{"id":5164,"date":"2026-07-07T22:20:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T14:20:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/apothecary-diaries-movie-december-2026-japan\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T22:20:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T14:20:18","slug":"apothecary-diaries-movie-december-2026-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/apothecary-diaries-movie-december-2026-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"The Apothecary Diaries Movie Opens in Japan 11 December"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Maomao is heading to the big screen. <em>Gekij\u014dban Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: B\u014dhi no Hih\u014d<\/em> \u2014 <strong>The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress&#8217; Treasure<\/strong> \u2014 opens in Japanese cinemas on <strong>11 December 2026<\/strong>, marking the first theatrical film for one of Crunchyroll&#8217;s most-watched anime franchises of recent years.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gt-video\">\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HP5wg0kTh54\" title=\"\u5287\u5834\u7248 \u85ac\u5c4b\u306e\u3072\u3068\u308a\u3054\u3068 \u4ea1\u5983\u306e\u79d8\u5b9d \u4e88\u544a\uff5c2026\u5e7412\u670811\u65e5\uff08\u91d1\uff09\u516c\u958b\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;\" allow=\"accelerometer;clipboard-write;encrypted-media;gyroscope;picture-in-picture;web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption>\u5287\u5834\u7248 \u85ac\u5c4b\u306e\u3072\u3068\u308a\u3054\u3068 \u4ea1\u5983\u306e\u79d8\u5b9d \u4e88\u544a\uff5c2026\u5e7412\u670811\u65e5\uff08\u91d1\uff09\u516c\u958b \u2014 via TOHO animation \u30c1\u30e3\u30f3\u30cd\u30eb on YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Maomao&#8217;s Next Case: Treasure, Pirates, and an Imperial Secret<\/h2>\n<p>The film sends Maomao and Jinshi far outside the palace on a grim errand: escort the remains of a concubine \u2014 dead five years \u2014 back to her homeland. The mission turns dangerous fast. They encounter pirates, hidden treasure, and a mysterious boy named Mu Qing who holds the key to the dead woman&#8217;s secrets. It is a self-contained story set between the events of Seasons 2 and 3, corresponding roughly to volume 4.5 of the original light novel series.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/apothecary-diaries-movie-maomao-jinshi-cards.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The Apothecary Diaries Movie character visuals \u2014 Maomao and Jinshi\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of Toho Animation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>New Character, Familiar Voices<\/h2>\n<p>The main cast returns: Aoi Y\u016bki reprises Maomao and Takeo \u014ctsuka is back as Jinshi. The film&#8217;s new face is Mu Qing, voiced by Mariya Ise \u2014 whose extensive CV includes Killua in <em>Hunter x Hunter<\/em>, Ray in <em>The Promised Neverland<\/em>, and Himeno in <em>Chainsaw Man<\/em>. Mu Qing is the mysterious boy at the centre of the film&#8217;s mystery, and his connection to the deceased consort is the thread Maomao has to unravel.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/apothecary-diaries-movie-mu-qing-mariya-ise.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Mu Qing character visual and voice actress Mariya Ise for The Apothecary Diaries Movie\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of Toho Animation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>An Original Story, Written by the Author Herself<\/h2>\n<p>The screenplay is a fully original work by Hy\u016bganatsu, the author of the <em>Apothecary Diaries<\/em> light novels \u2014 not an adaptation of an existing arc, but a story she describes as &#8220;more like the first draft of the novel.&#8221; Production is by the same team at Toho Animation STUDIO and OLM who built the television series. With <strong>Season 3 Part 1<\/strong> confirmed for October 2026 and Part 2 in April 2027 \u2014 both expected on Crunchyroll \u2014 the film slots into the gap and gives fans an extra chapter while they wait for the next arc.<\/p>\n<h2>Japan Premiere on 11 December \u2014 International Window TBA<\/h2>\n<p>The premiere is Japan-only for now, with no international theatrical or streaming date announced. Both previous seasons of <em>The Apothecary Diaries<\/em> were available on Crunchyroll in Singapore, so a streaming release overseas is plausible \u2014 though Toho Animation has not set a timeline. For now, Season 3 Part 1 on Crunchyroll this October is the next guaranteed fix for Singapore fans. Stay tuned for updates as they come, and browse our <a href=\"\/blog\/category\/manga-anime\/\">anime and manga coverage<\/a> for more on what is streaming this season.<\/p>\n<p><!