Tag Archives: The Apothecary Diaries

Mid-Spring 2025 Anime Ranking

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01. LAZARUS (Ep. 1-10) – The world is going to end for humanity, after a scientist reveals his widely used pain-relief drug, Hapna, is actually a ticking time bomb. A group of misfits is tasked to find him, with the goal of obtaining an antidote.

I really like that Axel’s parkour and prison breaks are believable because his inability to stay still for long is so well-demonstrated. Miyano Mamoru is a natural fit in the lead role here. In general, the characters and voice acting are great. And the action scenes – wow, truly phenomenal!

I wish they would give Hersch a more generic outfit though. Her usual clothes are too distinctive (and ugly) to wear every day.

Other criticisms: There are maybe a few too many coincidences. And there is a strange, dreamlike, lack of urgency to everyone. Why would people go so out of their way to protect their own agendas when everyone is going to die?

Regardless, this sort of anime is my jam, and I look forward to it every week!

02. TO BE HERO X (Tu Bian Yingxiong X) (Ep. 1-11) – The narrative consists of individual story arcs with no clear connection so far. Additionally, the order in which they are presented is not even linear. Anyway, the stories are good, and intriguing, though I fear I may need to re-watch once I know what’s actually going on.

Going in, I was a bit unsure about the CG animation, but there was no need to be wary as it looks really good.

The soundtrack, including the OP and ED, are great! Sawano Hiroyuki delivers again!

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

03. KOWLOON Generic Romance (Ep. 1-10) – The retro setting seems at odds with the modern-day devices and futuristic object floating in the sky. And the main character might be a clone? Kowloon Generic Romance is definitely unique and mysterious and very interesting.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

04. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 2nd Season) (Ep. 33-46) – The sheer amount of medical and scientific knowledge that Maomao possesses defies credibility, in my opinion. And it’s also quite the stretch that she’s kept her blinders on for so long about Jinshi’s secret, when she’s so morbidly curious about literally everything else.

Regardless, this show is consistently well-written and Maomao is a great lead. I am not personally watching for the potential romance aspect; but for those who are, there’s finally some development here.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

05. Anne Shirley (Ep. 1-10) – Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. Classic Canadiana, countless publications, TV and movie adaptations. Despite growing up in Canada, it all somehow eluded me. Typical story of my life: it took Japan to make a modern anime to reel me in!

Anne is really charming. This is basically a slice-of-life tale, but the story moves fast – each episode finds her about a year older!

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

06. Rock is a Lady’s Modesty (Rock wa Lady no Tashinami deshite) (Ep. 1-11) – A pretty fun show about proper young ladies letting loose and being true to their heavy metal hearts. Also, because of how repressed they usually have to be, it’s understandable they find it refreshing to be able to cuss each other out too. However, I will posit that there’s a difference between blunt honesty and verbal abuse!

Real life metal band BAND-MAID not only provides the OP song, but also the music played by the girls; so it looks and sounds really authentic!

(Streaming at HIDIVE)

07. Apocalypse Hotel (Ep. 1-9) – The world has ended for humanity long ago, but the Gingarou Hotel in Ginza, run by robots, continues to operate, eventually providing hospitality to extra-terrestrial guests.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

08. The Gorilla God’s Go-To Girl (Gorilla no Kami kara Kago sareta Reijou wa Ouritsu Kishidan de Kawaigarareru) (Ep. 1-9) – I tend to have a soft spot for anime featuring super strong, female, reluctant heroes, and Gorilla God fits the mould. The supporting characters are sufficiently pleasant too.

I love that Sophia routinely gets different hairstyles and outfits depending on the situation. However, it is hard not to notice the increasing use of recycled footage otherwise.

The most annoying thing, well maybe it’s just a personal pet peeve, is that most of the characters’ names are derived from the animals they are blessed by. It makes no sense, since the blessings are not hereditary, and are not received until one is in their teens. It goes so far as to be a spoiler, since the show doesn’t reveal everyone’s animal god right away; but you know.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

09. The Shiunji Family Children (Shiunji-ke no Kodomotachi) (Ep. 1-9) – Okay, incest/harem anime are pretty far off the beaten path for me! If it weren’t for Umehara Yuuichirou in the starring role of Arata, I never would have found my way here. Surprisingly, it’s not nearly as trashy as I anticipated, partly because Arata is a decent guy and a good brother to his siblings. He is rightfully weirded out when his sisters start thinking of him as potential romantic partner material once they learn they are not blood-related.

Pure speculation, but don’t tell me Lala, the girl he actually likes, is his blood-related sibling for real. That would be groan-worthy; but it would serve as an ironclad reason he cannot end up with her, and he has to consider looking in-house instead!

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

10. I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! (Ore wa Seikan Kokka no Akutoku Ryoushu!) (Ep. 1-4 + select episodes only) – This isekai sci-fi comedy is gratuitous and somewhat misogynistic. It does have its humorous moments, but I really cannot recommend this show! I only started watching because of my sister. And she only watched because Hirose Yuya plays a bit part. It got to the point where she was checking the end credits for his name before deciding whether or not to continue each episode.

