[Photos/Images] The Anime Adds a Little Extra: "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" Features an Insane Number of Birthday Cake Candles 1st

The anime "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" includes some scenes and depictions that differ from the original manga, and one amusing tidbit involves the birthday cake candles. In front of Frieren, who is being celebrated for her birthday, the cake is set up in a way that is drastically different from the manga version.

Currently being streamed in a series of episodes, the anime "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" is based on the manga of the same name written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe, serialized in "Weekly Shōnen Sunday." The story is set in the world "after" the Demon King has been defeated and follows Frieren, an elf mage who has lived for over a thousand years (voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki), on a journey with her apprentice Fern (voiced by Kana Ichinose) and the warrior Stark (voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi) to learn about humanity.

The original comic series has been highly acclaimed, receiving numerous awards, and has exceeded 22 million copies in circulation with 13 volumes currently available. The TV anime, which aired from September 2023 to March 2024, became a major hit, with related keywords trending on X (formerly Twitter) after each episode. The production of a second season has also been announced.

In episode 18, there is a scene where Frieren is celebrated by Fern and Stark for her birthday. On the table is a massive whole cake, with dozens of candles standing proudly on top. Frieren blows out the large number of candle flames in one breath. Although it is known that Frieren has lived for more than a thousand years, her exact age is not disclosed. Nevertheless, she is an elf, a long-lived race with a lifespan completely different from humans, and the cake seems to be an earnest attempt to celebrate such a unique character. At the beginning of the same episode, there is a scene where Fern calls Frieren an "old mage," causing Frieren to sulk, which might have served as foreshadowing. In the original manga, the birthday cake in front of Frieren had only five candles.

The distinctive birthday cake for Frieren sparked reactions online, with comments like "How old is she turning?" and "Just how old is Lady Frieren turning, lol." Many found amusement in the significant increase in candles compared to the original, with remarks such as "The candles were really over-the-top, haha" and "I laughed at how many there were."

(C)Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe/Shogakukan/ "Frieren"Project

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