Over the past few years, anime has become more mainstream than ever, and that also means that more compelling stories with more unique characters are on the rise. In this stream of anime, fans are also seeing more female MCs than ever before, adding a new dimension to these stories. Dandadan has Momo as one of its protagonists, and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End has Frierenan elf girl who is only gaining in popularity. Among all these new lines, however The Apothecary Diaries wins Best New Female MC of all.
Maomao is the protagonist Pharmacy diariesand she didn't become just one of them most popular female MCs at all, but also the face of modern anime in general, especially as her series continues to dominate in Japan and gain popularity overseas. Pharmacy journals have become ridiculously popular, and now they're making a comeback 2026 with its third season.
Pharmacy journals are making a huge comeback in 2026
-
Maomao has become one of the most famous new female MCs
-
Frieren also returns in 2026
Fans already knew that The Apothecary Diaries season 3 was coming, as the announcement of the sequel was made immediately after the end of the second season. But earlier this week, after months of waiting, the release date was finally revealed. The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 will be released in October 2026as for his first course and fans are definitely looking forward to the return of Maomao who many consider to be best female MC from the last two years.
Maomao returns with another popular MC from recent years and fans know her as Frieren. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is coming back much earlier with its second season in January 2026. Fans are definitely excited for Frieren, but it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that Maomao has truly stolen the spotlight.
Apothecary Journals and Frieren are both huge
-
Maoma's story is bigger at this point
-
Maomao's popularity in Japan has exceeded all expectations
The Apothecary Diaries and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End were definitely two of the biggest hits. from recent years. Frieren became the highest rated anime of all time on MAL, but The Apothecary Diaries' popularity is much greater in Japan despite not being as highly rated on that platform.
Pharmacy diaries became so popular in Japan it is the most watched series of all timesurpassing even the like One Piece. Not only that, but the main character of The Apothecary Diaries, Maomao, was crowned at the Grand Prix Awards in Japan as the best character of the year overall. The awards won by Maomao do not end here either. It also won the 2024 Readers' Choice Awards from Anime News Networkname leading woman of the yearamong others.
It really seems that way Apothecary Diaries have taken Japan by stormas it continues to pump out new seasons, and now even has a movie announced for December 2026. Meanwhile, Frieren is moving slowly and won't get its second season until January 2026. But at the end of the day, both of these series should be celebrated and the concept of more exciting female leads in anime should be embraced.
The Apothecary Diaries is currently a must watch anime. The second season of the show just ended earlier in 2025 and the third season is now scheduled to be released in October 2026. Fans who miss it yet have the option to watch the first two seasons with a total of 48 episodes. All these episodes are accessible and streaming on Crunchyroll, the biggest anime platform.
- Release date
-
October 22, 2023
- Network
-
Nippon TV, RAB, TVI, YBC, JRT
- directors
-
Jun Owada, Akira Koremoto, Kentaro Fujita, Yukihiko Asaki, Erkin Kawabata, Shintaro Itoga, Tsuyoshi Nakano, Akira Shimizu, Yuushi Ibe, Kyohei Yamamoto, Masahiro Matsunaga, Tadao Okubo, Misu Yamaneko
- Writers
-
Yuko Kakihara, Misuzu Chiba, Hitomi Ogawa
- Franchise(s)
-
Pharmacy diaries
-
-
Takeo Otsuka
Jinshi (voice)
