It has been revealed that the TV anime " The Apothecary Diaries, " based on a light novel by Natsu Hyuga , which was born from the novel posting site " Shosetsuka ni Naro ," will collaborate with the Reiwa 7 Kanda Festival. The Kanda Festival is one of Japan's three major festivals, held every two years in mid-May at Kanda Shrine (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo), and has been held since the Edo period. The highlight of the festival, where about 200 mikoshi (portable shrines) parade through Chiyoda Ward, is the Shinko Festival, which will be held on May 10th, and the Mikoshi Miyairi Festival on May 11th.
A newly drawn visual was also released, depicting Maomao, Koran, Shisui, Jinshi, and Gaojun, all dressed in shrine maiden costumes, gathered in the grounds of Kanda Shrine. Posters of the visual will be distributed to the Jinshi of 108 neighborhood associations and will be displayed in Kanda, Nihonbashi, Akihabara, and other locations. Collaboration goods such as acrylic stands and goshuincho (stamp books) will also be on sale.
An illustration exhibition of the original light novel, "Touko Shino Special Exhibition: Kanda Festival x The Apothecary Diaries, " will be held from March 22 to June 1. High-definition digital color illustrations will be exhibited alongside precious materials related to the Kanda Festival, such as picture scrolls and ukiyo-e prints, which are stored at Kanda Shrine, as well as float puppets by Kumasaka Chohan.
The announcement was made at a press conference held at Kanda Shrine on March 17th. Appearing at the conference were Chiyoda Ward Mayor Takaaki Higuchi, Kanda Shrine deputy chief priest Kazumine Matsumoto, and voice actor Takeo Otsuka , who plays Jinshi .
The light novel version of " The Apothecary Diaries" is published by Hero Bunko (Imagine Infos), and its comic adaptation has also gained popularity. The original series has sold over 40 million copies in total. The story is set in the glamorous harem of a certain continent, where Maomao, a poison taster, and the handsome eunuch Jinshi become embroiled in an incident that takes place in the harem, which is full of conspiracies and rumors. The first season of the TV anime aired on Nippon TV from October 2023 to March 2024. The second season is currently airing on Nippon TV's anime slot "FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT (Fura-ani)."
