The Apothecary Diaries Movie Goes Off-Book With an Original Story: Release Timeline, Season 3 Tie-Ins, and Must-Know Details
The Apothecary Diaries marked its second anniversary with a double reveal: a Season 3 release window and a surprise movie. According to Oricon, the film will tell a brand-new story, promising fresh intrigue beyond the new season.
Well, this is a flex. The Apothecary Diaries just marked its 2nd anniversary by dropping a full roadmap: Season 3 is coming in two halves, and there’s a brand-new theatrical movie slotted right between them. The kicker? The film’s story is being written by creator Natsu Hyuuga, which means fresh material even for the light novel readers. Per Oricon in Japan, that’s the plan.
The plan, clean and simple
- Season 3 Part 1: October 2026 (broadcast start)
- Movie: December 2026, featuring an all-new story written by series creator Natsu Hyuuga
- Season 3 Part 2: April 2027
- Studios/production: Toho Animation x OLM continue
- Key staff so far: director Akinori Fudesaka; series composition Norihiro Naganuma; original character designs Touko Shino
Why this release timing is a big deal
Dropping a movie between two halves of a season is a very deliberate choice. If they pull it off, Part 1 will set up plot threads, the movie will deepen or pivot them, and Part 2 will pay everything off. That’s a tight weave to manage without derailing the main story, but the team clearly wants the film to sit in canon, not off to the side.
What makes it extra interesting is the promise that the movie isn’t adapting an existing light novel arc. Hyuuga is writing new material specifically for the film, which means anime-only viewers and book readers both go in blind. It’s still over a year away, but that’s a strong hook.
So what’s Season 3 actually doing?
From what they’ve teased, the tone is darker. There are ominous signs of a natural disaster hanging over the empire, a mysterious shrine maiden shows up, and Jinshi’s responsibilities only get heavier after becoming the imperial prince. All of that raises the stakes for how he and Maomao bounce off each other.
Also nice: we aren’t stuck inside palace politics 24/7 anymore. Season 3 pushes Maomao and Jinshi into the wider world, with new places and people outside the court’s usual chaos. That opens the door for bigger scale and a different flavor of trouble.
Where the movie likely fits
Because it lands between the two cours, expect a self-contained chapter that still snaps neatly into continuity. Think character-focused, with room to show more personal or emotional sides of Maomao and other favorites, while nudging the main arcs forward.
There’s also a missing-person thread hanging in the background: Shisui is unaccounted for. Maybe Part 1 tackles it. Maybe the movie does. Maybe it’s tied to the disaster foreshadowing. Even if it’s separate, it’s a live wire the film could pick up without breaking the season’s flow.
Catch up now
If you’re behind, previous episodes of The Apothecary Diaries are streaming on Crunchyroll. With Part 1 set for October 2026, the movie in December 2026, and Part 2 in April 2027, there’s time to get current—and then some.