Bad news for fans of the popular manga by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe, known as “Sousou no Frieren” (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End), as it has been confirmed that the work will go on hiatus as of issue #25 of Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine, which will be released in bookstores in Japan on May 15 this year.
It is worth noting that the publisher Shogakukan announced this news in issue #24 of Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine. However, that’s not all, as it was also reported that the manga Sousou no Frieren does not have a return date, so its break will be indefinite.
Sousou no Frieren manga will go on indefinite hiatus
Sousou no Frieren, also known as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End in the West, is an intriguing manga that fuses adventure and fantasy. This masterpiece is written by Kanehito Yamada and beautifully illustrated by Tsukasa Abe. The work began its publication in the pages of the prestigious Shonen Sunday magazine, under the Shogakukan publishing imprint, since April 2020. To date, the manga has been collected in a total of 13 volumes and managed to surpass the incredible figure of 17 million copies in circulation.
Thanks to the enormous popularity of the Sousou no Frieren manga over the past few years, an anime adaptation of the manga was announced in September 2022.
The anime adaptation of the manga Sousou no Frieren premiered in Japan on September 29, 2023 and is produced by the renowned animation studio MADHOUSE. The series aired legally in America through the Crunchyroll platform, which is currently producing an English dub for the anime.
“Sousou no Frieren” plunges us into a fascinating fantasy world, where a group of heroes have triumphed in their epic battle against the demon king. However, instead of celebrating a glorious victory, the series presents us with the melancholy return of these heroes to their home and how they face the inevitable farewells.
Among them is Frieren, an elven wizard who, due to the nature of his species, witnesses the aging and death of his fellow travelers in a slow and heartbreaking manner. The plot takes an unexpected turn when Heiter, the priest of the group, before passing away, entrusts Frieren with the responsibility of caring for a young human apprentice named Fern. Together they embark on a journey in search of magical knowledge, without a clear destination, but with a profound purpose: to allow Frieren to overcome his regrets and find a way to honor the memory of his departed comrades.
As they travel through the places they once visited as heroes, the play tells a moving story of friendship, time and missed opportunities in a world where magic and emotion are unforgettably intertwined.