Hiraeth is a rare masterpiece of drama. It seeks to explore facets of death, loss, and grief; as few other manga manage, it does so without succumbing to an overbearing sense of bleakness. Hiraeth dares to tackle aspects of death head-on, that few other works are willing to approach. Mourning is hard---so hard that the word "hard" feels insulting---and so hard that the inevitability of moving on becomes an object of dread. Yet, Hiraeth manages to imbue the story with stunning visuals and an energy that is full of life, despite a focus on subject matter that is anything but.

The cast of Hiraeth is the source of its life. A suicidal girl who can't come to terms with the loss of her soulmate. A forgotten god taking one last chance to say goodbye. And an immortal playboy who's had to say goodbye too many times. They each have different conceptualizations of death, and their perspectives, attitudes, and playfulness give the story its momentum.

Hiraeth has a lot in common with Frieren at the Funeral. For one, both series focus on the ways that death affects the experience of life, and both do so in a narrative that borders on slice-of-life. Both series use magic to capture the beauty of life. In both series, the direction is clear from the very start. The protagonists are on a very literal journey to the afterlife, and they both live more in the past than in the present. Hiraeth is different from Frieren in its more direct confrontation of themes of mortality. Neither approach is better than the other, and each are in a class of their own.

... Last updated on September 12th, 2021, 8:45pm