Tag Archives: Anime Singapore

The Apothecary Diaries Exhibition Opens in Singapore Sept 30

August 12, 2026 Jax

What the Apothecary Diaries Exhibition Singapore actually is

This is the travelling exhibition produced by Hong Kong-based INCUBASE Studio, which began its Asia tour in Hong Kong in November 2025 and has since run in Kuala Lumpur (23 May to 12 July), Taipei and Seoul. Singapore is the next stop, with Fever as both venue and ticketing partner and Trip.com Group also handling ticketing.

The format is a walk-through rather than a gallery you drift around in. Fever lists the run time at roughly 55 minutes at your own pace, and re-entry is not permitted — so this isn’t a “pop out for bubble tea and come back” kind of visit. Plan the timing.

Inside, the draw is a mix of recreated sets and production material. Fever’s listing for the Singapore run points to Maomao’s medicine cabinet, the Inner Palace corridors, life-size character standees, original artwork and photo spots with props from the show. INCUBASE says the tour carries over 250 pieces of reproduced original artwork, storyboards and production materials — including sketches walking through Maomao’s pharmacological reasoning — much of which had not been shown outside Japan before the tour started.

A recreated red-walled pleasure district zone at The Apothecary Diaries Exhibition, with character standees and framed scene stills on the walls — Image courtesy of INCUBASE Studio — from the exhibition’s Hong Kong run

Sets, standees and 250-plus artworks

From the Hong Kong and KL legs, the shape of it is clear enough. Zones recreate palace and pleasure district scenes at full scale with video content layered in, character costumes go on display, and there’s a behind-the-scenes area on how the anime was made. Autographed memorabilia from original novel author Natsu Hyuuga and members of the voice cast has featured on previous stops.

Life-size character standees of Maomao, Jinshi and Gaoshun arranged around a recreated wooden desk set from The Apothecary Diaries — Image courtesy of INCUBASE Studio — from the exhibition’s Hong Kong run

Interactive bits have travelled with it too — a “find the hidden Maomao” hunt for eight mini figures scattered through the exhibition, a photo sticker booth, and location-exclusive photo zones. The KL run added a poison-tasting scene at the Garden Party and a Go challenge. Which of these make the Singapore cut hasn’t been confirmed, so treat the specifics as likely rather than guaranteed.

A wall of framed original sketches and signed shikishi boards beside illuminated key visual panels at The Apothecary Diaries Exhibition — Image courtesy of INCUBASE Studio — from the exhibition’s Hong Kong run

There’s a merchandise shop at the end, which on previous legs carried acrylic stands, keychains, metal bookmarks, clear files and character goods. If you’ve done a licensed anime exhibition in Singapore before, you know the shop is where the damage happens.

Merchandise display at The Apothecary Diaries Exhibition including metal bookmarks with tassels, a printed clear file and character goods — Image courtesy of INCUBASE Studio — from the exhibition’s Hong Kong run

Tickets and prices in SGD

Tickets are on sale now through Fever at early-bird rates. Prices at the time of writing:

Adult (13+): S$28
Child (3–12): S$25
VIP (adult or child): S$63 — includes two metal bookmarks and a S$10 merchandise voucher
Bundle of 3: S$73 — up to two adults and one child, or one adult and two children
Bundle of 4: S$96 — various adult/child splits

The catch: Fever adds a booking surcharge of around S$2.10 per ticket at checkout, so the S$28 adult ticket lands closer to S$30. Every ticket tier includes a complimentary clear character card.

Mark your calendar: book before 30 August and you get a free random clear character card on top. That’s a little over two weeks from now, so if you were going anyway, going early costs you nothing.

Children under 2 enter free, and anyone 12 and under needs an adult with them. The venue is accessible. Group bookings of 30 or more go through Sliding Doors Entertainment at enquiry@slidingdoorsentertainment.com.

Getting to Fever Exhibition Hall

Fever Exhibition Hall sits at 25 Scotts Road, Singapore 228220 — the old T Galleria by DFS space, about a five-minute walk from Orchard MRT up Scotts Road. It’s the same 1,300 sqm venue that has hosted The Art of Banksy and the Portals sci-fi experience since opening in 2025.

