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 submission site " Shosetsuka ni Naro ," will collaborate with the Kanda Festival in 2021. 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, which will be held on May 11th. On March 17th, a press conference was held at Kanda Shrine, where Chiyoda Ward Mayor Takaaki Higuchi, Kanda Shrine deputy chief priest Kazumine Matsumoto, chief priest Masanori Kishikawa, and voice actor Takeo Otsuka , who Jinshi , appeared. Kishikawa explained the background of the collaboration.
As Kishikawa says, "There is a strong affinity with manga and anime, so it is meaningful to collaborate with the culture of parishioners such as Jimbocho and Akihabara. We accept it as modern culture without being limited to anime or manga." Kanda Shrine has previously collaborated with " Love Live!" and "Oshi no Ko."
"At first people looked surprised, but recently they've started asking me what we're collaborating with. Akihabara is nearby, so we have the foundation to embrace anime culture. We were finally able to collaborate with ' The Apothecary Diaries'," he said, revealing that collaborations with manga and anime are becoming more common.
Ebisu, who is worshipped at Kanda Shrine, is known as the god of prosperity in business, medicine, and health. "Ebisu is the god of medicine, the god of drugs. It's a good match. We did a collaborative exhibit at the museum in November last year, and because of that connection we decided to collaborate with the Kanda Festival," he explained.
Acrylic stands made from recycled materials will also be sold as collaboration goods. "The acrylic recycling project was also a chance for us to collaborate on ' The Apothecary Diaries.' Shrines are places where you can make all kinds of connections. It's a connection, so we want to keep doing it," he said.
A newly drawn visual was also released, showing 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 Jinshi of 108 neighborhood associations and will be displayed in Kanda, Nihonbashi, Akihabara, and other areas. Otsuka, who saw the visual, commented, "Maomao is unusually smiling, and has a good expression, which is wonderful. Her outfit is also lovely."
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 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)."
