Square Enix announced that The Apothecary Diaries will receive a new spinoff manga series focusing on Xiaolan, maidservant of the palace and Maomao’s close friend. The manga is titled The Apothecary Diaries Side Story: Xiaolan’s Memories, and it will be illustrated by Itsuki Nanao.
The first chapter of The Apothecary Diaries Xiaolan spinoff manga will be released on March 23 on Square Enix’s Manga UP! platform. On Twitter/X, a celebratory illustration was released by Nanao:
【新連載】Anime Japan 2025スクエニブースにて解禁されました通り、薬屋のひとりごと外伝『小蘭回想録』がなんと明日‼️３月23日(日)よりマンガUP！にて連載開始されます🌸日向夏先生書き下ろしの小蘭の物語を愛を込めて漫画にしてまいります🧡何卒よろしくお願いします🙇♂️ https://t.co/cxySoiXQ6U… pic.twitter.com/zmKrBKS2bt
— 七緒一綺 (@7O_1KI) March 22, 2025
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 airs weekly on Fridays at 9:15 a.m. PT / 12:15 p.m. ET on Crunchyroll. Season 2 will air for two consecutive cours at 11:00 p.m. JST on Nippon TV’s FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT programming block. 24 episodes are expected to be released by the end of the second cour.
Dai Hirai performs the new ending theme song “Shiawase no Recipe (The Recipe for Happiness)” for The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, and its streaming on multiple services. Lilas Ikuta (ikura from YOASOBI) performs the opening theme song “Hyakkaryōran (Splendid Bounty),” which is also streaming with a creditless sequence.
The first cour of The Apothecary Diaries Season 1 ran for 12 episodes. The second cour ran for another 12 episodes, bringing the first season’s total to 24 episodes on March 23, 2024.
Lastly, here’s a synopsis of the series, via Crunchyroll:
Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she’s sold as a lowly servant to the emperor’s palace. But she wasn’t meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she’s making a name for herself solving medical mysteries!
