Second Emulation

This Review Explains How Frieren Turns Small Moments Into Big Story

• Shawn Juarez • Episode 88

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What happens when the credits roll on the hero’s journey—and the world keeps turning? We take a deep dive into Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, focusing on how a quiet premiere turns time, memory, and small gestures into its strongest magic. Instead of chasing spectacle, the episode trusts stillness and detail: a cloak’s weight, the breath before a spell, the long road between towns. That restraint redefines stakes and lets Madhouse’s animation do rare work—making everyday motion carry story, grief, and growth.

We unpack the awards chatter and the timing scuffle with Solo Leveling, not to stir drama but to show how release windows shape perception. Then we zero in on Frieren as a character study: an elf who measures life in centuries learning to value human minutes. The show treats magic like craft, not fireworks, and embraces travel that takes weeks instead of cuts. Think strategic duels and grounded rules, more Gandalf than laser light show. If you’ve wanted fantasy that respects consequence, this pilot delivers.

Along the way, we share what worked for us—Madhouse’s precision, the theme of mortality seen through an immortal lens, the realistic worldbuilding—and what might not land for action-first viewers. We bring in voices from MyAnimeList to reflect the mixed but thoughtful reception and close with a practical verdict on who should press play next. If you love reflective storytelling, slow-burn tension, and fantasy that lingers after the credits, you’ll find plenty to savor here.

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Introduction and Excitement

 📍 Hi, hello, and welcome to Second Emulation! Oh my God, you guys, I’m so excited for you to listen to this episode—like, it’s going to be so good! Your amazing host is about to take you on a deep dive into all things movies, anime, gaming, and pop culture. Seriously, it’s, like, the best way to spend your time. So, grab your favorite drink, maybe a latte or something cute, and get ready to have the best time. Okay, love that for you! Here’s your host!

Welcome and Episode Overview

Hey everyone. Welcome back to Second Malaysia, the show where we dive deep into the latest anime and see what's worth your time. 

Introduction and Overview

Anime Review: Firn Beyond Zad

I'm Sean, your host, and today we're gonna be talking about the first episode of Firn Beyond Zad, a not so new anime. It has been announced that they're doing a season two and it premiered on CR Control.

Debate: Anime of the Year Controversy

Now there  are some debates over the  country anime awards that this anime. Should have won Anime of the year.  And it didn't due to, you know, solo leveling two season  coming out recently and that kind of snubbing this anime of that title.  If you're a fan of adventure, drama, and fantasy, I feel like this anime is gonna be on your rate, rate error.

So stick around as I break it down, share my thoughts and see what other anime fans are saying about the anime. And I kind of wanna put that argument to rest that, you know, solo leveling is a better anime or this is a be better anime.  Both animes are  good in their own right. I feel like what everyone who's making that argument that Furin should have wand is  overlooking  the actual timing and release of.

 Solo leveling season two and Furin, and that's kind of gonna be the deciding factor for this anime is that while this anime did come out a little bit before season two of solo leveling, solo level  was on its heels like it. Came right after. And so a lot of people gravitated to solo leveling season two.

I myself personally, and I feel like the marketing and release of these two animes didn't do furin justice. Now what I'm saying is that. If solo leveling season two was actually delayed and pushed back  a couple more months, maybe for a summer or a fall anime, then hands down Furin would've won Anime of the year.

The only reason why it didn't is because it ended. Right before season two of solo leveling started and then the anime awards came out and everyone was like fresh off the  the hype or the serotonin, which is season two of solo leveling. So I will admit  based on this review that you'll see that.

 Both are great in their own right and if  it just comes down to bad marketing and placement and release for the anime. 

Synopsis of Firn Beyond Zad

So let's get into, sorry for a little ran, but let's get into  the review,  so for those who haven't seen it yet, I'm gonna give a little synopsis of, of the anime fear in Beyond the journey in follows.

Synopsis and Production Details

After a party of heroes defeat the demon King, they restore peace to the land and return to their lives of solitude. Generations Pass and the Elf Made Furin comes face to face with humanities of mortality. She takes on a new apprentice and promised to fulfill an old friend's dying wish. Can an el  Elvin mind make peace with the nature of life and death fearing embarks on her quest to find out It is produced by Mad House and is directed by Curie Ccho Sato.

