REVIEW: ‘The Apothecary Diaries’ Season 3 Episode 1 – “Locusts”

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 1 wastes no time in getting down to business. Here is the world, the protagonists, and the new, looming threat that faces Maomao, Jinshi, and, this time, the entire country. Based on the original light novels written by Natsu Hyuuga and illustrated by Touko Shino, the series has always operated in a dense story and expansive world. Based on the Season 3 premiere, that rich and expected complexity remains. 

It doesn’t, however, make for an incredible individual episode. Instead, The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 1 is a great set up station as we get reacclimated with the characters, their worlds, and the specific dynamics between them following the emotional and political fallout of Season 2. There’s narrative momentum, but it’s subtle. The comedy is muted, and there’s a somber note to the story as we await the newest mystery while the story introduces new supporting characters. 

Split between the red light district where Maomao (Aoi Yūki) now lives with Chou-u (Natsumi Fujiwara), one of the children who nearly died in Season 2, and Jinshi (Takeo Ōtsuka) in the rear palace, the story shows the shakeup of the events with the Shi clan and the nebulous state of security they’re all living in. Any slight error, any misfortune, will fall on the Emperor and the decision to attack the Shi clan. All of which makes the signs of potential financial ruin and bad crops all the more stressful. 

“Locusts” introduces a new mystery but operates mainly as a setup. 

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 1 is both a catch-up and a preview of what’s to come. Gyokuyou is now Empress, and her son is the new crown prince. Jinshi’s true identity as Ka Zuigetsu, the Emperor’s younger brother, is out in the open after leading the rebellion as the Imperial Brother, not the eunuch he was seen as before. Chou-u can’t recall all of his memories while working with Maomao, but he has glimpses of them, a result of his near death. 

But it all comes down to the locusts at the center of the story. Or, rather, the grasshoppers. It’s that foreboding cloud of disruption that threatens the peace. It’s not full-blown yet, but the threat is clear. First, from Chou-u’s drawings, that signify the difference between “good” locusts versus the “bad” hollow ones. Then, from a former member of the Shi clan guard who, while eating locusts, notices a surplus of grasshoppers.

He can tell the difference by taste. Where locusts are edible, grasshoppers taste bad because of their hollow interior. And, to have too many of them can signal the start of a locust plague which can devastate crops. It doesn’t happen in the premiere, but it feels imminent, especially with the stakes facing the Imperial Court as Jinshi steels himself for the changing tides. 

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 1 is best as a piece of a puzzle.

The smaller character beats work better than the overarching table dressing. The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 1 reminds us of just how much was lost at the end of Season 2 while reestablishing the real threads of this world. While “Locusts” deploys a lot of comedy in the scenes between Maomao and Chou-u’s sibling dynamic, it also reveals one of the more sobering moments. Maomao reminds Chou-u that while they live a comfortable enough life, there are people in this area of their world that would kill a child for money. 

Meanwhile, Jinshi wears the mark of his actions on his face. While we don’t spend as much time with him, it’s interesting just how much emphasis is put on his scar. For all of his beauty, he now has a physical reminder of what it cost to save Maomao and attack the Shi clan. A visualization of what he was willing to lay on the line in his act of defiance. 

Jinshi has always been an interesting character, and he and Maomao have a wonderfully layered relationship. But he only grows more interesting as time goes on and that perfectly curated mask he wore in Season 1 continues to crumble. If masks were such a big part of the visuals in Season 2, then Season 3 opens on at least one character whose unmasking reveals a richer, flawed person underneath. 

The artistic flourishes remain a standout in the Season 3 premiere.

The art style that relishes in opulent scenery and opposing colors remains a highlight, along with the score that blends together traditional music with more modern, sweeping notes. While it still sometimes defaults too heavily on chibi-style character beats for easy, visual humor, the overall effect feels epic in scale. A massive story with the necessary amount of flourish to support it. 

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 1 works even if it’s not emotionally effective. By laying out the major potential threat and using the mystery elements of the story to propel it forward, “Locusts” is a strong setup even if it struggles to be purely entertaining. As is the case for the series as a whole, it suggests a story that is just beginning to unravel, with Maomao herself pulling on the string. 

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 1 is out now on Crunchyroll.