#the apothecary diaries cour 2

[blerdsunited]

January Anime Releases 2024

Classroom of the Elite S3 - January 3rd via Crunchyroll

Chained Soldier - January 4th via HiDive

Delicious in Dungeon - January 4th via Crunchyroll

Demon Prince of Momochi House - January 5th via Crunchyroll

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer - January 5th via Crunchyroll

A Sign of Affection - January 6th via Crunchyroll

Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga -January 6th via Crunchyroll

Kingdom S5 - January 6th via Crunchyroll

MASHLE Season 2 - January 6th via Crunchyroll

Solo Leveling - January 6th via Crunchyroll

The Apothecary Diaries Cour 2 - January 6th via Crunchyroll

Tales of Wedding Rings - January 6th via Crunchyroll

Banished from the hero's party - January 7th via Crunchyroll

Mr. Villain's Day Off - January 7th via Crunchyroll

One Piece Egghead Arc - January 7th via Crunchyroll

High Card S2 - January 8th via Crunchyroll

Tis Time for "Torture" - January 8th via Crunchyroll

Tsukimichi - Moonlit Fantasy Season 2 - January 8th via Crunchyroll

Metallic Rouge - January 10th via Crunchyroll

Delusional Monthly Magazine - January 11th via Crunchyroll

The Witch and the Beast - January 11th via Crunchyroll

The Weakest Tamer began a journey to pick up trash - January 12th via Crunchyroll

Bucchigiri - January 13th via Crunchyroll

Let us know what you guys think of the shows and be sure to share what animes you're looking forward to this season. We will keep you updated on any others that may drop after the 15th!

[tetrix-anime]

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) - Season 2 Key Visual and Teaser PV. 2 consecutive cours. Premiere: 10 January 2025

[metalandmagi]

The Real Anime Awards of 2024 (part 2)

Ever since Crunchyroll started doing their Anime Awards, I've made it my personal mission to make my own awards that represent the actual year in anime!

I already posted my silly awards list (with the truly important categories such as: prettiest boy and biggest trainwreck) so here are my serious picks. Don't take anything too seriously. These are just something fun I like to do every year. I can't watch everything.

Anime Of The Year

Dungeon Meshi

Dandadan

Go Go Loser Ranger

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

Re: Zero (season 3)

Ranma ½

Best Comedy

Mayonaka Punch

Konosuba (season 3)

My Deer Friend Nokotan

Ranma 1/2

VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral After Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream

Acro Trip

Best Drama

Jellyfish Can’t Swim In The Night

Senpai wa Otokonoko

Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction

Girls Band Cry

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

If My Wife Becomes An Elementary School Student

Best Romance

A Sign Of Affection

Blue Box

Cherry Magic- I’m not typing the full title

Kimi ni Todoke (From Me To You) (season 3)

Tasogare Out of Focus

365 Days to the Wedding

Best Slice Of Life

Mr. Villain’s Day Off

Welcome Home (Tadaima, Okaeri)

The Yōkai Next to Me

Natsume Yuujinchou Shichi

Negaposi Angler

Dungeon People

Honorable Mention: The Magical Girl And The Evil Lieutenant Used To Be Arch Enemies

Best Action

Wind Breaker

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War (part 3)

Brave Bang Bravern

Bucchigiri?!

Kaiju No. 8

Dragon Ball Daima

Honorable mention: Viral Hit

Best Fantasy

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End cour 2

Dungeon Meshi

Re: Zero (season 3)

Spice And Wolf

Isekai Suicide Squad

Dandadan...more of a sci-fi than fantasy but oh well...

Best Boy

Asamine Matakara (Bucchigiri?!)

Yuichi Kurosawa (Cherry Magic)

Buchio (The Yokai Next To Me)

Shion Yoshino (Tasogare Out Of Focus)

Natsume Takashi (Natsume Yuujinchou Shichi)

Keisuke Niijima (If My Wife Becomes An Elementary School Student)

Honorable Mention: Nukumizu (Too Many Losing Heroines)...this poor guy deserves some love but everyone else edged him out just a little bit 😅

Best Protagonist

Sakuna (Sakuna: Of Rice And Rain)

Masaki (Mayonaka Punch)

Fighter D (Go Go Loser Ranger)

Hibino Kafka (Kaiju No. 8)

Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler Public School Arc)

Lawrence Kraft (Spice And Wolf)

Honorable mention: Mao Mao (Apothecary Diaries cour 2)...I love her so much but I already nominated her last year so I felt like it wasn't fair to do her twice

Best Antagonist

Sirius Romanée-Conti: Sin Archbishop of Wrath (Re: Zero season 3)- There are 3 great villains this season, but I could only pick one to represent and Wrath was my favorite 😅

Red Keeper (Go Go Loser Ranger)

Mika Hanaoka (Senpai wa Otokonoko)

Melon (Beastars Final Season cour 1)

Nowak (Orb: On the Movements of the Earth)

Chika Shiraishi (If My Wife Becomes An Elementary School Student) I know she’s only an antagonist at the beginning of the show, but dang, she’s a good one.

Best Girl

Holo (Spice And Wolf)

Marcille (Dungeon Meshi)

Sawako Kuronuma (Kimi ni Todoke season 3)

Harley Quinn (Isekai Suicide Squad)

Koshi Torako (My Deer Friend Nokotan)

Hina Chouno (Blue Box)

Best Supporting Character

Senshi (Dungeon Meshi)

“Youko Satou” (The Fable)

Kouji Shigemoto (Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc.)

Peeps (Sasaki and Peeps)

Chrome (Acro Trip)

Nyanko Sensei (Natsume Yuujinchou Shichi)

Best Character Design

Delico’s Nursery

Oshi no Ko (season 2)

Isekai Suicide Squad

Dungeon Meshi

Beastars Final Season cour 1

Ranma 1/2

Best Score

Girls Band Cry

Spice and Wolf

Natsume Yuujinchou Shichi

Kaiju No. 8

Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War (part 3)- I will keep nominating it every year until it wins the actual award!

Honorable mentions: Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

Best Animation

Oblivion Battery

The Elusive Samurai

Blue Box

Beastars Final Season cour 1

Too Many Losing Heroines

The Stories of Girls Who Couldn't Be Magicians

Honorable mention: Shoushimin Series (I guess I’d categorize this as “most cinematic” over “best animation”), also Wind Breaker's animation deserves a shout out too.

