Yes, I think you are right! My original question here, is why did the very first chapter of the story hook me. Your comment is very likely the reason. It's that 50 year journey Frieren takes as if it were nothing. Even Tolkien didn't get Elves exactly right. After all LOTR is about the Hobbits. Our author here, Kanehito Yamada, does take immortality seriously, and then tries to answer "What would immortality do to a person?". Frieren is convincing as an answer to that question.
@@folcwinep.pywackett8517 especially that shot of friren just breaking down after Himmel’s passing why was Himmel so special to Friren? more importantly, it starts her character arc of giving a shit about the people she’s around Personally, i find there’s almost always a looming feeling of “Friren will outlive every single person she cares about” Which, not only on it’s own is pretty good writing, but then to make the story about how Friren chooses to spend what seemingly limited time she has with them
I absolutely loved the illustration of just how starkly different someone's pace of life is when they've got centuries versus decades of life ahead of them. I loved that Frieren thought a few years can be considered "a quick stay in a village". I agree completely, the way they embraced the uncomfortable truths of what an immortal elven life ACTUALLY means was the best I'd seen since Tolkien's work (I don't mean Peter Jackson's trilogy, I mean the LotR novels, the Unfinished Tales, the Silmarillion, etc.)
Man, every time I see Frieren cry at Himmel's burial I remember how stoic she is throughout the rest of the show and realize how effective it is that they made her show a strong emotion early and let it ferment in her stoicism the rest of the way. That technique ages like fine wine.
I'm not sure it's going to be 1 for 1, for example I made 2 videos on the second episode. But I am trying to generally follow the story chronologically
@@PeyTalksAnime Out of curiosity even tho what you're analyzing is the anime, do you also consume the base material for reference and if you do how do you prevent it from "corrupting"/biasing your analysis of the other media? edited for typo
I never realized that the butterfly hairpiece ties into Fern’s flashback for the blue butterfly spell that was the reason why she chose to learn magic… that’s wild 🤯 I flippin’ love this show
I think the butterfly imagery is also symbolic of her in a more metaphorical way; it references her humble beginnings as a meek, isolated little girl, undertrained in her skills as a mage; and her transformation into a capable young woman and powerful mage, rivalling even Frieren herself.
I’d argue that it’s not the first three episodes, it’s the first four episodes. Which makes even more sense considering they released the first four episodes together. We aren’t introduced to the greater quest that will span the entire show until the second half of episode four when Frieren returns to open Flamme’s notes and set out for Aureole
@@josephscottlawrence Yeah, but this video isn't about establishing the plot or the main quest, it's about how the show communicates to the viewer what kind of show they're watching. And I agree with the video, Frieren does that already in the first 3 episodes.
In four minutes, bro talked about a principle, made me realize he was applying said principle, and basically proved what was for him an established truth to a profane mind. truly peak writing.
It's nice that a reactor noticed and understood the significance of Fern reading the Magic History Tome while sitting on the back of the wagon. I've only seen two other people notice it and comment on it. She was shown, not told by Frieren, why learning the history of magic is so important. Fern got to work! lol
I live the way the history tome is introduced, as part of a montage of Frieren buying useless stuff with Fern remarking something like "maybe that one isn't useless". Even tho Fern introduces the item such, the book is only mentioned between Fern and Frieren twice afterwards, showing Fern definitly didn't grasp the usefulness yet. The introduction in a seemingly throwaway moment, while connecting it with a little irony to a character, is so neat. The tome serves an important role in telling the story and the in-world history and doesn't overstay it's welcome Such a well applied story telling device
I know I already talked about this in a previous comment, but that last part you mentioned with Zoltrok (or however it might be spelled) is genuinely one of my favourite scenes in the entire show. I don't 100% know why it hit me so hard, but that scene is amazing. I also love pretty much everything to do with the escape golems, but I'll get to that more when we get there I'm sure
I think it's how Qual's eyes move from his PoV before he spots Frieren. He's expecting a ground-bound attack, not a flying one. It shows just how fast the magic system being used 80 years on from his heyday is so drastically different that even with his prodigeous aptitude for Magic, he disassembled the Defence Barrier in seconds, non-Demons being able to fly, surprises him enough that Frieren can fire her Zoltraak before he can even react.
Small note that often gets overlooked. Qual says “So you can fly?”. Definitely when during his era flying wasn’t fully understood and studied. Flying humans was only recently developed only 50 years before present time, as its was native to only demons/monsters, and birds. Very small detail to really show how behind Qual of the humans.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who caught that. I was like “She didn’t used to fly before?” Like that one line from Qual really adds so much to the world building in such a subtle, organic way.
I don't have an exact date, but I can confirm as someone who's been in the community since the mid 2000s that the three episode rule predates Madoka, despite it being an excellent example for it. It in fact might have had that tone shift reveal by episode three *because* the team were playing to the three episode rule that was already prominent at the time.
Tho, the episode 1 premise and a clip of Stark Vs Solar Dragon was what hooked me. The Qual fight is what really immerses me in Frieren's world building. From Qual's baller design, magic being analogous to advancement in technology which is an opposite to the usual trope, exposition tying-in naturally through Frieren mentoring Fern, one of Evan Call most iconic soundtrack yet and the short but amazing animation.
@@snimon5824 the only thing about qual, that is puzzleing to me, is how every other demon looks. all the demons later in the show look like humans with horns. even the other old demons look like humans, including aura. the exception are the anchient demons shown when flamme is around, but here they are in full armor. so they could still look like humans. qual is the only demon, that actually looks like an imposing figure. I hope in later episodes, this will come up because so far, it seems that qual was just an early design that was forgotten about later.
@@calronkeltaran493 That's merely situational necessity. The demons in the city that Stark and Fern fight are trying to deceive humans into thinking they can coexist. This would be difficult if they were 12 foot tall monstrosities. They look as close to humans without being human. Now either they were given this task because they looked so human and it's a matter of some look more evil than others, or they changed their appearance with magic to blend better. Aura likely looks human to goad people into her scale trap. You would be more likely to believe you are stronger than what looks like a small child rather than a big monster. It could also be personal preference. The demon general choosing the more imposing monstrous look in times of war to strike fear in his enemies while the more modern demons know that humans are not so easily scared away as they now have the tools to fight back.
