It is a rare thing to have a shoujo anime that doesn’t immediately leap into romance and become all about that. Furthermore, The Apothecary Diaries is wholly unique to give a perfectly valid reason why the main character is so uninterested in love, what with growing up in the red light district and all.
Still, it gives romance junkies just enough to keep them interested while telling great mystery and drama stories.
Where To Start The Apothecary Diaries Light Novel After The Anime?
If you finished The Apothecary Diaries anime and wish to continue the story with the light novel, you can start at Novel 3.
Is The Apothecary Diaries Light Novel Over?
The Apothecary Diaries light novel is still ongoing. Since launching in 2014, it usually releases two novels per year.
Where To Start The Apothecary Diaries Manga After The Anime?
Fun fact, The Apothecary Diaries has two manga series that both tell the same story. Usually, you tell the difference by who the artist is. The Nekokurage version is the first series, the Minoji Kurata series came later. The Minoji Kurata version is also subtitled as “Mao Mao’s Notebook,” since the artist also illustrates for the light novel and searching just their name can produce mixed results.
The difference between the two manga series is that the Nekokurage version isn’t as faithful to the light novel story. It cuts parts and changes things to better connect the plot points and leaves them less vague. The Minoji Kurata version keeps closer to the light novel story.
Reading either one after the anime is fine. Although the anime is most faithful to the Nekokurage version. The Nekokurage version is also the officially translated version.
If you finished The Apothecary Diaries anime and wish to start the manga, you can start at Chapter 41 for the Nekokurage version and Chapter 31 in the Minoji Kurata version.
Is The Apothecary Diaries Manga Over?
The Apothecary Diaries (Nekokurage) manga is still ongoing. Since launching in 2017, it usually releases two volumes per year.
The Apothecary Diaries (Minoji Kurata) manga is still ongoing. Since launching in 2018, it usually releases two volumes per year.
What to Expect From The Apothecary Diaries Source Material Compared to The Anime?
The Apothecary Diaries is one of those series where you will find differences in story between the web novel, light novel, both manga, and the anime. However, they are still telling the same overall story, just sometimes differently.
If you want the most details and the core story, read the light novel. However, the manga is a perfectly fine substitute, particularly the Minoji Kurata version that is more similar to the light novels.
I would recommend reading the light novels from the beginning if moving to them from the anime since the anime does cut out some details and smaller mysteries. However, if you are starting with the Nekokurage manga, you don’t need to read it from the beginning unless you want to.
Will There Be A The Apothecary Diaries Season 2?
Following the final episode of Season 1, a The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 was announced and slated for 2025. However, no further information was released.
