Anime · JRT
The Apothecary Diaries
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Aoi Yuuki
Maomao (voice)
49 eps
Takeo Otsuka
Jinshi (voice)
49 eps
Katsuyuki Konishi
Gaoshun (voice)
49 eps
Yui Ishikawa
57 eps
Hina Kino
57 eps
Megumi Toyoguchi
Hongniang (voice)
25 eps
Sayaka Kinoshita
Shin (voice)
3 eps
Sumi Shimamoto
Narration (voice)
10 eps
Daichi Endo
Emperor (voice)
8 eps
Tatsumaru Tachibana
Basen (voice)
14 eps
Umeka Shouji
Kanan (voice)
6 eps
Natsumi Kawaida
Lihua's Lady-in-Waiting (voice)
6 eps
Satoru Ito
Eunuch (voice)
7 eps
Takuya Kirimoto
Lakan (voice)
15 eps
Mika Doi
Suiren (voice)
10 eps
Kaori Nazuka
Suirei (voice)
11 eps
Akiha Matsui
Lihua's Lady-in-Waiting (voice)
4 eps
Koki Uchiyama
Rikuson (voice)
3 eps
Mirei Kumagai
Lady-in-Waiting (voice)
3 eps
Saima Nakano
Lishu's Lady-in-Waiting (voice)
8 eps
Takaaki Torashima
Eunuch (voice)
9 eps
Wakana Kowaka
Crystal Pavilion Lady-in-Waiting (voice)
3 eps
Kenji Akabane
Lihaku (voice)
10 eps
Misaki Kuno
Xiaolan (voice)
18 eps
Hiroshi Yanaka
Luomen (voice)
20 eps
Mitsuaki Kanuka
Guen / Quack Doctor (voice)
17 eps
Rie Hikisaka
Yinghua (voice)
28 eps
Ami Koshimizu
Pairin (voice)
9 eps
Hiroki Nanami
Joka (voice)
6 eps
Kimiko Saito
Old Madam (voice)
13 eps
Houko Kuwashima
Fengxian (voice)
3 eps
Misa Ishii
Ailan (voice)
21 eps
Yu Wakabayashi
Guide (voice)
3 eps
Masafumi Kobatake
Government-Owned Slave (voice)
4 eps
Yoshiaki Hasegawa
Ukyou (voice)
3 eps
Mikoto Nakai
Lishu's Lady-in-Waiting (voice)
4 eps
Megumi Han
Meimei (voice)
13 eps
Yuhko Kaida
Ah-Duo (voice)
4 eps
Mamiko Noto
Empress Dowager Anshi (voice)
4 eps
Cho
Shishou (voice)
4 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Apothecary Diaries actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Apothecary Diaries reads strongest on Character Depth, Bingeability and Emotional Weight.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she's sold as a lowly servant to the emperor's palace. But she wasn't meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she's making a name for herself solving medical mysteries!
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E42
Lantern Plant
Maomao has been missing for ten days now. Jinshi's investigations lead him to a forgotten graveyard.
- Directed by Erkin Kawabata
- Written by Hitomi Ogawa
S01E29
The Moon Fairy
In order to realize the seemingly impossible request from the foreign envoy, Maomao speaks to the “Moon Fairy” herself.
- Directed by Shintaro Itoga
- Written by Misuzu Chiba
S01E33
The Late Emperor
Maomao's investigation of the "curse" reveals more about the late emperor than anticipated.
- Directed by Akira Koremoto
- Written by Hitomi Ogawa
S01E25
Maomao and Maomao
The spring garden party concludes without incident. Maomao returns to her regular life as Concubine Gyokuyou’s taster. Meanwhile, novels become popular in the rear palace. Maomao wonders how this came to be, as novels were typically considered low-class. But behind the scenes lies Jinshi and his goals as manager of the rear palace.
- Directed by Jun Owada
- Written by Yuko Kakihara
S01E35
The Hunt
Jinshi goes on a hunting trip, and brings Maomao along. He seems ready to share his secret with her.
- Directed by Shintaro Itoga
- Written by Misuzu Chiba
S01E46
Royal Guard
The royal guard, led by Jinshi, arrives, sealing the Shi clan's fate. Maomao wants to save her friend, Shisui.
- Directed by Masahiro Matsunaga
- Written by Yuko Kakihara
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S00E50
Maomao's Diaries 48 (Masks)
S01E48
The Beginning
- Directed by Jun Owada, Kaho Asai
- Written by Hitomi Ogawa
S00E49
Maomao's Diaries 47 (Friends)
S01E47
The Shi Clan
- Directed by Wataru Nakagawa, Akinori Fudesaka
- Written by Misuzu Chiba
S00E48
Maomao no Hitorigoto Special Edition Part 2
S00E47
Maomao no Hitorigoto Special Edition Part 1
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
- Photo unavailable
Atsushi Takahashi
Executive producer
Katsuhiro Takei
Executive producer
Hideki Kama
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Takahiro Sato
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Mitsuharu Moriya
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Ryuji Abe
Executive producer
Keiji Ota
Executive producer
Nobumasa Sawabe
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Tatsuya Maeda
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Kazutaka Yamanaka
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Yuko Kakihara
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Misuzu Chiba
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Yuniko Ayana
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Hitomi Ogawa
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Atsushi TakahashiExecutive Producer
- Katsuhiro TakeiExecutive Producer
- Hideki KamaExecutive Producer
- Junya OkamotoProducer
- Takahiro SatoExecutive Producer
- Hiroshi MutoProducer
Writing
- Yuko KakiharaWriter
- Misuzu ChibaWriter
- Yuniko AyanaWriter
- Hitomi OgawaWriter
Direction
- Yukihiko AsakiDirector
- So ToyamaDirector
- Yuushi IbeDirector
- Mayu TanimotoDirector
- Gaku ShigaDirector
- Shintaro ItogaDirector
Cinematography
- Rumi IshiguroDirector of Photography
Music
- Kevin PenkinOriginal Music Composer
- Alisa OkehazamaOriginal Music Composer
- Satoru KosakiOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- NetflixStreaming
- HuluStreaming
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- CrunchyrollStreaming
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Crunchyroll Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Netflix Standard with AdsStreaming
If you liked this
Similar Series
Series that share this one's texture, not just its genre tags.
Raven of the Inner Palace
2022
Slow-burn mystery · Animated ambition
ERASED
2016
Slow-burn mystery · Animated ambition
My Happy Marriage
2023
Character-driven drama · Animated ambition
Black Butler
2008
Slow-burn mystery · Animated ambition
Saga of Tanya the Evil
2017
Character-driven drama · Animated ambition
The Fire Hunter
2023
Slow-burn mystery · Animated ambition
The Summer Hikaru Died
2025
Slow-burn mystery · Animated ambition
Why Does Nobody Remember Me in This World?
2024
Slow-burn mystery · Animated ambition
The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady
2023
Character-driven drama · Animated ambition
Spice and Wolf: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF
2024
Character-driven drama · Animated ambition
BEASTARS
2019
Slow-burn mystery · Animated ambition
No Longer Allowed in Another World
2024
Character-driven drama · Animated ambition
Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
2023
Continue the epic fantasy journey with another world worth getting lost in.
Akane-banashi
2026
A natural next watch: same ambition, different world.
Grimm
2011
If the world-building is what held you, this is the next map to walk.
Bleach
2004
Continue the epic fantasy journey with another world worth getting lost in.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000
Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
Never stop watching
Related Collections
No related collections yet
This title isn't in a published Nutevio collection yet. It will appear here automatically as soon as it is.
Join the conversation