There was a lack of action in this season of The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior, and I quite welcome it. It’s all just a big swell of melodrama for a straight twelve episodes where physical violence is replaced with emotional violence, the former always lurking around the corner but never quite rearing its head. Okay, well, the first season gave us battles with animation that is okayish at best. We don’t have to raise any blades for the conflict in this season, right? I’m down for this season to engage us with political and backroom drama. I said to myself, not knowing I’d be eating my words by the time this was all over.

The first few episodes start very promisingly when another of the otome game’s princes, the cerulean-hued Leon of the Anemone Kingdom, enters Pride’s life on her sixteenth birthday. Baseless rumors surround Leon, painting him as too much of a womanizing flirt for his own good. Pride also knows that her villainess alter ego abused and tortured him in the previous timeline. Naturally, the current Pride wants things to go a complete 180. Which they do. She becomes engaged to Leon, and from there it’s revealed that Leon is actually a pretty nice guy. He’s next in line to ascend his nation’s throne, and he wants to be a king the people desire. His true love is for his people, not for random women, and certainly not for himself. It’s a noble pursuit, and it makes Leon a likable character. Leon has jealous brothers eyeing the throne for themselves, and they gaslight him into thinking his desires are actually banal and narcissistic, while also doing what they can behind the scenes to further tarnish his reputation. Their gaslighting works, and the fact that it has Leon questioning his own worth makes him seem more human.

All of the ingredients for internal conflict are there. We have Pride’s desire to undo the evil her previous incarnation caused, along with a prince facing his own personal moral dilemma, and his two brothers pushing that moral dilemma to usurp the throne. Even Stale and Arthur, who are more eager than ever to protect Pride at all costs, develop suspicion towards Leon’s relationship with her (more on this in a bit). There’s no need for big bangs and booms here. It all ends with Pride going up to bat for Leon against scrutiny, and then giving him a heart-to-heart pep talk about his desires that brings the arc to a nice, non-violent, cathartic conclusion.

The problem rests in the execution of it all. The biggest threat to Leon’s coronation is the baseless rumors that he’s a womanizing flirt, which apparently is enough for the people to lose trust in him. On one hand, I get it. You’d rather your leader take the time to serve the people instead of his selfish and carnal desires (as an American, don’t we all these days?). On the other hand, these rumors, as untrue as they are, still don’t amount much. They don’t mention if Leon was toxic, abusive, or problematic at all. There’s a flashback to the previous timeline where villainess Pride hints that Leon may or may not have cheated on her, but mind you, that is a) undone in the timeline, and b) may be another baseless rumor she’s purposely using as an excuse to torture Leon. It feels weak. This plotline reads like high school gossip meant to bring down the prom king. This isn’t to say that this couldn’t make for an interesting plot point, but by itself, it’s never made into a weighty threat. The kind of logic recurs when Leon is drugged and wakes up in a bar looking very unkingly. Instead of knocking him unconscious, why not up the ante and make Leon the victim of an assassination attempt? You could even do it without needing much in the way of action either. A little less Mean Girls, a little more Julius Caesar, is what I’m saying.

The second half of the show heads in the opposite direction. Another prince, this time the arrogant Cedric of the Cercis Kingdom, enters the fray, being the very egoist that Leon is not. After Cedric’s haughtiness puts Pride through the wringer, he reveals to her that he wants her kingdom to ally with him to save it from devastation from an invading kingdom. Whereas Leon’s conflict gave him some relatability, Cedric’s arrogance makes him flat and unlikeable. Which is the point, but still? Besides being a massive creep towards Pride, Cedric lacks Leon’s humility, and despite professing loyalty to his kingdom and family, I just don’t feel it the same way I feel Leon’s loyalty to his people. Even Pride can’t stand the sight of Cedric. Sure, Pride allies with Cedric, but it’s for the sake of reversing her previous life’s villainy. In other words, because the plot says so. And boy, does it with all of the exposition it drops.

So the characters talk about alliances and invasions. And then Pride gives out a little Braveheart speech to rally the troops. And then Cedric tries to apologize to Pride for being such a jerk. And there’s that flashback to the previous timeline where Pride forces Cedric to kiss her feet (um, why?). And then war plans are discussed. And then Cedric’s older brother becomes ill. And then more build-up happens, and more and more until the first battle of the war just…doesn’t happen. It’s just a series of “and then”s with no twists or interesting drama. The anime keeps distracting us with nonsense and filler to run out the clock so the big battle can be the thing that kickstarts the third season, should it happen. It’s like watching all of the build-up in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers without seeing it paid off by Helm’s Deep. It’s like every distracting segment was the anime’s equivalent of the most annoying version of Columbo imaginable: just one more thing, and then actually wait one more thing, and then okay I mean it just one more thing, yeah but for real though just one more thing…over and over and over.

I will say this. Just like last season, the soundtrack in this season is a symphonic joy to listen to. It swells, it pierces, it moves. And it does wonders in making certain scenes of Last Boss Queen seem more involving and dramatic than they really are. The best tracks here are reserved for Stale and Arthur’s scenes together, which of course go through all of the usual talking points regarding their devotion to Pride. Again, they have their initial suspicions toward Leon, but it doesn’t invoke the drama I would have liked to see. I wrote in my preview guide entry for Last Boss Queen‘s second season premiere that I was hoping for a love triangle between Leon, Arthur, and Pride. Maybe it could have also created a rift between Arthur and Stale that would dive deep into their own desires and insecurities. Something like that? It never goes that far, unfortunately. The music’s still great, so that helps things, I suppose.

