
'The Apothecary Diaries' Maomao tops Anime Grand Prix as 2025's best character
Solo Leveling has achieved widespread international popularity, with its fast-paced storytelling and high-intensity battles contributing to its success.
It was awarded Anime of the Year at the Crunchyroll Awards, and its protagonist, Jinwoo, received Best Main Character at the same ceremony. However, in Japan, Solo Leveling's reach is more modest, and this was reflected in the Grand Prix results.
The Anime Grand Prix Awards, organised by the magazine Animage, are decided by the votes of its readers and are highly regarded within the Japanese anime community.
This year, Maomao, the lead character of The Apothecary Diaries, secured the top position. Her role across the first two seasons of the series has been praised for her distinctive characterisation and development, setting her apart in a competitive field.
The Apothecary Diaries has steadily gained recognition beyond Japan, with many viewers now anticipating its third season.
As The Apothecary Diaries moves towards its next season, Maomao's win may further boost the series' profile internationally, while Solo Leveling continues to maintain its strong global fanbase.
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Express Tribune
20-07-2025
- Express Tribune
'The Apothecary Diaries' Maomao tops Anime Grand Prix as 2025's best character
Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries has been named Best Anime Character of 2025 at the 47th Anime Grand Prix Awards, surpassing Solo Leveling's Jinwoo, who had dominated the Crunchyroll Awards earlier this year. Solo Leveling has achieved widespread international popularity, with its fast-paced storytelling and high-intensity battles contributing to its success. It was awarded Anime of the Year at the Crunchyroll Awards, and its protagonist, Jinwoo, received Best Main Character at the same ceremony. However, in Japan, Solo Leveling's reach is more modest, and this was reflected in the Grand Prix results. The Anime Grand Prix Awards, organised by the magazine Animage, are decided by the votes of its readers and are highly regarded within the Japanese anime community. This year, Maomao, the lead character of The Apothecary Diaries, secured the top position. Her role across the first two seasons of the series has been praised for her distinctive characterisation and development, setting her apart in a competitive field. The Apothecary Diaries has steadily gained recognition beyond Japan, with many viewers now anticipating its third season. As The Apothecary Diaries moves towards its next season, Maomao's win may further boost the series' profile internationally, while Solo Leveling continues to maintain its strong global fanbase.


Express Tribune
10-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Netflix confirms live-action ‘Solo Leveling' with Byeon Woo-seok as Sung Jinwoo
Netflix is officially bringing the global webtoon sensation Solo Leveling to life with a live-action adaptation starring Korean rising star Byeon Woo-seok. The series, based on the massively popular web novel and webtoon, follows the story of Sung Jinwoo, a low-ranked Hunter who gains extraordinary powers after a near-death experience. Solo Leveling, originally written by Chugong in 2016 and illustrated by Dubu for Redice Studio, has become one of the most successful webtoons ever, racking up over 14.3 billion cumulative views globally on KakaoPage. It remains the No. 1 title on the platform for both web novel and webtoon formats. Byeon Woo-seok, best known for his breakout roles in 20th Century Girl and Lovely Runner, will take on the role of Jinwoo, an E-rank Hunter who becomes humanity's greatest weapon against monstrous forces unleashed from supernatural Gates. The Netflix adaptation will be co-directed by Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo, the duo behind acclaimed films like Ashfall and Castaway on the Moon. Production is a collaboration between Netflix, Kakao Entertainment, and Sanai Pictures. The Solo Leveling franchise recently expanded into anime, with its first season sweeping the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, winning nine categories including Anime of the Year and Best Action. In a separate announcement, global music star J Balvin was revealed to be voicing a character in the upcoming Solo Leveling Season 2 — Arise From the Shadow. With the webtoon's massive fanbase and Netflix's international reach, the Solo Leveling live-action adaptation is expected to become a major addition to K-drama and fantasy action programming worldwide.


Express Tribune
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Solo Leveling Season 3: Expected Release Date, Studio, and Story Details
Following the explosive finale of Solo Leveling Season 2, fans eagerly await news about Season 3. Despite the anime's immense popularity, A-1 Pictures has yet to confirm a release date, hinting at a longer wait. While Season 2 followed quickly after Season 1, the gap before Season 3 might be longer. Solo Leveling was originally commissioned as a 25-episode project, later split into two seasons. Since both were produced simultaneously, Season 3 will require fresh production efforts, potentially delaying its release. A-1 Pictures, the studio behind Solo Leveling, is currently engaged with other projects, including Fate/Strange Fake and (Re+). This could impact the timeline for Season 3. While A-1 Pictures is likely to continue handling the anime, there's always a chance another studio could take over, as seen with other anime series. Season 3 will continue Jinwoo's journey, picking up after the Red Gate incident and focusing on the Ahjin Guild Arc. Fans can expect intense battles, new allies, and deeper mysteries surrounding the gates and Jinwoo's father. Based on the manhwa, the next season might cover up to the International Guild Conference Arc. With the success of Solo Leveling, multiple seasons or even a final movie adaptation seem likely. Until official confirmation arrives, fans can look forward to more updates from the creators.