Animation
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
Puberty is not fun.
Your body changes. Your voice changes. Your hormones change. It’s a mess. But it’s one every kid has to go through in order to become an adult. Middle schoolers Nick and Andrew are no exception.
In some ways, their pubertal experiences are relatable. Nick is a late bloomer while Andrew is progressing so fast that he has a mustache. But what’s maybe not-so-relatable is that they (and their classmates) also are plagued by “Hormone Monsters.”
These furry, horned creatures pop up randomly to guide kids through puberty. It’s meant to be a metaphor for how confusing and difficult these bodily and mental changes can be, but it also gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “raging hormones.”
The Hormone Monsters cause all sorts of problems—inexplainable anger, depression, anxiety and (disturbingly) arousal.
The show’s creators—Andrew Goldberg (who wrote for Family Guy) and Nick Kroll—might have been trying to make light of their own upbringings in suburban New York, but what they created is a crass, hyper-sexualized coming-of-age series that borders on pornography in some episodes (and even jokes that it gets away with such imagery because it’s a cartoon).
We see nudity, sex (both with people and sentient objects), and even bestiality. There are graphic descriptions of sex and genitals (usually in reference to what the teens are experiencing). The show also talks about same-sex attractions and transgenderism. Sure, they’re trying to make a joke out of all these things, but really, it’s not that funny.
We hear multiple uses of the f-word and s-word each episode (and even the occasional c-word). Animated violence makes an appearance. And there’s an obvious derision towards God and Christians that comes up in a few episodes as well.
It would’ve been nice if the voices behind Big Mouth had been kept shut. But since that didn’t happen, most viewers would be better served blocking out the din by keeping their TVs off.
When Nick is forced out of his body by his alter ego, his friends help him fight back and regain control.
We see nudity and masturbation. Sex is implied several times. We hear graphic descriptions of sex and genitals. There are several jokes about orgies and gay sex. A girl wears a shirt baring her midriff. A man eats his own underpants.
When a boy tells his parents he is gay, he worries that they will send him to a “conversion camp.” A bisexual boy admits he cheated on his girlfriend.
Nick hovers around as a ghost or “lost soul” for much of the episode and takes control of other characters by entering their bodies through their anuses. Another ghost smokes a cigarette.
Nick’s alter ego attempts to stab him with a knife. He also pushes him out of a window. Giant monsters battle each other, destroying buildings in the process. Two boys are attacked by a skeleton army. A boy slaps his dad twice.
There are a few toilet humor jokes. Characters drink alcohol. We hear multiple uses of the f-word and s-word, as well as “d–k,” “b–ch,” “h—,” “pr–k,” “a–,” “d–n” and “p-ssy.” God’s name is misused a few times (once paired with “d–n”), and Christ’s name is misused as well.
After Nick accidentally sees Andrew naked, he becomes self-conscious about his own journey through puberty.
We see male and female genitals. Characters masturbate and make out. (There is also a scene where a boy ejaculates in his pants while dancing with a girl.) There are graphic jokes about sex, puberty and human anatomy. There is some discussion about same-sex attraction. Girls and women are objectified. A mother teaches her son how to use condoms.
Someone says there is no God. A ghost talks to Nick and smokes a cigarette. People drink wine. There are jokes about “curbing,” being bulimic, overdosing on heroin and AIDs. We hear multiple uses of the f-word and s-word and a use of the c-word. We also hear “h—,” “d–n” and “p-ssy.” God’s name is misused several times, sometimes paired with “d–n.”
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
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