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Apothecary Diaries Novels Get Live-Action Series on Amazon Prime Globally in 2028

Amazon Prime Video announced on Thursday that it is producing a live-action series adaptation of Hyuganatsu and Touko Shino's The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) light novel series that will stream exclusively worldwide on Amazon Prime Video in 2028. Mana Ashida (Pacific Rim, Mother) plays protagonist Mao Mao in the series.

J-Novel Club publishes the novel series digitally, and it describes the story:

In the East is a land ruled by an emperor, whose consorts and serving women live in a sprawling complex known as the hougong, the rear palace. Maomao, an unassuming girl raised in an unassuming town by her apothecary father, never imagined the rear palace would have anything to do with her—until she was kidnapped and sold into service there.

Though she looks ordinary, Maomao has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and an extensive knowledge of medicine. That's her secret, until she encounters a resident of the palace at least as perceptive as she is: the head eunuch, Jinshi. He sees through Maomao's façade and makes her a lady-in-waiting to none other than the Emperor's favorite consort... so she can taste the lady's food for poison! 

Hyuganatsu began serializing the story on the "Shōsetsuka ni Narō" (Let's Become Novelists) website in October 2011. Shufunotomo began publishing the novels in print volume with illustrations by Shino in August 2014. Nekokurage launched an ongoing manga adaptation in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan magazine in May 2017. Square Enix Manga & Books is releasing the manga adaptation in English. The company is also publishing the novels in print.

The novels are inspiring a television anime. The anime's first season premiered in October 2023 with the first three episodes, and aired for two cours (quarters of a year). Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in Japan and is also streaming an English dub.

The second anime season premiered in January 2025 on Nippon TV's FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT programming block, and aired for two consecutive cours. Crunchyroll streamed the second season, and it also streamed an English dub.

The third season will air on October 2 at 11:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. EDT) in the "Friday Anime Night" programming block on NTV and 29 affiliated channels for its first cours (quarter of a year), and its second cours will premiere in April 2027. 

The anime also has an upcoming anime film titled Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Bо̄hi no Hihо̄ (The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress' Treasure) that will open in theaters on December 11 and feature a brand-new story by Hyuganatsu.

Source: Comic Natalie