What Do Frieren and Apothecary Diaries Have in Common?

Summary:

• Fans like to argue which series is better: Frieren or The Apothecary Diaries.
• Both series are exceptionally good.
• There are various similarities between them.

The Fall 2023 Season was truly a great time for anime fans. Not only did they experience the finale of Attack on Titan or a long-awaited Jujutsu Kaisen sequel, but they also got two magnificent new projects, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sousou no Frieren) and The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto).

Almost every time someone mentions these two series at the same time, a fandom war begins, and this is exactly what happened on X (formerly Twitter) last week. Fans divided into two teams, the “I don’t see the appeal of The Apothecary Diaries” and the “Frieren is boring” ones.

But we don’t want to decide which show is better and which one is more enjoyable, since it’s much more entertaining to focus on the positive. So let’s remember why we love these series so much and why both of them are so important.

Trope-breaking

You’ve probably heard that Frieren is a very great take on fantasy anime, and it’s true. It stands out among countless generic isekai series, it’s unlike most battle shounens, it follows a more old-school fantasy route and surprises fans with its great worldbuilding. This is how fantasy should be done, and it’s something we haven’t seen in a long time.

Despite The Apothecary Diaries not openly being a shoujo or josei series, it’s obvious that it has a female target audience. However, unlike most shoujo and josei series, it doesn't focus on romance heavily. Yes, it feels like we’re getting to a romantic development, but it’s never the number one priority for the series.

Strong female leads

Instead of focusing solely on romance, The Apothecary Diaries decides to let the main protagonist, Maomao, shine. She is the true heart of the series and the reason why it is so enjoyable.

Frieren is also like that. There are obvious hints at romance between her and Himmel, but it’s never fully out there, because her character is not just about romance. Frieren is not a complement to a male character or a lead, she’s the lead herself. This is her story, and she’s the star.

Extremely popular at the same time

Since anime is far from being a niche interest now, and this type of media is getting more and more popular, it’s natural that there are dozens of new series coming out each season. And yet fans admit to struggling with finding “the one.”

Then Fall 2023 happens, and they get not just one banger, but two of them! Fans still can’t believe that two well-made series that became this big are airing at the same time. And they dread the moment when it’s time to say goodbye to them for some time