Has the arc outstayed its welcome?
Summary:
- Some fans feel that the current arc of the Frieren anime is weaker than the previous arcs.
- The most common complaint is that it’s too long and has too many characters to follow.
- Others feel that it’s a nice change of pace.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sousou no Frieren) has various arcs that are heavily different in tone. Some of them are more slow-paced and melancholic: others feature more action.
Most fans agree that both types of arcs are good, although not all of them share this opinion. While modern anime fans usually want action above everything else, the First-Class Mage Exam arc definitely has some problems.
The arc is too bloated
Now, it’s not like the arc is bad per se, and it certainly doesn’t make the anime much worse. That said, it’s not exempt from criticism, and there are some valid points fans make about the arc.
One of the main issues fans have with the series is that the arc is very long — much longer than a typical Frieren arc. It features multiple sub-stages, and it’s very easy to stop caring at some point because of the sheer amount of characters.
Speaking of characters, the anime introduces many new characters — around 20 — in this arc. It’s hard to remember all of them, especially if you already get lost in the names in Frieren — almost all are words borrowed from German, and for those who don’t speak the language they might be hard to remember (and the pronunciation is pretty counterintuitive).
While that could be solved by waiting until the arc is over, not everyone wants to wait — especially considering the fact that the anime is probably ending with the arc’s end.
Other issues
The arc is also criticized by some fans for having too much action. This might sound weird, but this kind of opinion is totally understandable.
To many, the anime is supposed to be about Frieren’s perception of time and the world around her, as well as about learning to interact with others. We really don’t have much of that in the current arc, outside of the flashbacks with Serie.
Some fans are also unhappy about the fact that the anime is going to stop at the end of the arc. To many, it feels like an important milestone point, but not exactly like a good place to stop. However, the anime is popular enough that it is very likely to receive a second season.
It’s not that bad
Others feel the complaints are overblown. The arc is a nice change of pace from a couple of slower arcs from earlier in the anime. Besides, it finally shows more action — and while it’s not the main point of Frieren, no one can deny it’s beautifully animated