Category: Apothesis

I started watching Frieren a week or two ago. I liked it almost immediately and decided to catch up as quickly as I could in a series of three blog posts. The first would cover episodes 1-7, the second would go over 8-14, and the third would conclude with episodes 15-18 (or possibly 19). Frieren is scheduled for 27 episodes in total, so it should be going on for most of the Winter 2024 season. Now then, without any further ado, here are my notes on the next seven episodes of this excellent fantasy anime.

Are you ready for more fantasy adventures with Frieren the Elf and her new party? I’m finally close to being caught up to the most recent episodes of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. After these next few episodes, I’ll probably switch to writing weekly episode reviews for Frieren installments as they are released. For today, though, let’s finish up with my notes on episodes 15 to 18!

Some manga and anime series have very similar concepts, plotlines, or characters. Many have observed that The Tale of Outcasts is quite similar to The Ancient Magus’ Bride or Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts (which was finally adapted into anime form later the same year). All of three of these stories are centered around a young girl as she begins a journey with a demon, beast, or other magical creature.

You’ve heard of “To Kill a Mockingbird” but what about “To Catch a Schtille”? In the universe of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, there are many interesting and magical creatures. The anime does a decent job naming these monsters and explaining their lifestyles or hunting strategies.

Good morning and welcome back to Anime Rants. I hope you have a good tooth-cleaning routine because A Sign of Affection is so sweet it could rot those teeth right out. Let’s continue learning about the adorable Yuki as she falls in love.

Get out your mortar and pestle, because it’s time for The Apothecary Diaries!

If you’re an uncultured Otaku like me, you might never have heard of Mephisto Pheles until you saw the character in the Blue Exorcist anime. Gamers might know the name from the Diablo franchise. But those with strong roots in history or folklore will know that Mephisto was originally a character in the Germanic legend of Faust. He was the demon that made a bargain with Faust, offering his magic services in exchange for Faust’s eternal soul at the end.

Those of you who consume sci-fi content regularly are probably already well familiar with the Three Laws of Robotics, AKA the Asimov Code. This sci-fi trope comes up frequently even in anime. But in case there are any newbies, or anyone who might want a reminder, let’s go over what the Asimov Code is and where it came from.

The practical examination to become a first class mage continues in Frieren episode 20, which is titled, “Necessary Killing.” Fern is locked in combat with another mage, while Frieren and her group are being challenged by Denken and his two teammates. Let’s see what happens from here.

It seems like, the last few years, fantasy with video-game elements has become the most dominant genre of anime. (Shounen is more of a demographic, but even if you consider it a genre, classic fighting shounens are not popping up as commonly as fantasy/game anime.) I’m not exactly sure what led to this huge explosion of popularity, but I personally hope it doesn’t continue to dominate every season of every year.

Kiznaiver is a 2016 anime produced by studio Trigger and directed by Hiroshi Kobayashi. Though it’s certainly isn’t the best anime made by Trigger, it’s one of my personal favorites from that studio, along with Kill la Kill. Eventually, I may write a technical review

The first episode of the new season was absolutely beautiful from an audio-visual standpoint. I am not a big fan of most anime that exists for (primarily male) wish fulfillment fantasies, but Solo Leveling is an exception. The things that make it worth watching to me are the amazing animation, art, and music. The new opening song (“ReawakeR”) is an absolute banger by Lisa and Felix from Stray Kids. This anime really knows how to appeal to what’s hot. Now, let’s talk about the season pilot.