I really enjoyed this manga. Elven mage Frieren and her companions have completed a 10 year quest and returned as heroes. Frieren has a very long lifespan and perceives time differently than her companions. As one by one they grow old and die, Frieren comes to regret not knowing people better. I love the characters and the artwork is gorgeous! This story had me a bit teary eyed. I think fans of Dungeons and Dragons style quest stories will appreciate this manga. Highly recommended!

This is a wonderful story filled with a deep set melancholic nostalgia, taking place in a world where the Demon Lord has been defeated by the Heroes party, in fact the story starts just after that point. The title character is a near-immortal Elf who appears to be unaffected by the passage of time and regularly seems not to notice the effect time has on others around her. It’s not until the deaths of the human members of the heroes party (both due to old age rather than the usual Swords & Sorcery ends that many such characters usually receive).

The story is very much a road trip style tale, but a very whimsical journey with no goal in mind, much like you’d expect how a near-immortal would live. The Hero and his words play quite heavily with Frieren and how they begin to affect her outlook on the world around her, with each chapter counting the passage of time since his passing, I can’t help but think that this will play into the story going forward in future volumes.

The character development is nicely paced too, Frieren appears to develop at a glacial pace (as her life is that much longer than others) but she seems to be changing a bit quicker the more she interacts with others. This is helped by the introduction of an apprentice that she takes on at the request of the Priest of her former party, who at 5he start of the story is a child being trained by Frieren, and by the end of the volume is a staunch companion and something of a caregiver for the whimsical lead.

The story itself is a slow burner that moves at no particular speed, sometimes jumping years or decades between chapters with the characters spending months on tasks during their journey.

I am looking forward to seeing how this series progresses in future volumes, it has in itself the makings of a future favourite.

This is a series that starts after a series basically. It may have taken ten years, but Frieren and her friends have defeated the demon king and saved the day. This is the story of what happens next, as Frieren is an elf and will greatly outlive her friends, something she doesn't realize until too late, after a promise to meet up again and a close friends funeral. The story follows Frieren's quest for new magic, though she'll take breaks to help her friends with any last requests they have. This story is sad at times, and the emotional hits definitely land, but it's overall a story of friendship and moving on, past something that was a huge life event as well as past the death of people you're close to. This series is off to a great start, and I looked forward to reading the rest once it's translated.

I feel bad that I didn’t like this very much.

I get the idea. It’s a slow paced story that contemplates life and immortality, but I was bored.

Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood for it. Maybe it wasn’t a right fit, but I could see the idea was there. But I also don’t have that much to say because I wasn’t that engaged with the story, so I have to leave a less than stellar review.

I’d still recommend this, but I don’t have many great things to say.

Picture this: you are an elven, mage adventurer who has just finished an epic 10 year hero's quest with a group of 3 other adventurers. What do you do now, especially since your lifespan will outlast most others? That is the concept behind the story to this manga and I find it very intriguing. This first volume did not disappoint and I'm very much looking forward to the rest in the series.