Image Credit: OLM / TOHO animation
After the end of the second season of “The Apothecary Diaries” on Crunchyroll, fans won’t have to wait in uncertainty: the anime has already been confirmed for a third season in split-cour format (divided into parts) and an original movie for theaters. Thus, the charming story of Maomao and Jinshi will continue both on TV and on the big screen, with premieres already scheduled in Japan and international broadcast assured via streaming.
It is worth noting that the animated film will feature a completely new story written by Natsu Hyūga, author of the light novels, making it extra canonical content that will further expand the universe of the series. Akinori Fudesaka will continue as director of the third installment of the television show, while Norihiro Naganuma, responsible for the first season, will be in charge of the feature film.
When will season 3 of “The Apothecary Diaries” premiere?
Part 1 of season 3 of “The Apothecary Diaries” will premiere in October 2026, while part 2 will be released in April 2027. And while these dates correspond to the Japanese broadcast schedule, it is very likely that the same release window will be repeated internationally. For Crunchyroll users, precedent supports them: both the first and second seasons premiered in simulcast or with little difference from Japan.
The Premiere of the movie “The Apotheccary Diaries”
The movie in the franchise, on the other hand, is scheduled to premiere in theaters in December 2026, falling exactly between the two halves of the third season. And, of course, everything points to a production with the same visual and script care that made the series take off.
How will Maomao’s story continue in season 3 of “The Apothecary Diaries”?
As you can imagine, season 3 of the anime will pick up the story after the political events of the previous installment, with Maomao now out of the Inner Palace and working as an apothecary at the Verdigris House, but still linked to Jinshi. Thus, the new batch of episodes is expected to delve deeper into both the intrigues of the court and the relationship between the two characters, which will continue to evolve amid new responsibilities and conflicts.
In addition, one of the narrative threads will be the investigation into the mysterious damage to farming villages in the north, a case that will take our protagonists out of their usual environment and confront them with problems that directly affect the common people. In this way, the series will continue to combine mystery, medicine, and politics, but with a broader setting than in the first seasons.
Have you seen the new visuval for “The Apothecary Diaries” with Maomao and Luomen?
On Saturday, February 21, 2026, a new visual for the anime was released featuring Maomao and Luomen, her father, surrounded by fukinotou buds, a plant associated with the beginning of spring in Japan. And, as many of us know, this type of illustration is part of a “seasonal images” campaign that the franchise has published before, and it usually serves as a preview of the emotional theme that will be explored later on.
It should be noted that, although the visual does not reveal specific scenes from season 3, it does reinforce the idea that the relationship between the girl and her father will play a more prominent role in future installments. At the same time, the choice of a plant that symbolizes rebirth and the beginning of a cycle serves as a metaphor for the apothecary’s “new beginning” after closing her chapter at the Palace.
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