After watching all available episodes of “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” and right after that “The Apothecary Diaries” I was pleasantly surprised. First of all both these shows operate on simple premises which lets the narrative grow and evolve. In Frieren the heart of the show is tale of 1000 yrs. old elf mage, who travels and reminiscences of her human friends who passed away. The story behind apothecary is that of young girl Maomao who is kidnapped and forced to work as a servant to emperors concubines.

Interestingly enough, I had problems deducing who exactly is the chosen audience for these shows. Usually I am repulsed by teenage drama and I find any romantic notions in anime to be gross. Which I don’t think, that I can be blamed for. But this time it was different. In both cases – the romance is not at the forefront, its skillfully playing in the background. Maybe except for the “honey” scene in “The Apothecary Diaries”. But I forgive them this scene because of Maomao funny jab at Gaoshun.

It probably also helps that both productions can be really stunning at times. Japanese animation is as usual flawless, and it’s a pleasure to behold it. The colors, the motion, the very physics of the animated scenes is amazing. And yet it was not the best thing about both productions.

I mentioned before, that I wasn’t sure what is the audience for these series, but one is for apparent – both shows will be very appealing towards woman (but not only). And when I started thinking about this, something occurred to me. First – Maomao and Frieren are very much alike. Second – both heroines are on the opposite spectrum of what is currently the most common profile of main female character in western cinema.

First of all both of these characters have a passion. Maomao (as one can guess) is apothecary, and she is really good being one. Tasting for poison – which terrifies most of people – is ultimate fun for her. She goes as far as experimenting on herself to discover new drugs and getting poison resilience. Meanwhile Frieren loves her magic – she spends a lot of time collecting weird and interesting spells.

Both woman are hardworking, they do not mind being tired, or getting their hands dirty. They have strong conviction, but accept their shortcomings. They understand their place in societies they live in,  and prefer to keep a low profile. And they share two leading qualities: stoicism and kindness.

They almost never make decisions based of emotions. They are logical and composed. And if once in a while if they get emotional they recognize that, and they do it knowingly. They avoid making judgments and bragging about their abilities. And they genuinely care about people around them even if they do not show it.

This is a far cry from western girl boss, who is always perfect and makes sure that everyone knows how perfect she is. And somehow I cannot help to think this that these girls are better role models for young woman than anything I have seen in years in Western cinema. I any case I recommend both shows to be watched and enjoyed. And I am eagerly waiting for airing of next episodes.