The Apothecary Diaries (light novel, English) Add a review

The Apothecary Diaries (Japanese: 薬屋のひとりごと, Hepburn: Kusuriya no Hitorigoto; lit. 'Apothecary's Soliloquy') is a Japanese light novel series written by Hyūganatsu and illustrated by Touko Shino. Since 2011, it has been serialized online on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. In the following year, it was acquired by Shufunotomo, who initially published the series as a novel with a single volume in 2012 and then as a light novel series in 2014.

The series is set in a fictional country inspired by the Tang Dynasty of early medieval China and follows a girl named Maomao, who was trained from an early age by her apothecary father, and was sold as a servant to the emperor's palace while she secretly employs her pharmacologist skills in the service of the people of the palace.

It has been adapted into two manga series in 2017, with one published by Square Enix in Monthly Big Gangan, and another one published by Shogakukan in Monthly Sunday Gene-X. The light novel is licensed digitally in North America by J-Novel Club and in print by Square Enix. The manga illustrated by Nekokurage is also licensed by Square Enix. An anime television series adaptation produced by Toho Animation Studio and OLM aired from October 2023 to March 2024, while a second season aired from January to July 2025. A third season is set to premiere in October 2026. An anime film is set to premiere in Japan in December 2026.