Best OP

(BASED ON BOTH SONG AND VISUALS! so, sorry Viral Hit and The Fable...)

Dandadan (“Otonoke” Creepy Nuts)

Go Go Loser Ranger (“Preview of Me” Tatsuya Kitani)

Beastars Final Season cour 1 (“Into The World” issei)

You Are Ms. Servant (“Otozure” tricot)

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (“Kaiju” Sakanaction)

Tower of God season 2 OP 1 (“Rise Up” NiziU)

Honorable mentions: *This is the hardest category every year for me, so I just have to shout out some others*

Yuru Camp season 3 (“Laid Back Journey” Kiminone)

Oshi no Ko season 2 (“Fatal” GEMN)

Wind Breaker (“Absolute Zero” Natori)

Mashle season 2 (“Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” Creepy Nuts)

Best ED

Isekai Suicide Squad (“Go Getters” Mori Calliope)

Brave Bang Bravern (“Sounen no Shouzu” Ryota Suzuki and Yohei Azakami) There was no way in hell I was leaving this off the list. If you watch no other anime endings this year, please watch this one 😆

Go Go Loser Ranger (“Sekai wa Iranei” NANAOAKARI)

Ranma ½ (“Antanante” riria)

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End cour 2 (“Anytime Anywhere” Milet)

Too Many Losing Heroines ed 2 (“Crazy For You” Shion Wakayama) *I love the other 2 endings as well, but I could only choose one*😭

Best Japanese VA Performance

*I'm terrible with this category. I really don't know how to judge good voice acting performances at all*

Hasegawa, Ikumi as Masaki (Mayonaka Punch)

Ueda, Hitomi as Yoshino (Yakuza Fiancé)

Seki, Toshihiko as Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer Hashira Training Arc)...This arc may have sucked, but he acted the shit out of it.

Inoue, Kazuhiko as Nyanko Sensei (Natsume Yuujinchou shichi)

Nagase, Anna as Harley Quinn (Isekai Suicide Squad)

Fujita, Saki as Koshi Torako (My Deer Friend Nokotan)

*I don't watch enough dubs to do nominations for English voice actors, but I want to shout out SungWon Cho as Senshi from Dungeon Meshi and Abby Trott as Ayase from Dandadan. They understood the assignment.*

So there you have it! My picks for the real anime awards of 2024! Don't take this seriously at all, it's just something fun I like to put together every year. I always try not to nominate the same things, but it's so hard to include a variety sometimes! 😅

[ladyloveandjustice]

My Top 12 Favorite Anime of 2023 (and more)!

This was a great year for anime, so here's a long list of my top 12 (including some bonus great anime). If you get tired of clicking the review links, check out my anime overview collection for all of them here.  You can also check out my list of favorite manga here!

Some of these are ongoing, so consider those only a review of the first cour-- no official endorsement on the rest because it hasn't aired yet!

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury (Season 2)

When I listed G-Witch in last year's top anime list, I prayed the show wouldn't betray me. Fortunately, it didn't! Though the final half of the show was a bit rushed, it remained must-see, compelling sci-fi full of exciting twists and turns. And I adore the well developed romance between the robot-piloting protagonist and precious girl, Suletta, and her fierce fiancé, Miorine.  Whether you’re here for starcrossed queer lovers, robots wrecking each other, tense battles between opposing political factions, or morally-horrifying moms on a revenge spree, you’re in for a treat.

See my full review here.

Yuri is my Job!

Hime is roped into working at a cafe where the waitresses playact as students of the fictional all girl’s school from a beloved novel series. However, Hime finds her co-worker, Mitsuki, has an inexplicable grudge against her. Thus begins a tangled web of romance and wounded feelings among the girls in the cafe! Yuri is My Job seems like a fun comedy boasting a cast full of quirky lesbians, but then reveals itself to be a complicated and fascinating examination of performance- as it intersects with queerness, girlhood,  and the desire to be “likeable” and “cute". It's top-tier lesbian drama full of fraught relationships and it's absolutely worth a watch.

See my full review here.

The Apothecary Diaries (still ongoing, review is for the first cour)

Though it's still going, I have to sing the praises of this dazzling anime about a saavy apothecary who uses her medical expertise to solve the many murders and betrayals in the Emperor's palace. MaoMao is a fantastic lead, a poison-obsessed gremlin who's whip-smart, deadpan, and fun to follow. The Apothecary Diaries has intrigue, well-developed characters, and an impeccable atmosphere. It tells a great range of stories, from romantic triumph, to bittersweet tales of recovering from grief, to pure tragedies. I'm totally hooked.

See my full review here.

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady

When Euphie is dumped by her fiance at a ball, the oddball princess Anis rescues her.  Euphie becomes Anis' assistant in her quest to develop magical tools. The girls also start to develop feelings for each other, while discovering a conspiracy among the nobility. I'm always desperately in need of cool lesbians having action-packed fantasy adventures, and Magirevo delivers. The characters grow in entertaining ways, we get to see them fight dragons in killer action scenes, and the romantic development is completely satisfying. It's a simple story at its core, but the lovable characters, joyous queerness and jubilant execution make it a great watch.

See my full review here.

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story (Season 2)

In the second season of the anime about girls homoerotically golfing while dealing with the mafia and ludicrous family drama, Birdie Wing remains a bombastically absurd sports anime that is fun all the way through. Please come watch these girls get ridiculous sports  injuries, scream their super golf attacks, experience extremely extra plot twists--and be super gay with each other, of course. The finale didn't go quite as hard as I wanted (and the romance is more subtexual than I wanted), but you need to allow yourself to experience the madness of Birdie Wing.

See full review here.

Skip and Loafer

An endearingly dorky, earnest, and driven girl moves from her small town to Tokyo. While she struggles to adjust, she befriends a nice popular boy who's got some baggage. Skip and Loafer is a show that’s like a warm hug. It's sweet, entertaining and funny. It handles adolescent struggles with tender nuance. There's a emphasis on kindness, connection, and looking past stereotypes and misconceptions. It also includes a trans character who's treated with respect (and is a great character in general!) Let this show touch your heart.

See my full review here.

Undead Murder Farce

An immortal woman has had most of her body stolen by a mysterious man. Reduced to a head carried around by her maid, she teams up with a half-demon man to track the thief down while solving supernatural mysteries all across Victorian England.