@@calronkeltaran493 technically they say in the novel that a demon is any beast that’s learned how to mimic the human language, and features more demons that look humanoid or not armored/horned.
@@calronkeltaran493 I don't know the official reason, but my theory has been that his physical form just a remnant of an older time. Like a dog's modern breed standards versus what they used to be.
Frieren reminded me of Spice and Wolf, the wolf just like Frieren lived for Hundreds of years, both experienced companions die, both had peaceful world and helped other character become remarkable in their life, Spice and wold focused on economy and Frieren focused on magic, the difference is S&P had more words and conversations, and Frieren had more silent moments and more characters that know Frieren so she is less alone, fulfilled her purpose
this video is so underrated, i told my friend who has watched over 20 anime to the 3rd episode then dropped them to watch frieren, this video explains it great. she enjoyed it a lot.
The 3 episode rule existed before Modoka. It was a why dor people who didn't want to get bogged down by watching more anime than they can consume only too feel disappointed they watched one over another that they might have like more. Some would even like the first few episodes of an anime, but realize it'll take a while for the meat of the story to kick in so would come back later to binge it.
I'm curious how many people noticed (during the 50 year skip) the fact that MH actually animated the slow growth of the trees and the erosion of the stone on the hillside behind them.
Yeah, Frieren sold me right away with the music, production value and tone. Madoka Magica was similar I could tell pretty quickly that something wasn't quite as "cute" as it seemed. The only really great show I can think of that needs the 3 episode rule is Full Metal Alchemist, and even then it only needs 2 episodes.
@@theTYTAN3 I've just watched the first episode of Madoka Magica and I was immediately hooked by the production quality alone. Same thing happened with Mob Psycho and Bakemonogatari as well.
For me it I almost drop the series in the third or fourth episode. I specifically hated Frieren. Think of it like how autistic people tend to dislike other autistic people.
Yeah, an experienced audience should be able to get a sense of a work pretty, unless there are actual problems with the beginning. A book will have a voice and writing style that speaks to the reader, a movie/show will have a lot of elements like art, music, etc., that can be used to set a tone. But good stories will often have some kind of setup and payoff early on that proves they can do that, and often raise some questions or provide a hook that the audience is interested in. Madoka Magica absolutely sets up a creepy tone that would hook an attentive viewer. I just glanced at a summary of Full metal alchemist brotherhood, to jog my memory, and that first episode shows that they will have a plot full of political intrigue and clever use of magic. I never got to steins gate ep4 though, so maybe there is something to this. I was younger then, so I might have missed something in the episode or two I watched.
Fantastic, and very true I cant think of an anime that did its first three episodes better. One thing I absolutely adore about Ferns fight with qual is how much of an impression he left with fern. Later in the series, during the first test of the first class mage exam Frieren gets into a fight with a Mage named Edel, during this fight Fern actually uses Quals method of defeating her against Edel. Firing off a mass of rapid fire single attacks to overwhelm Edel's defences, Then when she is about to crack Fern hits her with a massive Zoltraak. Its not mentioned at all (which i love) but it is the exact way that Qual fought her. Fern is scary when she fights, She even channeled the Elder Sage of Destruction in her fight style, and to be fair if that was my first fight that would leave a big impression on me too.
7:55 correctly done of show don't tell. not many people know this part showing fern "now" starts to read the book. Now she understands why and becomes more interested.
Frieren did something to me, that no other story has ever done. Long before the Anime, I read some reviewers of Manga who mentioned the work and recommended it. So I picked up a copy of Vol 1. The story hooked me in Chapter 1 before it was even over. No story has ever done that to me. Here I am with Frieren at the Funeral and I am caring about a character who is already done and gone, and I know nothing about him. I still do not know how the author did that.
ture. you have other shows where a charakter is around for multiple seasons. and when they die, you feel nothing. then there is himmel, who is on screen for like 10min and his funeral is one of the saddest moments I have seen in anime, only topped by Oshinoko
@@calronkeltaran493 Yes, it is absolutely amazing storytelling. The commenter @ChrisH43 in a discussion here identified the 50 years that Frieren travels in chapter 1 / episode 1 as the trope that turns the Elf into a real person which makes her emotional reaction believable and relatable. "Ha, I was sold when she truly left for 50 years because I then did know that the writer did take elves somewhat seriously." - @ChrisH43
Loving these in depth videos about how each episode works thematically to suck the viewer in. Obviously it's something that people feel but often it's hard to put into words.
how magnificent is to revive the experience for the audience with the perspective lens of both human and an elf. The side by side flashbacks were truly a masterpiece.
You've popped up on my usual feed and ive never seen you before, like your work though and i hope you've been blessed by the algorithms and get more attention.
I saw the trailer for Frieren and instantly knew it would be incredible, that being said I was still overwhelmed with shattered expectations as I watched the show I expected it to be great but it’s been perfect
Love how you put in practice all you mention on your video. Very well done. If I could had one thing that many Frieren episodes also had was that “second hook” by the end of the episode that leaves you intrigued on what will come next. New follower to your videos👍🏼
I make music and I have 3 rules: The chorus has to come within 30 seconds, the bridge must happen within 210 seconds, and the second half of a song must be completely different from the first half.
I agree that brandon sanderson is amazing! I've read all of mistborn, the stormlight archive, and wheel of time (which ik he didn't write all of, but the portions he did write were amazing) and loved them all! Freiren is one of my favorite animes, and your analysis definitely does it justice! Keep up the good work!
Wonderful analysis and it so cool to see how much this series is enjoyed and why it checks so many boxes for so many people in a genre that is so hard to be original it much less so good! From the writing to animation! Thank you for your insight!
I agree with the entire premise of this video which is why the later half of this show didn't work as well for me. I won't go into details here to avoid spoilers. Really excited to see how you tackle it when you get there in this series! Happy to discover your channel. Subbed!
Outstanding analysis for a 10-minute video. I rarely comment and I find myself a bit cliché writing this, but I think you deserve both more views and subs and I wrote this as you're hitting 100k views. I couldn't put my finger on why Frieren managed to hook me despite feeling seemingly slow. In hindsight, there's more even more to like than what you described, and I dare say the first episode might even be below average in terms of hooks, but I'm glad I stuck with it and trusted the hype about this one. I've been quite disappointed by the hyped up animes recently, but Frieren has been a breath of fresh air.
