Parallel World Pharmacy is an isekai fantasy anime from the Japanese animation studio Diomedéa and directed by Keizō Kusakawa. It is based on the manga written by Liz Takayama and illustrated by Sei Takano, which has been in publication since 2016.

Kanji Yakutani (Mark Allen Jr.) is an overworked world-renowned pharmacist. One day, he passes away in his office. To his surprise, he finds himself in the body of a ten-year-old named Pharma de Médicis (Morgan Lea). He has been reborn into the magical world of the San Fleuve Empire, which resembles the Medieval Times. After being told by the young maid Lotte (Lindsay Seidel) that he was struck by lightning, he learns he is the son of a prominent Archduke Bruno de Médicis (Chris Ryan), an intelligent pharmaceutist. He begins his training with his father’s student Ellen Bonnefoi (Trisha Mellon), but it is soon apparent how powerful he is. When he accompanies his new father to the side of Queen Elisabeth II (Marti Etheridge), he remembers his past life and that he became a pharmacist after the death of his sister. Seeing his intelligence after curing her, the Queen gives him a pharmacy of his own Parallel World Pharmacy where he brings modern medicine to this new home. However, a dark force awaits in the distance threatening to destroy his newfound fame in this magical world.

When it comes to isekai, the protagonist is often shown to be incredibly powerful and most of the conflict comes from them learning this new ability within their new world. It is no different here. For the first half of its premiere season, Pharma tries to hide his new powers from his new family, though his father quickly figures it out.

My biggest complaint about this isekai is the main character’s name. His name is Pharma. I get the surname because it could go, but naming him literally Pharma was a bit of a stretch and a lot of good fortunate comes Pharma’s way. I also feel the battle with the “final boss” was somewhat anticlimactic. Outside of that, I greatly enjoyed this anime.

One big thing in anime is how families are portrayed. They are often shown to be absent or corrupt, but
Pharma’s family is loving, kind, and supportive, though questions about his newfound intelligence and abilities baffle them at times.

Kanji’s motivation for studying pharmacology was because of the death of his sister and after finding himself in an invasion of the body snatchers scenario, he uses his new world skill to help out in this world behind on medicine. I found it interesting, entertaining, and at times compelling. It is not without its flaws, but this first season definitely was a good launching pad.

Check out this clip from the anime below:

This review is based on the English dub from Crunchyroll.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Minor rude humor, Some violence, Minor foul language

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