What was announced for the new season
Two independent reports from August 15, 2026 confirmed that The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 will premiere on October 2, accompanied by a main trailer and a new key visual. The reveal also introduced Reina Ueda as Bai Niangniang, described as a mysterious "immortal maiden" who has become the subject of rumors in the palace. The new visual is part of a broader rollout that includes individual character visuals for ten main cast members, including Maomao and Jinshi.
Music and opening theme
The trailer previews the opening theme "Kumo wo Nuke Kazashimo e Watashi Dake" by Yorushika, a returning musical element for the franchise. Music composition for the season is credited to Satoru Kosaki, Kevin Penkin and Arisa Okehazama, continuing the collaborative score approach used in prior seasons. The pairing of Yorushika with the series signals continued investment in established musical branding for the third season rollout.
Production staff and studio changes
The main staff largely carries over from Season 2, with Akinori Fudesaka directing, Norihiro Naganuma handling series composition and Yukiko Nakatani as character designer. Wataru Nakagawa is listed as assistant director, with Misato Aida and Nanako Okazaki sharing color design duties, and Shoji Hata serving as sound director. Animation production is credited solely to OLM, with TOHO animation STUDIO no longer sharing the production credit compared with the previous season.
Two-cour structure and the December film
Season 3 is structured as two split cours, with the first premiering on October 2, 2026 and the second scheduled for April 2027. The television run will lead into a feature film with an original story by light novel author Natsu Hyuga, which is set to premiere in Japan on December 11. A July 2026 update had previously confirmed the film's trailer and December release date, positioning the movie as a bridge between the two broadcast cours.
Source materials and franchise background
The anime is based on Natsu Hyuga's light novel series, illustrated by Toko Shino and published under Shufunotomo's Hero Bunko label since 2011 as a web novel, with 16 volumes released as of May 2025. Two manga adaptations are in print, one by Square Enix and one by Shogakukan, with J-Novel Club handling the English novel release. The story follows Maomao, voiced by Aoi Yuki, a young apothecary whose palace entanglements with the enigmatic Jinshi, voiced by Takeo Otsuka, drive the central narrative. Both reports cite the official Apothecary Diaries website and social channels, as well as a TOHO Animation YouTube upload, as primary sources for the announcement.
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