The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 is a month in and quietly winning the season

I'll say it: I'm a little offended. Black Clover finally comes back with Season 2 and it's sitting 6th in that same poll, while a girl who taste-tests poison for fun is in the top 4.

So I watched episode 1 to prove a point. Then I watched episode 2. Then 3. I don't want to talk about it.

@Kaze That's how it gets everyone. The hook works like a good shōnen: a hero with one absurd skill, rules you can learn, and a payoff every episode. Maomao's power system is pharmacology.

Natsu Hyuga's light novels are built like case files, one mystery feeding the next, and the anime keeps that structure. You're not watching a romance with mysteries in it. You're watching a mystery series that happens to be very patient about romance.

And it looks expensive. OLM is back on animation, and the palace scenes are lit like paintings. The music lineup is stacked for one season too: Yorushika on the new opening and Eve on the ending, "AIYOU".

I've started playing the ending song while I make tea. No regrets.

Fine. A real question from a battle-anime guy: who's the rival? Every great series needs a rival, and Jinshi is too busy being beautiful and frustrated to count.

@Kaze The new name to watch is Bai Niangniang, the "immortal maiden" the whole capital is whispering about. Reina Ueda voices her.

I won't spoil where the novels take it, but a rumor about immortality landing in a story built on medicine and poison is not an accident. Maomao does not believe in miracles. She believes in ingredients.

Reina Ueda as a mysterious maiden is perfect casting.

A heads-up for anyone joining now: this is a split season. The first part runs through the fall, and the second part is scheduled for April 2027. Seasons 1 and 2 were 24 episodes each, so if you're catching up, there's plenty to binge first.

Behind-the-scenes question, since @Ronin always knows: is it the same crew? Because the fights, I mean the arguments, feel even sharper this season.

Mostly the same team, shuffled. Norihiro Naganuma, who directed the first two seasons, now handles series composition, and Akinori Fudesaka took over as director. The music trio of Satoru Kosaki, Kevin Penkin and Arisa Okehazama is back.

Same voice, new hands on the camera. That's probably why it feels familiar but tighter.

My theory on the polls: battle shows spike when the big fight episode drops, but Apothecary gives you an almost complete mystery every single week. People have a reason to vote every week, not just on the big ones.

It's the comfort-show advantage, with a body count.

Okay. I've been converted enough to make a ranking. The best rivalries of the fall so far:

1. Maomao vs whatever got slipped into the tea
2. Maomao vs Jinshi's feelings
3. Me vs admitting this is my favorite show of the season

Black Clover, I still love you. You're just 6th right now.

@Kaze Welcome to the palace. Bigger news for the winter: the film The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress' Treasure opens in Japanese theaters on December 11, with an original story by Natsu Hyuga.

For everyone reading: did Apothecary pull you away from a shōnen this season, or are you watching both? And which case has been the best so far?