Okay, Apothecary Diaries fans… WE HAVE A DATE!

Maomao and Jinshi are officially coming back for Season 3 of The Apothecary Diaries, and we’re getting a whole lot more than just a release date! A brand-new trailer has dropped, and Season 3 will officially premiere October 2 in Japan!

And because apparently Maomao doesn’t have enough mysteries, poisons, palace drama, and Jinshi-related headaches already… we’re getting another TWO-COUR season!

The first part of Season 3 will begin airing October 2, with the second cour arriving in April 2027. The trailer gives us our first preview of the new opening theme, “Kumo o Nukekazashimo e Watashidake” by yorushika.

If you’ve been following the series, you already know the combination of beautiful visuals, mystery, palace politics, and Maomao’s completely unbothered attitude is about to give us another incredible season.

AND DON’T FORGET THE MOVIE!

Because apparently one Apothecary Diaries project wasn’t enough! The upcoming anime film, The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress’ Treasure, is also on the way!

The movie will hit Japanese theaters on December 11 and will feature a completely original story written by the series’ original author, Hyuganatsu.

So we’re getting:

Season 3: October 2
The Movie: December 11
Season 3 Cour 2: April 2027

Apothecary Diaries fans are eating GOOD!

Our Take: One of the things we love about The Apothecary Diaries is that it doesn’t need giant explosions every five minutes to keep you hooked; Give Maomao a suspicious illness, a weird ingredient, a poisoned dish, or something that “doesn’t quite make sense” and she’ll be investigating before everyone else even realizes there’s a mystery.

We’re VERY curious to see what Season 3 has waiting for these two.

Question of the week: If Maomao gave YOU a mystery to solve, what kind of mystery would you want it to be?

A palace murder?
A mysterious illness?
A poison case?
A missing artifact?

Or would you rather stay FAR away from Maomao’s investigations because somehow everyone around her ends up in danger?

Watch the trailer:

ONE PIECE FANS, WE SEE YOU!

We’re still several months away from Wit Studio’s highly anticipated The One Piece remake, but the team just dropped a brand-new piece of key art and if you’re a longtime fan, you’re probably going to recognize it immediately.

The new artwork is a homage to the very first chapter of Eiichiro Oda’s manga, Romance Dawn: The Dawn of Adventure.

And honestly? We LOVE when a remake does this.

Rather than simply giving us a new version of Luffy, the artwork feels like a little reminder of where this gigantic adventure all began.

SO… WHEN DO WE GET IT?!

Netflix is set to stream the first season worldwide in February 2027, with all seven episodes arriving at once.

Yep, seven episodes.

But here’s the interesting part: those seven episodes will cover approximately the first 50 chapters of the manga, giving us around 300 minutes of One Piece. That means Wit Studio is planning to move through the story at a MUCH faster pace than the original anime did.

And that’s one of the biggest things fans are curious about! The original One Piece anime has been running since 1999. That’s more than 25 years of Luffy, the Straw Hats, filler, pacing debates, tears, laughs, and “okay, but why did that five-minute scene take an entire episode?”

Wit Studio has previously said the remake will have tighter pacing and less unnecessary padding, while still respecting the work Toei Animation has done over the years.

AND LOOK WHO’S BACK…

There’s one thing that might make longtime fans especially happy:

Mayumi Tanaka will return as Monkey D. Luffy.

So while we’re getting a brand-new visual style and a fresh adaptation, Luffy’s iconic voice will still sound like the Luffy we’ve known for decades.

Wit Studio is bringing together some seriously experienced talent, including people who have worked on Attack on Titan, SPY×FAMILY, Vinland Saga, My Hero Academia, Haikyu!! and more.

And the goal isn’t simply to replace the original anime; The studio has emphasized that it wants to create something fresh while respecting Toei’s legacy.

Basically:

Same adventure. New voyage.

Our Take: As people who love anime, this is one of those projects that’s REALLY hard not to be excited about.

Imagine experiencing One Piece from the beginning with modern animation, updated pacing, and a production team with today’s technology, while still hearing Mayumi Tanaka’s Luffy.

For longtime fans, it could feel like revisiting an old favorite.

For newer fans who have looked at 1,000+ episodes and thought “Yeah… I’m never catching up”…

This might be your chance!!

Question of the week: Would you watch The One Piece remake from Episode 1 even if you’ve already watched the original anime?

YES — give me the new adventure!
Maybe — depending on the animation/pacing.
Nope — the original will always be MY One Piece.

We want to know where you stand!

Two iconic anime worlds are officially colliding as Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the Monogatari Series team up for a brand-new series of crossover shorts!

