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Saeki Shun, the acclaimed manga artist renowned for Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, has paid tribute to the character Frieren with a stunning new illustration.
In a recent release, Shun unveiled artwork that features Frieren, the main character from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. This new piece marks a departure from Shun’s typical style seen in Food Wars, which is famous for its generous use of fan service and often provocative themes.
Shun has been crafting the visuals for both the manga and light novel versions of Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma since its inception in Weekly Shonen Jump back in 2012. The series is celebrated not only for its vibrant depiction of culinary battles but also for its distinctive characters and its playful approach to fan service.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Gets a Shonen Jump Makeover By Official Food Wars Artist
Shun has illustrated both the Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma manga and light novel series since the franchise made its debut in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump in 2012. The generally lighthearted series is arguably as well known for its fan service as it is for its overarching cooking narrative or extremely colorful cast of characters.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, on the other hand, is largely a far more serious affair. The series follows the titular elven mage Frieren who, five decades prior, helped her party defeat the threat posed by the Demon King during the final chapter of their 10-year quest across the land. When Frieren seeks out her former party members in the hopes of recreating one of their most beloved traditions, she finds herself staring down not just her old allies but also the ravages of time itself.
Both the original Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End manga and the hit anime adaptation from studio Madhouse have been met with rave reviews from critics and audiences, maintaining their popularity from the very beginning. In early February, streaming service ABEMA released its weekly anime ranking for the end of January, which saw Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End take the number two spot, losing out only to the latest season of Jujutsu Kaisen.
As of the time of writing, Season 1 of the Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End anime holds a perfect 100% “Fresh” rating via review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, as averaged across six verified critical reviews. If that number seems small, more than 250 verified users have lent their own reviews to the 95% “Popcornmeter” approval rating that Frieren Season 1 boasts on the platform.
Unsurprisingly, crafting such a critically acclaimed anime isn’t easy — something that Frieren director Saito Keiichiro opened up about in a recent interview. “At the point when Season 1 ended, the topic came up of, ‘What should we do for Season 2?’ And I also had the feeling that I’d used up all my strength during Season 1,” Keiichiro recalled.
Keiichiro explained, “I decided that, while I would take a short break from involvement at the production site, I still wanted to cooperate without holding back when it came to passing on my know-how and knowledge. Because of that, I ended up participating with the credit of Director Cooperation.”
Fortunately, Keiichiro has continued to work alongside the production staff for Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End as an advisor on the series. “At first, I only intended to be involved in pre-production, but as a result, it has also become a form where I’m helping a little with post-production as well,” he said.
- Release Date
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September 29, 2023
- Network
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Nippon TV, YTV, FBS, Chukyo TV, RNB, FCT, STV, KNB, HTV, YBS, RAB, TVI, YBC, UMK TV Miyazaki, TSB, MMT, TeNY, RNC, NIB, KKT, KTK, NKT, ABS, JRT, Daiichi-TV, FBC, RKC, KYT, KRY
- Directors
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Kento Matsui, Kota Mori, Takahiro Natori, Morio Asaka, Lim Ka-hee, Taku Kimura, Ken Ando, Hirotaka Mori, Ayaka Tsuji
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Atsumi Tanezaki
Frieren (voice)
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Kana Ichinose
Fern (voice)