The Apothecary Diaries Director on the Key Piece of Jinshi’s Bond With Maomao

The Apothecary Diaries is currently in the works on a new season of the anime, and the director behind it all revealed the key piece of Maomao and Jinshi’s bond in the series. The anime adaptation taking on Natsu Hyuga and Touko Shino’s original The Apothecary Diaries light novels ended up being one of the hidden gems of the year overall. While the first half of its debut season had been a little under the radar, the second half of the season really started to get attention with fans thanks to the heightened connection between its two leads, Maomao and Jinshi.

Their core dynamic presenting a one-way infatuation that may or may not develop further in the future was one of the big reasons that The Apothecary Diaries really took off with fans during the first season of the anime, and the director behind it all believes there’s another key piece to how it all works. Their dynamic is further strengthened by Jinshi needing to keep his double life a secret from her, and director Norihiro Naganuma believes this makes Jinshi more attractive to Maomao as a result. 

The Apothecary Diaries: The Key to Jinshi and Maomao’s Connection

Speaking to ComicBook during Anime Expo 2024 earlier this Summer, The Apothecary Diaries director Norihiro Naganuma stated the following about the connection between Jinshi and Maomao, “While Maomao is a character who is always very honest, I think Jinshi actually has a very strong duality as there’s an exterior face masking his inner selfthat he shows everyone else.I think because Jinshihas that type of personality, it really attracts and compliments Maomao. I think this is key to their relationship.” 

It’s also something that makes Maomao stand apart as well as Naganuma explained, “I think what makes the Maomao really powerful is that her strength doesn’t always come from a strength she was born with. She uses her knowledge and the experience that she’s gained over time to face all kinds of situations. Plus, she has a very strong sense of justice, and she hates losing.”

As for the anime’s future, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 is now in the works for a release some time in 2025. If you wanted to catch up with the anime before the new episodes hit, you can now find the first season exclusively streaming with Crunchyroll.