This a fun, campy mystery series starring three asshole weirdo protagonists,  it’s bursting with supernatural creatures and literary references. We've got Sherlock Holmes, The Phantom of the Opera, Carmilla and more...along with a vampire murders and werewolf drama galore. UDM is a wonderful romp with stylish, slick direction... and it’s unexpectedly really gay.  I’m aching to see more of these scrappy misfits and their adventures.

See my full review here.

Migi & Dali

A story of twins who are pretending to be one kid in order to fool their foster parents and find out who killed their mother. It starts out as an utterly absurd comedy becomes a impressive and genuinely tense murder mystery that is incredibly moving at times, all while keeping up it’s signature brand of goofiness. There’s genuine commentary on abuse, the damage you can do to children by forcing perfection on them, the struggle of being a foster kid, grief and recovery and more. There's also some great character development. It's a weird one, but it's absolutely worth sticking with.

See full review here.

Pluto

Somebody is killing the most advanced robots in the  world and murdering humans alongside them. A robot detective is trying to track this killer down, but he might be compromised as well. Pluto is a tense, tense, tightly plotted robot murder mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Through robots, it explores the idea of being a tool in a corrupt system, and tackles subjects like war, imperialism, and the nature of hatred. It's a masterful psychological thriller with stunning animation and a rich story.

See my full review here.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

This anime approaches the story of Scott Pilgrim and Ramona's seven evil exes from a brands new angle, and the results are great. We get a exploration of relationships and regrets, the messiness of communication and connection, the trials of becoming an adult, all with the signature goofy video game antics. Characters neglected in previous iterations finally get their due, new facets of the story are explored, queer relationships are delved into more, girls kiss...and it's all accompanied by phenomenal animation and a killer soundtrack.

See my full review here

Soaring Sky! Precure

Sora lives in a world called Skyland and wants to be a great hero. When rescuing the kidnapped baby princess, she falls through a portal to earth. There she meets her fellow magical warriors, and as Precure they protect the princess from the villains!

This vibrant, warm-hearted adventure got me back on the Precure train! This series boasts a lot exciting firsts for the franchise--the first official male cure, the first main cure that's eighteen years old- but above all, it has a lively team of characters with who have an entertaining dynamic and enjoyable individual journeys. It's often very funny, the baby has a surprisingly good character arc, and it's bursting with magical girl (and boy) goodness! It's also not afraid to give you an emotional gutpunch when you've been lured into a false sense of security by all the fun times. If you're new to Precure, this is a great jumping on point, and if you've watched it before, this is a series you won't want to miss.

I'm in Love with the Villainess

Rae is reincarnated as the heroine of her favorite dating sim. But she has no interest in romancing any of the boys- she’s head over heels for Claire Francois, the snooty villainess.

Villainess may not be as polished--storywise or animation-wise-- as these other entries. It's a messy series, it has plenty of problems...but it's also very fun, and it touched my queer little heart like no other. Queer people get to indulge in our imperfect faves too, and the silly shenanigans, blatant lesbian wish fulfillment, honest advocacy for queer people, and the joy and earnestness of the series works for me!

See my full review here.

Some Other Great Anime:

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (still ongoing, review is for the first cour)

Frieren is a long-lived elf who was once part of an adventuring party that saved the world from the Demon Lord. But now her friends are passing away and the world is moving on. She decides to retrace her old party's journey so she can understand what she's feeling.

Frieren is both an interesting examination of what happens after the hero saves the world, as well as a meditation on mortality, grief,  and the endless march of time. It takes you on a quiet, beautiful and sometimes touching journey though a pastoral fantasy world. There's some breath-taking animation and excellent atmosphere to enjoy.

See my review here.

Spy x Family (Season 3)

Spy x Family is pretty much staying the course from when we last checked in,  though this season gives a lot more attention to Yor, and I love the cruise ship arc and all the ridiculous fights she gets into a lot! That arc contains some of my favorite gags of the series too (like Loid’s  attempts to be a cool dad). Otherwise, Spyfam has settled into a series that intends to be around for the long haul, so don’t expect too much forward plot momentum. And Yuri (the man, not the genre) unfortunately still exists. Overall it was good season and remains a fun  adaptation. Yor, please step on me.

[animedegens]

I am so ready for season 2. I love that we’ll be getting 2 cours again!!

And I apologize in advance, because come January I will be yapping about apothecary diaries & maomao a lot 🤣🤣

[glassbead-xx]

So for the rest of the year and into next year we’re going to have:

Another cour of Elusive Samurai and a possible second season

Dandadan with split cours well into next year

Blue Box for the rest of the year

Sakamoto Days in January

A Ranma 1/2 remake

Witch Watch in April

The rest of Dr. Stone

Apothecary Diaries S2

An Undead Unluck special and maybe a second season

Kaiju #8 S2

A Gintama school AU

And now the anime adaptation of Kaoru Hana

When I say I’m going to be very annoying for the rest of the year and for a good chunk of the next I mean it

[tobeseenthrough]

personal faves for 2024 - my full media scrapbook for 2024 is here. these are the ones i enjoyed the most this year obviously but the ones mentioned in bold even more so. also putting this under a cut because it's long as hell.

films - take me back for christmas (2023), theater camp (2023), the heiress (1949), charade (1963), romantic prelude (2009), our secret diary (2023), ang larawan (2017), isa pa with feelings (2019), anatomy of a fall (2023), dune 2 (2024), challengers (2024), la chimera (2023), furiosa: a mad max saga (2024), hit man (2024), thelma (2024), problemista (2024), lovesong (2016), set it off (1996), the taste of tea (2004), revenge (2017), nine to five (1980), elvira: mistress of the night (1990), baby assassins (2021), sing sing (2024), oddity (2024), swing girls (2004), haru (1996), my cousin vinny (1987), christmas around the corner (2018), ghostlight (2024), look back 2024)

tv/dramas/anime - what we ate yesterday (s1) (2019), ghosts (s2) (2022), old fashioned cupcake (2022), stranger (s1) (2017), apothecary diaries (cour 2) (2024), girls5eva (s3) (2024), frieren (cour 2) (2024), rap sh!t (s1) (2022), ghosts s3 (2024), interview with the vampire (s2) (2024), my lady jane (s1) (2024), rap sh!t (s2) (2023), fantasmas (2024), smothered (2023), loot (s2) (2024), the sopranos (s1) (1999), how to die alone (s1) (2024), a man on the inside (s1) (2024), dandadan (s1) (2024), acapulco (s3) (2024)

not included but probably would have been had i finished the last 2-3 episodes on time : shogun (s1), the penguin

