The anime will once again be split into two cours, with a movie also premiering in December 2026.
With the second anniversary celebration of “The Apothecary Diaries” (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) already underway, the anime has revealed planned broadcast schedules for its previously announced third season, as well as a brand-new feature film with an original story from the series’ author, Natsu Hyuuga.
The news was unveiled through the anime’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, as well as through a special promotional video. The news also included a teaser visual featuring the series protagonist and titular apothecary, Maomao.
The teaser visual:
The special promotional video:
“The Apothecary Diaries” Season 3 and movie details
As mentioned above, the third season of “The Apothecary Diaries” will be split into two cours, with the first half set to premiere sometime in October 2026. The second half, on the other hand, will premiere in April 2027. No exact dates have been confirmed as of now.
Meanwhile, the first theatrical film in the franchise is set to premiere in Japanese theatres in December 2026. The film will feature an all-new original story by Natsu Hyuuga, who penned the light novel series the anime is based on. Besides these details, nothing else has been revealed.
The anime’s second season aired from January to July 2025. A teaser video for Season 3 was released when the finale episode aired. The video gave excited fans a sneak peek as to what to expect as the story between Jinshi and Maomao continues to unfold, with further political tensions, mysteries, and secrets to unfurl.
Most likely, given the pace of Seasons 1 and 2, Season 3 will cover the events from volumes 5 and 6 of the light novel. These follow the birth of Empress Gyokuyou’s son and will introduce new and important characters to the series.
Set in a fictional country inspired by China’s Tang Dynasty, The Apothecary Diaries follows Maomao, a clever young woman raised by her apothecary father. After being sold to serve in the emperor’s palace, she eventually catches the attention of Jinshi, a high-ranking Eunuch with secrets of his own. Through his prodding, she quietly uses her medical knowledge to solve problems and aid those within the inner court.
The Apothecary Diaries was adapted from Natsu Hyuuga’s original light novel, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (Apothecary's Soliloquy), with illustrations by Touko Shino. The series first appeared online in 2011 on the user-generated publishing platform Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was later picked up by Shufunotomo, which initially published it as a single-volume novel in 2012, and then relaunched it as a full light novel series in 2014.
The series was adapted into two separate manga in 2017: one serialised in Monthly Big Gangan by Square Enix, and another in Monthly Sunday Gene-X by Shogakukan.
The anime adaptation is produced by TOHO Animation Studio and OLM.