The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Needs to Solve Its Biggest Mystery So Far

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 is one of Winter 2025’s most highly-anticipated anime. The season will kick off on January 11th, 2025 on Crunchyroll. Set in an ancient Chinese-inspired imperial court, this historical drama is based on a light novel by Natsu Hyuuga and Touko Shino. The story follows Maomao, a sharp-witted girl with incredible knowledge of apothecaries. Maomao learned apothecary from her adoptive father. However, she gets kidnapped and sold to the inner palace and starts working as a maid there.

She swears to keep a low profile and avoid trouble, but a talent like her can’t go unnoticed. Jinshi, a beautiful eunuch who is in charge of the Inner Court, notices her talent for solving mysteries and requests Maomao for help in all kinds of cases. As Maomao learns more about the dangerous world of court politics, she uses her skills, scientific knowledge, and bold personality to unveil conspiracies, solve poisoning cases, and protect herself and those around her. However, the first season didn’t solve the mystery of Suirei, a former court lady who faked her own death and escaped from the palace after committing a series of crimes.

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Who is Suirei in The Apothecary Diaries?

Suirei is a former court lady and antagonist in The Apothecary Diaries. She’s involved in the chain of events in the palace and possibly holds critical information regarding mysteries Maomao is trying to solve. Since she is trained by a former court physician, she is extremely skilled in herbal medicine. Suirei also grew herbs in the Outer Court, where she met Maomao. In the first season, her “resurrection medicine” blew Maomao’s mind. While the several mysterious incidents surrounding the palace seemed unconnected, the first season revealed that Suirei was behind all of them.

She led out a series of traps to kill Jinshi. Her crimes include poisoning the Minister of Ritual Implements, advising on poisoning his successor, devising a method to steal ritual implements, and substituting them with defective ones. Suirei’s plan was foiled by Maomao. However, before her arrest, she consumed poison, and her body was sent to the morgue. No one could’ve imagined that she concocted a resurrection drug that put her in a death-like state. She eventually woke up with a paralyzed left arm and made her escape. Suirei has been planning all this since before she arrived at the palace.

She even grew the ingredients for the resurrection drug inside the palace, without anyone doubting her, including Maomao. While her motives haven’t been revealed in the anime yet, she appears to be driven by some kind of revenge. Her origins are also unknown, but she may be closely related to the imperial family. Maomao was impressed with Suirei’s skills. The girl swears to capture Suirei once again and find out the recipe for the drug. Maomao also wants to expose Suirei for her terrible crimes and ensure justice is served.

What to Expect from The Apothecary Diaries Season 2?

The first season ran for 24 episodes and adapted two volumes of the light novel. We are expecting the same number of episodes this season as well, so it’s likely it will cover Volumes 3 and 4. The finale, titled “Jinshi and Maomao,” focuses on the tearful reunion between Lakan and Fengxian. Maomao’s biological parents connect after years of separation and hardship. The bittersweet reunion is celebrated in the Verdigris House when Lakan takes Fengxian as his wife in a high-profile manner.

Maomao dolls herself up and performs a traditional courtesan dance to honor her mother on a terrace inside the palace. While she’s not attending the celebration in person, she can witness the light emanating from the distance. This dance serves as Maomao’s farewell, acknowledging her mother’s past full of hardships. The episode also explores the evolving relationship between Maomao and Jinshi. In the second season, we will follow the duo collaborating again to unravel complex cases involving poisons and political conspiracies.

The second season might explore more about Jinshi’s secret identity and if he plans to come clean in front of Maomao. Although the girl has knowledge about his royal bloodline, it would surely be more meaningful if Jinshi could confess the truth in front of her. Meanwhile, the anime will delve deeper into the conspiracies within the palace and Maomao’s role in the center of it all.