The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 release date & where to watch

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 is one of the most anticipated anime of January 2025. 

The first season, which debuted in 2023, was a bit of an unexpected hit. While the original novel and manga adaptation had a loyal following, they weren’t huge internationally.

It has become such a hit that the novel topped Oricon’s chart as the best-selling novel in 2024 in Japan, with over 1,000,000 copies sold. The series ranked second in 2023, with over 400,000 copies sold.

Fans have been eagerly waiting since the first season wrapped up in March, and it will return on the first fortnight of the year.

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 release date

Crunchyroll

Season 2 will start airing in Japan on January 10, 2025, at 11pm (JST).

Streaming services will release episodes simultaneously with the Japanese broadcast (usually making them available on platforms just a few hours after the Japanese release).

How to watch The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

Crunchyroll confirmed that it will stream series in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Oceania, Middle East and CIS on January 10, but hasn’t confirmed the exact time yet.

It also confirmed it plans to dub the series in English, Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Brazilian), French and German. Dubbed versions will be released at a later date.

Netflix streams the series in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, and also in Japan after it airs on TV. The first season is available only with Japanese original audio, and the new episodes are likely to follow the same pattern.

What to expect in Season 2

Season 1 adapted the first two volumes of the novel, so the new season will pick up with Volume 3. This includes a subplot where Jinshi seeks support to teach servants to read and write, while Maomao investigates strange events related to political ploys within the inner court.

Maomao also learns more about Empress Dowager and a “curse” she is believed to have. But fans are likely most excited for the infamous “frog scene,” in which Maomao accidentally learns something important about Jinshi, as they get closer to each other.

The episode count for the new season hasn’t been revealed yet. Considering the first one took one cour (around 12 episodes) to adapt one book, the new episodes should follow a similar pacing. That means that if it runs again for two cours, Volume 4 should also be adapted.

Norihiro Naganuma, who wrote and directed the first season, will return only as the head writer. Akimi Fudesaka, who assisted Naganuma, is now taking over as director. Despite this change, the main cast and staff remain the same, so fans can expect the animation will keep the same quality.

Lilas Ikuta, the vocalist for YOASOBI, will be performing the new opening song, ‘Hyakkaryoran.’ Given that many YOASOBI anime themes (Oshi no Ko season 1, Gundam: Witch from Mercury Cour 1) have become major hits, the season is likely to draw attention on this front too.