The undisputed dark horse from the Fall 2023 anime season, The Apothecary Diaries‘ anime adaptation is finally returning to continue Maomao’s story in January 2025, and OLM studio isn’t slowing down on teasing everything the new season has to offer. A brand-new promo image for TAD has dropped, featuring Jinshi and Maomao spending time with one another – which is not a surprise, since fans of the series like seeing the two work together and how well they bounce off one another when they share playful banter throughout the show.
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The first season of The Apothecary Diaries did an excellent job setting up the character dynamics within the palace, touching on everything from Maomao’s relationship with Jinshi to her budding camaraderie with the emperor’s concubines. It also beautifully set up how the series chooses to navigates the many political mysteries surrounding the Imperial government that shapes much of the setting.
Season 2 promises to build on this, hinting that the story will go in the direction of exploring the political drama that, for the most part, remained thinly veiled in Season 1, specifically taking time to develop the Imperial Court. Considering that The Apothecary Diaries is based on a light novel that’s still ongoing as of writing, there’s a limitless number of directions they could take the anime.
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With Stakes Rising, There’s No Better Time To Develop Jinshi & Maomao’s Budding Relationship
Without giving away too many spoilers for anime-only fans, the charmingly sly eunuch Jinshi will likely be taking a front-and-center role in Season 2 of The Apothecary Diaries. Season 1 left Jinshi surrounded by more than a few mysteries, and while he is handsome, he hasn’t always presented himself as being completely honest with Maomao. Of course, the series’ protagonist is known for being rather cunning, so seeing the two be able to interact more blatantly with one another will be an absolute treat for fans of the series, especially with the Imperial Court being a main focus of the upcoming season. Plus, Jinshi has a highly administrative role within the palace; as some of the series’ biggest mysteries unfold, he will be the catalyst that ensures Maomao – willingly or otherwise – is dragged along to get to the bottom of everything happening around them. While plenty of fans already ship the two as being more than palace confidants, this could be the season that pushes the pair into canon territory.
The same production team from The Apothecary Diaries Season 1 will be returning for Season 2, with OLM set to produce the upcoming season. The director from Season 1, Norihiko Naganuma will be returning to direct the second season, and serving as the series composer. Akinori Fudesaka will be returning as the assistant director at TOHO and OLM. As previously mentioned, The Apothecary Diaries is based on a light novel series written by Natsu Hyuga with illustrations by Touko Shino. In addition to the anime, there is also a manga adaptation of the series featuring artwork by Nekokurage.
The Apothecary Diaries is streaming on Crunchyroll.