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Square Enix unveiled exciting news for fans of The Apothecary Diaries franchise during Anime Japan 2025.
A new spinoff manga, titled Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Gaiden: Xiaolan Kaisoroku (The Apothecary Diaries Side Story: Xiaolan’s Memories), launched on Square Enix’s Manga UP! website on March 23, 2025.
It is illustrated by Itsuki Nanao, who also works on one of the manga adaptations of The Apothecary Diaries.
The new spinoff manga focuses on Xiaolan, a cheerful and gossipy maidservant in the Imperial Palace and a close friend of the series’ protagonist, Mao Mao.
The Apothecary Diaries is a Japanese light novel series written by Natsu Hyūga and illustrated by Touko Shino. Since 2011, it has been serialized online on the user-generated novel publishing website Shosetsuka ni Naro.
In the following year, it was acquired by Shufunotomo, who initially published the series as a novel with a single volume in 2012 and then as a light novel series in 2014.
It has been adapted into two manga series in 2017, with one published by Square Enix in Monthly Big Gangan, and another one published by Shogakukan in Monthly Sunday Gene-X.
The Apothecary Diaries manga adaptation by Itsuki Nanao and illustrated by Nekokurage, began serialization in Square Enix’s Monthly Big Gangan on May 25, 2017.
The first volume was published on Sep 25, 2017. As of Sep 25, 2024, 14 volumes have been published.
In November 2019, Square Enix announced the English language release of the manga in North America and began publishing it in December 2020.
The other manga adaptation, titled The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes From The Inner Palace, illustrated by Minoji Kurata, began in Shogakukan’s Monthly Sunday Gene-X on August 19, 2017.
The first volume was published on Feb 19, 2018. As of Dec 19, 2024, 19 volumes have been published.
An anime television series adaptation produced by Toho Animation Studio and OLM aired from October 2023 to March 2024. A second season premiered in January 2025.
Source: X
