Maomao's first big-screen mystery is coming into focus. The official anime team behind The Apothecary Diaries revealed a new trailer, key visual and character chart yesterday for The Apothecary Diaries: The Late Lady's Treasure, along with the news that superstar Kenshi Yonezu is performing the film's theme song.
The film opens in theaters in Japan on December 11, and Crunchyroll has also acquired it for release outside Asia.
Kenshi Yonezu Sings The Theme
The new trailer debuts the theme song, "Haru ga Tomori," which loosely translates to "Spring Lights Up." Yonezu wrote the song specifically for the film. In a comment shared on his official site, he explained that while studying the script he also drew on Japanese children's songs, naming "Tulip" and "Antagata Dokosa" as big influences. He added that the song deals with what gets passed down between people, and how that inheritance often settles on its own without anyone's approval. Yonezu is one of the biggest names in Japanese music and has performed theme songs for major anime hits, so his involvement is a big signal of how important this film is to the franchise.
Alongside the trailer, the official X account shared the latest key visual, which carries the tagline "A hidden truth, a final wish."
The Story Of The Late Lady's Treasure
The film features a brand-new story by original author Hyuganatsu. According to the official synopsis, the Emperor orders Jinshi to grant the final wish of a consort who died in the rear palace five years ago: to return home. When her body is checked, it looks as beautiful as if she were still alive, so Maomao joins Jinshi on a trip south to her clan's lands to solve the mystery.
They arrive in a bustling city on the water, where Maomao is thrilled by medicines and plants she's never seen. River pirates are also running wild in search of treasure hidden by the clan's former leader. Jinshi's bad feeling proves right when someone steals the consort's head, and the clan's youngest son, Mu Qing, is then kidnapped by the pirates. As the preserved body, the hidden treasure, the missing head and the kidnapping start to connect, the truth leads to the hidden treasure itself.
Norihiro Naganuma directs the film at TOHO animation STUDIO from a script by Yuko Kakihara, with Toho distributing in Japan.
Aoi Yuki and Takeo Otsuka return as Maomao and Jinshi. New cast members include Mariya Ise as Mu Qing, Kensho Ono as Suija, Miyuki Sawashiro as Ruoqing, the late consort whose final wish drives the plot, and actress Ai Mikami as Yinshan. Some English romanizations of the new characters' names are not yet final.
Extra Stories And A TV Special
Hyuganatsu is writing more than the film's story. A novelization she wrote herself goes on sale in Japan on December 9 and includes material that isn't in the film. She also wrote an epilogue short story about Maomao and Jinshi called "Kiro no Himawari," which will be printed in 1.5 million booklets handed out to moviegoers in Japan from opening day while supplies last.
Nippon TV's Kinyo Roadshow will also air a special edition on opening night, December 11, built around the second cour of Season 2. It adds about four minutes of new footage connected to that season's tearjerker final scene. Recap editions of the earlier parts of the TV anime start streaming in Japan on October 31, followed by new installments on November 14 and November 28, and a completion screening with the main cast is scheduled for December 5.
Crunchyroll Has The Film
For international fans, the biggest news is that Crunchyroll has acquired the film for North America and worldwide, excluding Asia but including India. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment will share the release date later.
The film arrives during a strong run for the series. The third TV season premiered October 2 on Nippon TV's Friday Anime Night block, with animation by OLM and an opening theme by Yorushika. Its second cour is scheduled for April 2027.
Are you more excited for the film's new mystery, or for Kenshi Yonezu's theme song?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.