While The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen‘s second season might not be as consistent as its first, I give it credit for at least trying to be somewhat different. Exchanging your usual thrills and spills for dialogues concerning romance, politics, and desire could have made for a great character drama. If only there were a real sense of conflict.

The staff for Ace of Diamond Act II Second Season, the sequel to the 2019-2020 anime of Yūji Terajima‘s Ace of Diamond Act II (Daiya no A Act II) manga, presented a teaser promotional video for its second cours (quarter of a year) on Saturday.

The main cast returned for the current season.

Hideaki Ōba (Kunon the Sorcerer Can See, I’m in Love with the Villainess, Love of Kill) is the season’s director, replacing Mitsuyuki Masuhara, at OLM (Madhouse animated Ace of Diamond Act II). Kenji Konuta is returning from the previous three anime in the franchise to oversee the series scripts. Yasukazu Shōji (Major 2nd chief animation director, Restaurant to Another World (TV 2) character designer) is the current character designer, replacing Minoru Ueda and Satoshi Tasaki. Hajime Hyakkoku is returning from Ace of Diamond Act II to compose the music.

The second part of the season will premiere in October on TV Tokyo Network (TXN) and AT-X, among other broadcasters.

The Ace of Diamond Act II Second Season anime debuted on April 5 on TV Tokyo and its affiliates, and also on AT-X. The anime is also streaming on Netflix in Japan.

Terajima launched the Ace of Diamond manga in Kodansha‘s Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 2006. He ended the manga in January 2015, and Kodansha published 47 volumes for the manga. Terajima then launched Ace of Diamond Act II in August 2015, and ended the manga in October 2022. Kodansha published 34 volumes for the sequel manga.

Mad Cave Studios’ Nakama Press imprint has licensed the manga and will release it in English in a 3-in-1 omnibus format, starting with the first omnibus volume on March 23, 2027.

Terajima’s original Ace of Diamond baseball manga inspired a television anime that premiered in 2013, and Crunchyroll streamed the 75-episode series as it aired in Japan. Ace of Diamond: Second Season premiered in April 2015, and Crunchyroll also streamed the 51-episode series as it aired.

The Ace of Diamond Act II anime premiered in April 2019 and aired for 52 episodes. Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired in Japan.

The Ace of Diamond manga won the shōnen category of the 34th Kodansha Manga Awards in 2010. Kodansha USA Publishing began releasing the manga digitally in English in March 2017 under the title Ace of the Diamond. K MANGA is releasing the Ace of the Diamond Act II manga in English.

The manga has also inspired a series of stage plays.

Source: Ace of Diamond Act II Second Season anime’s website, Comic Natalie

The staff for the anime based on Natsu Hyūga and Touko Shino‘s The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) light novel series revealed during a special event for the series on Saturday the October 2 premiere for the anime’s third season, a new trailer, a new key visual, a new cast member, character visuals, and the opening theme song.

The trailer previews the opening “Kumo o Nukekazashimo e Watashidake” (I Am Alone, Breaking Through the Clouds Downwind) by yorushika.

Reina Ueda plays Bai Niangniang, a pale and mysterious nymph.

The same event also revealed character visuals for the cast of the upcoming Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Bо̄hi no Hihо̄ (The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress’ Treasure) film, including the original characters.

The third season will air on October 2 at 11:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. EDT) in the “Friday Anime Night” programming block on NTV and 29 affiliated channels for its first cours (quarter of a year), and its second cours will premiere in April 2027. 

The film will open in theaters on December 11 and feature a brand-new story by the original novel series’ author Natsu Hyūga.

The anime’s first season premiered in October 2023 with the first three episodes, and aired for two cours (quarters of a year). Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in Japan and is also streaming an English dub.

The second anime season premiered in January 2025 on Nippon TV‘s FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT programming block, and aired for two consecutive cours. Crunchyroll is streaming the second season, and it is also streaming an English dub.

J-Novel Club publishes the novel series digitally, and it describes the story:

In the East is a land ruled by an emperor, whose consorts and serving women live in a sprawling complex known as the hougong, the rear palace. Maomao, an unassuming girl raised in an unassuming town by her apothecary father, never imagined the rear palace would have anything to do with her—until she was kidnapped and sold into service there.

Though she looks ordinary, Maomao has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and an extensive knowledge of medicine. That’s her secret, until she encounters a resident of the palace at least as perceptive as she is: the head eunuch, Jinshi. He sees through Maomao’s façade and makes her a lady-in-waiting to none other than the Emperor’s favorite consort… so she can taste the lady’s food for poison!

Hyūga began serializing the story on the “Shōsetsuka ni Narō” (Let’s Become Novelists) website in October 2011. Shufunotomo began publishing the novels in print volume with illustrations by Shino in August 2014. Nekokurage launched an ongoing manga adaptation in Square Enix‘s Monthly Big Gangan magazine in May 2017. Square Enix Manga & Books is releasing the manga adaptation in English. The company is also publishing the novels in print.

Sources: The Apothecary Diaries anime’s website, Comic Natalie