"Everything is Even!" Atsumi Tanezaki, Kana Ichinose, and Chiaki Kobayashi Look Back on the First Half of the TV Anime Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 [Interview]

The second season of the TV anime Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is currently airing. Following the first season that began in October 2023, the story continues as Frieren, Fern, and Stark resume their journey after the "First-Class Mage Exam Arc."

In the first half of the cour—from Episode 29, "The Journey Restarts," which marks the start of Season 2, to Episode 33, "Logistics in the Northern Highlands"—the story spotlighted the various people the trio met on their travels and the evolving relationships between the three main characters.

In this article, we interviewed Atsumi Tanezaki (Frieren), Kana Ichinose (Fern), and Chiaki Kobayashi (Stark). We asked them about the episodes that left the strongest impression on them.

—In the first half of Season 2, we see the trio's journey resume after the "First-Class Mage Exam Arc." I’d like to ask which episodes stood out to you. Mr. Kobayashi, how about you?

Kobayashi: I’d say the episode where the Hero of the South appears (Episode 30, "The Hero of the South"). Kazuhiko Inoue (the voice of the Hero of the South) only appeared in that one scene, but his performance was so incredibly polished. Ms. Tanezaki, what was it like actually acting alongside him?

Tanezaki: Even from his very first line in the test recording, he was so wonderful it gave me chills. But then he received some direction like "I want you to do it more like this," and I was just thinking, "Wait, he's going to get even better from here?!" (lol).

Everyone: (lol)

—By the way, what kind of direction was it?

Kobayashi: Initially, the impression was more "sharp" rather than "genial," so the direction was to adjust that aspect, right? And Mr. Inoue adjusted to that perfectly.

It’s the same with Himmel, but the Heroes in Frieren don’t just have strength; they have this charisma and warmth that draws people in. Even though his acting and voice are completely different from Mr. (Nobuhiko) Okamoto’s (Himmel), listening to him in the booth, I felt they shared that same quality.

Tanezaki: A sort of mix of strength and softness.

Kobayashi: Those things coexisted, and the Hero of the South had a sense of being even more mature than Himmel.

Ichinose: He only appeared for one episode, but it felt as though he had been walking the path of this series with us all along, like he had always existed in the world of Frieren.

Tanezaki: It felt like being enveloped by his presence.

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