Series synopsis
The Apothecary Diaries, also known as 薬屋のひとりごと is a Japanese animation drama mystery television series that premiered on Nippon TV on October 22, 2023. It stars Aoi Yuuki, Takeo Otsuka and Katsuyuki Konishi.
Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she's sold as a lowly servant to the emperor's palace. But she wasn't meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she's making a name for herself solving medical mysteries!
Premise
Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she's sold as a lowly servant to the emperor's palace. But she wasn't meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she's making a name for herself solving medical mysteries!
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Aoi Yuuki as Maomao (voice)
- Takeo Otsuka as Jinshi (voice)
- Katsuyuki Konishi as Gaoshun (voice)
Guest cast
- Megumi Toyoguchi as Hongniang (voice)
- Sayaka Kinoshita as Shin (voice)
- Shohei Kajikawa as Eunuch (voice)
- Sumi Shimamoto as Narration (voice)
- Daichi Endo as Emperor (voice)
- Tatsumaru Tachibana as Basen (voice)
- Umeka Shouji as Kanan (voice)
- Masaki Nakanishi as Military Officer (voice)
- Kazuki Yoshida as Military Officer (voice)
- Kazuki Miyagi as Military Officer (voice)
- Showko Tsuda as Generous Old Lady (voice)
- Honoka Inoue as Brothel Servant Girl (voice)
Episodes
This series spans 3 seasons with 99 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 50 | October 23, 2023 | July 7, 2025 |
| Season 1 | 49 | October 22, 2023 | October 1, 2026 |
| Season 2 | 0 | January 10, 2025 | July 4, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Maomao Diaries: White Face Powder Maomao monologues about the events that occurred in Season 1 Episode 1, "Maomao". Jinshi contributes. Maomao shares a piece of apothecarial trivia related to the episode. |
October 23, 2023 |
| 2 |
The Maomao Diaries: Chocolate Maomao monologues about the events that occurred in Season 1 Episode 2, "Chilly Apothecary". Jinshi contributes. Maomao shares a piece of apothecarial trivia related to the episode. |
October 23, 2023 |
| 3 |
The Maomao Diaries: Fuyou Maomao monologues about the events that occurred in Season 1 Episode 3, "The Unsettling Matter of the Spirit". Jinshi contributes. Maomao shares a piece of apothecarial trivia related to the episode. |
October 23, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Maomao After being kidnapped and forced to work as a servant in the rear palace, former apothecary Maomao inadvertently draws the attention of the higher ranks when she investigates what's causing the emperor's infant heirs to fall mysteriously ill. |
October 22, 2023 |
| 2 |
Chilly Apothecary Maomao tries to settle into her promotion to lady-in-waiting and food taster, but struggles to fend off both boredom and the overly-familiar Jinshi. That is, until she gets an assignment of her dreams: to concoct an aphrodisiac. |
October 22, 2023 |
| 3 |
The Unsettling Matter of the Spirit Tasked with investigating a ghostly woman dancing nightly on the palace walls, Maomao finds a sleepwalking Concubine Fuyou. But with no medicinal cure for sleepwalking, she's forced to dig deeper to find the real reason behind Fuyou's affliction. |
October 22, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Maomao and Maomao The spring garden party concludes without incident. Maomao returns to her regular life as Concubine Gyokuyou's taster. Meanwhile, novels become popular in the rear palace. Maomao wonders how this came to be, as novels were typically considered low-class. But behind the scenes lies Jinshi and his goals as manager of the rear palace. |
January 10, 2025 |
| 2 |
Caravan The caravan stirs up excitement in the inner palace. The merchants bring all kinds of goods. However, something gives Maomao a bad feeling. |
January 17, 2025 |
| 3 |
Corpse Fungus A concubine passes away, and a woman goes missing. Jinshi sends Maomao to investigate - not these incidents, but mushrooms growing in the rear palace. |
January 24, 2025 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Nippon TV |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 22, 2023 |
| Last aired | July 4, 2025 |
| Runtime | 23 minutes |
| Status | Returning Series |
| Schedule | Friday, Saturday at 22:30:00 |