Let's dive into it. 

First Impressions and Detailed Review

First impressions, when I first about. Heard of about Fearing Beyond Zen. I was like, I don't know, like the front cover, how they market marketed market. The anime didn't really have that draw and appeal. It felt more like it was going to be like a slice of life type of anime. But after seeing a lot of.

 Content creators  reaction review the anime. That's where I feel like it  pulled me in. And after watching the first episode, I can say I'm very impressed. I'm impressed by  mad House's, attention to detail, and just their, their unique way to take certain moments and really. Elevate them to the point that they become a driving force for essentially progressing the story.

First Impressions

And I did not expect that. It totally caught me off guard, uh, when I  was exposed to that for the first time because I'm like, wait, this doesn't, this looks off. But not in like a bad way. Like it felt new, like it felt like I was being introduced to something new and different that really hadn't been done before.

And it's like those attention to details to    have them be their own character to progress. The story is I feel like very impressive. Another is that this isn't like your typical fantasy story.  There is action, mind you, there are action  for this anime, but I feel like what it does is that it also has a backdrop of like.

 Introducing the character, establishing  the roots of what the story is going to be and then    pushing forward. Now I do. Like this approach, like we had an another anime of mash and muscle that kind of did dive into that realm of Magic MAs and Wizard and was very well received.

This    went a step further.  We do get like, you know, it is. F focused on magic and majors, but it does  provide a refreshing,  like new take on it, something that you would expect from  a madhouse, which  they, when they take on this type of, uh    kind of ip.

And what I'm saying is that,  you're not gonna see like Harry Potter type  wizard, like magic casting in  this type of anime.  The standard would be like you're gonna deal with and see. Ma and Wizards who are gonna be on par with Wizards and MAs and witches within Lord the Rings.

I feel like that is like the best representation of what you see here and the battles that you know, that you're kind of like, kind of see are gonna be    on par. They, they're, they're gonna be a little bit split. And I feel like that's the impression that I got. I got like  they took very good care of the characters, that it wasn't    every character and attention to detail was on purpose and I liked it.

Character Analysis: Furin

And it kind of drew me in because here we're dealing with a character who's actually  frozen in time    a long who's immortal to an extent, who has a long life.  For those who know about elves, they live long. So to kind of get the perspective of. A character who views time for herself as she has all the time in the world, like time is a resource that she has abundance of, and having her interactions with people and say, oh yeah, we can stay here for six months, and have that be compared to like, oh, a human.

Persons    perspective on how time works is very different. So those were like the big impressions I got when watching the first episode. So one thing I loved about the first episode, and I feel like what worked, as I mentioned in my impressions, was like the attention to detail and the ability to essentially take something as routinely as an example would be putting on clothing or a jacket and the way it was animated  drew like my eyes focused to it and I'm like, wait.

Hold on a minute. This is something that I did not expect nor even wanted or thought I wanted, but like, just seeing how simple as like putting on a jacket  putting on a shirt, just like that motion and then having it focus and, and  animated in a way  that action itself. Also helps tell the story of that person, which I find very unique and I feel like it worked.

What Worked Well

Like whatever Madhouse is doing, don't stop doing it, because that was amazing. It really  caught me off guard and I wasn't sure what to expect. But it, it also  shows the level of.  Expertise that madhouse  is, you know, setting in regards to animation and it's on another level. I think what also works is that  furin who isn't, who's the elf, who's long lived  has like this non nonchalant  kind of like.

Personality where she lives. Also, she lives carefree, but she's also serious and that her approach to like  missile task is like, she's kind of a scatterbrain, but when it, she needs to focus on something she, you know, can get the task done. But what I feel like also works is that how she like interacts and like essentially.

