d campaign not done by professional actors.
8:18 I hope this isn't nitpicking, but I think given the story's focus on time, age, etc. It's important to note that Frieren isn't thousands of years old. Her calling herself "over a thousand" and noting the thousand years she spent suppressing her mana was "most" of her life means she is substantially less than two thousand years old. Though on that same note, later revelations in the series suggest Kraft's own adventure was less than two thousand years ago. SPOILERS The statue of his partner is recognized as a member of the priest class and holds a copy of the scriptures. Yet the scriptures that enable this class to exist are "only" 1,600 years old, meaning the adventure must have happened no longer ago than that.
I’m worried that characters like Kraft and Sein are just being written off, bc despite how well Frieren’s story is, it’s very much being made as it goes along
Id argue they dont need to be fully explored. When you meet pwople in real life you know they have had an entire life before they met you, but you dont need to know thier entire back story. Its enough that the characters in frieren feel like characters, instead of tools to drive the plot along.
It just show how tragic and beautiful the story is. He WAS the hero of legend, and now not even frieren knows about him. Just like irl, it is what it is.
i think in that dragon fight scene the fact that the different parts run not synced to eachother is what made me feel like its such an ugly animated scene at first i thought it was cgi because it looked so offputting and now that you mentioned it i think the off set animation is what makes me feel this way because when you split them to show only the different parts each individual part looked beautifully animated and smooth but when put together it felt horrible
