Following the cliffhanger of The Apothecary Diaries’ pilot seasons, fans couldn’t wait to see their favorite protagonist back on screen. Guess what? Crunchyroll has already dropped the much-needed update on The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 release date. That’s right! Avid fans don’t have to wait long to see Maomao and Jinshi back to rock their screen with their twisted mysteries and challenging storyline. However, it remains unclear how Maomao will deal with the greatest-ever discovery of the previous season’s finale. Will things turn dark in her life? Let’s find out!
Based on a Japanese light novel by Natsu Hyuga, illustrated by Touko Shino, The Apothecary Diaries is set in a fictional country during the Tang Dynasty. It focuses on a young girl, Maomao, who was sold to the Imperial Palace as a servant. However, with her knowledge of apothecary, she managed to solve the greatest mystery behind the emperor’s children and concubines’ critical illness. This soon made her the center of attention, grabbing the attention of an influential eunuch who later recruited Maomao to solve the royal court’s mysteries.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Is Officially Renewed!
Just after the first season of The Apothecary Diaries concluded, fans were delighted with a pleasant surprise. The anime’s official X, formerly known as Twitter, account confirmed The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 is happening. The social media account shared an announcement teaser trailer along with a key visual featuring the main characters, Maomao and Jinshi. This quickly left the fans on their toes. That’s because they had been waiting for the official announcement as soon as the first season wrapped up.
Well, it’s a no-brainer that the series is fantastic. Its first season has broken all the records, becoming one of the most-watched animes so far. Further, its popularity has boosted one episode after another. The Apothecary Diaries garnered a solid 8.6 stars on IMDb and 8.9 on MyAnimeList. Thus, there’s no denying why the studio house has decided to return with another season. In addition, the light novel’s illustrator Touko Shino shared a celebratory illustration. The illustration featured Jinshi, Maomao, a cat, and two other characters.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2: Production Status
Following the second season’s renewal, the fans were delighted with another surprising news. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 underwent production as soon as the series was announced. It not only left the fans on their toes but also gave them another reason to celebrate. The anime is just a beauty of art, and it has been proven in every episode. However, some remained confused as the staff decided to announce the production status just after the series’ conclusion instead of announcing it at Anime Japan 2024, which was held in the same week.
Despite this, fans are excited to see their favorite series returning on their series. Production typically takes a year or two to conclude animation. However, with The Apothecary Diaries, things are different. The first season was announced in February 2023 and was later aired in October 2023. That means the production took only six to seven months to wrap up. Considering this, we can expect that the anime production has already reached its halfway point. However, the studio house has recently revealed that the production might take more time to conclude, considering The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 release date.
Who Will Produce The Series?
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The first season was produced by Toho Animation Studio and OLM, a Japanese animation studio founded in 1990. OLM was founded by former Studio Gallop and OB Planning employees. Since the studio house was established, it has created several A-list animes, films, and other works. The studio house is famous for producing the Pokemon anime series. It has also produced Berserk, To Heart, Dragon Collection, Beyblade Burst, Komi Can’t Communicate, Summer Time Rendering, and Dungeon People.
The studio house is currently busy with other projects, such as Let’s Play, Dungeon People, I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I’m the Strongest?, Himitsu no AiPri, and Tonbo! However, despite its busy schedule, the studio house will return to animate The Apothecary Diaries Season 2. In addition to the studio, Norihiro Naganuma will return as director and scriptwriter. Akinori Fudesaka will return as the assistant director, and Yukiko Nakatani will be the character designer. Alisa Okehazama, Kevin Penkin, and Satoru Kosaki will compose the music.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2: What To Expect Next?
The first season’s finale was a rollercoaster ride for Maomao and Jinshi. Maomao learned about her biological father, Lakan, who tried his best to win her affection. However, every attempt he made went in vain, creating problems between him and Maomao. On the other hand, she found herself dealing with another mystery involving his father. He ran away with one of the courtesans, creating panic in the Imperial Palace. While Maomao knew Lakan was behind all the problems, she decided to keep mum. However, Lakan and the courtesan developed a sentimental moment during their time on the run.
