It's not often we get a literal one-to-one of anime to manga, but it's in the rare occasions that we do that they're never as refined as this is.

I mean, out of the 10 episodes I've seen so far, not a single cut or change has been made that takes away from the original. It's about as faithful as faithful can get.

So, for a manga that's already popular to be adapted flawlessly, it's only natural it receives high ratings in accordance with that.

The thing is, Freerun didn't just get rated highly, it got so many good reviews that it's now the highest rated anime ever.

Granted, it's sitting at about 90,000 reviews compared to Fullmetal Alchemist's 2.1 million.

But to even surpass an anime that hasn't been dethroned since interspecies reviewers, well, that's a feat that I think is worth mentioning.

One I honestly don't have a solid explanation for, but I can at least try by highlighting what I think makes Freerun so good.

So, I'm just going to say this right at the beginning, but if you're looking for a fantasy where there's non-stop action and lots of conflict, you're probably going to get bored and not enjoy Freerun that much.

This isn't your classic power fantasy or adventure to slay the demon lord, but instead a slow burn about what comes after.

Yes, there are some scenes that may very well belong in a power fantasy, but with those being far and few between, what you're left with is an emotional introspective on what it's like to live, well, practically forever.

Forever's not exactly right, but to us who can only live between, I hope, 60 and 80 years, 1000 plus might as well be forever.

It's a length of time that makes 1, 2, or even 10 years seem like nothing.

So, a journey in which a decade was spent slaying the demon lord was to Freerun nothing more than 1 one-hundredth of a life filled with so much more.

To us who I assume are between the ages of 20 and 40 based on my YouTube analytics, that's only 4-ish months when scaled down to the life we've lived so far.

It's a marginal period of time that may seem significant when we're experiencing it, but in the grand scheme of life as a whole, those 4 months are something we'll barely remember when we're older.

It's like asking you to remember any set of 4 months from when you were an elementary school.

The time we experience then would definitely be fresh in our memory closer to that, but the more we live and the more we experience, the less significant those memories start to become.

The weight they once carried before would slowly start to fade as newer, more substantial memories take their place.

I imagine this is something we experience hundreds of times over in our own lives, but what if such a thing became as common as breathing?

What if life extended so long that the world around you changed more than you yourself did?

Would you live differently and experience life slower, or would you perhaps treasure relationships and get to know people better?

Would you traverse the world getting to know everything you could, or would you perhaps estrange yourself and live apart from society?

These aren't exactly the questions Freirin is asking, but they are the concepts that are explored through her life as an elf.

And it's that take on a story about life beyond one single journey that I think elevates Freirin to a level not many anime get to.

It's a different portrayal of fantasy that's mostly episodic by nature, but at the same time captures how Freirin lives her life of near-immortality.

So, in an era where fantasy anime are a dime a dozen, it's quite refreshing to see one that does something different for once.

We're not limited by the constraints of one single adventure or the lifespan of those who embark on them, but are rather shown what living forever does to someone.

It's a deep dive into the fantasy genre as a whole, and it does well to deconstruct it through the eyes of someone who's experienced every aspect of it.

One such aspect that really stuck out to me was the innovation of magic to the point that spells of the past were obsolete now.

Magic once thought undefeatable was now nothing more than ordinary offensive magic.

This demon who'd developed a spell which could penetrate any defense had been sealed for 80 years and was awoken to find his magic useless now.

It turns out his magic was researched extensively, and in only a few years, humans had incorporated it into their own magic.

They had created these powerful new defensive spells, easily capable of blocking that previously undefendable demon magic.

I know that's not really that big of a deal, but I like the idea of the passage of time actually having an effect on the world.

I mean, normally the days, months, or years which pass in other series aren't enough to show any substantial change in the world itself.

When it comes to Freerun, though, it's that passage of time and the changes that have occurred because of it that are on display most frequently since that's the whole point of the story.

We're constantly shown through the parallels of flashbacks in the present, exactly what it is that's different for Freerun and how it is that change is perceived by her.

Now, to be a bit more specific with regards to the plot itself, Freerun is a story that starts after the Demon Lord is defeated.

This grand adventure lasting 10 years in total is already at its conclusion and begins with the aftermath.

The heroes are shown returning from their perilous journey, and it's from there that Freerun sets off to continue her own.

She leaves her party and continues her pursuit to know everything magic.

To her, this century-long adventure is nothing more than whimsical enlightenment, but to everyone else who she'd left behind, such a time was life itself.

Even in the short 50 years it took for her to return, the closest people she'd adventured with were now old.

Freerun had never considered just how fleeting a human's life really was, so to see them change so much and even pass away shortly after, well, that was a revelation that made her intrigued in something else for once.