I expected Shiunji Family Children to be trash, but it was not even close compared to I’m the Evil Lord.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

Mid-Winter 2025 Anime Ranking

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01. Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (Chi. Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite) (Ep. 15-24) – This second cour, with almost all new characters, is not quite as engaging as the first, but the storytelling remains top-class.

(Streaming at Netflix)

02. Rurouni Kenshin -Meiji Kenkaku Romantan- Kyoto Disturbance (Kyoto Douran) (Ep. 37-45) – Saito Hajime, and company, stop the burning of Kyoto.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

03. ZENSHU. (Ep. 1-9) – If you get the numerous references to other anime, I think there’s an extra level of enjoyment possible. To be honest, a lot of them are over my head; but I’m still enjoying this isekai, starring an anime director, a great deal!

Episode 4 was a stand-out. How true that having an oshi can be a life-affirming experience!

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

04. The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) (Ep. 25-32)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

05. From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated! (Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Ojisan) (Ep. 1-10)

(Streaming at HIDIVE)

06. Unnamed Memory Act.2 (Ep. 13-20) – Still as ridiculously fast-paced as the first season. Still I like it regardless of its significant flaws.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

07. Blue Box (Ao no Hako) (Ep. 13-21) – Props to Hina for being so forthright and decent. But the love triangle is dragging on a bit.

(Streaming at Netflix)

08. Blue Miburo (Ao no Miburo) (Ep. 13-20) – A younger Saito Hajime, and company, stop the burning of Kyoto.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

09. I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time (Guild no Uketsukejou desu ga, Zangyou wa Iya nanode Boss wo Solo Toubatsu Shiyou to Omoimasu) (Ep. 1-7) – I enjoy this more for the relatable and sweet characters than the one-note plot.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

10. Übel Blatt (Ep. 1-9) – The storytelling is poor and many plot developments in this revenge tale seem unintentionally funny. But who cares, right? My sister’s oshi, Hirose Yuya is voicing the lead character (and doing a fine job of it!) so we are watching avidly, and laughing when we feel like it.

(Streaming on Amazon Prime)

11. HONEY LEMON SODA (Ep. 1-8) – Shy, bullied Uka finds her saviour in heartthrob, and high-school Jesus, Kai. Full-on shoujo romances are not my thing, clearly. Kai doesn’t seem like a real person to me; and the pair of them have no chemistry.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

Also watching, sort of:

My Happy Marriage (Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon) (S2 Ep. 1-5) – Whatever my thoughts on this potato of an MC and her wish-fulfillment protective fiancé, wow, the incredible scenery and all of Miyo’s gorgeous kimono are enough to make this worthwhile! (Streaming at Netflix)

Baban Baban Ban Vampire (Ep. 1-5) (Streaming at Netflix)

Mid-Winter 2024 Anime Ranking

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I’m adequately enjoying most of what we’re watching, however this is yet another season in which I have no clear favourites.

01. 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuu Kimama na Hanayome Seikatsu wo Mankitsu suru) (Ep. 1-9) – Riche says she won’t do any work, that she wants to live a carefree life. But all that means is she won’t do the official duties expected of the betrothed of royalty. In her idle time, she is working her butt off, fixing the economy, curing diseases, and trying to stop a war! And ultimately, she hopes to avoid suffering an untimely death yet again.

The Prince Theodore arc was weak, and strained my interest in the show a lot; but subsequently the narrative has picked back up, now that elements of Riche’s past lives are coming together.

For a villainess-do-over-genre anime, I wasn’t expecting anything special in the animation department, but 7th Time Loop has some pretty nice-looking fights. And the ballroom dancing scene was the best of the 3 shows in this category that we’re watching. Yes that’s right: 3! The others are Doctor Elise and Villainess Level 99; and yes they both happened to have a ballroom episode too. However, I think I prefer the more subdued colour palette of the other 2 anime.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

02. FRIEREN: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) (Ep. 17-27) – With most anime, I usually find that the fights and action scenes don’t do that much for me; and I prefer the quieter character-building moments. It’s the opposite with FRIEREN, though. The fights are really interesting and smart, while the slice-of-life sequences come off as slightly boring.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

03. The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) (Ep. 13-23)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

04. Chained Soldier (Mato Seihei no Slave) (Ep. 1-12) – My sister has a new Roman Empire, as it were (I just learned this phrase recently lol), and it’s seiyuu Hirose Yuya. So expect us to be watching more of his works going forward, starting with this raunchy harem anime, which is certainly outside our usual zone of interest.

Considering the ecchi and nudity, Chained Soldier is surprisingly not as exploitative as one might expect, since it’s the females who hold most of the power in this society. And yes, it’s actually pretty funny too.

