Summary
Warning: The following may contain minor spoilers for Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
By now, it’s no secret thatFrieren: Beyond Journey’s Endis great; having premiered at the tail end of 2023, it remains one of the most acclaimed anime in a while over a month into the new year. Much has already been said in the show’s favor, but for lovers of tabletop role-playing games who have yet to watch it, take note: it’s an excellentDungeons & Dragonsstory as well.
In June,we wrote about 2015’sChaos Dragon, an attempt to turn a D&D campaign between Japanese storytellers into an anime, and how it completely missed the mark. WhileFrieren, the 2023 series by Madhouse and director Keiichirou Saitou is not based on a D&D campaign, it inadvertently captures the vibe of such an experience perfectly.
Remembering a “Ridiculous and Fun Journey”
As early as the first episode ofFrieren, the audience is made acutely aware of just how much history is shared between the adventuring party. They’re returning from what would have been the main plot of any other story. The titular “journey’s end” is crucial as a starting point, not only for Frieren’s character arc and the impetus for the new journey but also to set an expectation that the series will never shy too far away from the past.
Even with the deaths of Frieren’s friends early on, their spirits are constantly felt throughout the story. Frankly, it would be far less emotional or captivating if they weren’t, and not even because these flashbacks often connect to the events in the present. Every time Frieren ruminates on her decade-long adventure, it feels like a compilation of any given D&D campaign’s best moments.
These aren’t even pivotal moments - they can be mundane activities and minor inconveniences lining the characters' paths as often as they are memories of tragedy or battle. The former is often more frequent. Like any time Frieren gets caught in a mimic’s maw because she’s too excited to check for traps, or when Himmel and Eisen were almost executed by the king because they failed their charisma checks.
Eisen calls his journey with Frieren ridiculous and fun, which couldn’t serve as a better summary of D&D. Even in bite-sized chunks, these memories invoke a sense of nostalgia even when only relived vicariously, something that speaks to the quality of the animation and music. Despite how emotional the story can get, the tone never ceases to feel fun and fills the viewer with a sense of wanderlust that is as inherent to D&D as it is to the fantasy genre as a whole.
Frieren’s Flawed and Fantastic Cast
Without seeing these sequences firsthand, this comparison might seem shallow, but what helps to bring the game to mind while watching is how perfectly the cast plays into that sense of chaotic fun. When people play D&D,they aren’t always storytellers or actors- they’re more often than not normal people playing pretend. Naturally, this leads to imperfect stories and imperfect characters, but a flawed character can be very compelling.
Furthermore, in an RPG, mistakes can often happen with the roll of a die. With this in mind, it should say something aboutFrieren’s cast of characters that they are all wonderfully layered and flawed in their own ways. They play against type in ways that make them interesting, like how Eisen can be afraid despite his strength, how Heiter is a drunk despite his piety, or how Himmel’s heroism is only undercut by his vanity.
It makes them funny but also incredibly endearing and the defeats resulting from their shortcomings allow their victories to feel even more pronounced.Frierenisn’t afraid of its characters being silly or making mistakes and being in embarrassing situations, because ultimately, it’s all part of being on an adventure. Similarly,D&D isn’t as fun when taken too seriously. A big part of it is improvisation; rolling with the punches and going with the flow.
Frieren, D&D, and the Importance of Time
Time is the single most important thing aboutFrieren, and it is the root of practically every part of the story. Even this somewhat niche interpretation of the show as compared to D&D is not without a tether to this overarching theme. Consider a typicalDragons & Dragonscampaign and how long it takes. It might take months or even years if the party meets regularly and sees it through to the ending, assuming that the conclusion is even remotely close to what was originally envisioned.
For the record, this isn’t just about the flashbacks, either, despite that 10-year journey being integral to this comparison. While there areplenty of moments that any D&D player can relate toin the past, the present storyline is no less relatable. Consider Frieren’s biggest character flaw early on; her difficulty comprehending the passage of time like everyone else. Early conflicts arise between her and Fern over how easily sidetracked they can get and for how long.
It’s hard to imagine any lifelong Dungeon Master watchingFrierenand not putting themselves in Fern’s shoes when she despairs potentially spending years stuck in one city. The ease with which players can be sidetracked for months on end is a DM’s greatest enemy, yet it’s simultaneously a compliment that they’ve created a world so inviting for exploration.
We’ve written in the past thatFrieren’s approach to time is powerful but rarely daunting, thanks once again to the tone, but also the use of montages and the beauty of this world. Time flies, and that passage can feel scary depending on one’s perspective. ForFrieren, both as a story and a character, that passage of time feels natural and, crucially, is never bogged down by how fleeting it is. Those montages emphasize the beauty of life at every turn.
To that end, in D&D, characters die, players come and go, and sometimes life makes it hard to bring everyone together to continue the story. Yet, even if it doesn’t go perfectly, it doesn’t matter as much as whether it was fun and unforgettable.Frieren: Beyond Journey’s Endis not explicitly aDungeons & Dragonsstory, but they share many of the same qualities that draw people to both, and for that reason, this show is a must-watch for fans of the game.
