The second cour of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 kicked off today with the release of Episode 13 (Episode 37 overall), titled Baths, and following its broadcast in Japan, the official YouTube channel of TOHO Animation has released the creditless videos for the new opening and ending theme songs for Cour 2. The second opening theme song for Season 2 is titled Kusushiki performed by the Japanese rock band Mrs. GREEN APPLE.
As the official website of the anime revealed, Mrs. GREEN APPLE vocalist Motoki Ohmori expressed how they are honored to work on an anime series so beloved in Japan and globally. Their upbeat song was inspired by Japanese word "shi" which means "medicine", and also translates to something wonderful and mysterious. Mrs. GREEN APPLE challenged themselves to incorporate the oriental sounds of The Apothecary Diaries into their instruments and melody.
According to him, the lyrics were written with the idea that love can transcend life and can remain the same even in the next on. Mrs. GREEN Apple's new song is now available to stream on various platforms.
As for the Cour 2 ending theme song, its title is Hitorigoto, and it's performed by the Japanese band Omoinotake. The ending theme song is on the softer side, reminding us of the emotional story of The Apothecary Diaries. Watch the creditless video for the 2nd ending theme song below:
On the anime's official website, Omoinotake's comments revealed how the ending is an important scene in The Apothecary Diaries. They went on to express how they wanted to create a hopeful song that's suitable to the various emotions of every anime episode, like a "soliloquy" that will sound different as audiences follow the story. The new ending theme song is also now available to stream on multiple platforms.
TOHO Animation and OLM studios returned to produce the second cour of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2. Norihiro Naganuma, who directed the first season, is directing Season 2 with the same main staff, which includes Akimi Fudesaka as a director, and Wataru Nakagawa as assistant director, and Yukiko Nakatani as the character designer. The talented trio of Kevin Penkin, Arisa Okehazama, and Satoru Kosaki are in charge of the anime's music.
What is The Apothecary Diaries about?
The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) anime is based on the mystery romance light novel series written by Natsu Hyuga and illustrated by Toko Shino. Since 2011, the drama series has been serialized on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website before it was acquired by Shufunotomo, who initially published it as a novel with a single volume in 2012 and then as a light novel series in 2014.
The series also received a couple of manga adaptations in 2017: one published by Shogakukan in Monthly Sunday Gene-X, and the other published by Square Enix in Monthly Big Gangan. J-Novel Club licensed the light novel series digitally in North America, and Square Enix licensed it in print. Square Enix also licensed the manga illustrated by Nekokurage.
Crunchyroll's description of The Apothecary Diaries reads:
Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she’s sold as a lowly servant to the emperor’s palace. But she wasn’t meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she’s making a name for herself solving medical mysteries!
The first episode of the second cour of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 is now streaming on Crunchyroll. For the latest information about the second cour of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, check out the official website of the anime.
