At Anime Expo 2025, Comics Beat attended the Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End panel, hosted once again by Crunchyroll’s Tim Lyu. Panel guests included interpreter Mikey McNamara, producer Yuchiro Fukushi, composer Evan Call, and Chiaki Kobayashi, the voice of Stark.
PC: Ollie Kaplan, via Comics Beat’s BlueskyAfter brief introductions, the panel dove into a Q&A session. When asked how he got involved with Frieren, Fukushi shared that reading the manga sparked vivid images of an anime adaptation. Once the production secured the rights, the journey began.
Asked what makes Frieren resonate so deeply with fans, Fukushi credited the worldbuilding and rich character development, saying, “The way the characters were drawn, I could really see them come to life.”
Chiaki Kobayashi recalled his emotional reaction upon learning he’d been cast as Stark. “I was almost in tears because that’s how much Frieren meant to me as a manga. I thought I’d be either Himmel or Stark, but I thought there was a 99% chance of Stark.”
Fukushi discussed the challenge of balancing resources across a 28-episode anime season, especially with so many powerful arcs. He emphasized the importance of clearly conveying the director’s intent in every aspect of the production. When asked how Frieren resonated with him personally, he explained, “One thing that production wanted to do was capture the essence and charm of the original manga. We wanted to make sure what made the manga so special was all on the screen as an anime.”
Composer Evan Call revealed that he approached the music as more than background—he wanted it to act as another character. His bluegrass roots helped shape Frieren‘s folksy sound. “I spent a lot of time picking up instruments,” Call said, even playing a sample chord live to demonstrate how he matched the music’s tone to the anime’s emotional beats.
When asked how he prepared to voice Stark’s wide emotional range, Kobayashi reflected on the character’s growth. “Stark is afraid of a lot of things and can’t fight on his own as a character. Because he has Frieren and Fern, he’s able to feel more comfortable and overcome his fears and I feel like that’s something that can be said for me and a number of people in this audience as well.” Humorously, he also added, “As a tangent, when I was growing up, I definitely said one too many things to the girls I was trying to date, so I relate to that as well.”
In a fan-favorite moment, Tim Lyu asked Kobayashi to read a scene for the audience. “Only if it’s a cool scene,” he joked, before delivering a hilarious performance of Stark having a meltdown. “NOT COOL SCENE!” he stated afterward.
More laughs followed when Kobayashi was asked if he’d fight the solar dragon. “…No,” he deadpanned. Fukushi, on the other hand, said he would if the dragon threatened his team. Call quipped that fighting dragons was off the table for him—he already has his hands full wrangling two miniature dachshunds.
Kobayashi shared his belief that Stark will have a bigger role in Season 2, which is currently in production. Fukushi explained that the director and other staff couldn’t attend due to their workload, but he came on their behalf. To elevate Season 2, Fukoshi held an in-depth discussion with the team. Together with the three directors, they established a new creative pillar to lead the production, and Fukoshi believes fans have a lot to look forward to.
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Source: Bluesky
English (US) · 