Kanehito Yamada

July 2023- Reread! I definitely needed this refresher before properly continuing the series, and it was just as enjoyable to read the second time around. The big time jumps are a little frustrating at times, but also an understandable evil.

January 2022- Probably the most quiet and contemplative fantasy manga I've ever read! It's a rare book that solely focuses on the "after" part of a big magical battle, and the way Yamada particularly narrows in on the aspect of carrying on your friends show more legacies and memories in this way is especially heartwarming. I also really enjoyed the fact that while Frieren is powerful and smart, she's by no means perfect and has a lot of flaws that are explored through her journey of reacquainting herself with her old friends. Very eager to keep reading this series and see how things develop! Tone-wise, it reminds me of "Delicious in Dungeon" by Ryōko Kui, just aboveground and more soft. show less

The showdown of Frieren and Denken vs. Macht and Solitär is more exciting than I could have hoped. One key scene literally caused my body to convulse, and I had to force myself to stop rereading it on a loop just now in order to finish writing this review.

I know this is a fantasy series, but at heart I love these books because Frieren is my favorite neurodivergent superhero.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapter 98. Retribution -- Chapter 99. Offense and Defense -- Chapter 100. The Fundamentals of show more Mages -- Chapter 101. Breakthrough -- Chapter 102. A Draw -- Chapter 103. Time for Retribution -- Chapter 104. A Visit to Her Grave -- Chapter 105. Golem -- Chapter 106. Sky-Mountain Dragon -- Chapter 107. The Monument of the Goddess show less

When your hero is basically Superman, you have to become skilled at developing the supporting cast, using flashbacks, and coming up with reasons why your hero might be temporarily weakened or distracted. This volume is a pretty masterful showcase for doing all that just right.

The backstory of the villain, Macht of the Golden Land -- a demon able to turn anything into gold almost instantly -- is so well told I almost feel a little bad about the well-deserved beatdown that's coming for him.

The Frieren series excels so well at the un-humanness (no, I don’t mean inhumane) of demons. She don’t play no games with them. IT’S ON SIGHT!

There is an instance where it is acknowledged that Macht, and one other demon who will utterly surprise you, have genuinely wished for demons and humans to exist. But Frieren is very pragmatic that don’t nobody got time to wait for them to learn empathy LOL. Demons never stop being interesting here. I wonder if we will ever see one that gets show more it in this series.

More seriously, I enjoyed getting the last of Denken’s backstory these past few chapters and the last volume. At first, I was just happy to have an overpowered old man character who wasn’t a pervert, but I came to like his stoic calmness. And his connection to Macht too! The inevitable fight between them is surprisingly bittersweet.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this volume. The author knows how to pace fights between two highly skilled and evenly matched characters and keep them entertaining.

That cliffhanger was EVIL! Present-day Frieren meeting Himmel in a way that doesn’t break the canon? AHHHHHHHHH show less