(Streaming at HIDIVE)

05. Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord (Akuyaku Reijou Level 99: Watashi wa Ura-Boss desu ga Maou dewa Arimasen (Ep. 1-9)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

06. Doctor Elise (Gekai Elise) (Ep.1-9)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

07. Mr. Villain’s Day Off (Kyuujitsu no Warumono-san) (Ep. 1-9)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

08. A SIGN OF AFFECTION (Yubisaki to Renren) (Ep. 1-8)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

09. The Witch and the Beast (Majo to Yajuu) (Ep. 1-7)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

ALSO STARTED:

HIGH CARD Season 2 (Ep. 13-17) (Streaming at Crunchyroll)

Classroom of the Elite III (Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e 3rd Season) (Ep. 1-6) (Streaming at Crunchyroll)

Mid-Autumn 2023 Anime Ranking

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It was very difficult to do a ranking this time.  All the shows we are watching are good enough to keep us coming back every week, but none of them stand out as something we can’t wait to watch.

01. My New Boss is Goofy (Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen) (Ep. 1-10) – Momose starts to heal from the workplace abuse that he suffered at his previous company with the help of his kind new supervisor.

My New Boss is Goofy is practically the spiritual successor to Play It Cool, Guys, right down to Umehara Yuuichirou voicing the airheaded ad exec. While I’m not in love with the show, it is consistently sweet, and silly, and it makes me smile.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

02. The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons (Yuzuki-san Chi no Yonkyoudai.) (Ep. 1-11) – The Yuzuki boys are really endearing, especially Gaku, who is the youngest in age, but acts the most serious and mature.

There’s a lot of content here that I personally relate to, being from a family of 3 sisters, with a big age gap, and now orphaned too.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

03. Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023) (Ep. 14-24)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

04. FRIEREN: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) (Ep. 1-12)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

05. The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) (Ep. 1-11)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

06. Paradox Live THE ANIMATION (Ep. 1-10) – Out of the 3 music-themed anime we’re watching, this one has the best music and the most compelling and dramatic story line.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

07. Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange (Megumi no Daigo: Kyuukoku no Orange) (Ep. 1-11) – Very realistic firefighter stories, but it’s kind of slow-moving; and the amount of recap at the start of each episode is ridiculous. It’s almost like the storytelling is so realistic that it happens in real time, which is totally unnecessary. Otherwise, Firefighter Daigo can be pretty exciting and suspenseful.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

08. JUJUTSU KAISEN -SEASON 2- (Ep. 35-45) – The Shibuya battle rages on, in all its destructive glory. I don’t know what to say. Two of our favourite characters bit the dust in 2 consecutive episodes. When another of our favourites entered the fray the next week, we were like, ‘no – what are you doing??’

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

09. The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent (Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu) Season 2 (Ep. 1-11) – Now that her Holy Saint duties are winding down, the kingdom wants to see Sei settled down. Of course, Sei has always been more interested in her research than in romance, so Albert understandably hasn’t pressured her; but if he doesn’t make his move soon, he might miss his chance.

Well it’s still good, but somehow less magical than the first season. Even the romance/chemistry between Sei and Albert feels kind of lacklustre.

Actually, you know who the cutest couple is? The king and his attendant! Just from one brief scene, it’s obvious how much they enjoy each other’s company and that they have a rich shared history together.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

10. GOBLIN SLAYER II (Ep. 1-10) – Less action and gore compared to season one, but still entertaining, as somehow, Goblin Slayer’s fixation on goblins never gets old.

I’m appreciating Lizardman a lot lately. He’s getting to be as into the goblin slaying as Goblin Slayer! And the subtle jabs he sometimes takes at their leader are so funny.

I also really like the makeover for Farm Girl. Previously, I was weirded out by that vacant look in her eyes, but now she seems bright and cute.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

11. SPY x FAMILY Season 2 (Ep. 26-35) – At first it seemed like this cour was going to be more episodic filler, but we finally entered a long arc with Yor’s mission on the cruise liner, and that was a huge improvement for the show.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

12. HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle- Rhyme Anima+ (Season 2 Ep. 1-10) – I was never particularly enamoured of any of the HYPMIC guys, but you know, there’s just something cute about the way Samatoki is always irritable and so angry; to the point that even his closest comrades can’t tell if he is under someone’s influence, or suffering nicotine withdrawal, or just being his normal self!

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

13. B-PROJECT: Passion*Love Call (B-PROJECT Netsuretsu*Love Call) (Season 3 Ep. 1-11) – Tsubasa’s workload increases as Gandara signs up a streaming platform duo called Ultras. There’s a learning curve since the company is not accustomed to representing this type of talent, and Ultras are not accustomed to being represented.

Unfortunately, the English subtitles for this show are frequently problematic. It’s obvious the translator wasn’t given any background information or just can’t be bothered about getting any of the names right. Gandara Music is misspelled every time with an extra ‘h’ inserted randomly; the group names are often preceded by ‘The’ and are pluralized, as if they can’t conceive that music group names do not always follow that format. This, despite the fact that the correct typeset sometimes appears right on the screen.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

14. BEYBLADE X (Ep. 1-9) – The best opening theme of the season (of the shows we are following) is “PROVE” by ONE OK ROCK! That is in fact the primary reason we are watching BEYBLADE X. I have never touched a bey, nor have I watched any previous Beyblade anime. Also, Saito Sōma voices one of the main characters, so that never hurts!

ALSO WATCHED:

Onimusha (Ep. 1-8) (Netflix)