{"id":2821,"date":"2020-11-02T22:00:56","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T13:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/?p=2821"},"modified":"2020-11-01T23:01:49","modified_gmt":"2020-11-01T14:01:49","slug":"frieren-at-the-funeral-is-the-best-manga-of-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/02\/frieren-at-the-funeral-is-the-best-manga-of-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Frieren at the Funeral<\/i> is the Best Manga of 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

These days, I read a lot of manga. Sometimes it\u2019s to prepare for an upcoming anime season<\/a>. Sometimes it\u2019s because of my need to consume every \u201creincarnated as a villainess<\/a>\u201d story out there. But every so often, I just pick something up based purely on the cover\u2014and it turns out to be better than I could have possibly imagined.<\/p>\n

At first glance Frieren at the Funeral<\/em> (Sousou no Frieren<\/em>) is nothing you haven\u2019t seen before. It\u2019s set in your typical high-fantasy world of swords and magic where an invading army of demons battles against mankind. Of course, as such stories go, a hero arises to push back the dark tide. However, he can\u2019t do it alone. He is joined by an intelligent, bespectacled human priest, an ax-wielding dwarf warrior, and a stoic elf sorceress.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u30a2\u30d9\u30c4\u30ab\u30b5<\/a> on Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\n

But this is not the story of the party of heroes and their battle to kill the Demon King. No, Frieren at the Funeral<\/em> is the story of what comes after\u2014as told through the eyes of Frieren, the party\u2019s immortal elf.<\/p>\n

When the party returns from its long, ten-year journey to defeat the Demon King and save the world, each member of the party goes their separate ways\u2014promising to come together once more to watch a meteor shower in 50 years\u2019 time. Himmel the hero retires in the capital. Heiter the priest eventually becomes a bishop. Eisen the Dwarf warrior returns to his home in the mountains. And as for Frieren, she travels the world learning new magics both big and small.<\/p>\n

Then, 50 years later, Frieren returns to find her companions noticeably older as they go on one final quest together and view the stars.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u30a2\u30d9\u30c4\u30ab\u30b5<\/a> on Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\n

Shortly after, Himmel passes away due to old age. At the grand funeral, she comes to realize something: while he viewed their time together as the most important of his life, she barely knew the man. In her immortal eyes, a decade together is no different than a day together. But all the same, she liked him. And with his death she feels a regret like none before\u2014regret that she didn\u2019t spend every moment of his short life at his side, getting to know him better.<\/p>\n

It is this moment\u2014this regret\u2014that changes her forever.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u30a2\u30d9\u30c4\u30ab\u30b5<\/a> on Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\n

At its heart, Frieren at the Funeral<\/em> is about Frieren\u2019s struggle with her own immortality\u2014the way it warps her view of time and her view of interpersonal relationships. No one, not even dwarfs or demons with centuries under their belts will live a fraction as long as she has. Spending three months looking for a flower? Six months cleaning a beach? Six years translating a book? This is but a speck of time to her\u2014a small favor she\u2019d be happy to grant. It\u2019s simply hard for her to understand the hurry at which others live their lives.<\/p>\n

And this is why personal relationships are so hard for her. To her they are ephemeral things\u2014here one moment, gone the next. But with Himmel\u2019s death, she gets the first inkling of how precious such relationships are. This manga is the story of her struggling to understand the friendships she had\u2014that she didn\u2019t even realize she had until it was already too late.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the underlying melancholy of the whole thing\u2014her slowly but surely understanding what she once had, long after she\u2019s lost it. However, this is also where the joy in the story comes from. The true tragedy would have been if she had never realized what she had had at all. Because with enough time, there is always the chance to try again\u2014to make new relationships to cherish.<\/p>\n