TOHO animation began streaming a new trailer for the third season of the anime based on Hyuganatsu and Touko Shino‘s The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) light novel series on Friday. The video reveals Eve will perform the anime’s ending theme song “AIYOU.”

The third season will air on October 2 at 11:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. EDT) in the “Friday Anime Night” programming block on NTV and 29 affiliated channels for its first cours (quarter of a year), and its second cours will premiere in April 2027.

Reina Ueda joins the third season’s cast as Bai Niangniang, a pale and mysterious nymph.

yorushika will perform the third season’s opening theme song “Kumo o Nukekazashimo e Watashidake” (I Am Alone, Breaking Through the Clouds Downwind).

The franchise also has the upcoming Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Bо̄hi no Hihо̄ (The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress’ Treasure) film, which will open in theaters on December 11 and feature a brand-new story by the original novel series’ author Hyuganatsu. The franchise also has an upcoming live-action series that will debut on Amazon Prime Video worldwide in 2028.

The anime’s first season premiered in October 2023 with the first three episodes, and aired for two cours (quarters of a year). Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in Japan and is also streaming an English dub.

The second anime season premiered in January 2025 on Nippon TV‘s FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT programming block, and aired for two consecutive cours. Crunchyroll is streaming the second season, and it is also streaming an English dub.

J-Novel Club publishes the novel series digitally, and it describes the story:

In the East is a land ruled by an emperor, whose consorts and serving women live in a sprawling complex known as the hougong, the rear palace. Maomao, an unassuming girl raised in an unassuming town by her apothecary father, never imagined the rear palace would have anything to do with her—until she was kidnapped and sold into service there.

Though she looks ordinary, Maomao has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and an extensive knowledge of medicine. That’s her secret, until she encounters a resident of the palace at least as perceptive as she is: the head eunuch, Jinshi. He sees through Maomao’s façade and makes her a lady-in-waiting to none other than the Emperor’s favorite consort… so she can taste the lady’s food for poison! 

Hyuganatsu began serializing the story on the “Shōsetsuka ni Narō” (Let’s Become Novelists) website in October 2011. Shufunotomo began publishing the novels in print volume with illustrations by Shino in August 2014. Nekokurage launched an ongoing manga adaptation in Square Enix‘s Monthly Big Gangan magazine in May 2017. Square Enix Manga & Books is releasing the manga adaptation in English. The company is also publishing the novels in print. Viz Media is releasing Minoji Kurata‘s separate The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace manga adaptation in print.

Source: TOHO animation‘s YouTube channel

Well, that whole situation just sort of resolved very quickly didn’t it? While I fully understand where Mimi and Sheena are coming from regarding their specific perspectives on this complicated issue, this episode just resolved that argument in the least interesting way possible. Not only has there not been that significant of a change in the way that these two characters view each other, but there also isn’t a significant change in the situation that they’re dealing with. There is a quiet tragedy in the fact that they are basically resolving themselves to do the best with what they have. Sometimes, the most you can do or hope for is just making sure you have somebody to return to after battle. However, the show already beat me over the head with this idea in previous episodes so by making that the answer to their argument AGAIN, what I’m left with is this empty feeling that the episode wasted my time.

There are definitely some strong conversation starters presented here, like the idea of Mimi developing a stronger sense of maturity, the tragedy of her immortality and how the reason why she’s so attached to Sheena is because prior to them meeting, Mimi did feel incredibly lonely. In fact, Mimi didn’t even realize how lonely she was until she found someone to actually return to. The problem is that the episode treats these ideas like they have always been what the show has been about or only really introduces those ideas now…in the second to last episode of the season. The show definitely revolves around Mimi, but Mimi herself was almost never a main focus or a character whose journey I feel like I was following. While the change to her character in the last episode makes sense and I don’t question the attachment she feels for Sheena, I think things would’ve emotionally hit harder if the show actually showed things from Mimi’s perspective more often. I won’t go so far as to say that this is radical or out of left field, but it definitely wasn’t seeded as strongly as I think it was supposed to, and definitely not as strongly as the show pretends that it was.

There are some points where I’m not even sure if Mimi fully understands the tragedy of her situation because it’s almost never brought up. This episode still feels like it’s more about Sheena coming to terms with her own weakness and her lack of resolve for how terrible everything is but she’s still willing to go through everything or do whatever she can. I think that Mimi is scared about Sheena developing her magic to the point where she does go out on the front lines and so she doesn’t want Sheena to practice magic at all. But that’s never really brought up. Maybe Mimi doesn’t want to lose Sheena the same way that Mimi lost her mother? Does Mimi even remember what her mother looks like? It would be great if the show gave us any flashbacks or a real idea of what Mimi’s life actually was like before she met Sheena instead of just saying that she had always been lonely.

Or here’s an idea, how about instead of tricking me into thinking that the episode is going to be about Sheena and Mimi actually defending themselves on the battlefield by throwing a quick two minute dream sequence in there, you just actually do that for the climax of the season? Why not actually shove it in both of these characters faces what the reality of this war does for both of them? Sheena could get an opportunity to actually see how Mimi puts herself on the line for other people and she could maybe actually prove to Mimi that there is something that she can do on the battlefield even if she is physically weak? I’d rather see that then just have Sheena figure it out by hearing from all the students second hand. I was so mad when Sheena woke up from that dream because while it was sudden, that is an actual narrative progression and what’s worse is that it doesn’t really add anything to the episode! Instead, this episode (and I worry the climax) is going to do the exact opposite, scaling things down and sanding off any edges for the sake of a really safe conclusion that doesn’t say anything significant. I really hope I’m wrong, but unless this show plans on ending on some kind of massive cliffhanger, I really am curious about how this show is going to end because outside of this war in the background that I still don’t know anything about twelve episodes later, there really isn’t a conflict anymore or emotional struggle that needs to get resolved.

Rating:

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Bolts also streams regularly on Twitch as the indie VtuberBolts The Mechanic where they talk about and play retro media!

I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day is currently streaming on
Crunchyroll.

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.

The official website of the Yozakura-san Chi no Daisakusen (Mission: Yozakura Family) television anime announced additional cast members for its second part of second season on Friday. The second part is scheduled to premiere on October 11 at 5.00 p.m. on MBS/TBS Network, followed by BS Nippon Television and AT-X on October 21.

Cast

Alexandre: Houchuu Ootsuka (Sakamoto Days)

Shura: Miku Itou (Nekopara)

Cyber Demon King “G”: Yumiri Hanamori (Gachiakuta)

Dr. Mozu: Sumire Uesaka (Overlord)

Koro: Naomi Shindou (No Game No Life)

Takahiro Nakatsugawa (Ragna Crimson animation director) returns to direct the second cour at SILVER LINK., with Mirai Minato (Masamune-kun no Revenge) as director and series composition. Mizuki Takahashi (Uramichi Oniisan) is designing the characters.

Produced by Silver Link., the first season adapting Hitsuji Gondaira‘s action comedy manga aired in April 2024. The first part of the second season aired in Spring 2026. Hulu streamed the series with subtitles and later with an English dub, while Disney+ streamed it worldwide.

Gondaira serialized the manga in Weekly Shounen Jump from August 2019 to January 2025. Shueisha published the 29th and final volume in March 2025. Yozakura-san Chi no Daisakusen has a cumulative 3.6 million copies of its volumes in circulation.

VIZ Media and Shueisha simulpublished the manga in English on its Manga Plus app and website. The former also releases the manga in physical format and shipped the 24th volume on August 18. The 25th volume is planned for an October 20 release.

Character PV

Source: Comic Natalie