Kind of engages with like other characters on her perception of time. Like time is a resources for her. And so because she's long lived, we get to see  a lot of like interactions of characters who know of her who were either at the time, a child  or  an adult who are now like middle age or have passed away and they're    kids and grandkids know of  fearing. And so that was also, I think what worked is that  having her established, we don't need, you know, much of a backstory, but having her like well established in this world. Where she's recognizable that she, there's no place where she can't go, where no one's going to know who she is.

And because she's lived  long for so many years, she, people just know of her, like her stories of our, you know, and her achievements are just renowned by select few who know  who she is and the party group that she was with, an associate at the time. And I feel like her being like her still dick, like sticking to  that she has all the time in the world, which is why sometimes she can  for it to be like lazy is perfect.

She kind of has like the personality of a cat where she can, you know, if she can or could. She would lay around and do nothing all day. But because she's a m and she needs money, you know, she goes around doing tasks and kind of helping people  with their issues at hand. And I think what also works with US anime, that it's not your glam and fancy type of fantasy.

 It kind of depicts like the. What you would think a realistic, fancy world would be if it would    pulled from, you know, or you, or,  kind of use like an adaptation of Lord the Rings. I, it is kind of what I got was that this felt more like it was inspired by Lord the Rings.  And just how, you know, you have your fellowship, your majors  and then their traveling.

And traveling  isn't like  they'll be there in the day is that they have to get to a little, get to a location and it's gonna take  three weeks, a month, three months, six months, maybe a year to travel. And so having that also that expectation that hey, there's no magic spell, where they can just instantly teleport  to their location that they're going to have to travel and it's gonna take some time and like,  the people that she's with  don't have much time, so they need to get going. And so that is very evident in the, in this episode, is that  traveling does take time and it is not as quick as other animes make it out to be. 

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Anime

That said, there were some things that I wouldn't say didn't land for me, but I can see as like  maybe problem issues that probably didn't work and one of it's gonna be like  it's not flashy.

Potential Issues

I can see that that being an issue with  having other animes, like an example would be mash and muscle where. It takes its approach or its a adaptation  from like Harry Potter where the magic and the spells  also are on that line of black clover and  Z Bell in a sense that also has like that tape where the action's gonna be quick  flashy in a sense.

This is not gonna be that. This is gonna be more like meticulous, strategize, and  more thought out. And so you kind of see that in  these type of like engagements  where they are not as flashy and they do have a purpose, but they're not gonna follow, you know, that same template. And you see that best example would be  Gandalf the gray  getting into a magic,  fight with another mage, just how it's going to be kind of drawn out in a sense that each one's going to be  looking to  to fight. It's gonna be more like a battle of attrition. Like you have to be able to be in there, in it for the long haul. It's not gonna be  quick. Successions of multiple spells.

Multiple spells, multiple spells.  And that might be the thing I feel like might not work or might turn a lot of people off from the anime. Another thing that I feel like might well did isn't going to work, and I feel like might be a lot of complaints, is that this is. A slow burn anime. It is building the foundation and it's, again, not every episode from my understanding or watching this feel like it's gonna be very high octane in action.

There are gonna be elements where. You're not gonna have that. You're gonna be  a lot of  story development and narrations. There might not even be action at all, but this can also be what works against it. Because if you are like a fan of those action type anime expecting like  action every episode, you can be deterred from this because it's not.

Engaging you in that way. And I feel like an anime like this is a good pal palate cleanser  from the, all the many different, an animes that are those type of action animes. This is probably where  has it working against itself, which is not a bad thing. I do understand that. You know the story of  kind of like a fellowship in a sense.

Similar Lord rings where they're journeying  from point A to point B, and then interacting might not be the best anime for some. And I feel like that's what's gonna  work against itself. And again, also like having the, the magic battles  be almost realistic to the realistic expectation to what you would see in little.

The rings is very similar and I feel like that may also hinder it as well. And again, I think also might not work. It's just  seeing FI's approach. Her being nonchalant, though I had no issue with it, but I felt like just like she might be seen as like dead weight at certain times and just her attitude of things going  oh, as the story progresses could turn a lot.

Turn may turn off a lot of people from this anime when you watch that first episode, and I feel like    it's sad to hear or say, but this anime has a lot to working for it. I feel like the things that I mentioned are kind of going to deter some people from it because again, we've been conditioned to like wash the action type animes and animes like this kind of  go under the radar and don't get the type of accolades that they deserve.