Agreed, all it took was the first three episodes for me to know this would be in my top 5 of all time. The way it captured me, very few anime have ever done that.
I really enjoyed this video. As an aspiring screenwriter I always love to see story broken down and dissected. Also, *technically* Qual was the Elder Sage of Corruption, not one of the demon king’s generals per se.
Cutting off at 4:18 because I want to get into Frieren when I have time and I don't want any spoilers beyond out-of-context clips and a basic synopsis of episode 1. BTW, in support of the concept of "give it a couple episodes", I tried to get into Avatar: The Last Airbender when I was a teenager, but couldn't because the movie (that doesn't exist) presented a different tone for basically everyone and I wasn't interested in watching a silly, goofy Iroh so I didn't even watch Zuko crash into the Southern Water Tribe until about 6 years later. And the only reason why I decided to give it a try was because I saw some out-of-context clips while my college roommates were watching it on the living room TV. If I'd watched more than 10 minutes of the show, I'd have gotten a much better understanding of what the show's really about.
this series is what got me to watch frieren in the first place. I'd only watched a few episodes, but now (mostly to fill that itch left, cause the english translation on manganato is so awkward) I'm gonna be binging through this whole series.
Although I was already sold on Frieren from the begining, it was around episode 7 and 8 that really gor me into the show, going from "this is good" to "this is great".
The thing said in the intro about art can be say about knowledge. If i have 2 bread, i can give one to another person and one bread would still be in my posession. If i teach someone about stuff, like yellow wine exist, i will still know that fact. When we learn stuff, the people who teach us these stuff, like yellow wine exist, don't lose the knowledge, and i find that amazing. To be honest, i didny know about the 3 episodes rule, so thanks to you.Thanks for the knowledge ^^
Great video dude! I found myself agreeing more with each part of the video. Just a suggestion for future videos, if you're interested, you might want to look into the sibilance frequencies, those are the ones where the 's' in 'sip' and the 'g' in 'genre' fall. These are usually between 4 kHz and 10 kHz. By lowering just these frequencies, you can remove the hissing sound of the 's' without altering your voice. Keep up the great work!
The 3-episode rule worked out really well for me with Quality Assurance in Another World. I got bored with it on the first episode and dropped it but got hooked when I came back to it a month after and gave it another shot.
the first episode of oshinoko could have been 3 episosed, but they were bold enough to make it a 1hour long episode too really hook you into the plot twist and it paid off
It's weird to me, hearing of the '3 episode rule' being a culturally accepted baseline since Madoka, since I've been practicing that mantra since the mid-90's. I thought I coined it, since no one else really talked about it at the time. But it's one I still stand by to this day. Although, I have noticed a trend in recent releases to aim for a 2-4 episode 'starter' to get the prologue out of the way. Oshi No Ko Episode 1 would have been equivalent to about 4 episodes, same as Frieren. Regardless, there is an awareness in the eyes of the creator nowadays that was lacking in the past. Oh, and I've read every Sanderson novel up to Oathbringer. You have good taste.
Releasing The first four episodes at once was a genius move. Straight big brain. I liked the first episode but after the second and third I didn't want it to end. I hope more studios decide to do that
I started Frieren late and had to catch up to episode 10 and so with a backlog of episodes I decided to run it by the 3 episode test through my standards (then deciding after whether I would watch the rest of the episodes, wait for the remainder of episodes every week thereafter, etc.). When I got to the end of episode 2 it honestly felt like I had watched so much more than 2 episodes. So in my head I had already judged it by the 3 episode rule so long ago, and yet at that moment I had already deemed it one of my favourite anime of all time. So entering the 3rd episode I had already accepted the show completely, then the whole thing with Fern's bday celebration then learning about the demon and Zoltrak just further solidified this anime's place in my list. tl,dr; for me, this anime already passed the 3 episode rule by episode 2. episode 3 was just icing on the cake.
2:00 I somehow managed to watch 3 episodes of Made in Abyss, and then decided, it's not for me. I'm not sure, how this could happen, since in the end of episode 3, it started to get interesting. But gladly I tried again, and now it's in my top 3 anime.
I felt the hooks digging in as episode started but I couldn't be sure. Something felt off but in a good way. The line was pulled when Himmel died and the hooks thoroughly dug in by the end of the episode. It's been a while since I was this invested in an anime. Some of more recent anime like One Punchman, Mob 100, Goblin Slayer and Spy X Family hooked me in with their first season but I start to loose attention with their second part or season. Some of the newer entertainment articles are hilarious. They always have some vague title about some hot unnamed show that is trending or they wished it to be. The first 2-3 paragraphs would just the author meandering about what they what to talk about without direst naming their particular subject. After that, and some ads, they would finally talk about the show or game they are talking about and I would just clicked off soon after.
loved this! you have a very clear and concise way of conveying information. i'm gonna share a bit of unsolicited advice though, just since it's something i noticed haha. in graphic design, it's generally a rule to make as much of your text aligned as possible, whether that be left or right or anything else. and it's also important to be purposeful with text size and font. you have titles for different parts, y'know? it would be good to say "part x" in your usual font, then the title in something big and bold, ideally without serifs so it stands out properly. there's nothing wrong with peppering text at random across a page- it can be quite charming and effective- but when that's all you do, it's a little messy. same for making individual words appear and (especially) disappear at random times; it's just a bit much, and at least for me, ends up distracting from the video topic. but that's just me! i doubt this is something most people would notice... though they might feel it subconsciously. marketing is a whole career field for a reason i guess. but yeah. good luck
@@PeyTalksAnime do whatever feels best. art isn't always conformative to the norm, nor is it always pleasing to the eye. what matters is whether it means something to you.
The 3 episode thing in anime is much older then Madoka. I remember that being a thing back in the 90s. Anime just takes about 3-5 episodes to get going. It usually takes them that long to build the world up and give you the themes and introduce the characters.
Any plans on going over the music in general? Evan Call did a fantastic job of creating a soundtrack that always seems to fit in with the atmosphere. The track that plays when they are fighting Qual (Evolution of Magic) for example, transitions from moment to moment in a way that isn’t jarring in my opinion.
