Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

This is not the story of the quest to defeat the Demon King. This is what happens after.

Decades after her party succeeded in defeating the Demon King and brought peace to the land, elf mage Frieren returns to the capital city to attend the funeral of one of her traveling companions. Frieren’s life span is many times that of her fellow adventurers, but this is the first time that the death of a companion has affected her so emotionally. Frieren decides to retrace the steps of her travels and make a journey to “Heaven”, an area located at the topmost point of the continent. Along the way, she gathers some more traveling companions and begins a new set of adventures. 

I was worried about this manga series at first - I love a good adventure story, but this one seemed like it would be emotionally devastating to read. Luckily, it is not! It can be bittersweet at times, as Frieren reflects on her long life and how it has brought her to the present moment, but the often lighthearted adventures of her current party help balance out the emotional weight of Frieren’s existence. As of writing this staff pick, I have only read 6 of the 13 (currently) available volumes, and I am excited to devour the remaining seven.