Exhibition hours are 10am to 8pm daily, with last entry at 7pm. Given the 55-minute run time and the no-re-entry rule, a 7pm slot is cutting it fine if you want time in the merch shop.

Season 3 lands right in the middle of the run

The timing here is not an accident. Season 3 premieres in October 2026 for its first cour, with the second cour following in April 2027, and an original anime film written by Natsu Hyuuga opens in Japanese cinemas in December. The exhibition opens on 30 September — days before the new season starts.

【薬屋のひとりごと】2周年記念PV — via TOHO animation チャンネル on YouTube (Japanese)

If you’re coming in cold, both existing seasons stream on Netflix Singapore with English subtitles — the series is one of the titles Netflix licensed for select Asian territories, Singapore included, rather than the Crunchyroll-everywhere-else arrangement. One thing for parents to note: Netflix Singapore rates the series NC16, even though the exhibition sells child tickets from age 3. The show deals in poisonings and court politics; the exhibition is a set-and-artwork walkthrough. Judge the two separately.

Should you book?

At S$28 for roughly an hour, this is priced in line with the other licensed anime exhibitions that have passed through Singapore, and cheaper than most Fever Exhibition Hall headliners. The five-week window is short, it closes before the November school holidays start, and the early-bird card disappears on 30 August.

If you’ve watched Maomao poison-test her way through two seasons, the medicine cabinet alone is probably worth the ticket. We’ll update this post when the Singapore-specific zone list and merch lineup are confirmed — until then, keep an eye on our event coverage and anime and manga sections.

Manga Anime, News

Chiikawa Movie Hits Singapore Cinemas on 20 August

August 4, 2026 kindaixin

The Chiikawa movie Singapore date is finally locked in

The confirmation came straight from the official distributor. Regional distributor Medialink Films Singapore posted the Singapore key visual on its official Instagram (@medialinkfilmssg), marking the film “in cinemas 20 August” and telling fans to get ready to “head to Mermaid Island for a raid.” That lines up with what we expected — Medialink holds the Southeast Asia rights — but until now there was no date attached to it.

Worth flagging: this is a firm cinema release date, not a one-night preview or a festival screening. Singapore gets the film as a proper theatrical run, roughly four weeks after it opens in Japan.

What “The Secret of the Mermaid Island” is about

This is Chiikawa’s first-ever feature film, and it adapts the manga’s beloved long-form “Siren Arc” — the storyline where Chiikawa, Hachiware and Usagi wash up on a strange island and slowly realise not everything about the place is as cute as it looks. Creator Nagano wrote the screenplay and supervised the whole production, so this isn’t a spin-off tangent; it’s the arc fans have wanted on the big screen since it ran in the manga.

Behind the camera, the film is directed by Kei Oikawa with animation by CygamesPictures. In Japan it opened on 24 July 2026, with a simultaneous IMAX release — a first for the franchise, and a sign of how big Chiikawa has become beyond its plush-toy-and-sticker roots.

Still from the official “Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” trailer

How the release rolled out across Asia

Japan got the film first on 24 July 2026. From there it fanned out across the region through the summer — Hong Kong, Macau and Malaysia all landed in early August — with Singapore now slotting in on 20 August. If you’ve been following import chatter or trying to piece together a regional release calendar, the Singapore leg was the last major gap, and it’s now filled.

For local fans, the roughly four-week gap behind Japan is about as good as it gets for a Japanese theatrical title — no long wait, no import-only limbo, just a normal cinema run you can plan a weekend outing around.

Still from the official “Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” trailer

What we still don’t know

The date is set, but a few details aren’t public yet. There’s no confirmed list of which Singapore cinema chains will carry it, no ticket on-sale date, and no word on whether the IMAX version from the Japanese run makes it here. Japan’s release also came with early-bird gift charms for the first wave of moviegoers — whether Singapore screenings get any equivalent freebie hasn’t been announced.

