W arning: This article contains spoilers for The Apothecary Diaries Season 1 , and the Apothecary Diaries manga and light novels. Since its October 2023 premiere, historical mystery anime The Apothecary Diaries (also known as Kusuriya no Hitorigoto ) has become a bona fide hit, building on the success of its light novel source material. In February 2024, Maomao, the anime’s poison-obsessed teen protagonist, became the first fictional character to grace the cover of Japan’s Ministry of Health,