The TV anime " The Apothecary Diaries " is based on a light novel by Natsu Hyuga . The protagonist Maomao, who is only interested in medicine and poison and seems to have a philosophical outlook, is gaining popularity. How did Maomao come about? We asked the original author, Natsu Hyuga.
◇ Maomao was also modeled after Uncle Habu!
"The Apothecary Diaries" is set in a glamorous harem on a certain continent, where a young poison Maomao and the handsome harem manager Jinshi get caught up in an incident that occurs in the harem, which is full of conspiracies and rumors. The light novel is published by Hero Bunko (Imagica Infos), and the comic book adaptation is also popular, with the series having sold over 40 million copies in total. 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)."
Maomao is not a lively, high-spirited protagonist. However, she actually has a deep passion and solves difficult cases with ease. Although she appears philosophical, she also has a geeky side and gets excited when it comes to her favorite medicines and poisons. However, she is not uninterested in others, and she is kind enough to lend a helping hand to those in trouble or suffering.
According to Natsu Hyuga, she originally conceived "The Apothecary Diaries" as a mystery story with a "woman with three children living in a mining town" as the main character, but because "Shosetsuka ni Naro" has many young readers, she decided to make the main character a teenager. She further expanded the story by setting it in the glamorous harem.
"At first, I wanted to write a story about a woman with three children, and I think Maomao still has the toughness of an old lady. If there was a model for her, it would be an old man who makes serums from Maomao. He takes in snake venom to make serums, and I used that as a reference. I didn't have any particular idea of what kind of character I wanted to make her, and it just came together as I was writing."
Maomao has an abnormal obsession with poisons and medicines, but other than that she rarely shows her true feelings.
"To avoid causing stress to the reader, I thought it would be easier to read if the protagonist placed more emphasis on solving cases rather than on his own emotions. I wrote the story with almost no depictions of him worrying."
Maomao's sharp tongue is also one of her charms. She calmly judges things and solves cases.
"Maomao is complaining as if she is talking to herself. You may call that a sharp tongue, but don't you think so too, just don't say it out loud? When you see people lined up in a row blocking the aisle, you want to tell them to get out of the way because they're in the way, but in the end you don't say anything. Sometimes I make her say it more forcefully to make it more interesting."
Another popular character is the handsome Jinshi , who has been described as "a woman who would bring down a nation." His relationship with Maomao, who shows no interest in Jinshi , is also one of the charms of " The Apothecary Diaries."
"Jinshi is a character who made a name for himself. At first, I had planned to kill him off. I was submitting Shosetsuka ni Naro, and before it was decided that it would be published as a book, he started to become popular, and I couldn't kill him off anymore. I had intended to have him leave the story once the Jinshi incident was resolved, but he survived. The harem is full of women, so I thought it would be nice to include a pretty man... that's how the character was born."
◇A song for the nameless military officer!
The total number of copies of the "The Apothecary Diaries" series was approximately 24 million as of the end of September 2023, before the first season of the TV anime began airing. Although it was already a popular work, the number of copies sold increased significantly due to the popularity of the TV anime, surpassing 40 million copies in February 2025.
Natsu Hyuga said that she did not receive any specific instructions when the work was made into an anime.
"I didn't say anything in particular during the first season. For the second season, I've been involved in scenario meetings, but I've mostly just been observing. I think it's easier for the staff if I don't have too many says. The visuals are just so beautiful. I'm really happy with the attention to detail paid to the backgrounds and the characters. I was surprised in episode 3 of the first season when an image song for an unnamed military officer was played. I was moved that they'd written such a great song for an unnamed military officer!"
The performances of the gorgeous voice actors, including Aoi Yuki as Maomao and Takeo Otsuka as Jinshi, have also been a hot topic. Finally, we asked him about his thoughts on the voice actors.
"It's amazing, isn't it? They are all wonderful people. But I have one thing to say. I sometimes think it's a waste to use such a big name for a character that will never appear in the future! (laughs) I was able to observe the recording remotely, and I was on set two or three times. I wondered whether it was OK for someone like me to talk to the voice actors, so I tried to keep quiet as much as possible. I only spoke when the staff asked me something."
