is a Japanese anime television series based on the light novel series The Apothecary Diaries written by Hyūganatsu and illustrated by Touko Shino. Set in a fictional country inspired by Imperial China, the series follows Maomao, a young woman trained in medicine who is sold into service at the Emperor's palace.
The first season aired on Nippon Television and its NNS affiliates from October 2023 to March 2024, followed by a second season which ran from January 10 to July 4, 2025. Internationally, Crunchyroll licensed the series for streaming outside of Asia, with Netflix also carrying the title in various regions. On October 22, 2025, during a special second-anniversary event, a third season was announced for an October 2026 premiere as a split-cour broadcast. Additionally, an original anime film entitled The Deceased Empress' Treasure written by Hyūganatsu is set to premiere in Japan on December 11, 2026.
Synopsis Maomao, a young apothecary raised in the capital's pleasure district, is kidnapped and sold into service at the Imperial Palace as a lowly laundry maid. While attempting to serve her two-year contract in anonymity, she learns of a mysterious illness afflicting the Emperor’s infant heirs. Suspecting the cause is toxic face powder used by the concubines, she leaves an anonymous warning that saves the life of the infant Princess Lingli. Her actions are discovered by Jinshi, an influential eunuch who manages the Rear Palace. Recognizing her expertise, Jinshi promotes her to be the personal lady-in-waiting and poison tester for Lady Gyokuyou, the Emperor's favorite consort. Maomao is subsequently tasked with investigating various medical mysteries, political intrigues, and forensic puzzles within the court, while navigating the dangerous social hierarchy of the palace.
Series overview
Cast and characters
Character Japanese voice actor English dub actor Maomao Aoi Yūki Emi Lo Jinshi Takeo Ōtsuka Kaiji Tang Gaoshun Katsuyuki Konishi Alex Hom Gyokuyō Atsumi Tanezaki Molly Zhang Lihua Yui Ishikawa Trina Nishimura Lakan Takuya Kirimoto Ricco Fajardo
Production and release The anime television series adaptation, produced by Toho Animation Studio and OLM, was announced on February 16, 2023. It was directed and written by Norihiro Naganuma, with Akinori Fudesaka serving as assistant director for the first season and later replacing Norihiro as director of the second season. designed the characters, and Satoru Kōsaki, Kevin Penkin, and all composed the music. The two consecutive-cours series aired from October 22, 2023, to March 24, 2024, on Nippon TV and its affiliates.
Following the conclusion of the first season broadcast, a second season was announced. It aired from January 10 to July 4, 2025, on the Friday Anime Night programming block on Nippon TV and its affiliates.
Following the conclusion of the second season broadcast, a sequel to the anime series was announced. On the second anniversary of the anime's premiere, it was announced to be a third season that premiered on October 2, 2026. The season, now produced solely by OLM, will run in two split cours, with its second premiering in April 2027.
International release Crunchyroll is streaming the series worldwide outside Asia, in addition to the Middle East, the CIS (excluding Russia and Belarus), and South Asia. The first cours of the first season was released on Blu-ray on January 28, 2025, while the second cours was released on March 25 of the same year. The second season is set to be released on November 10, 2026. Netflix has streamed the series in select Asian regions.
Maomao's monologue Since October 24, 2023, the Tōhō Animation YouTube channel has been releasing short episodes titled —featuring chibi-style characters explaining details from each episode of the anime series—and began uploading a new episode every Monday following the anime's TV broadcast. A second season ran from January 13 to July 6, 2025, and a third season will be released soon.
Film An anime film was announced in October 2025, and will feature a new story written by Hyūganatsu. On July 2, 2026, it was revealed that the film would be titled The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress' Treasure, with a premiere scheduled for December 11 of the same year in Japan. The movie will be produced solely by Toho Animation Studio. It was also announced that Mariya Ise will voice Mu Qing, an original character for the film.
Music The musical score for the series is a collaborative project composed by Satoru Kōsaki, Kevin Penkin, and Arisa Okehazama. The official soundtrack, containing 47 tracks, was released digitally by Milan Records and Toho Animation Records on March 25, 2024.
For the first season, the first opening theme song is performed by Ryokuoushoku Shakai, while the first ending theme song is performed by Aina the End. The second opening theme song is performed by Uru, while the second ending theme song is , performed by .
For the second season, the first opening theme song is performed by Lilas Ikuta, while the first ending theme song is performed by . The second opening theme song is performed by Mrs. Green Apple, while the second ending theme song is performed by Omoinotake.
For the third season, the first opening theme song is performed by Yorushika, while the first ending theme song is "AIYOU", performed by Eve.
Reception Critical response James Beckett of Anime News Network praised the first season's premiere for its unique premise, noting that the series' strength lies in Maomao's characterization as a "refreshingly pragmatic and cynical protagonist" who uses her intellect to navigate the dangers of the imperial court. In a later review, Beckett highlighted the "meticulous attention to detail" regarding the series' historical setting and the chemistry between the lead characters.
