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Teach and learn using Freiren: Beyond Journey’s End Vol. 1 by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe

Many have read, heard, or seen countless tales of heroes conquering world-ending threats and adventurers embarking on quests for glory. But what happens after they’ve returned home and their party has disbanded? How does time treat each party member and their relationships to one another? This introductory volume of Frieren, Beyond Journey’s End presents the reader with many of those same questions, and it shows how an elven mage—destined to long outlive her fellow adventurers—tries to find the answers.

Pop Culture Classroom’s reading guide for Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is perfect for teachers, librarians, and parents looking to build upon reading experiences for middle and high school age youth.

Using the projects and discussion questions in this guide, readers will:

• Think critically about relationships between characters and in real life
• Examine themes such as “Passage of time”, “Strengths and Weaknesses”, and “Death”.
• Write their own fan fiction
• Create and role play original characters.

Frieren views time differently than her human and dwarven companions. Their 10-year journey together is a mere blip in her life, which will span many human lifetimes. It is not until Himmel the Hero dies of old age that Frieren realized the effect this has had on her relationships with others. Throughout the book, Frieren travels across lands to learn more about her old companions and to honor them in different ways, all while trying to build new relationships and train a new apprentice.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End gives readers multiple opportunities to consider different perspectives and examine their own relationships. Fans of Dungeons & Dragons and fantasy stories will enjoy seeing classic adventuring party archetypes through a new lens and discovering the nuanced layers of their dynamic. Readers may also find Frieren to be a unique protagonist, embodying some character traits often associated with types of neurodivergence, such as difficulty understanding what others are thinking or feeling, or being hyper focused on her hobbies.

As readers discover more about each character’s strengths and quirks, the discussion questions and activities in this guide will help them make connections to their own lives, strengthen their social-emotional intelligence, and learn more about character and story development.