🎵 The anime the world can't stop talking about just got even better. A special music video merging milet's "The Story of Us" with footage from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 is here. Three companions, one unforgettable journey, and a song that ties it all together.
milet × Frieren: A Special MV That Blends Music and Anime Into One
On the night of February 6, 2026, a special music video dropped on the TOHO animation YouTube channel, combining the full version of milet's "The Story of Us" with anime footage from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2. The timing was deliberate — it premiered at 11:45 PM JST, right after the broadcast of Episode 4 (Episode 32 overall) of the second season, letting viewers ride the emotional wave straight from the episode into the MV.
The MV features scenes from the Season 2 anime set to the full-length song. It captures the quiet, cherished moments shared by the trio of Frieren, Fern, and Stark: peaceful interactions with the people they meet along their journey, fierce battles against monsters and demons, and the gradual deepening of bonds that makes their adventure so emotionally resonant. The contrast between stillness and action, woven together with milet's distinctive vocals, creates an experience that feels like more than just a promotional video — it feels like a love letter to the series.
The Deep Connection Between milet and Frieren
This isn't milet's first contribution to the Frieren franchise. For Season 1, which aired from September 2023 to March 2024, she performed the ending theme "Anytime Anywhere" along with a special ending song called "Bliss." Notably, "Anytime Anywhere" was used across both cours (halves) of the first season — a rare decision that cemented the song as inseparable from the show's identity.
When it was revealed in November 2025 that milet would return for Season 2, the announcement was met with widespread excitement. In her official statement, milet shared: "I am truly happy to be able to journey once again with Frieren and her companions, and with you. There is meaning in every moment — when you take a step forward, when you pause, and when you look back. I wrote 'The Story of Us' with the hope that this song can protect you in all those moments, like a charm."
The arrangement was handled by Evan Call, the composer behind Frieren's entire original soundtrack. He commented that he arranged the piece to blend even further into Frieren's world, drawing on themes of hope, friendship, and the connections that arise through bonds with others. This creative continuity between the anime's score and its theme songs is a key reason the special MV feels so cohesive.
The Original MV: Filmed Across the Czech Republic
Separately from the anime-collaboration MV, milet released an original music video for "The Story of Us" on January 16 — the same day as the Season 2 premiere. This video was filmed in the Czech Republic, with shooting taking place across more than ten locations over three days. Prague, often called the "Magical City," served as a fitting backdrop.
The video opens with milet manipulating two dolls on a puppet stage, then transitions to her exploring a rural town and a library. Near the end, she wanders through ruins as a field of flowers blooms around her. The medieval European landscapes echo the fantasy world of Frieren, visually amplifying the song's ethereal atmosphere.
The Color-Pencil Ending: Art That Tells a Story
The Season 2 ending sequence itself has become a talking point. Created by up-and-coming artist Mimei Aoume, it features a color-pencil animation depicting Frieren's travels with a soft, handcrafted warmth. A creditless version of this ending will be included in the limited-edition anime package of the single, allowing fans to fully appreciate the artistry without on-screen text.
CD Single Editions
The physical single for "The Story of Us" will be released on March 4, 2026, in three editions:
- First Press Edition (CD + Blu-ray): approximately $19 (¥2,900). Includes the song's MV, behind-the-scenes footage, plus MVs and a live performance of "Anytime Anywhere" from Season 1.
- Standard Edition (First Press) (CD only): approximately $10 (¥1,500).
- Limited Anime Edition (CD + Blu-ray + 3 stickers): approximately $17 (¥2,500). Features the special collaboration MV, the creditless ending, and an exclusive anime-illustrated jacket.
Coupling tracks include "Trace" and "Anytime Anywhere - Piano Session," making the release a comprehensive collection for Frieren music fans.
Frieren: A Global Phenomenon
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, based on the manga by Kanehito Yamada (story) and Tsukasa Abe (art), has surpassed 35 million copies in worldwide cumulative circulation. The series has won nearly every major manga award in Japan, including the Manga Taisho Grand Prize (2021), the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, the Shogakukan Manga Award, and the Kodansha Manga Award.
The first season of the anime earned the top overall ranking on MyAnimeList, making it one of the highest-rated anime series in history. Season 2 premiered on January 16, 2026, and is simulcast globally through Crunchyroll with multilingual subtitles and English dubbing. Overseas fans have embraced the weekly Friday broadcasts under the affectionate label "Frieren Fridays."
milet: Japan's Rising Global Voice
milet (pronounced "mee-lay") is a Japanese singer-songwriter who spent her formative years in Canada and is fluent in English and French. Since debuting in 2019 with a song produced by Toru of ONE OK ROCK, she has built an impressive résumé: collaborating with MAN WITH A MISSION on the Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc theme, performing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics closing ceremony, and appearing at NHK's prestigious Kohaku Uta Gassen (Japan's New Year's Eve music special) for four consecutive years.
Her international following has grown rapidly. In 2024, she embarked on her first Asia tour, with her Taipei solo concert selling out in just two seconds. She has upcoming performances at Japan's legendary Nippon Budokan arena on February 13-14, 2026, and will appear alongside Evan Call at a Frieren film concert in August.
Final Thoughts
The collaboration between milet and Frieren represents something deeper than a typical anime tie-in. It reflects a distinctive aspect of Japanese pop culture: the practice of treating anime theme songs not as afterthoughts but as integral storytelling elements, created in close partnership between artists and production teams.
