A question I often see: What should I watch after The Apothecary Diaries that’s similar? Unfortunately, there aren’t many anime that can stand beside Maomao’s chaotic adventures in the Chinese Imperial Palace. A few come close, so I usually recommend them, and this quarter has two new entries.
The villainess and vengeful lady sub-genres are not new to anime. There have been numerous entries just this year, and the tropes are not done yet. Usually featuring women and girls who are in no way villainous but are framed or misunderstood, villainesses and vengeance-minded lady characters have exploded since 2020, when My Next Life as a Villainess: All Roads Lead to Doom! first aired. They sometimes belong to the isekai genre, but not every show with a villainess features reincarnation. Both of my choices from the summer are fantasy, but no one has been reborn (at least since the last episodes I’ve watched). While The Apothecary Diaries doesn’t belong to these subgenres, fans of that series will enjoy two of my favorites from this summer.
A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even: How I Crushed My Homeland with My Mighty Grimoires
Elizabeth is a noblewoman engaged to a nation’s crown prince. She does all the hard work of running the country, allowing her fiancé to gad about with few if any responsibilities. It’s for the best, since she’s an adept businesswoman and politician. She notices her prince falling for the charms of new court lady Sylvie and vows to remind Sylvie of how she should behave as a noble lady. She doesn’t really care that the prince might dabble with mistresses, so long as some level of propriety is observed. She has better things to do than worry about her future husband’s bedroom antics.
What’s this? The prince suddenly reneges on his engagement to Elizabeth, accuses her of harassing Sylvie, and throws her in the dungeon?!
If this sounds a bit familiar, it should. A similar anime debuted in October 2025 called May I Ask for One Final Thing. While the inciting incidents are near-identical (the scheming prince-thieves in both shows even have pink hair), the shows diverge from there. Elizabeth rebrands herself as an up-and-coming merchant in the neighboring Empire and plans her revenge. She hides her fury well, until those who wronged her stray across her path. A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even is shockingly violent at times, with Elizabeth sundering bandits, soldiers, and even nobles from her former kingdom with a smile on her face. While this might deter some viewers, know that every person who experiences her wrath deserves it. Well, except for a few people who’ve fallen as collateral damage. Unfortunately for them, Elizabeth was humiliated by the entire nation, so they became her enemy. She wields a collection of magical texts, which give her massive power. We love to support a woman’s rights but more importantly, her wrongs.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess
The second anime is much less bloody, although there is intrigue aplenty. Set in a fictitious land based on Imperial China, this series focuses on sweet Lady Kou Reirin and her embattled foil Shu Keigetsu as they serve as future concubines. Out of five high noble families, one girl will eventually to be chosen as the crown prince’s empress. Keigetsu, mocked as a commoner orphan girl, can’t control her fierce jealousy of the pampered Reiren. Demure and beautiful, Reirin commands the court’s and the prince’s hearts. Coveting Reirin’s position, Keigetsu uses dark magic to switch their bodies, thinking this change will make her dreams come true.
What Keigetsu neglects to research: Reirin has been plagued by illnesses since birth and has a weak body. Reirin awakes in Keigetsu’s body and experiences the abuse her counterpart always suffered. However, she is content to be in a healthy body with a chance to do everything that eluded her sickly real body. Keigetsu enters a new world of suffering as she’s unable to leave her new bed. Through Keigetsu’s fire magic, the girls communicate and learn more about each other. Their burgeoning friendship and comradery might just save the empress and the court, who are targeted by an unseen villain.
Comparing the Two
Inept Villainess shares the imperial court setting with Apothecary Diaries as well as a central mystery. While it’s not quite as clever with its reveals, Reirin is a wonderful character to spend time with, and the viewer will also grow to like Keigetsu, once they realize how awful her plight was. Livid Lady shares a highly competent main character with Apothecary Diaries, though there is no mystery to solve. It’s fun to watch as Elizabeth hatches her plots and succeeds in getting her revenge. Neither show is as convoluted as Diaries, yet, but they’re so much fun and keep me asking for another episode.
Livid Lady’s animation isn’t quite as strong as Villainess’s, which features rich, sumptuous colors and set pieces. Elizabeth’s world is more fantastical, with beasts and magic being commonplace. Each series brings class struggles alongside the main narrative, though Reirin and Keigetsu deal with it in a more central way. If you’re looking for more complex themes, seek out the switched girls learning how to navigate their closed world. If you want a great time watching a wronged woman regain her confidence and lofty position, go with Elizabeth and her grimoires.
The rising popularity of villainess shows might be an answer to the usually male-centric isekai genre. Featuring female main characters as well as mostly female casts, these shows appeal to the josei and shojo readers who are looking for something similar to isekai that don’t shove female characters to the sidelines. These women or girls are strong-minded, even when their luck has seemingly run out. They have key friends who follow them with utmost loyalty, allowing them to operate.
Elizabeth is luckier at first than Reirin, as Reirin trapped in the overlooked Keigetsu proves a difficult circumstance to overcome. However, her positive attitude and winning personality bring others over to her side. They share many traits with the loveable Maomao viewers will enjoy. This newfound audience and popularity will hopefully propel more fantastic female characters to the screen.
*Both shows began as light novels and have manga adaptations, so there are other ways to enjoy the shows.*
