The Apothecary Diaries has released a beautiful new illustration featuring Maomao and Jinshi enjoying a peaceful moment together beneath a vast blue sky.
The June 2026 artwork is themed around white clover and serves as the final entry in the anime’s long-running seasonal visual project, Maomao and Jinshi’s Journey Through the Four Seasons.
In the illustration, Maomao holds several white clover flowers while teaching Jinshi how to weave them into a flower crown. The scene offers a rare moment of calm for two characters whose lives are usually dominated by palace politics, hidden identities, dangerous investigations and feelings neither of them finds easy to express.
The release brings the project to an end after two years of monthly illustrations inspired by seasonal flowers, plants, fruits and other natural elements.
Maomao Teaches Jinshi How to Make a Flower Crown
The final visual places Maomao and Jinshi in an open field filled with white clover.
Maomao appears comfortable handling the flowers and demonstrates how their stems can be woven together. Jinshi watches her closely while attempting to create a flower crown of his own.
The interaction feels natural for both characters. Maomao possesses extensive knowledge of plants, medicinal ingredients and the practical uses of materials found in nature. Jinshi, despite his education and refined public image, has lived a carefully controlled life and may not have experienced many simple activities outside the expectations placed upon him.
The illustration therefore allows Maomao to become the teacher while Jinshi accepts the unfamiliar position of following her instructions.
Their expressions and body language avoid exaggerated romance, but the quiet closeness between them gives the scene an unmistakably intimate atmosphere.
White Clover Is the Theme of the June Visual
The plant selected for June is white clover, known in Japanese as shirotsumekusa.
White clover commonly grows in fields, gardens and open grassy areas. Its flexible stems make it especially suitable for weaving small crowns and decorative chains.
Unlike the rare medicines, dangerous poisons and carefully cultivated flowers that frequently attract Maomao’s attention, white clover is simple and widely available.
That simplicity helps distinguish the illustration from the political and medical mysteries surrounding the characters. Nothing dangerous appears to be hidden among the flowers, and neither Maomao nor Jinshi is performing an official duty.
For a brief moment, they are simply two people spending time together.
The Illustration Concludes a Two-Year Project
Maomao and Jinshi’s Journey Through the Four Seasons began in July 2024.
A new illustration was released on the 22nd day of each month, a date promoted as “Maomao Day” because the Japanese pronunciation creates a playful association with the protagonist’s name.
Every visual combined one or more characters from the anime with a flower, plant, fruit or seasonal element appropriate for that month.
The project continued through an initial year of illustrations before beginning a second chapter in July 2025.
The white clover artwork released in June 2026 is the twenty-fourth and final monthly visual, completing two full journeys through the seasons.
The Final Artwork Returns the Focus to Maomao and Jinshi
The decision to conclude the project with Maomao and Jinshi gives the final illustration additional significance.
The two characters stand at the center of The Apothecary Diaries, but their relationship develops through investigations, misunderstandings and indirect acts of concern rather than straightforward romantic declarations.
Maomao is fascinated by medicine, poison and unusual physical conditions. She generally attempts to avoid becoming emotionally involved in palace affairs, even when curiosity repeatedly draws her into them.
Jinshi is admired throughout the rear palace for his extraordinary beauty and apparently perfect behavior. Beneath that carefully maintained image, however, he carries responsibilities and secrets that leave him isolated.
Maomao’s refusal to react to his appearance in the expected way initially frustrates him. Over time, that unusual honesty becomes one of the reasons he trusts and values her.
A Rare Peaceful Moment for the Central Pair
Most of Maomao and Jinshi’s interactions are connected to work.
Jinshi brings her strange illnesses, suspicious deaths and problems that powerful people would prefer to keep hidden. Maomao may complain about becoming involved, but the promise of an unusual poison or medical mystery usually captures her attention.
Their professional connection gradually becomes more personal. Jinshi seeks opportunities to remain near her, while Maomao becomes increasingly aware that his identity and position are more complicated than they first appeared.
The white clover visual removes those external pressures. There is no official request, medical emergency or political audience watching them.
The result is a small but meaningful image of companionship, allowing their relationship to be expressed through shared time rather than dramatic dialogue.
Maomao’s Knowledge Extends Beyond Medicine
Maomao’s ability to make a flower crown fits naturally with her upbringing and practical intelligence.
She was raised in the pleasure district by her adoptive father Luomen, a skilled physician who taught her about medicines, herbs, illnesses and the effects of different substances on the human body.
Her childhood gave her experience with plants far beyond what most palace attendants possess.
She does not view flowers only as decorative objects. A plant may possess medicinal value, contain a dangerous toxin, indicate a seasonal change or reveal something about the environment where it grows.
In the new visual, however, Maomao uses her familiarity with plants for a harmless and almost playful activity.
Jinshi Experiences an Ordinary Pleasure
Jinshi’s participation makes the scene especially charming because ordinary experiences are not always available to him.