Here’s what we know so far, then: 20 August, in Singapore cinemas, distributed by Medialink. We’ll update this post as ticketing and cinema details firm up. In the meantime, you can read our original breakdown of the movie for the full backstory, or browse more anime and manga coverage on the blog.

Event, Manga Anime

One Piece x MINISO Pop-Up Sails Into Suntec City

July 6, 2026 Jax

When and where to find the One Piece MINISO pop-up

The pop-up takes over the Level 1 Atrium at Suntec City (Tower 1 & 2) for the full stretch of the July school holidays, running 4–26 July 2026. Opening day kicks off at 10am and runs till 10pm, so early birds and after-work shoppers both get a shot at the shelves. Entry is free — you only pay for what you carry out.

The booth itself is a pirate-ship build, complete with a billowing sail flying the One Piece Jolly Roger and life-size standees of the crew flanking the entrance. It’s easily one of the more photogenic anime setups to land in a Singapore mall this year, so bring your phone charged.

Crowds shopping the One Piece x MINISO pop-up store under the giant sail installation — Image courtesy of MINISO

What’s on the shelves

MINISO’s One Piece line draws from the anime’s latest Egghead arc, and the global collection runs to more than 300 officially licensed items covering all ten members of the Straw Hat Crew. The Suntec pop-up carries a big slice of it, so expect everything from grab-and-go keychains to centrepiece plushies.

The headliners are the Wanted-poster cushions — Monkey D. Luffy and Trafalgar Law get their own bounty posters stitched into pillow form — alongside squishy Den Den Mushi (transponder snail) plushies, character tote bags, stainless tumblers and water bottles, printed backpacks, travel neck pillows and mouse pads. Luffy fans should hunt down the signature straw-hat bucket hat.

MINISO One Piece collection flatlay with Wanted-poster pillows, Den Den Mushi plushies, tote bags and backpacks — Image courtesy of MINISO

Collectors get their fix too: stylised chibi figurines, acrylic stands, character badges, holographic trading cards and blind boxes round out the display, plus themed stationery, socks and dining bits like chopstick sets. Chopper, Zoro and Nami all get plenty of love beyond the usual Luffy spotlight — a nice touch for fans whose favourite isn’t the captain.

MINISO One Piece figurines, Devil Fruit plush, acrylic stands, badges and holographic cards — Image courtesy of MINISO

Opening-day deals worth queuing for

MINISO is loading up day one with reasons to show up early. The first 40 shoppers who spend at least $100 on 4 July walk away with a $50-off coupon and an exclusive postcard — a strong nudge if you were already planning a big haul. Throughout the run, paying with ShopBack Pay nets you up to $8 off.

Since you’re already at Suntec, the mall’s own perks stack on top: hit the minimum spend for free or discounted parking, redeem a $5 Suntec+ e-Voucher with $150 spent, and grab mystery dining e-Vouchers with just $20 in a single transaction. It’s a genuinely easy day out to build around — browse the pop-up, then refuel nearby. Keep an eye on Suntec City’s socials for sneak peeks and any gift-with-purchase reveals as the dates get closer.

Part of a global Grand Line tour

Singapore’s stop is one leg of MINISO’s One Piece Global Pop-Up Tour, which has already docked in Hong Kong and is heading on to Thailand, Canada and the United States (New York’s first-ever One Piece pop-up opens at Tangram in Flushing on 26 July), with themed zones also rolling out across Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. For Southeast Asian fans, the Suntec run is one of the earlier and more complete stops in the region — worth catching before the popular pieces sell through.

MINISO One Piece accessories including Luffy straw hat, character socks, keychains and stickers — Image courtesy of MINISO

If your calendar’s already anime-heavy this month, the timing lines up nicely with AFA’s Creators Super Fest at Suntec Singapore (11–12 July) — an easy double-header for a single trip into town. Hunting for your next fix? Browse our other events and manga & anime coverage.

The One Piece x MINISO 2.0 pop-up runs 4–26 July 2026 at the Suntec City Level 1 Atrium. Set sail before the Wanted pillows hit “sold out.” One Piece ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation.