'Frieren: Beyond Journey's End' Season 2 Debuts Trailer, 'The Apothecary Diaries' Lands Sequel
Tomoya Kitagawa, who previously contributed storyboards and directed multiple episodes of the first season, is directing the sophomore outing, taking over the reins from Keiichiro Saito. The latter, best known for his work on Bocchi the Rock! , will oversee production as the supervising director, joining producer Yuichiro Fukushi ( One-Punch Man ), assistant director Daiki Harashina ( takt op. Destiny ), series composer Tomohiro Suzuki ( One-Punch Man ), and character designers Takasemaru ( Violet Evergarden ), Keisuke Kojima ( 100 Metres ), and Yuri Fujinaka ( SPY x FAMILY CODE: White ) on the creative team. Seiko Yoshioka, who worked on background art for Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo , is handling the concept art.
As previously reported, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 will be helmed by returning animation studio Madhouse. The anime is based on the original manga by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe and premiered with a two-hour special on 29 September 2023. It became a critical darling over 28 episodes, earning nominations for Anime of the Year and scoring wins for Best Drama, Best Director, Best Background Art, and Best Supporting Character at this year's Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
The epic fantasy isn't the only popular series to receive a follow-up. Following its season two finale in Japan, a sequel to The Apothecary Diaries was also announced during the annual event. No release date was shared for the forthcoming Season 3, but the anime's official account teased that the story will move to 'a new land'.
Based on the original light novels by Natsu Hyuuga and illustrator Touko Shino, the historical drama series is described as follows:
' Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she's sold as a lowly servant to the emperor's palace. But she wasn't meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she's making a name for herself solving medical mysteries! '
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Geek Culture
12 hours ago
- Geek Culture
La Tendo's Anime Café, Dimension Poptown, Opens With 'Heaven's Official Blessing' Collaboration In Singapore
For anime and video game aficionados in Singapore, there's no more familiar name than La Tendo. The retail store in Suntec City Mall has grown into a crowd favourite with its wide range of merchandise, including action figures, model kits, can badges, and more, that seeks to satisfy different interests and niches. Now, the brand is setting its sights on a new expansion effort: food. Enter its first anime collaboration café, Dimension Poptown Café, complete with a new theme for every cycle. But there's a catch – the menu is entirely vegetarian-friendly, and its Heaven Official's Blessing opener tie-up offered a promising taste of its future. While collaboration cafés have traditionally focused on experience over food quality, the cosy space, surprisingly enough, features a balance of both. A queue could be seen on its opening day, 25 July, with a cutout of Hua Cheng and Xie Lian greeting fans at the entrance. The merchandise area is nestled behind, where coasters, acrylic stands, prints, blind bag badges, and more can be purchased. Along the way, posters and key visuals of the pair adorn the walls and tables, as visitors are ushered to their seats. Food orders are placed at the front counter, and once done, all that's left is to wait for the dishes to arrive. In any case, there won't be a shortage of visual appeal. Most, if not all, of the menu items bear traces of red/black and white/gold – the main colours of Hua Cheng and Xie Lian, respectively – with the contrast adding to the striking look. Each purchase includes exclusive collaboration merchandise, categorised by the type of food: placemats for the main-course dishes, photo cards for desserts, and acrylic coasters for refreshments. Drinks are priced at S$9 each, coming up to six in total: Fragrance of the Frost (passionfruit with probiotics soda), Elation (mixed berries soda), Golden Elixir of the Osmanthus (honey osmanthus), Dew of the Roselle (rose mixed berry soda), Pure Nectar of the Immortal (mango coconut milk), and Snow-capped Plum Blossoms (strawberry milk foam). As for the remaining dishes, here are the details: Main Dishes (S$24 each) Rendezvous of Sun and Moon: Taro with Golden Mushroom and Konjac Soy Meat, served with Red Rice Roll Match Made in Heaven : Soya meat pieces with green and red peppers, served with Chinese yam, Lily Bulb Soya Milk and Oat Fluttering Amongst the Flowers: Egg crepe, served with cherries Desserts (S$26 each) Beneath the Peach Tree: Fluffy shaved ice with strawberry Token of Trust: Donut cakes, served with vanilla and strawberry ice cream Wishing Lanterns atop the Cityscape: Maple Leaf Cake, served with Flower Mousse The entire lineup was a surprise delight for the taste buds, leaving nothing but satisfaction in its wake. Alongside Rendezvous of Sun and Moon, or more specifically, the red rice roll, the standouts for the other two series are Beneath the Peach Tree, which impressed with a light yet sweet taste profile, and the tooth-shaped Elation, striking a balance between effervescence and fruity tones. The La Tendo X Dimension Poptown anime café collaboration with Heaven's Official Blessing is underway at 3 Temasek Blvd, #03-347, Singapore 038983. Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. Dimension Poptown heaven official's blessing La Tendo Singapore
Geek Culture
4 days ago
- Geek Culture
Atari 2600+ Gets Pac-Man Themed Re-Release In Oct
Retro gamers are about to get a strikingly yellow blast from the past, as Atari and Bandai Namco have teamed up for the Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition, a special re-release of the 2023 classic console refresh that celebrates the 45th anniversary of the iconic yellow puck. Originally launched in 2023, the Atari 2600+ served as a modern-day recreation of the classic '70s gaming console, retaining its retro feel while incorporating current-generation technologies like HDMI and USB-C ports, alongside the ability to run both 2600 and 7800 cartridges. The new Pac-Man Edition offers the same experience, this time decked out in the character's signature yellow hue, which engulfs almost its entire chassis, even featuring an appearance by the friendly puck alongside the four ghosts. 'The Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition is more than just a console,' manufacturer Plaion wrote in the console's announcement, 'it's a tribute to the moment home gaming truly began. By reimagining the iconic hardware in Pac-Man's unmistakable style, we're celebrating the legacy of two cultural giants who helped define a generation of play.' The Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition will also come with a matching yellow CX-40 wireless joystick, although different colour variations will also be sold separately, each themed after the four ghosts, including Red (Blinky), Cyan (Inky), Orange (Clyde) and Pink (Pinky). The console will also come with a Pac-Man Double Feature cartridge, which comprises the very first home console release of the original 1980s game, Pac-Man 2600 , alongside a new arcade-style version of the classic Pac-Man 7800 . Pre-orders for the Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition will open on 23 July 2025, with the console releasing on 31 October 2025 priced at US$169.99. Individual wireless joysticks will cost US$39.99 each, alongside classic Bandai Namco games like Dig Dug 7800 or Galaga 7800 , each priced at US$34.99, with additional game and joystick console bundles also available. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. atari atari 2600 Atari 2600+ Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition Bandai Namco
Geek Culture
5 days ago
- Geek Culture
'Demon Slayer
The final battle ignites for the Demon Slayer Corps, and it's not going easy on the competition. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle , the first film in a trilogy adapting the final arc of Koyoharu Gotoge's manga, has smashed a domestic box office record in its first day, living up to high fan expectations. The anime movie opened a whopping 1.7 billion yen (US$11.75 million), smashing the previous record held by…wait for it, 2020's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie – Infinity Train , which collected 1.2 billion yen in Japan during the same window. Per Deadline, estimates put its earnings over three days to be as high as 5.9 billion yen (US$39.7 million), and the biggest single-day IMAX haul of US$3 million — breaking yet another milestone in Japanese box office history. The success hardly comes as a surprise, considering that its first main trailer registered more than 40 million views within 24 hours on official social media platforms. The numbers are only expected to climb over the next few weeks leading up to the film's first wave of global rollouts in Thailand on 12 August. Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Pakistan will begin screenings on 14 August, followed by Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam (15 August), and the Philippines (20 August). As for the remaining markets, here's the full list of premiere dates: 11 September : Mexico, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean (Jamaica, Aruba, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Curacao), Central America, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Netherlands, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland (Italian-speaking), Syria, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates : Mexico, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean (Jamaica, Aruba, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Curacao), Central America, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Netherlands, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland (Italian-speaking), Syria, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates 12 September : India, Mongolia, Spain, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Kenya, Latvia, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Romania, Southern Africa, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom : India, Mongolia, Spain, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Kenya, Latvia, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Romania, Southern Africa, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom 17 September : Belgium, France, French-speaking Africa, Luxembourg, Switzerland (French-speaking) : Belgium, France, French-speaking Africa, Luxembourg, Switzerland (French-speaking) 18 September : Moldova : Moldova 25 September: Austria, Germany, Switzerland (German-speaking) Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle is set directly after the finale of the fourth anime season, when Muzan Kibutsuji (Toshihiko Seki / Greg Chun) traps Tanjiro Kamado (Natsuki Hanae / Zach Aguliar) and his companions of the Demon Slayer Corps inside his fortress, the Infinity Castle, where a decisive battle between the Demon Slayers and Muzan's subordinates, the Upper Moons, kicks off. Animation studio ufotable returns to helm the project, which will be available in IMAX and in both Japanese with English subtitles, as well as in English dub. It marks the fourth movie in the lineup, but unlike the Swordsmith Village and Hashira Training compilation films, it serves as a feature-length multi-film adaptation like Mugen Train . Released in 2020, Mugen Train proved to be a critical and commercial success even during the height of the pandemic. It grossed over US$507 million worldwide and became the highest-grossing pic of that year. Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