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At the end of the finale, Jinshi returned to Maomao with another case, which will be explored in The Apothecary Diaries Season 2. As Jinshi requested, Maomao must assist with Consort Gyokuyou’s pregnancy. She should make sure that the consort remains safe during the entire process. Since the situation relates to an imperial consort being pregnant, things should remain in secrecy. That’s because maneuvering and backstabbing are common in the rare palace. While Maomao deals with the pregnancy drama, Jinshi finds himself in another challenging situation.
According to the light novel’s official synopsis, Jinshi will find himself in a tough situation when a pair of visiting ambassadors make a strange request. Despite his attempts, things won’t work, according to Jinshi, creating more tension between him and the ambassadors. Later, he will be invited to a faraway place for an important gathering. However, things don’t look great here. It seems like Jinshi will find himself in a dangerous situation. This time, Maomao won’t be there to help him as she will be busy dealing with the consort matter, and threats lurk around every corner.
Is There Enough Source Material?
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The anime is an adaptation of a light novel series written by Natsu Hyuga and illustrated by Touko Shino. It started serializing in Shufunotomo in August 2014 and is currently ongoing. As of March 2024, the LN has a total of 15 volumes. So far, TV anime has only covered the first two volumes of the light novel, suggesting 13 more volumes are left to be explored. Considering this, ample source material is left to explore in The Apothecary Diaries Season 2. Since the LN is ongoing, we expect that The Apothecary Diaries can lead to more than two seasons.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2: Cast Details
The second season of The Apothecary Diaries has already been announced. So, we can expect the entire core characters will return. These include:
Maomao – Aoi Yuki (Japanese), Emi Lo (English)
Jinshi – Takeo Otsuka (Japanese), Kaiji Tang (English)
Gyokuyo – Atsumi Tanezaki (Japanese), Molly Zhang (English)
Gaoshun – Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese), Alex Hom (English)
Luomen – Hiroshi Yanaka (Japanese), Stephen Miller (English)
Madam – Kimiko Saito (Japanese)
Joka – Hiroki Nanami (Japanese), Monica Flatley (English)
Pairin – Ami Koshimizu (Japanese), Ciaran Strange (English)
Meimei – Megumi Han (Japanese), Rebecca Danae (English)
Lishu – Hina Kino (Japanese)
Ah-Duo – Yuko Kaida (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)
Lihua – Yui Ishikawa (Japanese), Trina Nishimura (English)
Guen – Mitsuaki Kanuka (Japanese), Jim Foronda (English)
Official Trailer!
During the Crunchyroll industry panel at Anime Expo 2024, the streaming platform surprised its fans with a brilliant announcement. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 dropped its first trailer, which is only a minute long. That features Maomao and Jinshi in grave danger. Things have turned dramatic for the protagonist as another mystery surfaces, leaving the imperial palace on the verge of breaking. The teaser trailer also hints at many characters who might be involved in the looming threat.
As the trailer proceeds, Maomao says, “If my predictions are correct, this is a plan that was concocted over a long period of time.” While nothing is known about The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, it shows something related to a murder mystery with someone influential in the Imperial Palace. Further, the teaser trailer hints that the murder mystery is surrounding a rare flower, which might be poisonous, and a key evidence of this mystery. Can Maomao deal with it? Only time will tell.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2: Release Date
While the anime was announced back in March 2024, Crunchyroll confirmed that season 2 would return earlier than possible. On July 6, Crunchyroll announced at Anime Expo 2024 that The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 would be released in 2025, although the streaming network hasn’t yet revealed an official release date. Considering the series only takes eight to nine months to wrap up production, we can expect that it will return in the first half of 2025. In addition, the streaming platform confirmed that when the second season returns in 2025, it will be available to stream on Crunchyroll. This is all for now. The Anime Daily will keep you updated.
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