October 2026 is going to be an exciting month for fans of The Apothecary Diaries. In addition to releasing the anime’s highly anticipated third season, the franchise is also bringing a popular Apothecary Diaries manga series to Western audiences for the first time ever.
North American manga and anime distributor VIZ Media recently licensed The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes On the Inner Palace under its ‘Viz Signature’ label. The manga, which is illustrated by Minoji Kurata, retells the narrative of the original Apothecary Diaries light novel series by Natsu Hyuga (story) and Touko Shino. Per VIZ Media’s official site, Vol. 1 is scheduled for release on Oct. 20, 2026.
The Apothecary Diaries has amassed a large global following thanks to an artful combination of humor, romance, mystery and political drama, all of which unfold within a unique, Chinese-inspired setting. While working as an apothecary in a brothel in her nation’s red-light district, main protagonist Maomao is kidnapped and sold to work as a servant at the “Inner Palace,” a spacious estate dedicated to the Emperor’s four favorite concubines.
While trying to keep a low profile, Maomao’s extensive knowledge of herbs and poisons allows her to solve a mystery linked to the deaths of the Emperor’s children. This compels Jinshi — a handsome eunuch who oversees affairs in the Inner Palace — to employ Maomao as an official poison taster. In her new position, Maomao is allowed to freely indulge her obsessive passion for medicine and poison while unraveling conspiracies and assassination plots connected to the intricate socio-political dynamics of the Imperial circle. As time passes, Jinshi and Maomao’s relationship becomes more complicated as questions about his origins surface.
Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace is one of two official manga adaptations released for The Apothecary Diaries. The first, which utilizes the same title as its source material, is illustrated by Nekokurage and debuted in Square Enix’s Monthly Big Gangan magazine on May 25, 2017. Three months later, Shogakukan unveiled Kurata’s version in the pages of Monthly Sunday Gene-X magazine on Aug. 19, 2017. As of July 2026, both manga works are still ongoing.
While The Apothecary Diaries has been a runaway bestseller in Japan for several years, the hit Toho and OLM-produced anime adaptation has massively elevated the series’ popularity outside its home country. The show’s first season aired from Oct. 22, 2023, to March 23, 2024. The series returned to the airwaves in January 2025, airing intermittently until its conclusion in July 2025.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 3’s broadcast is being split across two separate cours, the first of which is slated to premiere in October 2026. Cour two’s release has been confirmed for April 2027. Notably, December 2026 will also see the domestic premiere of the franchise’s first anime film. As revealed in the movie’s latest trailer, the plot centers on Maomao and Jinshi traveling to a distant country to return the body of a mid-ranking concubine to her hometown. Along the way, a mystery unfolds regarding a young boy and a “hidden treasure,” both of which are connected to the late concubine.
Vol. 1 of Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace is currently available to preorder. The Apothecary Diaries light novel series, in addition to Nekokurage’s manga adaptation, is available in English from Square Enix Manga & Books. The anime is streaming on several different platforms, including Netflix, Hulu and Crunchyroll.