I've read that it's because of the great planning this entire series had - the composer had plenty of time to tune the score to the script and animation, which means the big moments that much harder.
one anime that really hooked me was oshi no ko. the first ep is 2 hours long by the time i realized that i was already an hour and half in and hadn't even noticed
A video i watched a long time ago went into depth about how whilst the 3 episode rule is good its not actually necessary, he used Stiens Gate as an example about how you can tell in a single episode (even if there isn't a major hook) whether or not a show is worth your time. Ever since iv'e been able to quickly tell what anime are worth watching, the only time it failed me was demon slayer where the first episode was quite good but the quality rapidly degraded and i dropped it by about episode 4 or 5.
My Anime Lied, that’s been a thing long before Magical girls. It was three because at the third episode that’s the length of a full movie. If a show can’t hook you within the time of a full movie it’s not going to.
my favorite part of the anime was episode 7 when they battle the demons and we hear Zoltraak (the music) playing on the background my absolute favorite song from frieren
I would argue that, to a seasoned watcher, 1 episode can be enough, at least in determining whether to drop it. I think 3 episodes is to get the whole concept and feel of the show. But the first, the pilot episode, is the hook and it is incredibly important. Anime Production tends to put much of its budget into the first episode, last episodes, and any mid-season climaxes. Episode 1 is the hook. Episode 2 and 3 is the test of whether they have the ability to follow through (line). The rest of the show is the sinker...if I'm following the fishing metaphor. Episode 1 will usually be bombastic in some way and provides the promise. Episodes 2 and 3 will provide what a typical episode will look like and what the rest of the season will entail. If the Episode 1, arguably the episode that matters the most, fails to hook, then the rest is not really worth watching. Like, if the most important episode feels mid, the quality of the rest of the show isn't going to be better. Maybe I'll come back to a later season if they have different people working on it and it pops off. However, it does take a *seasoned* watcher to do this. Not all Episode 1s are the same. A counter-argument against the "1 episode" rule is that there are slow-burn shows that don't show their hand until much of the foundation has been laid. But a skilled storyteller can scatter the seeds and a seasoned watcher can see the seeds being sown. If I like these seeds and I see the hands sowing them carefully, it will have my curiosity. I'll pull the trigger for episodes 2 and 3. The storyteller carefully and skillfully tends its fields. It now has my attention. I think Frieren's first episode provides the hook pretty well. Episodes 2 and 3 provide the followthrough and instills the confidence.
The moment I saw the trailer I knew this was gonna be good so I waited until the season ended.. finished all the ep in one day❤ If I remember correctly Vinland saga season 1 was also very slow paced until I reached ep 3 where we see little the little Thorfinn screaming how he is gonna avenge his dad!…that got me hooked ngl.
at the start you asked a question, "how long will you give an anime before you give up on it?", and i want to share my story here because i think its funny. I had heard of a show called Overlord (good show, watch it) and thought "eh, might give it a try." cut to episode 6 or so, and at this point im not really feeling it. by this point my exposure to anime had been SAO, Death Note, and maybe Log Horizon, hard to say. so the first little bit of overlord was not was i was expecting from anime as a whole, so i decided "maybe ill come back to it later" and boy am i glad i came back to it, its now one of my favorites and is one of 3 anime im considering finding the LNs for, alongside That Time as a Slime and Re:Zero
What solidified to me that this is going to be an amazing and one of the best anime is the first few mins of the first episode. The hero party ended their journey and so is himmel the hero Really cried a river when i saw the bell tower swinging and frieren realizing that this is end, that she can no longer spend time with him
Y'all know what i was thinking about for a few days. All the places and people have german names. But then theres Aureol. Which is not a german name. Which i find odd
Ha, I was sold when she truly left for 50 years because I then did know that the writer did take elves somewhat seriously.
Yes, I think you are right! My original question here, is why did the very first chapter of the story hook me. Your comment is very likely the reason. It's that 50 year journey Frieren takes as if it were nothing. Even Tolkien didn't get Elves exactly right. After all LOTR is about the Hobbits. Our author here, Kanehito Yamada, does take immortality seriously, and then tries to answer "What would immortality do to a person?". Frieren is convincing as an answer to that question.
@@folcwinep.pywackett8517 especially that shot of friren just breaking down after Himmel’s passing
why was Himmel so special to Friren? more importantly, it starts her character arc of giving a shit about the people she’s around
Personally, i find there’s almost always a looming feeling of “Friren will outlive every single person she cares about”
Which, not only on it’s own is pretty good writing, but then to make the story about how Friren chooses to spend what seemingly limited time she has with them
@@tacticallemon7518 Yes! I think that is why one valid English translation of the story title 葬送のフリーレン is "Frieren at the Funeral"
I absolutely loved the illustration of just how starkly different someone's pace of life is when they've got centuries versus decades of life ahead of them. I loved that Frieren thought a few years can be considered "a quick stay in a village". I agree completely, the way they embraced the uncomfortable truths of what an immortal elven life ACTUALLY means was the best I'd seen since Tolkien's work (I don't mean Peter Jackson's trilogy, I mean the LotR novels, the Unfinished Tales, the Silmarillion, etc.)
same it felt so different like reality
Man, every time I see Frieren cry at Himmel's burial I remember how stoic she is throughout the rest of the show and realize how effective it is that they made her show a strong emotion early and let it ferment in her stoicism the rest of the way. That technique ages like fine wine.
I honestly didn't even realize that you were analyzing the episodes one by one, really nice to hear that there's more to come
I'm not sure it's going to be 1 for 1, for example I made 2 videos on the second episode. But I am trying to generally follow the story chronologically
@@PeyTalksAnime thank you
@@PeyTalksAnime Out of curiosity even tho what you're analyzing is the anime, do you also consume the base material for reference and if you do how do you prevent it from "corrupting"/biasing your analysis of the other media?
edited for typo
@@PeyTalksAnime Thanks for turning me on to this show! I wanted to go and watch it before I watched your analyses, and I've been blown away
I never realized that the butterfly hairpiece ties into Fern’s flashback for the blue butterfly spell that was the reason why she chose to learn magic… that’s wild 🤯 I flippin’ love this show
I think the butterfly imagery is also symbolic of her in a more metaphorical way; it references her humble beginnings as a meek, isolated little girl, undertrained in her skills as a mage; and her transformation into a capable young woman and powerful mage, rivalling even Frieren herself.
butterflies are symbols of a short life as well.
