The second season of the TV anime "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End," based on the manga currently being serialized in "Weekly Shonen Sunday" (Shogakukan), will begin airing on Nippon TV's anime slot "FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT" every Friday at 11:00 AM starting January 16th. Set in the world "after" the Demon King was defeated by a hero and his party, the series follows the journey of Frieren , a magician who has lived for over a thousand years and who defeated the Demon King alongside the hero, and the new people she meets. The first season of the TV anime aired from September 2023 to March 2024 and garnered a huge response. We asked Atsumi Tanezaki , who voices Frieren , Kana Ichinose , who voices her apprentice magician Fern , and Chiaki Kobayashi , who voices the warrior Stark , to look back on the first season and talk about the second season.
◇Thoughts on Flamme, played by Tanaka Atsuko
--The first season received a great response.
Kobayashi and Tanezaki said they had been contacted by acquaintances. I've also had people who don't usually watch much anime tell me they watched it, so I really feel like it's being watched by a wide variety of people, men and women of all ages.
Tanezaki: The child of someone at my younger brother's company has become a fan of Frieren, and although he lives in Kyushu, he asked me through my brother, "When is the Frieren exhibition going to be held?" The child and his parents enjoyed it together. I think there are many other people like that. Before it aired, I didn't think it would become a "work that parents and children can enjoy together."
Kobayashi: It has some difficult themes, but children also watch it, right? There are flashy battles and other appealing aspects.
Ichinose 's cousin's daughter is now in junior high school, and although she doesn't normally watch that much anime, she does watch it, and I get regular contact from her. I've recently been enjoying the occasional drawing she sends me of Frieren and Fern. It seems she's joined the art club, and her drawings are getting better and better, so I look forward to receiving them again.
Tanezaki-san , this reminds me, but a friend's child sent me a picture of Aura, not Frieren(lol).
Mr. Kobayashi, people of all ages and genders love Aura. However, with such a positive response, there is also a lot of pressure.
--Every time I watch it, I discover something new, it slowly sinks into my heart, and the moment that makes me cry changes. What lines or scenes from the first season left an impression on you?
Kobayashi: The first character that comes to mind is Flamme, played by Atsuko Tanaka. At the time, we accept it as something normal and part of our daily lives, and even if we think it's wonderful in the moment, it's rare for it to truly move us. Watching it again, knowing that we can no longer retrace its trajectory and see it, brings many emotions, tears naturally flowing, and sadness to the air. I felt a variety of complex emotions, including wanting to see more, and when I watched it again after some time had passed, it sounded and looked different, making me want to watch it again and again, engrossed in listening. It comes across with more definition, and I find myself wanting to interpret it in my own way, resonating deeply. "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" has many dramatic scenes, but one of its themes is how the most ordinary things can move people's hearts and change the future. Frieren, who has lived for over a thousand years and has rarely been moved, is moved not by shocking events but by the warm words of a close friend or the magic that creates a flower field, and there's something deeply moving about that.
I still feel something different every time I watch Tanezaki-san , and I cry at completely different times. During dubbing, I'm focused on the production, so I put sentimental things off. But I find myself crying when I see little Fern for the first time in a while, tears flowing at the slightest thing, and even thinking about Frieren years from now. My favorite episode is the one where Fern catches a cold. I love the moment when Stark and Fern talk about the beautiful icicle cherry blossoms, saying, "I wish I could have shown that to Fern too." I also love the scene in episode 26 where Stark and Stark are talking from Frieren Fern. Although only Fern is on screen, the way the scene is constructed makes it clear that a master is looking at his apprentice, and I feel that Fern is special to Frieren .
-What about the Flamme scene?
Everything about Tanezaki . But the exchange with Flamme in episode 10 left a particularly strong impression on me. "They're cowards. So we just need to be even more cowards than them," is the line that struck me the most out of all the great lines Flamme has said.
--What about Ichinose?