would have been included but their seasons hasn't finished airing yet: abbott (s4), matlock (s1), ghosts (s4), high potential (s1) and st denis medical (s1

albums (all 2024 releases) - brat (charlie xcx), bright future (adrienne lenker), lighthouse (francis of delirium), algorithm (lucky daye), where the butterflies go in the rain (raveena), big ideas (remi wolf), ten total (1010 benja), in search of the antidote (fletcher), letter to self (sprints), revenge (muni long), dark times (vince staples), i lay down my life for you (jpegmafia), buzz (niki), wilson (ashe), zinc. (gallant), gnx (kendrick lamar), bug (kacy hill), pages (shaznay lewis), weird faith (madi diaz), early twenties (cat burns), mantras (katie pruitt), diva of the people (gavin turek), alligator bites never heal (doechii), the sweater club (jelani aryeh), things look different now (gimmy), fk it (alemada), smitten (pale waves), patters in repeat (laura marling), amy (yana), old hobbies (frances whitney), i should call them (dua saleh), ache in my tooth (flowerovlove), see you at the maypole (half waif), cruzafied (cruza), chaotic erotica (bentley robles), glimmer of god (jean dawson), this is how i remember it. (beckah amani), the drive home (samara cyn), state champs (state champs), below a massive dark land (naima bock), sofia valdés (sofia valdés), mra (emel), long way home (jamie miller), dunya (mustafa).

books - lol. it's been a rough couple years with me and books tbh. prayer circle 2025 will be different!!!!

[romancemedia]

This has really caught my interest. It predicts all the storylines that'll be shown in the first half of Season 2 of The Apothecary Diaries. I remember this twitter post got so much attention it was also used in a Crunchyroll article a few weeks ago. (though I can't find it again)

Anyway, it makes me interested in what else we'll get to see in Season 2's first cour.

[brucebocchi]

oh SHIT apothecary diaries season 2 starts up in january and is running for another two cours

we are so FUCKING back

[nerice]

ok. winter season thots

(continuing) ao no hako, though ive grown more and more lukewarm on it with every episode. hina should've been aroace send post

(continuing) chikyuu no undou ni tsuite aka orbshow, second cour lfgggg i miss badeni's bald little head so much :(

100 girlfriends s2, i feel like the charm has worn off a little but it's simply too entertaining to jump ship from, also i need to view hakari's insane horny exploits. i forgot abt her upper thigh mole and lord jesus chara design of all time fr fr

apothecary diaries s2, glad to be back!!!! this one's just solid i have no notes same gripes abt convoluted mysteries as before, same none of my gripes matter bc maomao nd jinshi are just that good w.

zenshuu, was my high profile high hopes pick and while the animation is stellar that is about the only redeeming quality it has. the problem with getting reincarnated into a shitty isekai anime is that. it's still a shitty isekai setting like they could've given any of the charas actual good designs and i wld be all over it but it's so fucking bland im sorry. doubly offended bc they have the Designated Refined Magical Archer Girlie that cld have been the highlight of my season, alas we will sideline her as is the trope. kys. also the way the zenshuu overhaul is used has been.... so boring..... i thought she'd be doing actual environmental/story retcons rather than Summon Monster That Wipes Out Enemies. what a waste

okitsura, singlehandedly swung this season around for me. okinawa language+culture focus, solid love triangle, stupid humor (a zombieland saga AND evangelion reference in the first episode alone) it's so fucking good. kyan's design is also @/me in ways im not getting into rn but i am EATING >:3

aquarion (myth of emotions) ok listen i went into this unaware it was part of a franchise. am now debating whether to go back and watch prev installments since apparently they are somewhat standalone nd this show gave enough of a gist that i'm not totally lost. just hard to tell if it'd be more enjoyable with full context or the other way around where it leaves me wanting to discover the full story after the fact. thinking on it. also the soundtrack goes HARD

hanashura, god BLESS the girls hanging out and doing things genre. breath of fresh fucking air, bonus points for airing right when i'm back in japanese study cycle bc i can rly rly appreciate the readings they're doing >:3

koishima, frankly run of the mill hs romance stint idk if i care enough to stick with it but was entertaining enough. what rly fkcin trips me up is the fact that it's set during covid but only like, vaguely? legally distinct 'infectious disease' that cancelled everyone's inter high's but we are still going 2 school and having swim club meets?????? lmao

sakamoto days, ik it's a beloved fan favourite. the gags are funny enough but it's not hitting sxf highs or anything. i'm curious to see if smth will pull me in more (one girl design from the op.....) but mostly just a fun weekly dinner entertainment show

pour one out for fate/strange fake i didn't know it was a leaked pre-screening my investment economy is in shambles. whichever season it drops in tho SOTY, AOTY thanks

[dude1818]

Anime Year in Review 2024

2022 2023

Watched a lot more anime this year than last year, both seasonals and catching up on older stuff, so I'll try to keep these brief. Also created a MAL account this year, so I'll include my ratings from that for comparison, although it'll also be subject to recency bias since I backfilled it pretty late in the year

The Apothecary Diaries [9] - Fantastic. I loved Maomao and her obsession with poison. The mysteries were intriguing, although the thread tying them all together was a bit contrived

Suzume* [10] - A little unfair to compare movies to shows. This was incredible. I loved the characters and the story and the art. I only wish Shinkai had gotten to make it yuri like he wanted

Vampire in the Garden* [10] - Such a good tragedy. I loved how it showed both sides of the war were really destroying themselves, and then the two mains looking for a way out, but it's not that easy. Beautiful show

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners* [8] - I knew it was good, but I got way more invested than I expected. It threaded a pretty tight needle for a perfect ending [pretty similar to Vampire, actually]. And absolutely gorgeous animation

Arcane [season 2: N/A] - As beautiful as the first season. Loved getting a more in-depth look at what Powder/Jinx was going through and her relationship with Vi. Suffered from trying to also fit in the Mel/Black Rose/Ambessa plot

Dungeon Meshi [8] - I fully expect the second season to top my list, but the story starts pretty slow. No Falingon or Izustumi until the second cour, for example, and we still haven't met WL!

