Lead: The new Apothecary Diaries film trailer finally lets fans hear Kenshi Yonezu’s theme song “Haru ga Tomori” ahead of the movie’s December 11 opening in Japan.
What happened
On Thursday, October 22, the official website for The Apothecary Diaries: The Late Lady’s Treasure (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Bōhi no Hihō) released a fresh trailer alongside a new main visual and a character relationship chart. The trailer is the first to carry the theme song, “Haru ga Tomori” (roughly “Spring Is Aglow”), written and performed by Kenshi Yonezu. Only short snippets of the track play over film footage, and the video is currently Japanese-only on YouTube.
The same update filled out the guest cast. According to Anime News Network, Mariya Ise voices Mu Qing, a son of the Bi clan; Nobuo Tobita plays clan head Birō, Kumiko Watanabe plays his wife Shūu, and Hirofumi Nojima plays eldest son Bisen. Kenshō Ono is river pirate leader Suija, with Ryōta Takeuchi as his subordinate Eishō and Jirō Saitō as the late former pirate chief Kaja. Miyuki Sawashiro plays Ruoqing, a courtesan of the inner palace who died five years earlier and asked for her remains to be returned home, while Ai Mikami plays her former lady-in-waiting Yinshan. ANN notes several of these romanizations are not yet confirmed.
Original author Hyuganatsu is also writing two tie-ins. A novelization of the film, which reportedly includes material cut from the movie, goes on sale December 9. Separately, a short epilogue story about Maomao and Jinshi, “Kiro no Himawari,” will be printed in 1.5 million booklets handed out at participating Japanese theaters from opening day while stocks last. On TV, NTV’s Kinyō Roadshow block will air a special compilation of the second half of season two on December 11, with about four minutes of new footage that bridges into the film. Earlier special editions of the TV series start streaming in Japan on October 31.
Why the Apothecary Diaries film trailer matters
Booking Kenshi Yonezu is a statement. He is one of Japan’s biggest pop stars, and his recent anime themes, including “Iris Out” for the Chainsaw Man movie, have tended to travel far beyond the core anime audience. Pairing him with Maomao’s first theatrical outing tells you the production committee sees this as an event release, not a quick cash-in between TV seasons.
The timing is also unusually tight. Season three is airing right now on NTV’s Friday Anime Night block, the film lands on the same day as the Kinyō Roadshow special, and Gust’s game The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother is slated for February 2027, per Siliconera. Few franchises get a TV run, a movie, a novel, and a console game inside roughly five months. For international viewers, the big question is how long the wait after Japan will be.
The new cast list also hints at the film’s shape: a Bi clan household, a river pirate crew, and a dead courtesan’s final wish suggest a mystery that pulls Maomao well outside the palace walls she usually works in.
What we know vs what is rumored
- Confirmed: the film opens in Japan on December 11, 2026, and the new trailer debuts the Kenshi Yonezu theme “Haru ga Tomori.”
- Confirmed: the novelization releases December 9, and opening-day theater booklets carry a new Hyuganatsu epilogue story.
- Confirmed: Crunchyroll holds North American and worldwide rights outside Asia (India included), announced earlier this month; it will set release dates with Sony Pictures later.
- Unconfirmed: any overseas release date, and whether the full theme song gets a standalone release before the film opens.
- Note: outlets differ on small details. Siliconera renders the title as “The Late Lady’s Treasures” and the author as Natsu Hyuuga, while ANN uses “The Late Lady’s Treasure” and Hyuganatsu; several cast romanizations are also provisional.
What happens next
Next up are the special TV editions streaming in Japan from October 31, then the novel on December 9 and the theatrical opening plus Kinyō Roadshow broadcast on December 11. Season three’s second cours follows in April 2027. Watch Crunchyroll’s newsroom for the international schedule; we will update when Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures announce dates.
Sources: Anime News Network — The Apothecary Diaries Film’s New Trailer Unveils Kenshi Yonezu’s Theme Song · Siliconera — Kenshi Yonezu Sings The Apothecary Diaries Movie Theme Song · Anime News Network — Crunchyroll Acquires The Apothecary Diaries Anime Film