One of the most creative light novels in recent history has gotten a huge boost from its anime adaptation. Anime’s primary role has always been to advertise the material being adapted. The anime realization ofThe Apothecary Diarieshas receivedno shortage of praise, and its immense popularity has seen both its manga and light novel sales follow suit.
It’s unsurprising thatThe Apothecary Diarieswould catch on. The series occupies a nigh-inimitable niche, deftly weaving together elements of romance, mystery, and drama. Bringing the series to a wider audience has drawn huge amounts of attention to the series, letting it develop a ride-or-die fan-base. Now,the annual Oricon rankingshave given an idea of just how much of a helping hand the series received.
Oricon Rankings Show The Apothecary Diaries Taking Top Spot In Light Novel Sales
The Apothecary Diaries Welcomes A New Record As It Soars To The Top
The past few years have been big forThe Apothecary Diaries. The series was in the top 5 in 2021 and 2023, earning 496,626 and 462,833 sales respectively. However, 2024 saw light novels sales skyrocket, withThe Apothecary Diariesselling a whopping 1,350,491 copies—hundreds of thousands of copies more than the runner-up,Haikyuu!!, at 800,574.
Its manga adaptation has also seen a huge upshot,ranking at 4th place for 2024 with 4,723,562 copies sold. The lift is no doubt the result of the massive success ofThe Apothecary Diaries' anime adaptation licensed by Crunchyroll and produced by Toho Animation Studio and OLM.While the series has been popular for years, the anime does something for the premise that makes it work spectacularly.
Crunchyroll’s Anime Makes The Apothecary Diaries Habit-Forming
The Series Is Already Amazing, But The Anime Takes It To The Next Level
The episodic nature ofThe Apothecary Diaries, especially early on, works spectacularly well in the form of a television series. A fitting analogy: the format’s ability to condense one-off stories from dozens of pages into a 30-minute experience is a little like how a medication works faster when it’s put straight into the blood, rather than being processed by the stomach and liver first. As an anime,The Apothecary Diariespenetrates the blood-brain barrier faster than ever, in satisfying bite-sized episodic doses. Its story creeps into the viewers, and when the anime’s over, they crave more.
It helps that the anime adaptation is pretty much flawless, executing the manga and light novel with an eye for beauty and a patient hand for detail. While fans are waiting impatiently forseason 2 ofThe Apothecary Diaries, the manga and light novel have taken its place—and with both still actively releasing, the trend will only continue further. After all,The Apothecary Diarieshas such a unique premise that it scratches an itch nothing else can—for this medicine, there is no substitute or generic.
Source: Oricon (2022light novel rankings via Erzat;2023and2024light novel rankings via @Jo_suke/X;2024manga rankings via @WSJ_ manga/X)
The Apothecary Diaries
Cast
The Apothecary Diaries follows Maomao, sold from her peaceful life to serve in the emperor’s palace. Her unique talents emerge when she solves a medical crisis involving the imperial heirs, attracting the attention of Jinshi, a palace official, and launching her into the complex world of palace intrigue and mysteries.