Rating and Final Thoughts

So I feel like with that  I would say it has a lot going against it, but I feel like if you can overlook these. Then  the anime is very much enjoyable. Now, on a scale of one to 10, I give the first episode of Pure and Beyond Journeys End A 10 Outta 10. Now, I think  within that first episode, I would consider it it perfect.

 Just because like it's providing something new. Madhouse is doing something different that,  I never expected, and as I mentioned    it's essentially, you know, turning moments that you'll just see as routine things, as simply as just putting on a jacket and on taking it off, animating it very well to the point  that itself also becomes a focus point and help to progress the story.

That's something I did not see or nor did I expect, and I can only assume that as the series continues, which I do know that they announced a season two, which I'm very excited for as I  am going to continue watching this, is that this anime is a very, is a breath of fresh air or a palate cleanser because we do get.

There's many different animes that are in this fantasy type genre for anime, and a lot of them do fall into many different type of tropes, and it's    nice to not see, again, another female lead type character who kind of just gets written into.  The story of she has to fall in love.

She's going to be sexualized and fantasized throughout the  the series.  She ha like, she's gonna have to obsess over a guy. She's  gonna have to,  essentially placate to the fan boys who are looking for fan service, and I do like that this anime doesn't do that. And it has a specific way of like for me.

Dealing with  loss and grief, and then how does one kind of handle that, but also how do they  go out back into the world and interact and have  have certain memories remind them of, you know. The past people that you used to connect and spend your time with, I feel like this anime within just the first episode does that very perfectly.

It, it tells you that  this person, Farin, who is very cold, very calculated. Is seen sometimes lazy and doesn't wanna do anything.  How her interactions of simply just going down memory lane and how she views those interactions different from someone like who is human is very interesting 'cause we are seeing the world not through the other characters that are in her party or that she interacts with.

We're seeing the world through her eyes. Because she's long lived. We're seeing  you know, it through a perspective of someone who has seen it all, seen civilizations rise and fall wars  begin and, and threats, you know, that arise and quickly cut down. And that there are many different  heroes in this world that have,  arose and then just vanished without a trace and have monuments built to them. So it's interesting to see this and I think it's a good concept and the story is great. So I'm very excited to kind of continue watching this beyond the first episode. 

Community Reviews and Reactions

Now we're gonna see what other anime fans are saying on my anime list.

Community Reviews

I pulled a few reviews from my anime list to get a sense of how the community is reacting. I'll read a few, share their rating and let you know if I agree or disagree. So first review is gonna be from user Zika. They write with lives so short. Why do you even bother to someone who lives for a thousand years?

It's barely worth giving the wistful existence of humans much consideration, let alone getting to know them. That is, at least until you meet one who is worth getting to know you, they gave it a six outta 10, and I have to agree because.  Her feeling personality  within this first episode is    she feels detached because she's lived for so long that why bother making new connections when, you know those connections are just going to die off.

 That. For her time is, but a    is like a flash  because she lives so long for her  50 years is nothing.  50 years for someone else is everything. So I do understand  what this user is saying and I agree with it. So review from User Trias wrote, furin doesn't have its own unique style in any way.

It feels like every other fantasy slash aka ever. I know it's not in Isaka, but it certainly feels like it in a lot of ways. They rated a four out of 10 and I have to disagree with it.  With their review. And the reason for that is that it does not feel like an isaka  or any type of fantasy. It does have its unique style, which I felt like be within his own review itself.

He even says it  it's just like any other fantasy at Isaka. That means that this  user only watches Isaka and  of a particular  genre. And his expectation was that it was going to be either exactly the same. Or some, or on that lines. And so not sure what his expectations were, like what he was actually, you know, seeking when you watched this.

But he felt like he was let down. Like he was probably hoping it was gonna be like an akai harem type situation for anime. And maybe  that's what he was hoping for. Or not too sure  he tried to essentially place this in the same category as those animes. So yes, I do have to disagree with him that I don't think this  should be placed in those same categories of fantasy, any akais that he's referring to.

