Atsumi Tanezaki, Kana Ichinose, and Chiaki Kobayashi Appear at the ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ Season 1 Special Screening Event [Event Report]

To commemorate the second anniversary of the anime ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ since its initial broadcast, the Season 1 Special Screening: Memories of the Journey stage event was held on Friday, September 26, at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi.

On stage, Atsumi Tanezaki (Frieren), Kana Ichinose (Fern), and Chiaki Kobayashi (Stark) looked back on the past two years in a talk session. It was also announced—much to the audience’s surprise—that the long-awaited Season 2 will premiere in the “FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT” slot on Nippon TV starting Friday, January 16, 2026.

■Reflections on Season 1 Shared at the 2nd Anniversary Event

The three cast members appeared on stage to warm applause from fans celebrating the second anniversary. Tanezaki expressed her gratitude, saying, “It’s been two years since the first broadcast! There aren’t many works where we get to say ‘Happy anniversary!,’ so I’m genuinely grateful.” Ichinose smiled and said, “Thank you so much for coming on this special day marking the second anniversary.” Kobayashi reflected, saying, “During these two years, I’ve experienced so many things together with Frieren,” as each actor reminisced about the days spent on the journey with Frieren.

Regarding the special screening project, which divides all 28 episodes into five chapters to be shown from September to November, the cast discussed their most memorable chapters and episodes. Tanezaki expressed particular enthusiasm, saying, “I’d really like to see the battle between Frieren and her duplicate in Chapter 5 on the big screen,” and added, “I love all the candidates in the First-Class Mage Exam chapter so much.” She also shared her feelings about the master-disciple relationship, commenting, “I really love episode 26, ‘The Pinnacle of Magic.’ When I watch the scene where Frieren looks at Fern through her own eyes, it always makes me cry.”

Ichinose reflected on Fern’s growth, saying, “Rewatching episode 1, Fern was so tiny. It really tugged at my heart.” She also said, “The dance scene between Stark and Fern in Chapter 3 was beautifully drawn, so I’m envious of everyone who gets to see it on the big screen.” Kobayashi, meanwhile, shared his special fondness for Sein, the priest who joins their party part-way through, and commented, “I’m especially attached to Sein’s scenes. There’s a moment when the rest of us fall asleep and Sein single-handedly fights the monsters. Watching that scene during recording brought back a lot of memories.”