The project is called Mahō Dōjo Yotsugi☆Peace (Puella Magi Yotugi Peace) and will feature 12 short episodes celebrating the upcoming Madoka Magica movie, Walpurgisnacht: Rising.

And here’s the part that makes this even more fun:

Monogatari creator NisiOisin wrote the crossover shorts!

Yep. We’re getting the mind behind the Monogatari stories writing a Madoka Magica crossover.

So, who’s actually in it?

The first three episodes are already streaming, and they focus on two familiar Monogatari characters:

Yotsugi Ononoki — voiced by Saori Hayami

Tsukihi Araragi — voiced by Yuka Iguchi

And judging by the magical-girl theme, things are about to get VERY interesting! The 12 episodes are being released in batches between August 20th and 23rd, so fans don’t have to wait too long to see where this chaotic little crossover goes.

And yes, this is all leading into the release of Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising, which opens in Japan on August 28.

Our take: Honestly, this feels like one of those collaborations where someone looked at two incredibly strange anime universes and said:

“You know what these need? More chaos.” And we’re not complaining.

Madoka Magica and Monogatari already have some pretty distinctive visual styles and storytelling, so seeing them collide, especially with NisiOisin actually writing the shorts is a VERY fun combination for longtime anime fans.

Plus, if you’ve been waiting for Walpurgisnacht: Rising, this is a pretty entertaining way to get yourself hyped before the movie arrives!

Question of the week: If you could mash TWO anime universes together for one crossover, which two would you choose?

One Piece x Dragon Ball?
Naruto x Jujutsu Kaisen?
Demon Slayer x My Hero Academia?

Or are you choosing something completely unhinged?

Watch the first short episode:

Crunchyroll is making some big changes to its store — and manga collectors are definitely taking notice.

The Crunchyroll Store has officially updated, and physical manga, light novels, Korean manhwa, and Chinese danmei titles are no longer being listed for sale. 😳

The change comes shortly after Crunchyroll announced that its store would shift toward a more exclusive, curated experience focused on Crunchyroll-exclusive merchandise, collectibles, Blu-rays, apparel, and special drops.

And if you’re thinking, “Wait… wasn’t Right Stuf basically the place to buy manga?” — you’re not wrong! 👀 Crunchyroll acquired Right Stuf in 2022 and later moved its catalog over to the Crunchyroll Store in 2023.

Now, that physical book selection has disappeared.

Crunchyroll hasn’t explained whether the manga and light novels are gone permanently or if they’ll eventually return in some form. The company also declined to comment when asked about the change.

For collectors, this is a pretty significant shift. Right Stuf was known for its huge selection of manga and light novels, so seeing those products disappear from Crunchyroll’s store leaves a lot of fans wondering what the company’s long-term plans are for physical manga.

Our take: Crunchyroll seems to be moving toward a store that’s more about exclusive anime merchandise and collectibles, which makes sense from a business perspective. But losing physical manga and light novels also means losing one of the biggest advantages Crunchyroll gained when it acquired Right Stuf.

We’re hoping this isn’t the end of physical manga through Crunchyroll, especially for fans who still love having an actual bookshelf full of their favorite series.

Question of the week: Are you a physical manga collector or a digital reader?

Gotta eat ’em all! Krispy Kreme is celebrating Pokémon’s 30th anniversary with a brand-new collection of Pokémon-inspired doughnuts!

The limited-time collection features six different treats, each inspired by a Pokémon or one of the franchise’s most iconic symbols:

Pikachu — Lemon
Jigglypuff — Strawberry
Charmander — Caramel with chocolate filling
Bulbasaur — Vanilla
Squirtle — Cotton candy
Poké Ball — Vanilla and chocolate icing with sprinkles

And because apparently the doughnuts weren’t enough… Krispy Kreme is also offering its Original Glazed Gold Dots in special Pokémon cups featuring the same Pokémon from the collection.

The Pokémon Specialty Collection officially went on sale August 18th at participating Krispy Kreme locations across the United States and Canada and will be available through September 13th, so you have a limited window to catch ’em all!

Our take: Okay, Krispy Kreme… you got us.

A Pokémon-themed doughnut collection is already dangerous enough, but giving each Pokémon its own flavor makes this feel like a real-life Pokémon team-building exercise!

We’re SO curious about that cotton-candy Squirtle!

If you’re a Pokémon fan, this is one of those collaborations that’s just too cute to ignore even if your wallet is telling you to “choose one.”

Question of the week: If you could create a Pokémon-inspired doughnut, which Pokémon would you choose and what flavor would it be?

Thanks for hanging out with us and catching this week’s Wat’s Going On Anime! It means a lot to have you as part of our community.

Don’t go too far, next week we’re back with more news,

more surprises, and maybe a few things you didn’t see coming.

Same place, same vibes. See you next week!