- Studio
- Toho Animation Studio and OLM
- Source novel
- Hyūganatsu, illustrated by Touko Shino
- Episodes per season
- 24
- First season
- October 2023 to March 2024
- Second season
- January 10 to July 4, 2025
- Third season
- Split cour, premiered October 2026
- Film
- The Late Lady's Treasure, December 11, 2026
- Live action
- Amazon Prime Video, 2028
Watch Order
0 / 4 watchedSeasons and film in release order.
About The Apothecary Diaries
The Apothecary Diaries follows Maomao, an apothecary's daughter from the capital's pleasure district who is kidnapped and sold into service at the imperial palace, where she uses her training in medicine to solve poisonings and court mysteries for the eunuch Jinshi. The light novels by Hyūganatsu, illustrated by Touko Shino, started on Shōsetsuka ni Narō in 2011 and have been published as a light novel series since 2014, with two separate manga adaptations running in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan and Shogakukan's Monthly Sunday Gene-X.
The anime is a Toho Animation Studio and OLM production. Season 1 ran twenty-four episodes from October 2023 to March 2024, and season 2 ran twenty-four more from January 10 to July 4, 2025. Crunchyroll licensed the series outside Asia, with Netflix carrying it in some regions.
A third season was announced at the second anniversary event on October 22, 2025 and premiered in October 2026 as a split cour, so the run continues into 2027. An original anime film, The Late Lady's Treasure, written by Hyūganatsu herself, is scheduled for Japan on December 11, 2026, and a live action drama adaptation is planned for Amazon Prime Video in 2028.
The story runs in a straight line with no prequels, so release order is the way to watch it.
Good to know
There is no separate chronological order worth listing, since every episode follows Maomao forward through palace life. Watch season 1, then season 2, then season 3 and the December 2026 film as they release.
Season 3 is a split cour, so cour 1 premiered in October 2026 and cour 2 follows in April 2027. Treat the season as one entry rather than two, and let it run as it airs.
The manga and light novels continue past the anime, and both manga adaptations cover different stretches, so this list covers the anime only. The 2028 live action version is a separate adaptation with a new cast and is not part of the anime continuity.
