The popular Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End anime series was described as the “future of fantasy” by The Hindu, one of India’s biggest newspapers by readership. Featured on their site and physically distributed versions, the series was praised as challenging “the reign of high fantasy stalwarts with a moving meditation on mortality and companionship.” Readers can check out an image of the editorial below: 5uu6c
According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations in India, which audits the readership numbers of member publications, The Hindu was in the top 10 most-read publications in India, circulating over 1 million copies daily (2019). The Hindu highlights Frieren in 4 ways, dethroning Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood on MyAnimeList, the world’s biggest anime database by anime count, subverting immortality and time, as highlighted in Anime Corner’s review of the Frieren finale.
It’s not rare for anime to feature in Japanese newspapers. Yomiuri Shimbun, doubling as one of Japan and the world’s biggest newspapers recently celebrated My Hero Academia breaking 100 million copies in circulation. Similarly, the release of Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 25 saw fellow newspaper giant Asahi Shimbun debut a Sukuna-themed front page, while Gojo headlined Yomiuri’s version in a t collaboration.
Nevertheless, featuring internationally in The Hindu is a testament to anime’s global appeal. Released on Crunchyroll, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End seems to have been one of 2023 and 2024’s major ambassadors of anime in India; Crunchyroll CEO Rahul Purini recently said to Forbes Japan that they were seeing the great potential there after officially entering India in 2022.
While not announced, many expect anime, which saw manga sales double makes the anime return a near-eventuality.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End was directed by Keiichiro Saito, with the screenplay by Tomohiro Suzuki and music by Evan Call. Anime Corner had the pleasure of interviewing Call on his beginnings, inspirations, and career prior to Frieren‘s premiere. Crunchyroll describes the series:
After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations , and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity’s mortality. She takes on a new apprentice and promises to fulfill old friends’ dying wishes. Can an elven mind make peace with the nature of life and death? Frieren embarks on her quest to find out.
Source: The Hindu, via X (formerly Twitter)
© Yamada Kanehito, Abe Tsukasa /Shogakukan / “Sousou no Frieren” Production Committee