07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
'Frieren: Beyond Journey's End' Season 2 Debuts Trailer, 'The Apothecary Diaries' Lands Sequel
It's still a while before the next chapter of Frieren's journey kicks off, but Crunchyroll has treated fans to a sneak peek of what's to come. The streamer showcased the first trailer for Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 at Anime Expo 2025 on 4 July, confirming its previously announced January 2026 release, alongside the reveal of a new director.
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.
