by The deep darkness of the seemingly glamorous palace, ‘The Pharmacist’s Monologue’, even Nekoneko turns pale at the unexpected fact that she is a ‘9-year-old mother-in-law’
The anime “The Apothecary Diaries”, which is currently being streamed all at once, is based on the light novel of the same name by Hinata Natsu. It has also been adapted into a manga in two monthly magazines, and the total number of copies of the series has exceeded 40 million.
The TV anime was broadcast for two consecutive seasons, starting in October 2023. The detective drama, featuring Nekoneko, who ends up working as a “poison taster” in the harem, and the comical exchanges between Nekoneko and Jinshi (CV: Otsuka Takeo) became popular and a hot topic. The second season of the anime began airing in January 2025.
One day at a garden party, the maids of 14-year-old Princess Riki (CV: Kino Hina) and 35-year-old Princess Ah Da (CV: Kaida Yuko) were arguing. When Nekoneko heard that Princess Riki and Princess Ah Da were in a “mother-in-law and daughter-in-law” relationship, “the wife of the previous emperor and the wife of the current emperor,” she immediately assumed that the older Princess Ah Da was the mother-in-law.
However, in reality, 14-year-old Princess Satoki was the wife of the previous emperor and thus held the position of mother-in-law to the current emperor. Princess Satoki had entered the harem at the age of 9. When Nekoneko realized her mistake after hearing the people around her say, “That’s impossible. Having nine mothers-in-law,” she turned pale and started trembling.
