VIZ Media has announced that author Hyuganatsu, artist Minoji Kurata, and character designer Touko Shino’s The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace manga will be releasing in English this fall. The first volume of The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace will be available, and VIZ Media noted that the original creator prefers going by the name Hyuganatsu. Previous adaptations of the series often referred to the creator as Natsu Hyūga in English.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 will premiere in October 2026 with a two-cour run. The third season’s second cour will follow up in April 2027, and a new original anime film was announced for December 2026. What’s more, the new anime film includes a new story written by Hyuga.
Hyuganatsu writes the original The Apothecary Diaries light novel series, with illustrations by Touko Shino. The novel made its debut on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in October 2011. Nekokurage later released an ongoing manga adaptation in Square Enix’s Monthly Big Gangan magazine in May 2017. The series has over 45 million copies in circulation.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 ran from January 10 to July 4, 2025, and it’s streaming on Crunchyroll. What’s more, Itsuki Nanao’s The Apothecary Diaries: Xiaolan’s Story manga was launched on March 23 on Manga UP!.
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!
