Naturally, after attending the convention, I have anime/manga on the brain. I decided to catch up on the Frieren manga. Frieren has become my all-time favorite series, even though I've only recently gotten into it. I think I had stopped at around chapter 134, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it has now gotten up to 140. I can't discuss the plot too much, because with the popularity of the anime and S2 on the horizon, I don't want to spoil anything. I'm a firm believer that the most important part of any good story is the actual journey the characters go on, not just the climax, and as such spoilers don't really mean anything because you are deprived of the context leading up to them. For example, let's say I hear about some cool action adventure show. I read a spoiler that one of the main character's friends dies in a crucial battle. So what? I assumed something like that would happen anyway. The enjoyment comes from watching the bond between the main character and that friend grow into something special, and when it's forcibly broken, you feel for the characters. Spoilers also add an interesting quirk to watching a show where even though you know a character will die, they are so well-written that you can't help but get attached. "Iron Man dies at the end of Endgame." Ok, how? Does Thanos kill him? Does he get lost in space trying to make it back to Earth? Does he get a heart attack from a burger 20 years after defeating the bad guys? Does he sacrifice himself and die surrounded by his closest friends, leaving everything yet to come in their hesitant but unwavering hands? Who's Iron Man? That spoiler means nothing if I haven't experienced the context surrounding it. I sleep easily after that because with the massive share of the pop cultural zeitgeist that Marvel currently possesses, there is no way, shape, or form that the way someone finds that out is by reading my blog. Tangent aside, I'm well aware most people do not feel that way, so I refrain from spoilers. I will say that these recent chapters contain very important developments for a returning character, and that 140 ends on a cliffhanger. Frieren has now gone on another indefinite hiatus. Another reason to keep going.