I’d argue that it’s not the first three episodes, it’s the first four episodes.
Which makes even more sense considering they released the first four episodes together. We aren’t introduced to the greater quest that will span the entire show until the second half of episode four when Frieren returns to open Flamme’s notes and set out for Aureole
Was going to say this too. Episode 3 is cathartic but Episode 4 establishes the overarching goal.
Indeed - each of the first four episodes sets out a key part of the foundation for the series as a whole.
@@josephscottlawrence Yeah, but this video isn't about establishing the plot or the main quest, it's about how the show communicates to the viewer what kind of show they're watching. And I agree with the video, Frieren does that already in the first 3 episodes.
they didn't release the first four episodes together. the first four episodes were a movie that later got split up into the episodes.
So you're saying they didn't release the episodes together, but that they instead released them together?@@pieperson444
In four minutes, bro talked about a principle, made me realize he was applying said principle, and basically proved what was for him an established truth to a profane mind. truly peak writing.
PROFANE??? LIKE PROVIDENCE THE PROFANED GODDES-
@@Gloobus2057 LIKE IN TERRARIA CALAMARI MOD????
“Create a hook” -> talks about Frieren -> win
It's nice that a reactor noticed and understood the significance of Fern reading the Magic History Tome while sitting on the back of the wagon. I've only seen two other people notice it and comment on it. She was shown, not told by Frieren, why learning the history of magic is so important. Fern got to work! lol
I live the way the history tome is introduced, as part of a montage of Frieren buying useless stuff with Fern remarking something like "maybe that one isn't useless".
Even tho Fern introduces the item such, the book is only mentioned between Fern and Frieren twice afterwards, showing Fern definitly didn't grasp the usefulness yet.
The introduction in a seemingly throwaway moment, while connecting it with a little irony to a character, is so neat. The tome serves an important role in telling the story and the in-world history and doesn't overstay it's welcome
Such a well applied story telling device
I know I already talked about this in a previous comment, but that last part you mentioned with Zoltrok (or however it might be spelled) is genuinely one of my favourite scenes in the entire show. I don't 100% know why it hit me so hard, but that scene is amazing. I also love pretty much everything to do with the escape golems, but I'll get to that more when we get there I'm sure
I think it's how Qual's eyes move from his PoV before he spots Frieren.
He's expecting a ground-bound attack, not a flying one. It shows just how fast the magic system being used 80 years on from his heyday is so drastically different that even with his prodigeous aptitude for Magic, he disassembled the Defence Barrier in seconds, non-Demons being able to fly, surprises him enough that Frieren can fire her Zoltraak before he can even react.
I think it's about the self centered solitary genius vs. socially oriented iterative development and which one survives the test of time
Small note that often gets overlooked. Qual says “So you can fly?”. Definitely when during his era flying wasn’t fully understood and studied. Flying humans was only recently developed only 50 years before present time, as its was native to only demons/monsters, and birds. Very small detail to really show how behind Qual of the humans.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who caught that. I was like “She didn’t used to fly before?” Like that one line from Qual really adds so much to the world building in such a subtle, organic way.
This show had me crying twice in the first two episodes. Needless to say I was instantly hooked.
I don't have an exact date, but I can confirm as someone who's been in the community since the mid 2000s that the three episode rule predates Madoka, despite it being an excellent example for it. It in fact might have had that tone shift reveal by episode three *because* the team were playing to the three episode rule that was already prominent at the time.
Yeah a couple other people have shared a similar sentiment. I'm inclined to trust y'all! Thanks for sharing
Dude, you have 70% of people still watching after 30 seconds?! That's outstanding. Goes to show how awesome your videos are, really.
Qual - particularly Frieren's conversation with him - is what sold me on show.
Tho, the episode 1 premise and a clip of Stark Vs Solar Dragon was what hooked me.
The Qual fight is what really immerses me in Frieren's world building. From Qual's baller design, magic being analogous to advancement in technology which is an opposite to the usual trope, exposition tying-in naturally through Frieren mentoring Fern, one of Evan Call most iconic soundtrack yet and the short but amazing animation.
@@snimon5824 the only thing about qual, that is puzzleing to me, is how every other demon looks. all the demons later in the show look like humans with horns. even the other old demons look like humans, including aura. the exception are the anchient demons shown when flamme is around, but here they are in full armor. so they could still look like humans. qual is the only demon, that actually looks like an imposing figure. I hope in later episodes, this will come up because so far, it seems that qual was just an early design that was forgotten about later.
@@calronkeltaran493 That's merely situational necessity. The demons in the city that Stark and Fern fight are trying to deceive humans into thinking they can coexist. This would be difficult if they were 12 foot tall monstrosities. They look as close to humans without being human.
Now either they were given this task because they looked so human and it's a matter of some look more evil than others, or they changed their appearance with magic to blend better.
Aura likely looks human to goad people into her scale trap. You would be more likely to believe you are stronger than what looks like a small child rather than a big monster.
It could also be personal preference. The demon general choosing the more imposing monstrous look in times of war to strike fear in his enemies while the more modern demons know that humans are not so easily scared away as they now have the tools to fight back.
@@calronkeltaran493 technically they say in the novel that a demon is any beast that’s learned how to mimic the human language, and features more demons that look humanoid or not armored/horned.
@@calronkeltaran493 I don't know the official reason, but my theory has been that his physical form just a remnant of an older time. Like a dog's modern breed standards versus what they used to be.
Frieren is a masterclass in visual storytelling
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Frieren reminded me of Spice and Wolf, the wolf just like Frieren lived for Hundreds of years, both experienced companions die, both had peaceful world and helped other character become remarkable in their life, Spice and wold focused on economy and Frieren focused on magic, the difference is S&P had more words and conversations, and Frieren had more silent moments and more characters that know Frieren so she is less alone, fulfilled her purpose
this video is so underrated, i told my friend who has watched over 20 anime to the 3rd episode then dropped them to watch frieren, this video explains it great. she enjoyed it a lot.
The 3 episode rule existed before Modoka. It was a why dor people who didn't want to get bogged down by watching more anime than they can consume only too feel disappointed they watched one over another that they might have like more.
Some would even like the first few episodes of an anime, but realize it'll take a while for the meat of the story to kick in so would come back later to binge it.
