Okay, perhaps the current arc isn’t, but you get the idea.
Summary:
- Some fans consider Frieren a slice-of-life anime.
- That sounds weird at first, but there are many similarities between it and other anime of the genre.
- Not all arcs of Frieren have slice of life elements, but the same can be said about action.
There are many reasons why fans love Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. It’s a great fantasy adventure series, it has great action — but it also has many relaxing and even melancholic parts.
It can be hard to shove Frieren into the limits of one genre — it can belong to pretty much any of them. A curious opinion of some fans is that the anime is actually a slice-of-life series. That may sound crazy, but it’s not a completely wrong idea.
How it might or might not be a slice-of-life series
The series follows a group of adventurers going on a journey, encountering various things on their path. These range from wildlife and silly side quests to actually dangerous enemies — it’s an example of an anime where the journey itself is a reward for the viewer. As such, it might as well be seen as a slice-of-life for the journeying party.
Most commonly, slice-of-life anime are associated with more realistic settings. They often involve school clubs and lack serious drama and action. They are still entertaining, however — a lot of them focus more on comedy. They can also feel relaxing and help you calm down in times of stress.
At first glance, Frieren seems to be the opposite. Especially the current arc, which is very action-heavy and has little to no calm, slice-of-life moments. That said, the anime can actually be perceived as a slice-of-life — a lot of the party’s adventures can be considered mundane for Frieren herself.
The anime also has a lot of relaxing moments, and the feeling of relaxation is commonly associated with the genre. Moreover, it focuses a lot on the relationships between the characters and the bonds they forge.
It’s as much slice-of-life as it is action
Even if the current arc of Frieren isn’t slice-of-life, the entire anime definitely has enough slice-of-life moments and elements to at least partly be considered one. After all, genre definitions are very flexible, and just because it doesn’t fit all the checkmarks and expectations doesn’t mean it’s not a part of the genre.
If many people consider Frieren an action series, despite multiple arcs featuring virtually no action, then why shouldn’t it be a slice-of-life series as well? It’s not like the two genres are fully incompatible. The anime belongs to multiple genres at once, and the idea of it being a slice-of-life might sound crazy, but it’s not as weird as you think.