The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Trailer Sets October 2, 2026 Return on Crunchyroll
A new promotional video has been released for the third season of The Apothecary Diaries (Il monologo della speziale), confirming that the anime is returning to Japanese TV on October 2, 2026. The season will be split into two parts: a first cour that premieres in October, followed by the second cour in April. The show will stream on Crunchyroll.
Third season: release window, ending song, and returning cast
A fresh ending theme has also been announced for the upcoming run. The duo Yorushika will perform the new ending track, titled “Kumo o Nuke Kazashimo e Watashi dake.” Alongside that update, more staff and casting information for the next season has been revealed.
Quick facts
- Third season premiere in Japan: October 2, 2026
- Second cour: April (2027)
- Streaming availability: Crunchyroll
- New ending song by Yorushika: “Kumo o Nuke Kazashimo e Watashi dake”
- Newly announced cast: Reina Ueda as Bai Niangniang
The main cast from previous seasons is confirmed, including Aoi Yūki as Maomao and Takeo Ōtsuka voicing Jinshi / Renshi. Joining them for the third season is Reina Ueda, who will play Bai Niangniang, described as a mysterious woman.
Production team and music for season 3
Direction for the third season is handled by Akinori Fudesaka at the studio OLM, with Wataru Nakagawa as assistant director. The series composition is led by Norihiro Naganuma, while the screenplay is credited to Yūko Kakihara, Misuzu Chiba, and Hitomi Ogawa.
Character design will be supervised by Yukiko Nakatani. Music for the season is composed by Satoru Kosaki, Kevin Penkin, and Arisa Okehazama.
Animated film in theaters this December
In addition to the TV schedule, details were also shared for an upcoming animated film that will screen in Japanese theaters on December 11. The movie is set to land during the break between the two cour of the third season, and new character designs have been revealed for both returning-known characters and original additions.
Mariya Ise joins the voice cast as Mu Qing. The film story follows Maomao and Jinshi on a long journey to escort the remains of a concubine—who died five years earlier in the harem—back to her hometown. Along the way, they become entangled in a dangerous adventure involving pirates, a mysterious child, and dark secrets connected to the deceased.
The film will tell an original story written by Natsu Hyūga. Additional information about the movie narrative is noted as being available separately, but the key point is that it’s a new, standalone plot rather than an adaptation of previously released material.
Where the story comes from
Natsu Hyūga debuted the story in 2011 on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website, and Shufunotomo published the light novel in 2014. The franchise currently has seventeen volumes of the light novel in circulation, and in Italy it is published by Dokusho Edizioni.
At present, there are two manga adaptations running. One is Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – Maomao no Koukyuu Nazotoki Techou, published by Shogakukan with art by Minoji Kurata; the other is published by Square Enix and written by Itsuki Nanao with art by Nekokurage, and it is released in Italy under the title I diari della speziale through J-POP Manga.