Writing for IGN Southeast Asia, Dale Bashir noted that the series stood out by focusing on deduction and forensic science within a palace setting. He highlighted that the production quality from Toho Animation Studio and OLM successfully elevated the source material, making it one of the most prominent titles of its season.
Popularity Season 1 of the anime was ranked as the fifth most-streamed title in Japan in 2024. Season 2 ranked as the most-watched anime series of 2025 through Japanese streaming services such as U-Next, Abema, and DMM TV. The anime series was ranked as the second most popular series on Netflix Japan during the period 2021–2025, only surpassed by Spy × Family.
According to FeverCos, Maomao ranked third in the "Top 10 Most Influential Cosplay Characters of 2025".
Accolades The anime ranked seventh in Anime News Network's "Top 10 Anime of 2024", with Caitlin Moore praising the series' plot and Aoi Yūki's voice acting. In 2025, the anime was nominated for 13 categories at the 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, including the Anime of the Year. Aoi Yūki, for her work as Maomao, won its only award for Best Voice Artist Performance (Japanese). The second season of the anime won five awards including Best Drama and Best Director for Akinori Fudesaka and Norihiro Naganuma, while it was nominated for 11 other categories including Anime of the Year in the 10th edition.
The anime was also nominated for Best Anime Series at the 5th Astra TV Awards. It won the 2025 Animages Anime Grand Prix with Maomao and Jinshi taking the first and fourth places in the Best Character category. Aoi Yūki and Takeo Ōtsuka took the first and fifth places in the Best Voice Actor category for their respective roles as Maomao and Jinshi.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient Result 2023 Artist Song Award "Hana ni Natte" AT-X Top Anime Ranking The Apothecary Diaries AT-X 25th Anniversary Favorite Series Recommended Series Favorite Anisong "Hana ni Natte" 2024 D-Anime Store Awards Recommended Anime The Apothecary Diaries TVer Awards Special Award 46th Anime Grand Prix Grand Prix Best Character Maomao Japan Expo Awards Daruma for Best Anime The Apothecary Diaries Daruma for Best Suspense Anime 19th AnimaniA Awards Best TV Series: Online Yahoo! Japan Search Awards Anime Category Billboard Japan Music Awards Hot 100 "Hana ni Natte" Most Downloaded Songs Hot Animation IGN Awards Best Anime Series The Apothecary Diaries 2025 AT-X Top Anime Ranking Fan ga Atsui, Anime Manga Awards Best Current Broadcasting Anime The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Best Theme Song "Hyakka Ryōran" 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards Anime of the Year The Apothecary Diaries Best New Series Best Drama Best Background Art Best Character Design Best Director Norihiro Naganuma Best Main Character Maomao Best Supporting Character Jinshi Best Voice Artist Performance (Japanese) Aoi Yūki Best Voice Artist Performance (Portuguese) Gigi Patta Best Voice Artist Performance (French) Julien Allouf Best Voice Artist Performance (Italian) Best Voice Artist Performance (Spanish) Desireé González 5th Astra TV Awards Best Anime Series The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 TikTok First Half Trend Awards Grand Prize The Apothecary Diaries Manga and Anime Category 47th Anime Grand Prix Grand Prix The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Best Character Maomao Jinshi Best Voice Actor Aoi Yūki Takeo Ōtsuka 20th AnimaniA Awards Best Anime Song "Ambivalent" 15th Newtype Anime Awards Best Work (TV/Streaming) The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Yahoo! Japan Search Awards Anime Category The Apothecary Diaries TikTok Awards Japan Anime of the Year 31st Manga Barcelona Awards Best Anime Series Premiere IGN Awards Best Anime Series The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Abema Anime Trend Awards Anime News Award The Apothecary Diaries AT-X Top Anime Ranking 2026 8th Global Demand Awards Most In-Demand Anime Series of 2025 D-Anime Store Awards Worth Rewatching Anime Most Interesting Plot Developments TVer Awards Cool Anime Award 40th Japan Gold Disc Awards Best 5 Songs by Streaming "Kusushiki" 10th Crunchyroll Anime Awards Anime of the Year The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Best Drama Best Background Art Best Character Design Yukiko Nakatani Best Director Akinori Fudesaka and Norihiro Naganuma Best Main Character Maomao Best Supporting Character Jinshi Loulan/Shisui "Must Protect at All Costs" Character Maomao Best Score Satoru Kōsaki, Kevin Penkin, and Alisa Okehazama Best Anime Song "In Bloom" Best Voice Artist Performance (Japanese) Aoi Yūki Best Voice Artist Performance (English) Emi Lo Best Voice Artist Performance (Portuguese) Gigi Patta Best Voice Artist Performance (Hindi) Abishek Sharma Best Voice Artist Performance (Italian) Luna Fogu Best Voice Artist Performance (Spanish) Desireé González Music Awards Japan Best of Listeners' Choice: Japanese Song "Kusushiki" Japan Expo Awards Daruma for Best Original Soundtrack The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Daruma for Best Opening "In Bloom" 21st AnimaniA Awards Best TV Sequel Series: Online The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Best TV/Movie: Disc Release The Apothecary Diaries Best Anime Song "Hyakka Ryōran"
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