The Apothecary Diariesjust dropped a teaser to build hype for its upcoming Season 2, and it’s stunning. The first season received broad acclaim, boasting a 4.9/5 on Crunchyroll and an 8.6/10 on IMDB. Unsurprisingly, the series has developed a loyal following awaitingits second season’s premiere onJanuary 10, 2025. The Crunchyroll-produced anime adapts a manga which, in turn, adapts a series of light novels penned by Natsu Hyuuga and Shino Touko, and it’s one of the closer things the anime world has toThe Adventures of Sherlock HolmesorHouse.
A girl named Maomao has always been around apothecaries and the medical craft, but she’s kidnapped and taken to the royal palace. Winning the favor of the concubinage, Maomao navigates the social structure of Imperial China from the belly of the beast, carefully deploying her unique education and background. It’s a brilliant formula, and the new teaser subtly promises more of the same.
The Apothecary Diaries’New Teaser Highlights Its Charm
The Teaser Doesn’t Show Much, But It Still Captures The Appeal Of The Series
The teaser encapsulates the appeal of the series. Showing Maomao and the court eunuch Jinshi on a walk, the teaser evokes theje ne sais quoithat makesThe Apothecary Diarieswork.Reviews of The Apothecary Diarieshave lauded the series forits imaginative take on the conventions of shōnen and seinen anime. Imagining shonen tropes working in the context of a medical mystery is much harder than it sounds, let alone ahistorical dramawith elements of a medical mystery. The beautiful illustration, familiar character design, and the careful attention to the most peculiar details of the environment are immediately evident.
All of these factors are crucial in painstakingly establishing the series' imperial Chinese setting: the x-factor bonding the series' broadly different interests. The shōnen dynamics come notjustfrom Maomao being an apothecary, but also from her medical experience coming up against folk understandings amidst a complex hierarchy. On their walk, Jinshi and Maomao look warm and inviting—they sell the bizarre amalgam that isThe Apothecary Diarieswith two idle smiles.
There Are Familiar Unknowns On The Horizon ForThe Apothecary Diaries
The Series Prescribes A Steady Pace, And The Regimen Works
Over the course of the first season, the unimposing aloofness ofThe Apothecary Diaries’s format gradually gives way to a complex and sprawling narrative. It also stays very familiar, and the teaser image promises more of the same. So do the cast listings, where the names stay mainly unchanged from the first season. Even the teaser images forThe Apothecary DiariesSeason 2 have so far only shown the deuteragonists.
However, in a way, it reflects the series' grounding episodism. After all, whatever the pair mixes into the water, it works:the manga is among 2024’s bestsellers, and the anime adaptation has been a huge hit. Like a risky medicine,The Apothecary Diariesis something fans miss and crave, and its second season will be available on Crunchyroll in just a few months.
The Apothecary Diaries
Cast
The Apothecary Diaries follows Maomao, sold from her peaceful life to serve in the emperor’s palace. Her unique talents emerge when she solves a medical crisis involving the imperial heirs, attracting the attention of Jinshi, a palace official, and launching her into the complex world of palace intrigue and mysteries.
