Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Composer Talks Challenges of Music for Season 2 (Exclusive)

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In comparison to most people’s lifespan, Frieren, who lives over a thousand years, perceives ten years as merely a small drop in the ocean. Following their decade-long mission to vanquish the Demon King and resuming her eternal pastime of wandering to gather spells, Frieren finds herself outliving two of her former comrades. This realization makes her understand that she had underappreciated the time spent with them and the deep bonds and precious memories they shared. As a result, instead of considering her previous task as completed, Frieren embarks on a new journey to foster stronger relationships with people and endeavor to comprehend and nurture personal connections.

The anime titled “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End,” produced by Madhouse, has captivated numerous viewers with its unique perspective on an elf mage’s extended, leisurely yet exciting life. This enchantment is well-deserved due to its themes of forging deep connections and cherishing life’s experiences. Moreover, the series boasts a variety of scenes, from serene, peaceful landscapes to intense, powerful conflicts. To fully immerse viewers and enhance these distinct moments, the soundtrack must be carefully composed. Rather than using generic, grandiose themes that stereotypically define an adventure, the series’ composer Evan Call focuses on strategically selecting specific instruments based on the characters themselves.

Getting the Soundtrack Exactly Right

At Anime Expo 2025, ComicBook Anime Editor J.R. Waugh interviewed animation producer Yuichiro Fukushi and music composer Evan Call, thanks to Crunchyroll. They discussed the anime’s influence, its enduring popularity among fans since its 2023 release, their personal insights on what makes the series successful, and the difficulties of creating music for the upcoming season of this widely-adored series. Series composer Evan Call shared his thoughts by saying, “Now that the Hero’s Journey has concluded, a new one begins.

In musical terms, the continued conversation mentioned that while there are some energetic tunes sprinkled throughout, the overall sound isn’t necessarily subdued or focused on gentle melodies. Instead, the selections made were intended to reflect the emotions of the individual characters and their interactions with their surroundings, rather than an adventurous theme. It was crucial to avoid excessive use of certain elements, like too much brass, as it might create an overly adventurous feeling. The composing process involved a lot of self-restraint to prevent going overboard. There were moments when a specific melody seemed appealing and epic, but it had to be adjusted to ensure it fit harmoniously with the rest.

In Call’s words, “There are many different shades of pitch in it, too.” He often varies instruments within a song, especially with Frieren. This is because multiple characters in this world frequently interact, and switching instruments maintains an engaging tonal variety. By doing so, each instrument contributes its unique tone, allowing for exploration of various pitches without them all sounding simultaneously.

Instead of emphasizing the overall spirit of adventure across his compositions, Call specifically pays attention to developing distinct characters in each piece. He subtly varies musical instruments within a single composition to bring out specific traits of each character and maintain an engaging rhythm throughout the music.

In the case of “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End,” the narrative diverges from traditional dungeon-crawling or treasure-hunting tales. Rather than focusing on the destination or material wealth, such as defeating a dragon, the story revolves around the characters themselves, their emotions, and their interactions with one another and the world throughout their journey. As Call put it, “It always needs to fit,” and he successfully achieves this by constructing a series that emphasizes character development and intimate connections within the journey, no matter how minor these moments may seem.

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2025-07-16 00:13