I'm curious how many people noticed (during the 50 year skip) the fact that MH actually animated the slow growth of the trees and the erosion of the stone on the hillside behind them.
For me, Frieren didn't need even half an episode lmao.
Yeah, Frieren sold me right away with the music, production value and tone. Madoka Magica was similar I could tell pretty quickly that something wasn't quite as "cute" as it seemed. The only really great show I can think of that needs the 3 episode rule is Full Metal Alchemist, and even then it only needs 2 episodes.
@@theTYTAN3 I've just watched the first episode of Madoka Magica and I was immediately hooked by the production quality alone. Same thing happened with Mob Psycho and Bakemonogatari as well.
For me it I almost drop the series in the third or fourth episode.
I specifically hated Frieren. Think of it like how autistic people tend to dislike other autistic people.
Same, all I needed is likable MC and magic
Yeah, an experienced audience should be able to get a sense of a work pretty, unless there are actual problems with the beginning.
A book will have a voice and writing style that speaks to the reader, a movie/show will have a lot of elements like art, music, etc., that can be used to set a tone.
But good stories will often have some kind of setup and payoff early on that proves they can do that, and often raise some questions or provide a hook that the audience is interested in.
Madoka Magica absolutely sets up a creepy tone that would hook an attentive viewer. I just glanced at a summary of Full metal alchemist brotherhood, to jog my memory, and that first episode shows that they will have a plot full of political intrigue and clever use of magic.
I never got to steins gate ep4 though, so maybe there is something to this. I was younger then, so I might have missed something in the episode or two I watched.
Ever since I found your channel last week, I have anxiously been awaiting your next video. Thx 👍
Fantastic, and very true I cant think of an anime that did its first three episodes better. One thing I absolutely adore about Ferns fight with qual is how much of an impression he left with fern. Later in the series, during the first test of the first class mage exam Frieren gets into a fight with a Mage named Edel, during this fight Fern actually uses Quals method of defeating her against Edel. Firing off a mass of rapid fire single attacks to overwhelm Edel's defences, Then when she is about to crack Fern hits her with a massive Zoltraak. Its not mentioned at all (which i love) but it is the exact way that Qual fought her. Fern is scary when she fights, She even channeled the Elder Sage of Destruction in her fight style, and to be fair if that was my first fight that would leave a big impression on me too.
7:55 correctly done of show don't tell.
not many people know this part showing fern "now" starts to read the book.
Now she understands why and becomes more interested.
Frieren did something to me, that no other story has ever done. Long before the Anime, I read some reviewers of Manga who mentioned the work and recommended it. So I picked up a copy of Vol 1. The story hooked me in Chapter 1 before it was even over. No story has ever done that to me. Here I am with Frieren at the Funeral and I am caring about a character who is already done and gone, and I know nothing about him. I still do not know how the author did that.
ture. you have other shows where a charakter is around for multiple seasons. and when they die, you feel nothing. then there is himmel, who is on screen for like 10min and his funeral is one of the saddest moments I have seen in anime, only topped by Oshinoko
@@calronkeltaran493 Yes, it is absolutely amazing storytelling. The commenter @ChrisH43 in a discussion here identified the 50 years that Frieren travels in chapter 1 / episode 1 as the trope that turns the Elf into a real person which makes her emotional reaction believable and relatable. "Ha, I was sold when she truly left for 50 years because I then did know that the writer did take elves somewhat seriously." - @ChrisH43
You've never been hooked by a first chapter before Frieren? That just sounds like you're not a fan of stories
From my guess you never seen good manga
@@calronkeltaran493most anime can draw your attention depending on what you like you may be picky on what u like
Loving these in depth videos about how each episode works thematically to suck the viewer in. Obviously it's something that people feel but often it's hard to put into words.
how magnificent is to revive the experience for the audience with the perspective lens of both human and an elf. The side by side flashbacks were truly a masterpiece.
9:27 Bruh, I didn't even noticed the hole on the cliff behind Qual when I watched it.
You've popped up on my usual feed and ive never seen you before, like your work though and i hope you've been blessed by the algorithms and get more attention.
I just started Frieren and was thinking about this. Great video!
lets goooo zack
This show had me in my emotions. It's executed so perfectly. I look forward to what comes next from this masterpiece.
Frieren hooked me in the first episode.
Ya the way I got hooked on the manga was how cold the world felt which made the emotional moments much more hard hitting.
I saw the trailer for Frieren and instantly knew it would be incredible, that being said I was still overwhelmed with shattered expectations as I watched the show I expected it to be great but it’s been perfect
I am a simple woman. I hear someone mention Brandon Sanderson, I smash that subscribe.
(Excellent video overall btw I enjoyed it!)
Love how you put in practice all you mention on your video. Very well done. If I could had one thing that many Frieren episodes also had was that “second hook” by the end of the episode that leaves you intrigued on what will come next. New follower to your videos👍🏼
I make music and I have 3 rules:
The chorus has to come within 30 seconds, the bridge must happen within 210 seconds, and the second half of a song must be completely different from the first half.
I agree that brandon sanderson is amazing! I've read all of mistborn, the stormlight archive, and wheel of time (which ik he didn't write all of, but the portions he did write were amazing) and loved them all!
Freiren is one of my favorite animes, and your analysis definitely does it justice! Keep up the good work!
Wonderful analysis and it so cool to see how much this series is enjoyed and why it checks so many boxes for so many people in a genre that is so hard to be original it much less so good! From the writing to animation! Thank you for your insight!
I agree with the entire premise of this video which is why the later half of this show didn't work as well for me. I won't go into details here to avoid spoilers.
Really excited to see how you tackle it when you get there in this series!
Happy to discover your channel. Subbed!
Great video! Looking forward to more Frieren content. It's my favorite new anime/manga. Subscribed.
Keep making bangers, and I'll keep coming back
The big takeaway from that third episode is that Frieren does demons dirty .... in front of their moms, if she can.
Solid advice on how to write as well, great video!
