The Apothecary Diaries Anime Reveals Movie and Third Season

There is big news for fans of The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto). The anime’s official site announced on Wednesday that an original anime film is in the works, with a planned premiere in December 2026.

Norihiro Naganuma, known for The Ancient Magus’ Bride, is directing the movie, and original author Natsu Hyuuga is writing the script herself. The site also marked the series’ second anniversary with a fresh promo and a teaser visual for the upcoming third season.

That third season is being split into two parts. The first arrives in October 2026 on Nippon Television, with the second following in spring 2027. OLM and TOHO animation STUDIO are back producing, just as they did for the first two seasons, which ran in fall 2023 and winter 2025 at 24 episodes each. Crunchyroll has streamed the show with subtitles and dubs across many regions.

The story began humbly as a web novel that Hyuuga started posting in 2011, before it found a home in print in 2014 with illustrations by Touko Shino. It has since become a giant, with more than 40 million copies in circulation and two separate manga adaptations running alongside the novels.

English readers have plenty to keep up with too. The light novels and the main manga are both available in English and are still going strong, with new volumes of each continuing to roll out into 2026.

My take: A film and a two part third season at once is a lovely problem to have as a fan. Maomao’s quiet, clever brand of mystery has more than earned this kind of attention, and I cannot wait to spend more time in the rear palace.