In Japan, an anime's theme song can define both an artist's career trajectory and a series' emotional legacy. How does your country approach the relationship between music and film or animation? Do you have a favorite anime theme song that stuck with you long after the series ended? We'd love to hear about it!
References
Reactions in Japan
Watched the special MV right after Episode 4 and had nowhere to put all these emotions. The chorus hitting right when Fern grabs Stark's hand is emotional warfare.
Since Evan Call handles both the anime score AND the ED arrangement, the song and anime share the same musical DNA. That's an advantage no ordinary tie-in can replicate.
Honestly preferred Anytime Anywhere. The Story of Us isn't bad, but it doesn't hit as hard as the Season 1 ED. Being compared is inevitable though.
I love Mimei Aoume's color-pencil ED so much, and knowing the creditless version will be on the disc makes me so happy. The handcrafted feel of that animation paired with milet's voice is so tender I cry every week.
Middle-aged guy who started watching Frieren after my daughter recommended it. First time hearing milet, but her voice drew me right in. Learning she grew up in Canada explained the great pronunciation.
Releasing this MV one week before the Budokan concerts? The timing is *too* perfect. I'm 100% certain I'll be sobbing when she performs The Story of Us live on 2/13.
Smart MV strategy. By having both an anime-footage special MV and a Prague-shot artist MV, they're covering both anime fans and music fans. Brilliant marketing too.
Frieren Fridays have become my reason to live each week. That bittersweet 'oh, it's over' feeling when the ED plays is just right, and this MV amplified that feeling tenfold.
The anime edition is about $17... Stickers and Blu-ray included, sure, but the MV is on YouTube anyway. Feels like the reasons to buy physical discs keep getting thinner every year.
Getting your heart racing with Mrs. GREEN APPLE's OP and then being purified by milet's ED — that structure works perfectly in Season 2 too. This OP/ED combo is Frieren's most overpowered weapon.
The Czech Republic MV is breathtakingly beautiful. Prague's streets look like Frieren's world come to life. Filming at over ten locations shows how serious the production team was.
Overseas Frieren fans are going wild in the YouTube comments lol. It's exciting to watch milet's name spread globally in real time.
The lyrics of 'The Story of Us' are inspired by Frieren and Himmel's relationship but written to be universally relatable — that's milet's skill. It doesn't lean too hard on specific characters, so you find new meaning with each listen.
milet AND Evan Call at the film concert in August? Watching Frieren on the big screen with live music is guaranteed tears material.
Don't sleep on the analog vinyl of 'eyes' dropping on 2/13 either. The fact that we can now listen to milet on vinyl is something to celebrate.
I knew Frieren's ED would make me emotional every time, but this special MV is on another level. There's something in milet's voice that carries the weight of time itself. Spanish subs are up on Crunchyroll so the Latin American fan community is buzzing.
The moment the song goes quiet as Frieren looks up at the sky in the MV, I thought my heart would stop. Japanese anime music is masterful at using 'ma' — those deliberate pauses. It's a technique you almost never see in Western pop.
Our Melbourne anime club does weekly Frieren screenings, and it's become tradition for everyone to go completely silent during the ED. That's how powerful the song is. Now that the MV is out, we're planning to screen it after this week's episode.
The Prague MV shooting is fascinating to me. Central European landscapes sync perfectly with Frieren's world, and as a German, it's compelling to see how Japanese creators interpret the European cultural roots of fantasy storytelling.
Surprised to learn milet speaks French too. The song itself is in Japanese, but her vocal delivery has a flexibility that multilingual speakers often have. Her name recognition is definitely growing among French anime fans.
The MV view count is climbing at an insane pace. Anytime Anywhere went viral on YouTube too, but with the heightened attention on Frieren Season 2, this one might break records.
Frieren's fanbase is growing in the Middle East too. The themes of time and loss resonate across religions and cultures. milet's music deepens that emotional resonance even further.
Being honest, YOASOBI's OP from last season had more immediate impact. milet's song is good but EDs tend to live in the OP's shadow. That said, watching this MV made me reassess the ED's value.
Including a creditless version of the color-pencil ED as a bonus is genius. AMV culture is big in Poland, so having official clean footage like this is a huge deal for creators.
As a Brazilian anime fan, the overall quality of Frieren's soundtrack blows me away. The Evan Call and milet collaboration has an epic grandeur reminiscent of an RPG end credits sequence.
The Taipei tickets sold out in TWO seconds? milet's popularity is rising in Korea too, but we still haven't gotten a dedicated Seoul show. Really hoping she comes to Korea next.
The puppet scene at the start of the original MV is so striking. I might be reading too deep, but it feels like a parallel between Frieren's perspective on humans' short lives and a puppeteer watching over their creations.
In Scandinavia, Frieren's quiet storytelling resonates strongly. Focusing on small, everyday emotional moments rather than flashy battles aligns with Scandinavian cinema culture. milet's song perfectly complements that quietness.
Japanese-Peruvian here. Got into milet's music through anime but now she's part of my regular rotation. A voice that conveys emotion even without understanding the Japanese lyrics is rare and precious.
Watched the MV three times, cried all three times. I can't even pinpoint exactly where the tears come from — it's like the combination of music and animation hits some emotional nerve directly. This is the power of Japanese anime music.