Himmel's Narcissism Strikes Again
The latest installment of the Frieren: Beyond Journey's End chibi mini-anime series, The Magic of ●●, arrived on May 22 with a USJ special edition titled "The Magic of Basking in Admiration." The short — reported by ABEMA TIMES — brings back the original party in deformed style for a quick comedy sketch that doubles as a teaser for Universal Studios Japan's upcoming Frieren collaboration event.
In the short, Frieren's party discovers a grimoire in a dungeon containing a spell called "The Magic of Basking in Admiration." Frieren, ever the emotionally detached elf, doesn't really get the concept and asks her companions what kind of admiration they'd want to bask in. The answers are perfectly in character. Heiter (voiced by Tōchi Hiroki) wants a world with unlimited alcohol. Eisen (Ueda Yōji) dreams of a world where every grape is sour. And Himmel — because of course — wants "a world overflowing with sculptures and paintings of this handsome face, so my beauty is remembered for eternity."
Nobuhiko Okamoto (Katsuki Bakugo in My Hero Academia) voices Himmel's full-narcissist delivery, while Atsumi Tanezaki (Anya Forger in Spy x Family) returns as the deadpan Frieren trying to make sense of it all.
The USJ Collaboration
The mini-anime serves as a lead-in to Frieren's first-ever theme park collaboration at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. The event, running from May 30, 2026 through January 11, 2027, is part of USJ's Universal Cool Japan 2026 lineup and includes several attractions.
The centerpiece is Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Story Walk — Journey of Remembrance, a walkthrough attraction housed in Stage 18 that lets visitors physically walk through scenes from the anime. USJ describes it as a "super-immersive" experience running about 20 minutes per visit. The collaboration also includes a themed restaurant, a story ride, and merchandise launching May 29.
For anyone who's ever wanted to stand in the meadow where Frieren watched the meteor shower with Himmel, this is about as close as it gets without actual magic.
About the Mini-Anime Series
The Magic of ●● is an ongoing chibi spinoff that airs irregularly on the TOHO animation YouTube channel. Each episode features the party stumbling across a different quirky spell — past entries have included "Magic That Swaps Your Mind and Body," "Magic That Makes You Full," and "Magic That Cuts Pretty Much Anything." The shorts use deformed character designs by illustrator Mebachi and play the cast's established personalities for comedy.
The series restarted in January 2026 ahead of the anime's anticipated continuation. With over 20 episodes now released, the USJ special edition marks the first time the mini-anime has tied directly into a real-world event.
Looking Ahead
The USJ collaboration opens in six days on May 30 and runs through January 2027, giving fans a long window to visit. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End streams on Crunchyroll for international audiences, and the source manga by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe is published in English by Viz Media. No word yet on whether the USJ mini-anime short will receive English subtitles on the TOHO animation channel, though previous episodes in the series have been Japanese-only.