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The Apothecary Diaries
The Apothecary Diaries third season premieres in October 2026, split into two cours with the second starting April 2027, and a theatrical film with an original story by the author opens in December 2026. A browser game, multiple figure lines, and a manga collaboration card promotion have launched or are scheduled.
Synthesized from 11
Yomimono stories · updated
3d ago
The Apothecary Diaries is in an active expansion phase heading into late 2026. The third television season is confirmed for a split-cour run, with the first cours premiering in October 2026 and the second in April 2027. Akinori Fudesaka, who directed the second season and was assistant director on the first, will direct the third season. A theatrical film titled Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Bōhi no Hihō (The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress' Treasure) opens in Japan on December 11, 2026, between the two cours. The film features an original story written by series author Natsu Hyūga, following Maomao and Jinshi as they travel to the hometown of a concubine who died five years earlier. Mariya Ise joins the cast as Mu Qing. Crunchyroll confirmed it will stream the third season.
Merchandise and media tie-ins have multiplied. Bandai Spirits launched an Ichiban Kuji lottery on June 5, 2026, with a MASTERLISE figure of Maomao dancing on a castle wall and a black color variant based on the opening video. Kotobukiya debuted OSHI WORKS Mini color samples of Maomao at Anime Expo 2026. Figures of Maomao and Jinshi in the OSHI WORKS line, with magnetic bases that connect side by side, went up for pre-order in June. A free-to-play browser game, The Apothecary Diaries: Harem Tales, launched on the G123 platform. A bookstore fair starting June 18, 2026 offers collaboration illustration cards drawn by the opposite series' artist for Volume 22 of The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao's Imperial Palace Puzzle Solving Notebook and Volume 9 of COSMOS.
Author Hyūganatsu clarified in a group interview at Anime Boston that the series is not set in ancient China; the palace is based on Japanese imperial castles. She also discussed using children's homework for mystery inspiration and the historical grounding of medical details. The light novel series, written by Hyūganatsu and illustrated by Toko Shino, began in 2014 and has 16 volumes as of May 2025. J-Novel Club publishes the English digital edition. The first season aired in 2023, the second in January 2025, and new anime projects were announced in July 2025 after the second season concluded.
Key facts
- Third season premiere date
- October 2026 for the first cours, April 2027 for the second cours ↗
- Third season director
- Akinori Fudesaka ↗
- Film title and release date
- Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Bōhi no Hihō (The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress' Treasure), December 11, 2026 ↗
- Film story writer
- Natsu Hyūga (original novel series author) ↗
- New cast member for film
- Mariya Ise as Mu Qing ↗
- Streaming for third season
- Crunchyroll will stream the third season ↗
- Browser game launch
- The Apothecary Diaries: Harem Tales launched on the G123 platform ↗
- Ichiban Kuji launch date
- June 5, 2026 ↗
- Author's correction on setting
- The palace is based on Japanese imperial castles, not ancient China ↗
- Light novel volume count
- 16 volumes as of May 2025 ↗
Timeline
- Jul 3, 2026 Kotobukiya Reveals Figure Prototypes and Color Samples at Anime Expo 2026
- Jul 3, 2026 The Apothecary Diaries Film Sets December 11 Premiere, Reveals Trailer and New Cast
- Jun 20, 2026 Blue Lock 39 Tops Amazon Kindle Manga Ranking for June 19, 2026
- Jun 15, 2026 The Apothecary Diaries and COSMOS Get Cross-Manga Collaboration Cards
- Jun 15, 2026 The Apothecary Diaries Browser Game Launches With New PV
- Jun 4, 2026 The Apothecary Diaries Ichiban Kuji Launches June 5 With Dancing Maomao Figure
- Jun 3, 2026 Crunchyroll Reveals Anime Expo 2026 Lineup With Demon Slayer, Apothecary Diaries and More
- Jun 2, 2026 The Apothecary Diaries Maomao and Jinshi Figures Join OSHI WORKS Line
- May 30, 2026 The Apothecary Diaries Ichiban Kuji Launches June 5 With Maomao Figure
- May 23, 2026 The Apothecary Diaries Releases New Seasonal Visual of Jinshi and Gaoshun
- May 16, 2026 Hyūganatsu Says The Apothecary Diaries Is Not an Ancient China Story
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Facts
- Release
- movie · 2026-12-11 · Japan · 2026-07-03
- Release
- manga · 2026-06-18 · Japan · 2026-06-15
- Release
- game · 2026-06-15 · global · 2026-06-15
- Release
- game · June 5, 2026 · Japan · 2026-06-04
- Release
- tv · October 2026 · 2026-06-02
- Release
- movie · December 2026 · 2026-06-02
- Release
- game · 2026-06-05 · Japan · 2026-05-30
- Announced
- film title, trailer, key visual, and December 11 premiere date · 2026-07-03
- Announced
- panel for Season 3 (Anime Expo 2026) · 2026-06-03
- Noted
- The Apothecary Diaries is not an ancient China story · 2026-05-16
- Licensed by
- Crunchyroll (select territories) · 2026-05-23
Connections
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/the-apothecary-diaries.
CC BY 4.0.
Claim activity
When a claim about The Apothecary Diaries was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against
open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.