She was now curious as to what it was like to live as a human.

In what was essentially just the blink of an eye for her, these people who she'd only known briefly were gone now.

And it was despite spending 10 years travelling the world with them that the memories she'd made could be described as nothing more than ephemeral.

Sure, to us, a decade was more than enough time to get close to anyone,

but to Freerun, whose understanding of relations were fundamentally different, what she'd realized was that she actually knew very little about her companions, so much so that she would actually regret not trying to learn more about them.

So, as the years went on and Freerun's journey continued, she would make an effort to interact more with others and try her best to recoup with the party members that were still alive.

Eventually, she would find herself joined by a new party, and it's the introduction of them and their journey on that same heroic path of 80 years ago that brings us to a new story of parallels continuations and connections.

Parallels because of the constant back and forth of Freerun's past and present,

continuations because of the way events from the past are revisited 80 years later,

and connections because of the increasing consideration Freerun starts to have for her new companions.

The old Freerun would have had no problem spending years doing one single task,

but with new human companions pushing her forward, she begins to realize that just because something's brief doesn't mean it's insignificant.

So, it's that contrast between Freerun's dismissive nature towards time and everyone else's desire to not waste it that constantly reminds us of how time is always flowing here.

It's a recurring theme that's even more supported through the numerous flashbacks from 80 years ago.

Combine this with Freerun's growth beyond complacency towards something a bit more sympathetic, and what we get is an emotional, character-driven narrative on what living forever might do to a person.

It's this engaging story where the impermanence of life becomes increasingly apparent.

Before, she may not have understood what that meant, but it's as we watch her travel and reflect on the past that we see her come to not only appreciate the nature of life, but also respect the flow of time too.

Both of which are the core aspects shown pretty much every episode.

Now, when I said Freerun was episodic by nature, what I meant was that the narrative was loosely connected through the one or two independent stories happening between them.

Yes, there is a general goal in which Freerun is striving to accomplish, but that's rarely, if ever, the focus of the episode.

What we focus on instead are the smaller events occurring in whatever town, village, or city Freerun finds herself in than how it relates to the adventure she had 80 years ago.

So, if I had to compare Freerun to any anime already out there, I would have to say it's closest to Violet Evergarden.

I don't think it's anywhere near as emotional, but that episodic portrayal of independent stories throughout one larger one is actually very similar to each other.

You also have a main protagonist who lacks a fundamental understanding of what it means to be human, and it's their self-discovery of it that makes Freerun and Violet very similar too.

So, regardless of whether it's love or life that these two are trying to understand, I think the place they both start out at is pretty much the same.

They're both overwhelmed by the regrets of their past and are both actively doing whatever they can to mend that.

It could also just be the soundtrack by Evan Call making me think that, but I'm fairly certain the stoic female protagonist going on a journey of understanding is something I've seen before.

Now, if there is one thing I'm going to complain about, it would have to be the way that pretty much every character is stoic.

I'm not saying their lack of expression is a bad thing, but their composed behaviour and soft-spoken mannerisms, combined together with Freerun's leisured progression, makes a slow story feel even slower.

I get it's the nature of characters like Freerun and Fern, but to some that may seem boring since those are the characters that are on screen most of the time.

It's a stark contrast from the usual high-octane, high-emotion shounen protagonists we usually see.

Once again, this is just a nitpick though, so if you're fine watching slow-paced dramas with emotional story bits and the occasional action, you'll definitely be fine watching Freerun.

It's a captivating story despite its episodic format, perfectly blends several heavier themes we rarely get in a fantasy anime, then presents these well-developed characters in a setting both intriguing and memorable.

They're factors which all come together to make this series a worthwhile one.

I don't know if that's actually enough to make it worthy of the number one spot on Mal, but as far as adapting from the source to anime goes, Freerun has done it the best by a landslide.

The anime may not be for everyone, but in a time where fantasy anime are pumped out 10-20 a season, it's quite nice to get one that's both different and high quality.

But yeah, that's pretty much all I got to say about Freerun.

Do you think it's worthy of the number one spot on Mal or do you think it's just another fantasy that's only doing a little bit better this season?

Let me know your thoughts down in the comments.

Then if you liked what you saw and want to see more, feel free to leave a like and let me know too.

Now, I wish I could make a cut content for this, but trust me when I say that there wouldn't be enough to make even a 5 minute video on this.

So aside from Eminence in Shadow and Solo Leveling, I may make a video on Shangri-La Frontier next or just end up doing another Biggest Flexes in Isekai one.

Until then though, as always thank you so much for watching and if you enjoyed this type of anime content, then you already know what to do. So until next time, ciao!