As someone who played Fern, Ichinose-san , Fern's growth left a lasting impression on me. When I was playing Fern in the first season, I saw the story from Fern perspective the whole time, so I felt her growth and made changes to my acting to match. Now that the first season is over and I've had a moment to calm down, I'm rewatching it and I really feel how precious growth is! Looking back at her as a child, with such a small body, experiencing the deaths of those around her, and the moment when she resolved to live on her own, I'm moved by Fern's growth.
◇Is Chiaki Kobayashi a mood maker?
--Was it the first time in a while that the three of you got together to record the second season?
It's been about a year and a half since Kobayashi-san last recorded an anime.
Ichinose-san: After the first season, we regularly recorded games and collaborations, but it's been a while since the three of us did it together.
Even Tanezaki-san wasn't like, "It's been a while! I'm excited!", but rather, whenever Fern or Stark spoke, Frieren just naturally came out... or something like that. Thanks to Chiaki-san's suggestion, we were finally able to decide where we would sit during recordings for the second season. In the second season, there will be many stories in which the three of us are the main characters, and I think it was a big deal that the three of us were able to sit close together now that our seats are closer together. Thank you!
I think Kobayashi and Ichinose have been speaking to Tanezaki more often now, since they're sitting next to each other.
I was about to sit at the end of the table next to Ichinose-san , but Kobayashi-san took me to sit next to Tanezaki-san, which I was very grateful for.
Kobayashi-san, you've come all the way here.
Tanezaki- san (Kobayashi-san) is considerate of us and also proactively communicates with the senior guests who come on the show.
Ichinose-san, you treat everyone equally, whether they are seniors or juniors.
--Do you have any Stark like traits, Kobayashi?
There is Tanezaki-san , but I think he understands the parts that Stark doesn't understand, mainly the delicate aspects, better than Stark does (laughs).
There may be some similar elements to Kobayashi-san . I had a similar experience in my late teens, so I might understand. But not to that extent (laughs).
Tanezaki-san , those clouds look like poop!
Kobayashi-san , that's not the case (laughs).
Tanezaki-san: Wow ! I wish that had happened (laughs).
Even Ichinose-san doesn't often feel like he sounds like Stark during the recording sessions.
It would be bad if Kobayashi sounded like Stark during the dubbing session (laughs).
When Tanezaki-san and Chiaki-san are around, the atmosphere becomes lively.
Ichinose-san's mood-making side may be similar to Stark.
◇Overlapping everyday life
--After recording the second season, what do you feel is the appeal of "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End"?
Kobayashi-san's second season focuses more on Frieren, Fern, and Stark, and I often found myself thinking how glad I was that it was just these three. Frieren is also shown showing her filial piety for her comrades, including when she takes Fern and Stark back to a place they once visited with the hero party, including Fern and Stark, who were their former masters. Frieren's warm side is also portrayed, and I'm sure you'll love this work even more.
Ichinose-san's second season focuses on everyday life, and there are parts that make you realize how precious those ordinary days are. You can feel the importance of seeing beautiful scenery together, eating delicious food together, and the accumulation of those moments. Frieren's recollections are of ordinary everyday life, and the ordinary daily lives of Frieren, Fern, and Stark overlap and become Frieren's memories. There are scenes that make you feel that way.
Tanezaki: It's true in everyday life, but there are also many interactions where you can see that they're "doing it on purpose." It's the same when they're traveling with Himmel and the others; they try to do things that they don't need to do because it's more fun that way. Even with the mimics, I think Frieren is doing it on purpose. It's more fun that way. There were these kinds of interactions here and there in the first season, but there were also these kinds of interactions between the three of them in the second season, and Fern and Stark picked up on them properly and responded in some way, so I was reminded once again that they are a really unique trio with a great atmosphere. When I think back on it later, I can kind of chuckle, even if it makes me feel a little sad. I feel like "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" is that kind of work.
※The "崎" in Atsumi Tanezaki's name is pronounced "tatsusaki"
Anima Mitsuru/MANTANWEB
