The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 1 Review: A New Mystery Unfolds

The Apothecary Diaries is finally back with the anime now streaming on Crunchyroll. The wait between seasons was certainly long, but after watching Season 3’s premiere, I can guarantee that the one week wait till the next episode will feel even more excruciating. 

That is the undeniable charm of this series isn’t it? It pulls you in with an immediate hook and weaves a complex web of mystery, making it incredibly hard to escape the pull of the story.

Episode 1 exists in a perfect liminal space, dealing with the lingering aftereffects of the Season 2 finale while efficiently setting up the overarching plot for the new season.

Be it Loulan’s note to Jinshi or the Chou-u’s identity being hidden or even the subtle tensions brewing after the execution of the Shi clan, the events from the previous season have cast a large shadow on the proceedings of Season 3. 

The first episode focuses on a looming disaster right from the opening frames, showcasing the terrifying potential of a locust plague while teasing a new mystery woman who is definitely up to no good (her sinister smile is proof enough?).

While the fear of the plague grows on one side, the episode also establishes that a serious political intrigue might already be afoot. Much of this tension hinges on Gyokuou’s ascendance to an Empress Consort, which doesn’t sit well with the powers backing the other concubines and inevitably sets the stage for a political fallout.

This development will likely lead up to the biggest narrative change in the third season. 

The first two seasons were largely defined by their setting in and around the royal palace. Yes, even the second season if we exclude the part where Maomao got kidnapped. However, with Maomao’s contract now expired, she has returned to the pleasure distric in her previous role as a pharmacist, cutting her off from the political machinations.

While I am certainly going to miss Maomao’s daily interactions with her fellow ladies-in-waiting at Consort Gyokuyou’s Jade Pavilion, and the scheming corridors of power within the rear palace, exciting times lie ahead as the anime prepares to shift its focus toward the western territories. 

Gyokuyou’s family gaining prominence and securing a named status will undoubtedly play a major role in this transition.

This is where we come to the most important exposition from The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 1. The episode dropped a crucial piece of lore regarding the nation’s clans and their naming conventions.

The initial three founding clans of the empire had the letter of the zodiac associated with them, and this expanded till there were 12 clans in all. As more powerful entities came forward, the naming conventions went beyond the zodiac letters, to include newer clans like the “La,” of which Maomao and Lakan are a part of.

All of this, even without considering the impact of Jinshi revealing his identity as the emperor’s younger brother!

With rumors of a looming war tied to these clan dynamics, I am looking forward to seeing how Maomao inevitably gets entangled in the overarching conflict and uses her keen eye to dismantle the mysteries ahead. 

She has already begun to play a highly active role, diving into independent research on the locusts. Fascinatingly, this ties directly back to her adoptive father, Luomen, who was previously involved in researching these same plagues while investigating immortality for the Shi Clan at their stronghold. 

It is a brilliant full-circle moment that proves once again that in The Apothecary Diaries, no detail is ever truly isolated.

I have nothing particular to note about the animation of the third season. Some changes are visible ever so subtly (Toho Animation Studio is no longer involved in the animation production and OLM is handling the season alone), there are a couple of cranky walks here and there, but that doesn’t take anything major away from the overall look and feel.

If this quality is maintained, I don’t see any reason for this season be as praiseworthy as the first two.