A special Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End collaboration illustration has been released in tribute to Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” oil painting.
The original painting is featured as follows for comparison below.
展示作品紹介 ヨハネス・フェルメール《真珠の耳飾りの少女》
「世界でもっとも有名な絵のひとつ」とされ、世界中の人々を魅了してきた #フェルメール の代表作。… pic.twitter.com/HuRCznAyqQ
— フェルメール《真珠の耳飾りの少女》展 17世紀オランダ絵画の名品、奇跡の再来日 (@Vermeer2026) April 10, 2026
The illustration was unveiled ahead of a special exhibition for the painting that will take place in Japan at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka from August 21, 2026 to September 27, 2026. It has been permanently displayed at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, Netherlands since 2014, but is being temporarily loaned to the Nakanoshima Museum of Art as the Dutch-based museum undergoes alterations from this August through September.
In addition to “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” the exhibition will include some of Vermeer’s earlier works and other Dutch paintings from the same era.
The “Girl with a Pearl Earring” Japanese exhibition will also feature collaborations with the Dutch mascot character Miffy, Rihga Royal Hotels, Feiler, Aera Art Collection, and more.
The first season of the Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End TV anime adaptation aired for 28 episodes between 2023 and 2024. A 10-episode second season was released in Japan from January 2026 to March 2026. A third season was announced this past March and is scheduled to premiere in October 2027.
The original fantasy manga series is written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe. It was first launched in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday on April 28, 2020 and has released 14 tankobon volumes as of March 2025. VIZ Media licensed the manga for release in English.
Crunchyroll is streaming Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End in select countries and territories worldwide. It describes the main premise of the series as:
After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity’s mortality. She takes on a new apprentice and promises to fulfill old friends’ dying wishes. Can an elven mind make peace with the nature of life and death? Frieren embarks on her quest to find out.
Sources: Frieren Official Twitter Account, Official Exhibition Website (via Strict Algorithm LLC), Japan Anime News