--GT-SCOUT source=\"Web (English)\" theme=\"Anime\" flags=\"none\"--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Empress&#8217; Treasure opens in Japan on 11 December 2026. Here&#8217;s what Singapore anime fans need to know about Maomao&#8217;s big-screen debut.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":5161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[25],"tags":[82,574,66,576,575],"class_list":["post-5164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manga-anime","tag-anime-movie","tag-apothecary-diaries","tag-crunchyroll","tag-maomao","tag-toho-animation"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/apothecary-diaries-movie-poster-2026.jpg?fit=1696%2C2400&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p13AlF-1li","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4756,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/apothecary-diaries-movie-december-11-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":5164,"position":0},"title":"The Apothecary Diaries Movie Opens December 11 \u2014 Original Story and First Trailer Revealed","date":"July 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Apothecary Diaries gets its first theatrical film on December 11, 2026 \u2014 an original story by Natsu Hyuga with Maomao and Jinshi heading south to a water city mystery.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/apothecary-diaries-movie-key-visual.jpg?fit=640%2C906&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7937,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/apothecary-diaries-season-3-october-2-yorushika-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":5164,"position":1},"title":"The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Opens 2 October \u2014 Yorushika Sings the New OP","date":"August 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 premieres 2 October 2026 on Crunchyroll, with Yorushika on OP duty and new character Bai Niangn\u00edang joining the imperial intrigue.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/apoth-s3-key-visual.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7721,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/apothecary-diaries-exhibition-singapore\/","url_meta":{"origin":5164,"position":2},"title":"The Apothecary Diaries Exhibition Opens in Singapore Sept 30","date":"August 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Apothecary Diaries Exhibition Singapore runs 30 Sept to 1 Nov 2026 at Fever Exhibition Hall. Tickets from S$28, with an early-bird bonus card before 30 August.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Event&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/e7fdad54-8bdf-11f1-b270-faabe4798e8c.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3220,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/my-hero-academia-final-season-crowned-anime-of-the-year-at-the-2026-crunchyroll-anime-awards\/","url_meta":{"origin":5164,"position":3},"title":"My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON Crowned Anime of the Year at the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards","date":"May 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"After a record-shattering 73 million votes from fans around the world, Crunchyroll has named My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON the Anime of the Year at the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The top honour was revealed in Tokyo on 23 May, and in a fitting moment for anime's biggest night, it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mha-final-season-anime-of-the-year-2026.png?fit=624%2C351&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5083,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/jurassic-shadows-anime-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":5164,"position":4},"title":"Jurassic Shadows Anime Revealed at Anime Expo 2026","date":"July 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Dinosaurs and ninjas collide in Jurassic Shadows, a bold original anime from The Apothecary Diaries director Norihiro Naganuma, unveiled at AX 2026.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jurassic-shadows-key-visual.jpg?fit=849%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8327,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/matsurika-kanriden-main-trailer-kana-boon-2027\/","url_meta":{"origin":5164,"position":5},"title":"Matsurika Kanriden Gets Its First Main Trailer \u2014 KANA-BOON Sings the Opening","date":"August 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The imperial court drama that manga fans have been waiting on just got its grandest reveal yet. The TV anime adaptation of Matsurika Kanriden (\u8309\u8389\u82b1\u5b98\u540f\u4f20) dropped its first full main promotional video on 21 August 2026, and it comes loaded with atmosphere, palace intrigue, and a freshly announced opening theme\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/matsurika-kanriden-character-portrait.png?fit=848%2C1199&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5164"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}