Outstanding analysis for a 10-minute video. I rarely comment and I find myself a bit cliché writing this, but I think you deserve both more views and subs and I wrote this as you're hitting 100k views. I couldn't put my finger on why Frieren managed to hook me despite feeling seemingly slow. In hindsight, there's more even more to like than what you described, and I dare say the first episode might even be below average in terms of hooks, but I'm glad I stuck with it and trusted the hype about this one. I've been quite disappointed by the hyped up animes recently, but Frieren has been a breath of fresh air.
thanks for the comment. I appreciate the perspective and support
great video dude!!! had me interested the whole way through
Agreed, all it took was the first three episodes for me to know this would be in my top 5 of all time. The way it captured me, very few anime have ever done that.
Frieren had me encapsulated by the first episode. True gem of an anime.
the more vids i watch about frieren the more i see why i enjoyed this show it truly is another masterpiece of anime
I really enjoyed this video. As an aspiring screenwriter I always love to see story broken down and dissected.
Also, *technically* Qual was the Elder Sage of Corruption, not one of the demon king’s generals per se.
Cutting off at 4:18 because I want to get into Frieren when I have time and I don't want any spoilers beyond out-of-context clips and a basic synopsis of episode 1.
BTW, in support of the concept of "give it a couple episodes", I tried to get into Avatar: The Last Airbender when I was a teenager, but couldn't because the movie (that doesn't exist) presented a different tone for basically everyone and I wasn't interested in watching a silly, goofy Iroh so I didn't even watch Zuko crash into the Southern Water Tribe until about 6 years later. And the only reason why I decided to give it a try was because I saw some out-of-context clips while my college roommates were watching it on the living room TV. If I'd watched more than 10 minutes of the show, I'd have gotten a much better understanding of what the show's really about.
As soon as you said people quit the video thirty seconds in it was like you were calling me out 😂 took it as a challenge and it’s a fire video
this series is what got me to watch frieren in the first place. I'd only watched a few episodes, but now (mostly to fill that itch left, cause the english translation on manganato is so awkward) I'm gonna be binging through this whole series.
This anime in particular is a masterpiece loved watching it. ^^
this is a really really good video
love your editing man, keep it up!
6:40 I am a basically action only anime and TV watcher. Even before any fighting I loved the show
Although I was already sold on Frieren from the begining, it was around episode 7 and 8 that really gor me into the show, going from "this is good" to "this is great".
Okay ngl I clicked on this video with the full intent to add it to my queue so I could watch something else first but I just watched this entire thing
The thing said in the intro about art can be say about knowledge.
If i have 2 bread, i can give one to another person and one bread would still be in my posession.
If i teach someone about stuff, like yellow wine exist, i will still know that fact.
When we learn stuff, the people who teach us these stuff, like yellow wine exist, don't lose the knowledge, and i find that amazing.
To be honest, i didny know about the 3 episodes rule, so thanks to you.Thanks for the knowledge ^^
Great video dude! I found myself agreeing more with each part of the video. Just a suggestion for future videos, if you're interested, you might want to look into the sibilance frequencies, those are the ones where the 's' in 'sip' and the 'g' in 'genre' fall. These are usually between 4 kHz and 10 kHz. By lowering just these frequencies, you can remove the hissing sound of the 's' without altering your voice. Keep up the great work!
your videos are sooo good man
0:11 Ludwig mentioned❤
As a fan of fantasy games, the first 5 minutes of this anime already hooked me cuz its very rare
What got me started on the three episode rule was Soul Eater, iykyk
The 3-episode rule worked out really well for me with Quality Assurance in Another World. I got bored with it on the first episode and dropped it but got hooked when I came back to it a month after and gave it another shot.
heard brandon sanderson and immediately knew it was worth subscribing
the first episode of oshinoko could have been 3 episosed, but they were bold enough to make it a 1hour long episode too really hook you into the plot twist and it paid off
It's weird to me, hearing of the '3 episode rule' being a culturally accepted baseline since Madoka, since I've been practicing that mantra since the mid-90's. I thought I coined it, since no one else really talked about it at the time. But it's one I still stand by to this day. Although, I have noticed a trend in recent releases to aim for a 2-4 episode 'starter' to get the prologue out of the way. Oshi No Ko Episode 1 would have been equivalent to about 4 episodes, same as Frieren. Regardless, there is an awareness in the eyes of the creator nowadays that was lacking in the past.
Oh, and I've read every Sanderson novel up to Oathbringer. You have good taste.
Releasing The first four episodes at once was a genius move. Straight big brain. I liked the first episode but after the second and third I didn't want it to end. I hope more studios decide to do that
I started Frieren late and had to catch up to episode 10 and so with a backlog of episodes I decided to run it by the 3 episode test through my standards (then deciding after whether I would watch the rest of the episodes, wait for the remainder of episodes every week thereafter, etc.). When I got to the end of episode 2 it honestly felt like I had watched so much more than 2 episodes. So in my head I had already judged it by the 3 episode rule so long ago, and yet at that moment I had already deemed it one of my favourite anime of all time. So entering the 3rd episode I had already accepted the show completely, then the whole thing with Fern's bday celebration then learning about the demon and Zoltrak just further solidified this anime's place in my list.
tl,dr; for me, this anime already passed the 3 episode rule by episode 2. episode 3 was just icing on the cake.
At the time of this video coming out I am currently almost finished watching Frieren after dropping it on episode 2 twice, ironic.
14 episodes in, I was bored out of my mind with the show and dropped it, which is a shame because this is exactly the kind of show I usually enjoy.
0:57 how DARE you show that keria clip when talkin abt how some ppl have to lose 😭 😭
I LOVE the three episode rule! Ironically, it’s how I got into Frieren.
2:00 I somehow managed to watch 3 episodes of Made in Abyss, and then decided, it's not for me.
I'm not sure, how this could happen, since in the end of episode 3, it started to get interesting.
But gladly I tried again, and now it's in my top 3 anime.
I felt the hooks digging in as episode started but I couldn't be sure. Something felt off but in a good way. The line was pulled when Himmel died and the hooks thoroughly dug in by the end of the episode. It's been a while since I was this invested in an anime. Some of more recent anime like One Punchman, Mob 100, Goblin Slayer and Spy X Family hooked me in with their first season but I start to loose attention with their second part or season.
