First Look: Winter 2024 Anime Overview: Quick updates on Frieren and the Apothecary Diaries (Patreon)

The Apothecary Diaries (Episodes 13-24)

See my review of the first half of the show here to see my thoughts on the overall series!

The second half of The Apothecary Diaries was somehow even better than the first half, crafting a compelling ongoing mystery and delving into MaoMao’s backstory. There were quite a few big thrills that made me gasp aloud. MaoMao pulled off some show-stopping feats, and she remains an incredible, endearing character. Especially now that we’ve learned she has a killer evil laugh. And as a bonus, Jinshi was a lot less gross in his treatment of MaoMao in this part and parts where they bonded were actually pretty nice.

I wholeheartedly recommend this show, it’s one of the best and most compelling anime I’ve seen in recent years. Fortunately, it’s already confirmed for a season 2 next years.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Episodes 17-28)

See my review of the first half of the show here to see my thoughts on the overall series!

Frieren went into a its Hunter Exam Arc (where Frieren and Fern have to get their first class mage license), which I didn’t find quite as compelling as the first half of the season. However, there were some interesting characters and good fights, so it was still pretty entertaining. The quality has stayed consistent, the animation remains impressive. And the demons did not return, for anyone worried about that. It was a solid show overall!