Highlights
- The Apothecary Diaries offers a refreshing change from the usual Feudal Japan settings in anime, taking place in ancient China within the walls of the Forbidden City.
- The story follows Maomao, a knowledgeable apothecary's daughter who becomes a poison tester for the Emperor's favorite Noble Consort, putting her life at risk.
- The anime adaptation of The Apothecary Diaries is set to premiere on October 21, 2023, as part of Crunchyroll's Fall 2023 lineup, and will run for two consecutive cours.
When it comes to historical settings in anime, the most common era that we often see is without a doubt Feudal Japan. From action (Samurai Champloo), to horror/supernatural (Demon Slayer) to drama (House of Five Leaves), to romance (My Happy Marriage), feudal Japan is a favorite setting for all kinds of anime genres.
While it’s interesting to see different facets of life in feudal Japan, it’ll get boring when every season has some anime with the same settings. Thankfully, the Fall 2023 anime season has something different and refreshing to offer for anime fans around the world. A story set in ancient China, depicting the secret life within the walls of the Forbidden City. It’s called The Apothecary Diaries, and here’s everything that you need to know about it.
The Story of The Apothecary Diaries
The Apothecary of the Diaries follows the story of a girl named Maomao. As the daughter of a rather well-known apothecary in town, she has a deep knowledge and interest in herbs and medicine. She spent her days helping her father make medicines for his patients. But everything changes when Maomao is kidnapped and sold to the Imperial Palace. So began her life of servitude to the royal family.
Although it’s a bit annoying and lonely at first, Maomao quickly adapted to her new life within the Forbidden City. Unfortunately for her, somebody finds out about her medicinal knowledge and appoints her as a maid in the Inner Courts, the place where the Emperor’s family resides. But not as any regular maid. Maomao’s new job is as the poison tester for the Emperor’s favorite Noble Consort.
That means even though Maomao lives in the most prestigious place in the country, she is essentially forced to risk her life at least three times a day. As if that’s not enough, there is a sudden influx of mysterious illnesses and strange deaths in the Inner Courts. Maomao’s life is about to get infinitely more complicated by the day.
The Characters
The main character of The Apothecary Diaries is a calm girl with a devil-may-care attitude named Maomao. Unlike most maids in the palace who care about their appearance and attracting the handsome men in the Forbidden City, the only thing in Maomao’s mind is herbs and medicine. She’d rather walk around the woods near the palace to gather medicinal herbs rather than hang out with the other maids after work. Furthermore, because Maomao often helped her father diagnose and cure his patients, she developed a critical mind and deep analytical ability that allowed her to not only diagnose illnesses like her father but also solve numerous mysterious cases around the palace.
The next major character is the chief Eunuch and quite possibly the most handsome man in the Forbidden City, a man named Jinshi. He is a man who possesses a remarkable leadership ability even though he is still relatively young. Not only that, he is also well-versed in a wide range of fields, such as martial arts, economics, and politics. Because he is always surrounded by beautiful women, Jinshi rarely shows any attraction to any woman who approaches him. But for reasons unknown to himself, Jinshi feels quite intrigued with Maomao. And that led to an interesting and often funny dynamic between the two of them.
Because the story of the Apothecary Diaries mainly takes place within the Inner Courts of the Forbidden City, there are a huge number of supporting characters in this series. The most prominent ones, however, are the Emperor’s favorite Noble Consort, Gyokuyou, and Jinshi’s assistant, Gaoshun. Gyokuyou is a kind and humorous lady who deeply cares about those who work for her. Jinshi is a wise middle-aged man who is always ready to help everybody in the inner courts, especially the moody Jinshi.
The People Behind The Apothecary Diaries
The Apothecary Diaries is originally a light novel series written by Natsu Hyuga. In 2017, Itsuki Nanao adapted the light novel into manga format with illustrations by Nekokurage. For the North American market, J-Novel Club published the official English translation of the light novel, while Square Enix published the official English translation of the manga. Both the light novel and the manga are still ongoing to this day.
In February 2023, an anime adaptation produced by Toho Animation and OLM studio was announced. The director of this project is Norihiro Naganuma (Ancient Magus’ Bride, Yowamushi Pedal The Movie). Naganuma is also responsible for the series composition. Katsumi Takao works as the Art Director (Pokémon The Movie, Inazuma Eleven Movie), and Arisa Okehazama creates the music (Jujutsu Kaisen, God of High School).
The Apothecary Diaries is scheduled to premiere on October 21, 2023. It will be part of Crunchyroll's Fall 2023 anime lineup, along with big names like the new season of Goblin Slayer, The Rising of the Shield Hero, and The Ancient Magus’ Bride, among other titles. The Apothecary Diaries is planned to run for two unbroken cours (approximately three months), with the first three episodes available on release day.