Two stand-out anime this season "The Apothecary Diaries" and "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End"

This anime season, I’m hooked on some anime that are awesome sauce. The Apothecary Diaries and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End both have epic stories and cool characters who grow a lot during the show. They also have amazing animation, with eye-candy backgrounds and character art.

The Apothecary Diaries

The Apothecary Diaries is a historical mystery series that follows the adventures of Maomao, a smart and sassy pharmacist who works as a maid in the imperial palace. She uses her skills of medicine and mischief to solve various cases involving the emperor’s harem, heirs, and henchmen, while trying to avoid getting into trouble. Along the way, she becomes friends with Jinshi, the head eunuch who is secretly the emperor’s half-brother and has a crush on her. The series mixes drama, romance, and comedy with a realistic portrayal of ancient Chinese culture and society.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is a series that follows the adventures of Frieren, an elf mage who has a lot of time on her hands. After defeating the Demon King with her human friends, she decides to travel the world and learn more magic, while also keeping in touch with her old pals. Along the way, she meets a cute orphan girl named Fern, who becomes her apprentice and companion. The series is a mix of drama, comedy, and fantasy, with a touch of romance between Frieren and Jinshi, the head eunuch who is secretly the emperor’s half-brother. The series also explores the themes of mortality, friendship, and legacy, as Frieren witnesses the changes in the world and the people she cares about.

Also worth mentioning...

Here are some other anime this season that I would recommend as well.

Shangri-la Frontier

Shangri-la Frontier is a series about Sunraku, a gamer who loves playing buggy “trash games”. He tries out Shangri-la Frontier, a popular "God Tier" VRMMO game, and finds it a much better and deeper game than expected for a game played by casual players. So far the story and characters has been interesting and the visuals are above average.  

Tearmoon Empire

Tearmoon Empire is similar to villainess otome game anime, but with a twist that the protagonist is the original villainess, not a reincarnated Japanese girl.  This is a comedy-fantasy anime that follows Mia Luna, the princess of the Tearmoon Empire, who was executed by guillotine after a revolution. She gets a second chance at life when she wakes up as her 12-year-old self, eight years before her death, with her memories and diary from the future. She tries to change her fate by rebuilding the empire and preventing the rebellion, but her actions are often misinterpreted as noble and wise by the people around her. The anime is full of humor and charm, thanks to Mia’s character and her interactions with others.