Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End – Atsumi Tanezaki Reveals “I’ve Wanted to Say This for So Long!” Tears Over Frieren’s Loneliness | Interview Part 2

The second season of the television anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End airs every Friday at 11:00 PM (JST). In a relaxed atmosphere filled with laughter during a conversation about travel essentials, Atsumi Tanezaki, the voice of Frieren, Kana Ichinose, who plays Fern, and Chiaki Kobayashi, the voice of Stark, spoke about what the series means to them. Season 2 portrays the bond between the new three member party even more deeply. The cast shared candid thoughts on how the theme of travel evolves, and what makes each character so compelling.

The Theme Remains, The Feelings Deepen

――Now that Season 2 has begun, do you feel any change in the themes or messages of the work compared to Season 1?

Chiaki Kobayashi
I think the theme is basically consistent. It is still a journey story, and it shifts more toward focusing on the three of them as they travel. There is that gentle, unhurried sense of warmth, but in the bigger picture, it still feels like a story about Frieren learning what humans are, while watching each person’s life unfold. I do not think that has changed.

Atsumi Tanezaki
My feelings did change. In Season 1, there is a line where she says something like, “I will take Voll’s memories with me into the future.” I understood the words, but looking back, I do not think I clearly understood the meaning behind them at the time. After we entered Season 2, I feel like that meaning has started to settle inside me little by little.

During Season 1, I spent day and night thinking only about Frieren herself. Back when she traveled with Himmel and the others for ten years, she was adventuring without consciously trying to understand humans. But now, with these two, Fern and Stark, she is traveling while actively trying to understand humans more. She chooses to be with them in order to learn, they share intense time together, and yet one day they will be gone. I would imagine Frieren after the two of them are no longer there, and I would end up crying alone in the middle of the night.

But in Season 2, the story depicts even more intense time with the two of them, and by acting through that, I realized again that Himmel and the others are inside me, and these two are inside me as well, and inside them are Heiter and Eisen, and also Frieren. If things connect like that, then maybe it is okay. Maybe what exists inside me is something I can carry anywhere, no matter how far I go. I think that kind of change happened for me. Of course, that was already in the story during Season 1, so I feel that my own way of receiving it has changed as we reached Season 2.

Kana Ichinose
I feel like the story focuses more on the time the three of them spend together. There are more moments where they see a beautiful view and say, “It is beautiful,” and things like that. They share small everyday happiness, share the emotions, and savor them together. I feel that Season 2 lets you experience that gentle, warm time even more.

Strong, Kind, And Cute, The New Party’s Charm

――What do you find most appealing about each character?

Chiaki Kobayashi
Stark still wants to run away from fighting whenever possible, and he would rather not participate. But even so, he keeps training day after day, and I think that comes from his strong will to fight for his allies at the front line alongside Fern and Frieren. It is the same for us in everyday life. Even if there is work we do not want to do, or days when we do not feel like going, people who can stand up for someone else, or for a project, or for something beyond themselves are genuinely appealing, and easy to relate to. Stark has that very human quality, and I think that is part of his charm.

Kana Ichinose
Fern has a motherly side, and within these three she is often in the position of feeling like she has to be the responsible one. But she also has a very girlish side, and that is part of what makes her feel like someone you could actually meet somewhere. She gets angry honestly, she can speak a little harshly to Stark, and then things get awkward, and as she lives through those days, she gradually finds a balance where she expresses her feelings without hiding them too much. That was very fun to perform. I have voiced Fern since she was young, so through all her growth, my affection for her has grown stronger as the journey continues. There are so many appealing points, but I think the greatest charm is that she remains Fern exactly as she is.

Chiaki Kobayashi
In Season 2, there are so many scenes where Frieren buys unnecessary things.

Kana Ichinose
That is true, I feel like I warned her a lot.

Atsumi Tanezaki
Exactly. Even if she buys unnecessary things, Fern properly scolds her and gets exasperated with her.

Chiaki Kobayashi
There are moments when they really look like a family. Frieren is like the child, and the mother, Fern, gets angry, so Stark does not even need to get angry. He is thinking it will happen anyway, or that it has already happened.

Atsumi Tanezak
Stark just watches over her.

Chiaki Kobayashi
She has lived for more than a thousand years, but she still has that openness, and it is cute. While watching Season 2, I have so many moments where I think that.

Atsumi Tanezaki
There it is, cute. Yes, thank you. To be honest, I want to say, “Her charm is how cute she is.” I even talked to Nobuhiko Okamoto about it. I said, “I truly think Frieren is so cute, but not many people describe her as cute. Is it just my assumption?” Can I say cute? I genuinely believe from the bottom of my heart that she is cute.

Chiaki Kobayashi
Say it.

Atsumi Tanezaki
Frieren’s charm is that she is cute.

Chiaki Kobayashi
You can see it because you follow the journey. If you cut out only one scene, I do not think it would fully come across.

Atsumi Tanezaki
Thank you. I have wanted to say that for so long.

Chiaki Kobayashi
So you have been storing up a lot of cute feelings.

Bonus Track From Characters To The Real People, Travel Essentials

――This series has depicted travel since Season 1. Now, not as your characters, but as yourselves, if you had to choose only three travel essentials, what would you bring?

Chiaki Kobayashi
Should we put smartphones in a hall of fame category? If you include a phone, everyone will choose a phone.

Kana Ichinose
It might depend on the season.

Chiaki Kobayashi
I have one absolute item, Airism top and bottom. The top I wear as an inner layer, and the shorts. Like loungewear. Hotels and inns provide pajamas, but I do not like sleeping in something like that. Ideally, I would rather wear nothing, but then I would catch a cold and it is not hygienic, so I wear the Airism set.

Atsumi Tanezaki
That is two items already.
Everyone: Laughs.

Chiaki Kobayashi
What kind of counting is that? I cannot tell if it is strict or convenient. Okay, then one more. What else do I bring? For the two of you, do you not have a favorite toner, face mask, or shampoo?

Atsumi Tanezaki
If we start with that, there is too much to fit into three.

Chiaki Kobayashi
But even then, there might be one you absolutely need, like shampoo, or lip balm. Something where you can change the rest, but this is the one thing you cannot give up.

Kana Ichinose
If I think that way, I definitely want lip balm. With dryness, I need moisture. If I do not keep applying it, it bothers me.

Chiaki Kobayashi
Not even about makeup, just the feeling of being dry bothers you.

Kana Ichinose
Exactly.

Chiaki Kobayashi
I have one more. Carbonated water. Even if I am asleep, I wake up in the middle of the night thirsty, or I wake up to use the bathroom, and my mouth is dry, so I drink something. But if I drink water or tea then, it makes me irritated, like it does not sink in. If I take a quick sip of carbonated water, my throat feels refreshed, and I can fall asleep again immediately.

Atsumi Tanezaki
Wow.

Chiaki Kobayashi
So carbonated water and Airism top and bottom. Ichinose has only lip balm so far. Tanezaki still has three slots open. You do not use a hair iron?

Atsumi Tanezaki
I can manage with water if it comes down to it. Oh, absolutely, toothbrush, soft water, underwear.
Kana Ichinose: Soft water?

Atsumi Tanezaki
Yes, I cannot drink hard water.

Kana Ichinose
For me, it is a pillow. When I travel overseas I give up, but if the pillow changes, I cannot fall asleep at all. I always use a pillow to help prevent a straight neck posture. If it is just one or two nights, I can barely manage without it. And one more would be sunscreen.

Source : ORICON NEWS