But it does have its own unique style, which I think he failed to recognize. And that's okay,  and our final review is gonna come from user Hal Du. They wrote, I feel some other reviews say it all too well, but what makes this a masterpiece in my opinion, is. That it's a absolutely captivates the sense of time of furin and the titular main character and how grand her lifespan is.

The entire story and experience. Entire lifetimes of people she meets are spoken as if there were just brief scenes like it depicted in a flashback. They gave it a seven out of 10. And I agree.  The mass masterful  way of narrating  FI's view on time with interactions is very interesting because I think I mentioned earlier that her view on time is that for her  it's no different.

From a one year, six months to 50 years to a hundred years, for her, it, she views it very, all the same and doesn't really put much weight in that  that time because she's very long lived. While, as  another main character who's human.  Doesn't ha their view or perception of time is very different.

 And their interaction with Firn is also very different as well. And you kind of see that and  over the course of  the series. It seems like the general consensus on my anime list is mixed. There are some positives which  you kind of expect, well, also some negatives and I think  having a mix  uh, review of.

Animes are always good because you never wanna go and see an anime where  you listen to the reviews and they're just all like 10 out of 10, 10 out tens across the board because  it kind of seems kind of odd. You always want to have a mix of like some negative reviews because it does  shed some light of,  people's opinions and what they were getting out of this anime, which  kind of led them to give that review in the first place. So I feel like  this is a healthy  kind of data set or reviews that I picked for, um, firn. Now if you want to add to that  and provide your review of,  furin, you could also look to, you know, give us a comment on our socials. The link's gonna be in the episode description, and tell us your thoughts and give us, you know, some of your opinions on this anime. We would love to hear it overall. 

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

The first episode of Furin Beyond Journey End  is an eight out of 10 if you're a fan of the fantasy drama.

 Type of  anime. I feel like this one is gonna scratch that itch that you have, and particularly  it is going to  it, it is gonna fill that void if you're looking, if you're coming off the heels of, you know, solo leveling or match and muscle maher muscle. Then I feel like this is a good anime to  pick up.

 Also just announcing that they're in development for a season two should  be excited. And what I'm noticing also that this anime has 24 episode, which is very reminiscent of the old,  tV model where they do  long format of 24 episodes for a season. So this is something I very much enjoy 'cause it allows for  the story to develop as opposed to having only.

12 episodes and kind of having to rush with  what you decide to focus on and not focus on to progress the story along. So I think, which I also forgot to add, which also is  I think what works for the anime is that it has longer, it has many episodes to kind of help that story develop and pro story develop and progress through the series of the anime.

If you like  fear and beyond  the journey's end. I, we checking out  similar animes, one being jobless, reincarnation, log horizon  sweater line  what other ones? Hows moving? Cast castle? Rising of the Shield? Hero. Hero. Full Mental alchemist.  What other ones? Sorry, I'm just like going off a list that I have here.

Overlord is another one. Hunter. Hunter and Demons Flair to name a few, and these will kind of help also scratch that same image if you're looking for a fantasy type anime to watch. That's    in that realm of swords, magic, and  fantasy all around. 

Closing Remarks and Social Media

I do want to thank you for tuning into this episode of Second Emulation, new and current listeners.

Closing and Recommendations

Thank you.  If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe. Leave a review, share it with your friends. You can also follow us on our socials. That link is gonna be an inscription. You'll find our  Instagram. Twitter account along with where to watch or listen to the episodes on Apple Podcasts and our Twitch account where we do our video game reviews and you can give us more of your thoughts.

So if you want to talk about fearing beyond your ad, we love to hear from you. So don't hesitate to give us a  to contact us. And with that, we'll catch you in the next one.  Bye.

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Outro and Farewell

Okay, wow, that was so much fun! Your host totally nailed it, right? Like, how amazing was that? Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode—because, honestly, why would you? And if you loved it, leave a review or, like, tell your friends. It’s, like, the nicest thing ever. Thanks for listening, and remember: stay fabulous, stay emulated, and I’ll see you next time! Byeee!