Your Name* [9] - Starts out silly but nice, but that twist was killer. I think the shift in focus worked really well and really made the story sing

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End [cour 2; all season: 9] - I adored the new characters this cour, but having a tournament arc was disappointing. It didn't have the emotional heart of the first cour. That said, the final battle was awesome

Mayonaka Punch [9] - Hidden gem of the season. Very funny show, but it's treatment of what it's like to be a content creator felt on par with Oshi no Ko. I really liked how it established Masaki as a fun character but a shitty person, but still not deserving of all that

Shadows House* [season 1: 7; season 2: 8]- Very cool concept. I loved the character dynamics in the first season, and the reveals during the second season brought a level of sympathy to antagonists from the first that I wasn't expecting. I'd love to learn more about this world, although what I know of the manga is disheartening

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! [8] - I don't like romcoms, but I did like this deconstruction of them. It kept the humor, but also got to have the characters actually act like people, which you don't normally get

Weathering With You* [7] - It was pretty similar to Your Name, quite frankly. I think I liked the characters a bit in this one. Not the ending I expected, but definitely the one it deserved

Deca-dence* [8] - Ambitious twist. I don't think I would've watched something just about the cyborgs, but the Tanker parts more than carried the rest. I really liked Natsume and Kabu's relationship, and the way it handled Natsume's trauma and hang-ups was really nice

Undead Girl Murder Farce* [7] - Distills the essence of a good Sherlock Holmes story by making the detective a disembodied head. The main trio is incredibly funny, and no one else appreciates that, which makes it even funnier

Dandadan [7] - Torn on this one. Lot of really good aspects [the main characters and their dynamics, the monsters, the fights] and a lot that I do not like [the basic premise and genre]

Train to the End of the World [9] - Wacky and fun. The episodic nature of visiting the different realities established at each train stop really nailed what made Infinity Train so fun

Shy* [season 1: 8; season 2: 7]- I hadn't realized the second season had started airing when I started watching the first season. I like how it's ostensibly a superhero show, with the MC the only one trying to be in a magical girl show instead. The subvillains are all great

K-on!* [season 1: 7; season 2: 8; movie: 7] - Very cute and chill. I liked how the girls all played off each other in different ways

Mysterious Disappearances* [8] - I loved the twists involved in modernizing yokai and applying globalization to them. Kind of like Dandadan in that way. The mysteries were mostly pretty good. I know the show's ending is different than the manga, but I appreciate having a proper ending

Metallic Rouge [7] - I'm probably giving this extra points for the story it was trying to be, rather than what it actually was. Trying to tell a story about oppression where there is an in-universe reason for it is risky at this point in time, but I appreciate that they tried taking a third way out, that stuff like the X-Men never does

Magical Destroyers* [8] - Very fun having an adult version of a magical girl show, but oof that ending. I get it thematically, but it was rough

My Wife Has No Emotions [6] - Not normally a fan of plain romance stories, but I watched it for the robot, and was pleasantly surprised. It kept going back to basic slice-of-life, but there were so many tantalizing hints of worldbuilding to keep me hooked

Midnight Occult Civil Servants* [7] - Urban fantasy is cool. I like mixing government bureaucracy with yokai and mythological creatures. I wish the MC wasn't such a Chosen One though; that's boring

Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain [8] - The mystery and intrigue was very interesting. The art style was neat, although I found it hard to watch for that long at once. I feel like the Medicine Seller himself was kind of extraneous here, though

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid* [season 1: 8; season 2: 7]- I did not have high hopes for this one, but it was a surprisingly endearing relationship story. Some of the more egregious character designs were just too awful, though [Lucoa, Ilulu]

Spy x Family Code: White [7] - Cute. I thought it did a great job of balancing the spy, assassin, and school parts of the story, which the anime doesn't tend to have time to do. The poop sequence was way too long

Arknights: Perish in Frost* [7] - FrostNova and the Yetis were great. The sudden push to humanize the other Reunion members felt incoherent

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth [cour 1; ongoing]- It's certainly interesting, if not necessarily enjoyable. The fake-out main character was a bold choice, but I think it paid off. Definitely interested to see where it goes in the second cour

Magilumiere Co. Ltd. [6] - The concept was interesting, although I think the execution was a little boring. The characters were fun, but the pacing felt all over the place, and the actual Kaii fights were kind of wanky

Alien 9* [8] - Intriguing premise and fun wet kitten of a protagonist, but it was very disappointing that less than half of the first arc was adapted. Could've been a cool show

Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary [6] - Not my normal kind of thing. The deuteragonist girl was fun and kept me watching

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha* [season 1: 5] - I was expecting an actual sci-fi magical girl show, and that wasn't delivered until pretty late in the season. I do think later seasons may be more interesting to me. Fate was cool

* indicates the show aired prior to 2024

I also rewatched Bocchi the Rock! and Revue Starlight this year. I'm still picking up new things about RevStar; what a fantastic show. I also tried Good Bye, Dragon Life; Pseudo Harem; and My Deer Friend Nokotan and bailed pretty quickly. The first two are not genres I enjoy, and the latter was way too high-energy and juvenile

As for next year, I made a separate post with my thoughts. Looks like a really promising year though!

[theanimeview]

[Recommended Watch] The Apothecary Diaries

Source: Crunchyroll/Toho Animation Studio x OLM, The Apothecary Diaries

By: Katherine Cañeba | @kcserinlee

We are well into the winter anime season, and a certain show called The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) should be on your watchlist if it isn’t already. I saw the poster for it on my Crunchyroll homepage back in January, and I recalled seeing the trailer being unveiled at Anime Expo 2023. It left a lasting impression on me with its gorgeous animation, historical setting in Imperial China, and the concept of exploring herbal medicines and poisons from that time period. However, since the trailer release, I had seen and heard virtually nothing about it. I admit that I can be quite the contrary to the popular trends, so I was driven to see what was becoming of The Apothecary Diaries, despite Frieren and Solo Leveling dominating the anime discourse these days. So, I clicked on the advertisement and started watching. The rest is history. Now, I come to you today to spread the word about this show so you, too, can enjoy this gem hidden in plain sight (and help ensure a Season 2 gets made!).

The story is set in a fictional universe inspired by Ming Dynasty-era China (1368-1644 in the real world), and all the beauty and ugliness of life in that society. 17-year-old Maomao simply wants to live a quiet life with her apothecary father and her “big sisters” (high-level courtesans) in the nearby brothel. However, Maomao is unfortunately (and/or fortunately) kidnapped and sold into the Rear Palace, the garden of the Emperor’s concubines. She starts at the bottom as a servant girl and soon reveals her knowledge of medicines and poisons to save the Emperor’s newborn heirs from a mysterious illness. 

From then on, she is swept up in solving the medical mysteries befalling those who live and work in the Imperial Court, while working her new day job as a poison taster for a high-ranking concubine. All this while rejecting and evading the increasing infatuation and sometimes creepy, sometimes endearingly, childish advances of Jinshi, the Rear Palace manager who is also the most beautiful eunuch around. 

Fans of medical dramas, detective/mystery dramas, historical dramas, and comedic innuendos will find lots to love about this show. It has a well written development and a lot of really interesting, accurate tidbits. There is even a “Pharmacist Reacts” YouTube series on The Apothecary Diaries by DefinitivelyZach that is particularly educational and just as entertaining! The animation quality, voice acting, and soundtrack are all top-notch too. 

Maomao may be smart enough to solve every puzzle thus far, but she is too well-characterized to be a Mary Sue. Lest you be wary of a toxic reverse-harem situation here, with Maomao potentially collecting suitors left and right and treating them all like dirt, the romance aspect is not the immediate main focus of the story (although there is clearly a slow-burn romance between Maomao and Jinshi that has grown on me the more Jinshi matures).

On par with recent trends for female characters in anime, we see a highly intelligent woman like Maomao earn the respect of everyone she meets through her tact and problem-solving skills, despite her commoner status. She also remains hilariously aloof to Jinshi’s advances when he puts on insincere, seductive airs.

As a girl who grew up on the doorstep of a brothel, Maomao has seen many women be lied to and downright betrayed by men. If Jinshi can be more consistently honest with his feelings around Maomao, and grow out of his childishness, he might just stand a chance with her!

Once I got used to Jinshi being cringe-worthy levels of creepy and accepted his weirdness as innocent immaturity (because at least he never has harmful intentions, despite his questionable methods of flirting), I quickly fell in love with The Apothecary Diaries and I’m confident that you will, too!

Season 1 Second Cour of The Apothecary Diaries is currently streaming on Crunchyroll. Cours 1 and 2 are 12 episodes each for a total of 24 episodes in Season 1.

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Copyedited by: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

[metalandmagi]

The Real Anime Awards of 2024

Every year, I like to make my own anime awards, that focus on the things we really care about. Because who cares about "Anime of the Year" or "Best Animation" when we could have awards for "Most Unhinged Show of the Year" or "Prettiest Anime Boy"?

So here's my anime meme awards for 2024!

Biggest Chad

Sebastian (Black Butler Public School Arc)

Munseong (Viral Hit)

Red Keeper (Go Go Loser Ranger)

Shikanoko (My Deer Friend Nokotan)

Lewis Smith (Bang Brave Bang Bravern)

Yoshino Somei (Yakuza Fiancé)

Honorable mention:

Hajime Nagumo (Arifureta season 3) I don't watch it but he seems like a standard isekai chad.

Most Unhinged

My Deer Friend Nokotan

Vtuber Legend

Bucchigiri?!

Mayonaka Punch

Dandadan

Yakuza Fiancé

Weirdest Concept That Still Works Somehow (not to be confused with “Most Unhinged”)

Delico’s Nursery

Oshi no Ko (season 2)

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

If My Wife Becomes An Elementary School Student

Mayonaka Punch

Sasaki and Peeps

Show with the most drip

High Card (season 2)

Jellyfish Can’t Swim In The Night

Black Butler Public School Arc

Delico’s Nursery (bro even the kids in this show have the best outfits!)

Bucchigiri?!

Yakuza Fiancé

Most Insufferable Protagonist

Arajin (Bucchigiri?!)

Rudy (Mushoku Tensei season 2 part 2)

Atri (Atri: My Dear Moments)

Uryuu Kamihate (Tying the Knot With An Amagami Sister)

Ron *affectionate* (Kamonohashi Ron season 2)

Awayuki Kokorone (VTuber Legend)- My hot take of the year...

Best CANONICAL Couple

*Sorry Ranma and Akane...but they're still figuring out their relationship 😭*

Ine and Shouzou Saitou (Grandpa and Grandma Turned Young Again)

Masaki and Hiromu (Tadaima, Okaeri)

Adachi and Kurosawa (Cherry Magic)

Rika and Takuya (365 Days To The Wedding)- These two have kissed and they're engaged, so they count for me!

Kazehaya and Sawako (Kimi no Todoke season 3)

Takae and Keisuke (If My Wife Becomes An Elementary School Student) IT'S WHOLESOME, I PROMISE!!!

*That’s right, no Yuki and Itsuomi from A Sign of Affection, because my other hot take of the year is that I fucking hate Itsuomi and want Yuki to end up with Childhood Friend-kun.*

Biggest Disappointment

Blue Lock (season 2)

Uzumaki

Demon Slayer Hashira Training Arc

The Elusive Samurai (good lord, just pick a tone)

Atri: My Dear Moments (sorry, I just don’t like wild left turns into lolicon territory)

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime season 3 (how did this show turn into all the characters just sitting around a table talking for multiple episodes at a time?)

Biggest Trainwreck

(Not to be confused with Biggest Disappointment)

Uzumaki's entire production debacle

Blue Lock season 2's animation

Vampire Dormitory's concept of gender

The Crunchyroll Anime Awards

Kokorone Awayuki *affectionate* (Vtuber Legend)

Alya *affectionate* (Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian)

Gayest Anime That Isn’t A Certified Yaoi Or Yuri

How I Attended An All Guys Mixer

Bang Brave Bang Bravern

Bucchigiri?!

The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio (I can't include a gif of the stuff they do to each other...just trust me)

Jellyfish Can’t Swim In The Night

Kamonohashi Ron season 2

Honorable mention: Mayonaka Punch...because I don't really know how to classify it, but they're definitely all gay. 😆

Biggest Surprise

Senpai Wa Otokonoko

Orb: About the Movements of the Earth

Delico’s Nursery

Sasaki and Peeps

Cherry Magic

If My Wife Becomes An Elementary Schooler

Prettiest Boy

Master Jinshi (Apothecary Diaries cour 2)

Khun (Tower of God season 2)

Gerhard Fra (Delico’s Nursery) 

Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler Public School Arc)

Masaki Fujiyoshi (Tadaima, Okaeri)

Hisashi Ootomo (Tasogare Out of Focus)

Well, there you have it. I definitely didn't get as much variety in here as I normally do 😅I guess that means I need to start watching more trash lol. I know I could have made this a poll or series of polls, but this is just something fun and silly I put together every year, so I didn't want anyone bitching about my choices or saying "you forgot ___!"

I'll be posting my legit nominations later, and at least that will have more variety.

[mesaprotector]

My top 10 anime of 2024. Includes shows that started in 2023, but doesn't include sequels. Featuring pictures and for some reason, lots of fractions.

#10: Maou 2099 (7⅞/10)

By all rights, this show should be mid. Any isekai-adjacent series whose main draw is its premise tends to not have much beyond the surface. But the lead Veltol is charismatic and lovable, the writing is consistently just good enough, and the art is frequently gorgeous (see pic). While not really having the tone of an actual cyberpunk series like Ghost in the Shell, it still draws a lot from that genre and the end result is a very good anime with only a few pacing issues.

#9: Egumi Legacy (8/10)

The most unhinged show of the year is this travesty of a half-length anime with simplistic character designs and too many tongues. It starts out bonkers, drags at times in the middle, and then has one of the bravest endings I've seen recently. I could call it a drama/mystery but really nothing describes this show.

#8: Train to the End of the World (8⅑/10)

Despite paper-thin characters and a couple uncomfortable moments early on, this is still a gloriously carefree sociological satire that never lacks in imagination. It's structured as a pretty much pure adventure story and goes from one interesting setting to another.

#7: Apothecary Diaries (8⅐/10)

A very good historical/romance anime with some smart mysteries along the way. I don't think it's as smart, or the characters as well-written, as people give it credit for, but it's still enjoyable and easy to get invested in.

#6: Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (8⅙/10)

The most underrated anime of the year. Just a lovely, if a touch slow-paced and kid-oriented, fantasy series with a unique setting, beautiful backgrounds, plenty of rice farming, some action, and a lovable protagonist. Above all, this show knows exactly how ambitious it needs to be.

#5: Shoushimin Series (8⅖/10)

If you like shows that are mainly two characters talking with each other about tiny observations (hi Monogatari), this is is a really good one. It has whole scenes with these two (see pic) trying to solve mysteries based on the placement of eating utensils and pastries in a room. Fantastic understated characterization for its main duo/trio and beautiful art. Some slightly questionable decisions in the middle of the series are made up for it with an ending that at least I thought was excellent. :>

#4: Girls Band Cry (8½/10)

Girls do band. They cry.

That honestly about sums it up, but this is really good drama with very real character conflicts, very real character arcs and development, and I guess pretty good music too. The characters weren't the only ones crying by the time I finished watching it.

#3: Dungeon Meshi (8⅝/10)

The first cour of this adventure show is comfy and fun, but the second is where it gets really great, and it only keeps getting greater. All of the characters are fantastic, even the side ones. Senshi is my role model. I'm really hungry right now for some reason.

#2: Raven does not Choose its Master (8⅘/10)

A mystery story at heart, with extremely well-done politics and some light touches of fantasy, which is to be expected when your entire cast can transform into ravens—heroes, villains, and everyone in between. The first cour of this show is the most amazing self-contained story I've seen in anime in years, and would top this list on its own. However, the second cour, while still very good, is not quite on its level. I'm nevertheless proudly very, very into this show, which has surprisingly good animation and music to go along with its peak writing.

#1: Frieren (9/10)

You've heard of this anime. I can't say much more about it, really. Its premise is simple but so well-done. Its main characters are introverted but adorable. It's extremely easy to recommend to anyone who has a heart and enjoys stories. I'll wait for the next season, and it's fortunate I exclude sequels from these lists, because otherwise I might well be putting Frieren on top of the next one too.

[priscilla9993]

Tagged by @piracytheorist so thanks! Using this as a reason to get back on Tumblr for a few hours.

Last song: If We Try by the Carpenters. I really love soft jazz and smooth sway to love songs. I recommend a listen to it if you're feeling sad or wanting to get cozy.

Favorite color: I see a lot of sunrises when I get off in the morning due to working at night so I really love pastel pinks, blues, and purples to bright hues of yellow and orange. It changes a lot so I usually say rainbow although I am a sucker for yellow and green.

Last movie/show: The Apothecary Diaries, an anime with a MC who loves testing poisons for cures and discoveries, but gets sucked into the palace after a kidnapping. Very live action chinese/korean drama-esque plotlines while also her sneakily playing Sherlock Holmes to help people from getting hurt. I love it so much and am glad it's on it's 2nd cour!

Next on my watchlist: Too many honestly but the last half of Spy X Family season 2.

Last game: Catan, haha me and my cousins play this way too often but it's an amazing game.

Last book: I can't name one so does a webtoon count? I recently got into the Obsidian Bride which only has a few chapters as it's really new but I love the idea of finding true love while disguised and/or pretending to be someone else for the sake of both parties. I really root for the main character to find an escape from her true past/current situation bc abuse and no one who cares sucks.

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: Savory any day! Potato chips and filling stuff with flavor that tantalizes my mouth are always winners! I have a sweet tooth but it has to be a light or plain kind of sweet. I'm more of a bittersweet or dark chocolate person if that makes any sense. I love spicy too but have a low tolerance. That won't stop me from eating Korean spicy noodles and my tummy regretting it later (say hello to my pattern of needing physical and delicious pain when stressed).

Relationship status: Single pringle but I'd be a hopeless romantic if I gave love a shot. >_< Maybe it's a good thing I don't have the time or money for it currently.

Last thing I Googled: "Muscat grapes" bc I had bought myself a tiny box and was wondering if they were worth the price. Very sweet and easy to eat as it's seedless, but prepare for your wallet to cry a bit.

Current obsession: Knightrook brainrot train if I let myself lay around. In general, any storyline in webtoon or anime that has care, love, and longing for another's happiness basically.

Greatest flaw: I might care too much when I prefer to be a bitch. Basically, committing to things on a whim or trying to make anyone feel better, even if logically I don't think they deserve my time and energy, especially if they've wronged me.

Fic I'm currently reading: None in particular but I love reading mutuals' ones bc they share theirs with so much love and passion! How can I not gravitate to that? <3

Tagging anyone who wants to do it but off the top of my head, @bvtman @chronicallybubbly @killian-whump @wyntereyez @killianxswan @infinity-tippy

[alexilulu]

Books I Read in 2024, #19 to #22: The Apothecary Diaries, Volumes 4-7 (Natsu Hyūga with illustrations by Touko Shino, published by Shufunotomo, English translation by J-Novel Club, 2021-2023)

[tk photos of volumes 4-7]

Apothecary to a red light district house of courtesans, Maomao is embroiled in mystery, conspiracy and murder plots a-plenty throughout her time in the emperor's court and even after her service in the inner palace.

For those of you who follow the anime, this will contain spoilers for future seasons (each full season adapts 2 volumes, one each cour, so beware.

Content warnings for discussion of the death of a loved one, as well as general warnings that would apply to the story (Chinese court intrigue, sex work, poisoning and murder). If you want to skip the first content warning, skip to the first segment of large text below the readmore.

Do not message me regarding the first half of this, even if you think you're offering condolences. Even if you're my friend. I'm serious.

Thank you.

It's been awhile. I went and looked and my last reading list post was 09/09/2024.

This is your last chance to skip to the book review. I'm gonna write about something that's may be hard to read. If you don't want to read about my mom, skip down to the bigger text further down.

On September 29th, 2024, my mother died of acute heart failure. Her birthday was 10/25/65, and she was 59.

It was hard to do anything for awhile. I felt dazed, still do when I think about it for too long or too much. I feel intensely lucky that I got the chance to say goodbye in the hours before she passed, on bypass and barely conscious. Dad never once left her side until the end.

Mom was my role model for much of my life. Smart, brilliant even, starting out as a pharmacy technician in the late 80s and pushing herself up through home infusion until by the end of her career in 2007, when she was the general manager of the San Antonio branch of her home infusion company she worked at for nearly 20 years. Before she was general manager, she helped design and build out a pharmacy system for home infusion that was so good at what it did that it was bought by Walgreens and still used to this day.

She gave me an infectious curiosity about the medical field and a love of reading that she fostered by treating me like a person, recommending me books and asking me about them afterward, talking about them seriously. She gave me a love for Stephen King that expanded everywhere, from middling 90s litfic and the greats (lord of the rings, the stand, the dark tower, redwall, too many more I'm surely forgetting as I write this) to leaving me to make my own way and find my own taste (not good for awhile, as evidenced by my deep reading of every Star Wars EU novel I could get my hands on) for myself.

In 2007 she was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, a structural issue that causes the structure of the intervertebral discs of her spine and elsewhere to degrade and compress over time, leading to hideous, painful grinding of spinal vertebrae that left her first partially and later almost completely bed-bound. She was 42, hideously early for such things at the time, and lived in San Antonio, one of the orthopedic capitals of the US thanks to the presence of multiple military hospitals treating soldiers in need of radical surgery.

The first surgeon she saw told her that her chances of recovery with a fusion of the affected vertebrae (removing the destroyed, ineffective disc and welding together the vertebrae with bone grafts to form a single vertebral segment) has about a 50% chance of failure, meaning she would continue to experience debilitating pain (months of therapy and pain medication did not make a dent, and she was on medical leave by then, unable to perform even simple desk activities for 8 hours at a stretch) for likely the rest of her life.

The second surgeon took her hand and said "I can fix you."

She attended my graduation from high school with a walker, nearly blind from the pain of sitting through the ceremony. I dropped out of college to care for her, until things had stabilized enough that I could work and pursue my own life. Through it all, my dad was by her side, her closest friend and her rock.

I'm not going to eulogize her disability, the years of pain between then and now. I want her to be remembered as woman she was despite it. Kind and funny, always ready to offer advice or an ear to the people she loved. She made me the person I am, and having her ripped away from me so suddenly tore a hole in my heart that still bleeds now.

Love you, mom.

Apothecary Diaries is a comfort food for me in a lot of ways.

I first read the first 3 volumes shortly after the anime started, finishing volumes 2 and 3 before the first season, which covers the first volume was complete. I instantly connected with Maomao and the cast, but her most of all.

Light novel Maomao may be my favorite unreliable narrator, because she's been raised and trained in an environment of strict propriety while also living in a world much less bound by it than the broader society; she walks effortlessly between the straightforward, downright honest underworld of highv(and low) class sex work and the highest inner palace, serving women who are both courtier and sex workers in their own rights as the emperor's consorts, where the slightest bit of insubordination can result in beatings or beheading. And despite a forthright, absolutely mean streak that runs down her, she also knows when to hold something back, and often finds herself having enough knowledge to say something is happening but unable to speak it, to protect both herself and the poor sap unfortunate enough to be tangled in the latest mystery.

What makes Maomao Maomao for me is that even as she's a barely-socialized feral cat, she's deeply, keenly aware of people and all their flaws and foibles, and she's deeply unaware of her own feelings. That's a great, fun combination. She knows Jinshi likes her likes her by Volume 4, and she's doing her goddamn best to not be beheaded for being the slovenly commoner the prince is batty for. The only person she sets propriety entirely aside for is her father, to hilarious effect.

I won't lie, part of why I came back to these stories was Maomao and her father's relationship. It's hard for me to not see a little bit of a parallel between myself and them; Maomao was forced to leave Luomen behind by the events of the story taking her in the palace, but we get much more of him in the later volumes, and it's hard for me to not see comparisons between my own mother and a man disabled and hobbled, who Maomao is keenly aware of the limits of and does her best to accommodate.

The mysteries aren't always accessible to the reader, because much of Maomao's inquiry is extremely circumspect, but it's done in a way that invites curiosity about the circumstances, leaving you some room to guess at what medical knowledge may be required here. The facts are the facts, but interpreting them is the issue, and Maomao feels deeply that she needs to base her actions on facts and not belief, thanks to her father. A great attitude, but one that makes her difficult to read, because she is so quick to decline to state anything directly when the mystery is afoot.

Volume 4 is wild, pivoting hard halfway through in a way I didn't expect after the fairly conventional inner palace mysteries of volumes 1-3 (though 3 does a bit of this too, it was very late for it). I quite like seeing more of the city for the remaining volumes, and the new characters are, for the most part, very interesting. The building broader plot of Volumes 1-4 ends well, and the new story elements of 5-7 as things move outside the inner palace and the courtesan intrigue into broader geopolitics are great fun.

I'm deeply interested in seeing the anime adaptations of the later volumes, and dearly hope it gets more than Season 2 (cours 3 and 4, adapting volume 3 and 4, are coming soon), because there's a lot to like about the adaptational choices they've made in the previous season, and I hope we get to see a lot more Maomao, and especially a lot more Jinshi. I left him unmentioned because a lot of stuff happens I wouldn't want to spoil, but Jinshi remains an absolute highlight, and I can't wait to see people's reactions to him from here on.