Seriously, there are many other great points about it.
Summary:
- Some fans say that Frieren is not that good and is only carried by animation.
- This dismisses many other great points about the series.
- Animation makes Frieren more popular, but it’s not the only reason for its popularity.
As Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) has finally ended its anime run, fans are arguing if it’s the best anime of all time once again. At least temporarily, it took the first place in MyAnimeList top anime ranking.
This makes many fans wonder if the hype is deserved. While some think it definitely is, others are not that sure. There are even opinions that the anime isn’t actually that good, and that it is only popular because of its amazing visuals.
Yes, you can make some points legitimately criticizing Frieren for its flaws — but saying it is “carried by animation” is completely wrong.
Saying that something is only “carried by animation” is usually incorrect
The entire idea of “carried by animation” comes from the idea that anime fans will love anything as long as it looks great — even if the actual story isn’t good at all. While it has always been a point viewers make about anything that is popular and looks good, its use has really exploded over the past few years.
Most commonly, “carried by animation” is used nowadays toward Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) and, less often, Jujutsu Kaisen. Now, for Demon Slayer, its use makes some sense — the story and the characters are very simple. Even so, the execution is very solid, and that’s not just because of the visuals: Demon Slayer is good at making the viewers emotional.
There are many reasons to love Frieren
For Frieren, saying it’s carried by animation means that it is not good outside of it. This would be completely wrong — and it dismisses everything good about the anime itself. Even outside of animation, the presentation is great — fans love the music in the anime as well.
Of course, Frieren is great even outside of the presentation. It explores the theme of the passage of time very well, and, while its worldbuilding isn’t exactly unique, it’s a refreshing take on fantasy among many isekai series. The characters are lovely, and the anime is just great all around — it has something for everyone.
Animation makes it more popular, but that’s not its only strong point
Yes, Frieren being the best anime of all time is very much debatable. However, saying that it doesn’t deserve its popularity, which is only boosted by having great animation, would also be wrong.
Frieren probably wouldn’t be as big as it is if it wasn’t animated this well, but it would still be popular: it takes the classic fantasy genre and executes it brilliantly.