The anime
adaptation of The Apothecary Diaries continues to
expand its cast in its second season. It was announced Thursday that voice
actor Toshiyuki Toyonaga will play Lahan ,
Lakan's adopted son. The character will make his first appearance in episode
42 , scheduled to air on Friday, May 10 in Japan,
coinciding with the early hours of Saturday, May 11 in Spain
(UTC+2) .
A new
addition in the second half of the season
The second season of The Apothecary Diaries began airing on Nippon TV 's Friday Anime Night block on January 10 , and is split into two consecutive parts (cours). The second part began airing on April 4. The series is currently streaming internationally on Crunchyroll , both in Japanese and with English dubbing .
Along with
Toyonaga, other talents have recently joined the cast, such as Asami
Seto (Shisui), Lynn (Ayla), Yumi Hara (Aylin)
and Natsumi Fujiwara (Kyō-u).
New
songs for this phase of the story
The second
part of this season also has revamped its opening and closing music. The
new opening theme , titled "Kusuhiki" ,
is performed by the band Mrs. GREEN APPLE , while "Hitorigoto" ,
performed by the group Omoinotake , serves as the
ending theme .
During the
first part, the songs were performed by prominent artists such as Lilas
Ikuta (also known as ikura of the duo YOASOBI )
with "Hyakkaryōran" , and Dai Hirai with "Shiawase
no Recipe" .
A story
where poison can be in any dish
Based on
the light novels written by Natsu Hyūga and illustrated
by Touko Shino , the story introduces us to Maomao ,
a young woman raised by her apothecary father who, after being sold to the
emperor's palace, ends up playing the curious role of poison taster .
Thanks to her sharp intelligence and medical knowledge, she soon catches the
attention of the mysterious Jinshi , who involves her in a
series of palace intrigues.
A
franchise in constant expansion
The anime's
first season premiered in October 2023 and ran for two
seasons. The film was directed by Norihiro Naganuma ( The
Ancient Magus' Bride ) and directed by TOHO Animation and OLM .
The creative team also includes character designer Yukiko Nakatani ,
sound director Shoji Hata , and a musical trio consisting
of Satoru Kousaki , Kevin Penkin , and Arisa
Okehazama .
The
franchise continues to grow with its manga adaptation by Nekokurage ,
published in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan magazine since
2017, and with digital and print versions of the novel available in English
through J-Novel Club .
With each
new episode, The Apothecary Diaries cements its place among
the season's standout titles, offering a perfect balance of intrigue, medicine,
and historical drama.
