By the end of 2024, The Apothecary Diaries ranked so high in popularity the anime series topped streaming service charts. Set in a fictional country based on Tang dynasty Imperial China, this romance/drama/mystery/historical fiction created by Natsu Hyūga has been a big hit. As the series progressed into its second season, the steady acclaim still holds its own as one of the top five popular series according to Anime News Network.
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The Apothecary Diaries’ burgeoning support made a huge splash in the industry, landing the series in the top five for sales in 2021 and 2023 according to Oricon, with the series additionally hitting #4 for manga sales in 2024. Even the Japanese government took notice of the franchise, featuring the medicinally oriented character Maomao on the front cover of their February 2024 issue of the Health, Labor and Welfare magazine — a first for a fictional character of any kind to be placed on the cover of this public relations magazine.
The Latest Update for The Apothecary Diaries’ Light Novel Series is Taking Sales by Storm
Since the anime series has risen in popularity, so too has its light novel series. The Apothecary Diaries as a franchise has been placed above the likes of Shaman King and Spy x Family, and is now set to outsell Kazuki Takahashi’s Yu-Gi-Oh! manga as well. Reaching forty million copies in circulation, the light novel series is quickly closing the gap in sales, second only to That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime with its own sales just over the forty million mark.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime has been ranked among the top-selling light novels in Japan for several years. Since the release of its anime adaptation in 2018, it’s consistently held its own in the number-one spot in sales charts. But with The Apothecary Diaries rising in popularity and sales, perhaps that coveted high-rank position is about to have a new crowning successor.
[RELATED: The Apothecary Diaries Director Addresses the Anime’s Global Surge]
The Unique Take On a Female Lead and Historical Fiction Has Lit up as a Franchise
When Maomao, an apothecary’s daughter from the red-light district, gets kidnapped and sold to be a servant of the imperial palace, she’s thrust into a world of mysterious disturbances within bureaucratic disputes. Trying to hide her literacy and medicinal knowledge, when the emperor’s children begin falling gravely ill, she can’t help herself but to quietly solve the “curse” anonymously. When the beautiful eunuch Jinshi manages to single her out, she’s promoted to concubine Gyokuyou’s lady-in-waiting and poison taster. But as Maomao’s skills prove her indispensable, she begins facing risks that go beyond the hazards of tasting for poisons.
Its no wonder why the series has done so well since it has so much to give, creating a wider audience than anticipated; its strong female lead, Maomao, being equal parts intelligent and pragmatic, witty and curious; court politics with complex characters; a slow-burn romance with a bishonen court official that, while having its silly moments, is based on mutual respect and intellectual parity. Not only does Maomao take an interest and, to a certain extent, self-destructive obsession with poisons and medicines, but she riskily paves the way for her low-caste peers to achieve what was previously unachievable, from literacy to broader role opportunities.
While the anime adaptation has grown in number of fans, the light novel series is definitely skyrocketing to its own heights in sales; each giving the franchise more to appreciate.
Be sure to catch The Apothecary Diaries series on Crunchyroll!
Are you a fan of The Apothecary Diaries? Be sure to comment with your thoughts on this light novel series update!
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