With The Apothecary Diaries set to return in early Winter 2025 with a second season, it makes sense that the series would be happy to ring in 2025 with a brand-new promotional visual of Jinshi and Maomao enjoying each other’s company in between the many mysteries the pair work together on inside the palace. The visual depicts Jinshi and Maomao wearing traditional clothing with their faces marked by dark black ink, which is likely a result of the two playing a competitive round of Hanetsuki – a game that dictates if a player fails to hit their shuttlecock with the paddle, they get marked.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The visual perfectly captures the eccentric, high-energy vibes that the mystery-solving duo embodies and, in many ways, sets up exactly the type of energy the two will be bringing into 2025 once The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 finally begins airing on January 10, 2025. The upcoming season will be tackling some of the strongest arcs from the original novel series and will truly be making the series a contender for the best anime of Winter 2025.
The Apothecary Diaries has been an incredibly addictive work of fiction from the moment the original novel began publishing in 2011, becoming the sixth best-selling light novel series of 2019 and selling over 461,024 copies. Prior to the release of the anime adaptation, Nekokurage’s manga adaptation of the novels ranked ninth on AnimeJapan’s “Most Wanted Anime Adaptation” poll in the same year. By 2023, with the manga adaptation going strong and the first season of the anime adaptation having aired, the franchise had a staggering 38 million copies in circulation.
[RELATED: The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Sets Release Date With First Trailer: Watch]
The Apothecary Diaries Blends the Aesthetics Of Historical Royalty With Intriguing Political Mysteries
Something that helped put The Apothecary Diaries on the map is how well-written and engaging the series’ lead protagonist, Maomao, is as a character and how her unique skillset makes her a vital asset to the higher-ranking members of the Imperial Palace. The series takes place in a fictional country heavily inspired by the Tang Dynasty in China, with references to events and political sensibilities that are more in line with that of the Ming Dynasty. The Apothecary Diaries opens by introducing readers to Maomao, a young apothecary residing and working in the red-light district who is eventually kidnapped and sold to work within the walls of the Imperial Palace as a servant.
Despite her circumstances, Maomao’s personality never shifts, and she resigns herself to work diligently and keep her head down until her two years of servitude come to an end. Her natural apothecary knowledge eventually catches up to her, though, when she begins investigating a case of the emperor’s concubines and children becoming critically ill out of nowhere. After saving the concubines, Maomao’s plans to stay anonymous are shattered as she catches the attention of the eccentric eunuch Jinshi, who teams up with her to solve other mysteries plaguing the royal court. Writing a compelling mystery series is no easy task, especially for a long-running novel series like The Apothecary Diaries. That said, Natsu Hyuga’s impeccably witty writing style has truly allowed Maomao and Jinshi’s story to thrive.
Related Posts
-
Shueisha / MAPPA / A-1 Pictures / Toho Animation