Some of the newer entertainment articles are hilarious. They always have some vague title about some hot unnamed show that is trending or they wished it to be. The first 2-3 paragraphs would just the author meandering about what they what to talk about without direst naming their particular subject. After that, and some ads, they would finally talk about the show or game they are talking about and I would just clicked off soon after.
loved this! you have a very clear and concise way of conveying information.
i'm gonna share a bit of unsolicited advice though, just since it's something i noticed haha.
in graphic design, it's generally a rule to make as much of your text aligned as possible, whether that be left or right or anything else. and it's also important to be purposeful with text size and font. you have titles for different parts, y'know? it would be good to say "part x" in your usual font, then the title in something big and bold, ideally without serifs so it stands out properly.
there's nothing wrong with peppering text at random across a page- it can be quite charming and effective- but when that's all you do, it's a little messy. same for making individual words appear and (especially) disappear at random times; it's just a bit much, and at least for me, ends up distracting from the video topic.
but that's just me! i doubt this is something most people would notice... though they might feel it subconsciously. marketing is a whole career field for a reason i guess. but yeah. good luck
I appreciate the perspective. I'll sit with it and consider
@@PeyTalksAnime do whatever feels best. art isn't always conformative to the norm, nor is it always pleasing to the eye. what matters is whether it means something to you.
The 3 episode thing in anime is much older then Madoka. I remember that being a thing back in the 90s. Anime just takes about 3-5 episodes to get going. It usually takes them that long to build the world up and give you the themes and introduce the characters.
Any plans on going over the music in general? Evan Call did a fantastic job of creating a soundtrack that always seems to fit in with the atmosphere. The track that plays when they are fighting Qual (Evolution of Magic) for example, transitions from moment to moment in a way that isn’t jarring in my opinion.
I've read that it's because of the great planning this entire series had - the composer had plenty of time to tune the score to the script and animation, which means the big moments that much harder.
1st episode was the hook lol. emotional story telling of that caliber in 24 minutes? crazy lol
one anime that really hooked me was oshi no ko. the first ep is 2 hours long by the time i realized that i was already an hour and half in and hadn't even noticed
A video i watched a long time ago went into depth about how whilst the 3 episode rule is good its not actually necessary, he used Stiens Gate as an example about how you can tell in a single episode (even if there isn't a major hook) whether or not a show is worth your time. Ever since iv'e been able to quickly tell what anime are worth watching, the only time it failed me was demon slayer where the first episode was quite good but the quality rapidly degraded and i dropped it by about episode 4 or 5.
Freiren synopsis and manga cover made me hook even before the anime I found the manga accidentally and I know it will be a masterpiece
Offf that clip of Keria Crying gave me PTSD
I made the 4 episode rule after dropping violet evergarden after 3 episodes and a year later it went on to be one of my favorites
1:58 there rule depends alot on how many episodes does it have, if it has 12 its 3 episodes, 24 its 5-6 episodes
My Anime Lied, that’s been a thing long before Magical girls. It was three because at the third episode that’s the length of a full movie. If a show can’t hook you within the time of a full movie it’s not going to.
im always giving 6 episodes to every series.
my favorite part of the anime was episode 7 when they battle the demons and we hear Zoltraak (the music) playing on the background my absolute favorite song from frieren
I was hooked from episode 1 like with FMAB it won me over instantly and has become my #1 anime/Manga since then
The urge to stop watching the video at 30 seconds when he says most people stop at 30 seconds, for the meme
Not Ludwig just being: BOYS!
clicking something and stopping at 30s is crazy
I wish i could experience Frieren again for the first time.
I would argue that, to a seasoned watcher, 1 episode can be enough, at least in determining whether to drop it.
I think 3 episodes is to get the whole concept and feel of the show. But the first, the pilot episode, is the hook and it is incredibly important. Anime Production tends to put much of its budget into the first episode, last episodes, and any mid-season climaxes.
Episode 1 is the hook. Episode 2 and 3 is the test of whether they have the ability to follow through (line). The rest of the show is the sinker...if I'm following the fishing metaphor.
Episode 1 will usually be bombastic in some way and provides the promise. Episodes 2 and 3 will provide what a typical episode will look like and what the rest of the season will entail. If the Episode 1, arguably the episode that matters the most, fails to hook, then the rest is not really worth watching. Like, if the most important episode feels mid, the quality of the rest of the show isn't going to be better. Maybe I'll come back to a later season if they have different people working on it and it pops off.
However, it does take a *seasoned* watcher to do this. Not all Episode 1s are the same. A counter-argument against the "1 episode" rule is that there are slow-burn shows that don't show their hand until much of the foundation has been laid. But a skilled storyteller can scatter the seeds and a seasoned watcher can see the seeds being sown. If I like these seeds and I see the hands sowing them carefully, it will have my curiosity. I'll pull the trigger for episodes 2 and 3. The storyteller carefully and skillfully tends its fields. It now has my attention.
I think Frieren's first episode provides the hook pretty well. Episodes 2 and 3 provide the followthrough and instills the confidence.
The moment I saw the trailer I knew this was gonna be good so I waited until the season ended.. finished all the ep in one day❤
If I remember correctly Vinland saga season 1 was also very slow paced until I reached ep 3 where we see little the little Thorfinn screaming how he is gonna avenge his dad!…that got me hooked ngl.
Excellent video, nicely done
at the start you asked a question, "how long will you give an anime before you give up on it?", and i want to share my story here because i think its funny.
I had heard of a show called Overlord (good show, watch it) and thought "eh, might give it a try." cut to episode 6 or so, and at this point im not really feeling it. by this point my exposure to anime had been SAO, Death Note, and maybe Log Horizon, hard to say. so the first little bit of overlord was not was i was expecting from anime as a whole, so i decided "maybe ill come back to it later"
and boy am i glad i came back to it, its now one of my favorites and is one of 3 anime im considering finding the LNs for, alongside That Time as a Slime and Re:Zero
What solidified to me that this is going to be an amazing and one of the best anime is the first few mins of the first episode. The hero party ended their journey and so is himmel the hero
Really cried a river when i saw the bell tower swinging and frieren realizing that this is end, that she can no longer spend time with him
Randomly happened upon this video via the YT algorithm and realized that you're the same Pey that played basketball with everyone at Smash Camp
Sup :O
Lmao yo what's good. Did you play? If so what team?
I looked at your youtube and realized your tai! I remember you well :D
Y'all know what i was thinking about for a few days. All the places and people have german names. But then theres Aureol. Which is not a german name. Which i find odd