The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Premiered Yesterday, Splits Into Two Cours With a Film in Between

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 is back. The first episode of Cour 1 hit Crunchyroll at 8:00 a.m. PT on October 2, following its Japanese broadcast at 11:00 p.m. JST on Nippon TV’s Friday Anime Night block, with new episodes continuing weekly through the fall.

This season breaks from the show’s previous format in one significant way: it’s split across two cours, with a theatrical film sliding into the gap between them.

How the Season Is Structured

Cour 1 is now underway, with Episode 2 confirmed for October 9. Rather than running straight through to a Cour 2 later this year, the season pauses mid-run for The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress’ Treasure, a theatrical film opening in Japanese cinemas on December 11, 2026. Cour 2 then resumes streaming on Crunchyroll in April 2027, with no exact date confirmed yet for that return.

Akinori Fudesaka returns to direct at OLM, with returning cast from the first two seasons. Yorushika performs the new opening theme, introduced alongside the October 2 release date at a special event back on August 15.

Where Maomao’s Story Goes Next

Season 3 moves the story out of the Rear Palace entirely. Maomao has returned to the Verdigris House to work as an apothecary for her adoptive family, while Jinshi has formally accepted his role as the Moon Prince. The season’s central thread follows the two as they head West together, with mysteries and a looming natural disaster threatening the kingdom’s peace.

The premiere episode leans hard into the show’s trademark style of deduction-driven storytelling. In one key scene, Maomao tastes a bowl of stewed locusts and infers, from the insects’ coloring and behavior alone, that the region may be heading toward famine, a sequence drawing on real locust biology where phase-change coloring has historically served as an early warning sign of swarming and crop destruction. A new character, Shotei, is also confirmed to play a significant role across the season, though her exact function in the story hasn’t been detailed yet.

Where to Watch

Crunchyroll holds the international streaming rights for Season 3, with new subtitled episodes arriving weekly alongside the Japanese broadcast. Netflix is also confirmed to carry the season for international audiences, giving viewers two platforms to catch up on Maomao and Jinshi’s latest case. For more on what’s airing alongside it, our Fall 2026 anime schedule covers the rest of the season’s biggest premieres.

FAQ