Maomao

The Apothecary Diaries: First Movie Announced, Out December 11 — What Japan Said

The Apothecary Diaries is getting its first-ever theatrical film — "The Apothecary Diaries: Treasure of the Deceased Consort," a brand-new original story written by author Natsu Hyuga, opening in Japan on December 11, 2026. Before they even got to the movie, Japanese fans fixated on a very Japanese detail: the trailer dropped at 6 in the morning, and the top comments joked the studio was "telling otaku to wake up early for our health" and staging the reveal like a national-event anime — "as clever as Maomao herself" (one fan even worked out the real reason: an Anime Expo panel in the States). From there the reactions turned to the film itself: fans froze on the scar on Jinshi's cheek to place the timeline after the Shi-clan rebellion, marveled that it's a fully original story rather than a recap, and lined up for opening-day tickets. The recurring feeling was disbelief that a series they never dreamed would reach the big screen actually is.