- Confirmed movie December 2026 Jun 22 · source
- Confirmed tv October 2026 Jun 22 · source
- Confirmed game 2026-06-05 Japan May 30 · source
- Confirmed hy ganatsu writes the apothecary diaries May 28 · source
- Confirmed platform: Crunchyroll; region: select territories May 28 · source
All coverage
3d ago
Kotobukiya announced a wide range of new figure prototypes and color samples at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on July 2. The company revealed supervising prototypes for "Super Kaguya-hime!" figures of Kaguya, Tsukimi Yachiyo, and Sayori Sakayori, as well as a prototype for "Magic Knight Rayearth" Hikaru Shidou. Under the OSHI WORKS line, prototypes were shown for "Attack on Titan The Final Season" characters Mikasa, Armin, Levi, and Sasha. The new OSHI WORKS Mini brand debuted with color samples of "The Apothecary Diaries" Maomao and "TRIGUN STARGAZE" Vash the Stampede and Nicholas D. Wolfwood. For game-related figures, Kotobukiya showed the first color sample of a 1/4 scale "Goddess of Victory: NIKKE" Anis figure. OSHI WORKS Mini color samples were also displayed for "Persona 3 Reload" and "Persona 5 The Royal" protagonists, plus prototypes for "Trails" series characters Estelle Bright and Joshua Bright, and SNK characters Mai Shiranui, Angel, and Kula Diamond. Additional figures included "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" Rebecca and "Snowball Earth" Tetsuo Yabusame and Ao Nogi.
3d ago
The official website for The Apothecary Diaries anime began streaming a trailer on Friday for the upcoming film, revealing its title, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Bōhi no Hihō (The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress' Treasure), a December 11 opening date, and a key visual. Mariya Ise joins the cast as a character named Mu Qing. The film stars returning leads Aoi Yūki as Maomao and Takeo Ōtsuka as Jinshi. The story follows Maomao and Jinshi as they travel to the hometown of a concubine who died five years ago in the imperial harem, to return her remains. There, they encounter pirates, hidden treasures, the secret of the Empress' remains, and a mysterious boy. The film features a brand-new story written by original novel series author Natsu Hyūga. The film is set to release in Japan in December 2026, between the two cours of the third television anime season. The third season's first cours premieres in October 2026, and its second cours premieres in April 2027. Crunchyroll confirmed it will stream the third season.
Jun 20
Dengeki Hobby Web reports the top 20 bestselling manga volumes on Amazon Kindle as of June 19, 2026. Blue Lock (39) takes first place, driven by the 2026 World Cup and rising interest in the Japanese national soccer team. Sale volumes priced at 99 yen each, including Actually, I Am and BM Nectar, are also popular. Other new releases like The Apothecary Diaries ~Maomao's Palace Puzzle Notebook~ (22) and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 17 rank high.
Jun 15
A bookstore fair starting June 18, 2026 offers newly drawn collaboration illustration cards featuring characters from The Apothecary Diaries and COSMOS. Customers who buy Volume 22 of The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao's Imperial Palace Puzzle Solving Notebook or Volume 9 of COSMOS at participating stores receive a card. The cards are drawn by the opposite series' artist: Ryohei Tamura draws Maomao and Jinshi, and Minoshi Kurata draws Rin and Mizumori.
Jun 15
The browser game "The Apothecary Diaries: Harem Tales" has officially launched on the G123 platform. A release promotional video featuring Maomao and Jinshi is now available. The free-to-play simulation game adapts the anime series for the first time in an online game format.
Jun 4
Bandai Spirits will release the Ichiban Kuji TV Anime The Apothecary Diaries lottery starting June 5, 2026. The A prize is a MASTERLISE figure of Maomao recreating her dance from the first season finale. A Last One Prize offers the same figure in a black color version inspired by the opening video. Tickets cost 770 yen each.
Jun 3
Crunchyroll announced its Anime Expo lineup for July 3-4 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, featuring over 20 programming blocks. Highlights include a Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle event with the voice cast and ufotable footage, panels for The Apothecary Diaries Season 3, Gachiakuta Season 2, and new acquisitions like Goodbye, Lara and Tomb Raider King.
Jun 2
Figures of Maomao and Jinshi from The Apothecary Diaries are now available for pre-order as part of the OSHI WORKS series. The figures feature magnetic bases that can connect to display characters side by side. The series continues with a third TV season in October 2026 and a film in December.
May 30
Bandai Spirits will release an Ichiban Kuji lottery for The Apothecary Diaries on June 5, 2026, at convenience stores and hobby shops in Japan. The top prize is a MASTERLISE figure of Maomao dancing on a castle wall, based on the first season finale. A black-color variant based on the opening video is the last one prize.
May 23
A new seasonal visual for The Apothecary Diaries anime has been released, showing Jinshi and Gaoshun walking in the rain past Japanese iris flowers. The image is part of a second set of seasonal visuals for the series. The third season of the anime is set to air in two split cours, with the first cour starting in October 2026 and the second cour in April 2027. Akinori Fudesaka, who directed the second season and served as assistant director for the first, will direct the third season. A theatrical film with an original story by light novel author Hyuganatsu is scheduled for release in December 2026. New anime projects for the series were announced in July 2025 after the second season concluded. The first season aired in 2023, and the second season ran from January 2025. Crunchyroll streams both seasons in select territories. The light novel series, written by Hyuganatsu and illustrated by Toko Shino, began publication in 2014 and has 16 volumes as of May 2025. J-Novel Club publishes the English digital edition.
May 16
In a group interview at Anime Boston, The Apothecary Diaries author Hyūganatsu corrected the common description of the series as a story set in ancient China. She said the palace is based on Japanese imperial castles, not Chinese ones. She also discussed using children's homework as inspiration for mysteries, the historical grounding of medical details like alcohol for cleaning wounds, and the decision to base a character on Empress Wu Zetian while acknowledging possible bias in historical records.