His position requires him to maintain an elegant public identity while carefully concealing personal information that could create political danger.
People around him frequently respond to his beauty, authority or perceived status rather than treating him naturally.
Maomao is different. She can be suspicious, dismissive and even visibly uncomfortable when Jinshi attempts to charm her.
Her behavior frustrates him, but it also gives him something rare: interaction with someone who does not automatically provide the reaction he expects.
Learning to make a flower crown under Maomao’s guidance offers Jinshi a brief escape from ceremonial expectations and political responsibility.
The Seasonal Illustrations Expanded the Anime’s World
The monthly visual project gave many members of the supporting cast an opportunity to appear outside the main storyline.
Some illustrations paired Maomao with close friends or people connected to the Verdigris House, while others highlighted palace officials, members of the La clan and characters whose relationships became important during the second season.
The artwork often imagined quiet moments that could exist between major incidents.
These scenes did not necessarily reveal new canonical plot developments, but they reinforced the personalities and relationships established by the anime.
By connecting each image to a seasonal plant, the project also reflected Maomao’s interest in the natural world and the series’ frequent use of flowers, medicines and agricultural knowledge.
The Second Chapter Began in July 2025
After the original twelve-month cycle concluded, the anime launched a second chapter of the seasonal project in July 2025.
The new cycle began with bellflowers and continued introducing different combinations of characters and plants every month.
Later entries used summer vegetables, persimmons, sweet osmanthus, ginkgo leaves, mandarin oranges, camellias, butterbur sprouts, Yulan magnolias, peonies and Japanese irises.
The June 2026 white clover image completes that second cycle and returns to a gentle interaction between the anime’s two principal characters.
The June Visual’s Production Staff
The final seasonal illustration was created by members of the anime’s visual production team.
- Key illustration: Mo Zihang
- Animation supervision: Yukiko Nakatani
- Color design: Nanako Okazaki
- Finishing: Aiko Mizuno
- Background art: Hai Yen and Akane Iwasaki
- Photography and special effects: Atsushi Takeyama
The expansive blue sky and white flowers create a bright visual atmosphere, while the relatively simple composition keeps attention on Maomao and Jinshi’s interaction.
Official Wallpapers Are Available
The anime’s official website has released desktop and smartphone wallpapers using the new white clover illustration.
The wallpapers allow fans to preserve the final visual after the conclusion of the monthly project.
Previous seasonal images were similarly used as promotional artwork and downloadable backgrounds, helping the project become a recurring event for fans on the 22nd of every month.
A Promotional Giveaway Celebrates the Final Visual
A Japanese social-media campaign was also launched alongside the artwork.
Fans who follow the anime’s official account and repost the designated campaign message can enter a drawing for a visual card featuring Maomao, Jinshi and the white clover field.
Five winners will receive the card.
The campaign serves as a final celebration of a visual series that remained active throughout two years of anime broadcasts, sequel announcements and expanding international popularity.
A New Official LINE Mini App Has Launched
The seasonal illustration was not the only Apothecary Diaries update released on June 22.
The anime’s official Japanese LINE account launched a limited mini application called Help Maomao! Maomao’s Herbal Notebook.
Users can complete missions involving quizzes and video viewing to collect herbs.
Those herbs can then be exchanged for digital rewards, with additional requests and prizes planned for future updates.
The activity reflects Maomao’s work as an apothecary and turns her knowledge of medicinal plants into an interactive promotional experience.
The Apothecary Diaries Special Event Takes Place in August
The franchise is also preparing for its first major anime event, titled The Apothecary Diaries Special Event: Summer Garden Party 2026.
The event will be held on August 15, 2026, at the National Convention Hall of Pacifico Yokohama.
Two performances are scheduled, with an afternoon session beginning at 2:00 p.m. and an evening session beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The announced participants include several principal Japanese cast members:
- Aoi Yuki as Maomao
- Takeo Otsuka as Jinshi
- Katsuyuki Konishi as Gaoshun
- Atsumi Tanezaki as Lady Gyokuyo
- Asami Seto as Shisui and Loulan
- Misaki Kuno as Xiaolan
- Tatsumaru Tachibana as Basen
- Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Lahan
Insert-song performers Yuiko Ohara and Rimu Miyake are also scheduled to appear.
Season 3 Begins in October 2026
The end of the seasonal visual project does not represent the end of the anime.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 will begin airing in Japan in October 2026.
The season will use a split-cour format. Its first cour will premiere in October 2026, while the second is scheduled to begin in April 2027.
- Season 3 Cour 1: October 2026
- Season 3 Cour 2: April 2027
- Japanese broadcaster: Nippon TV network
- Director: Akinori Fudesaka
- Animation production: OLM
Aoi Yuki and Takeo Otsuka will continue leading the Japanese cast as Maomao and Jinshi.
An exact October premiere date, episode count and theme-song lineup have not yet been announced.
Season 3 Has a New Director
Akinori Fudesaka will direct the third season after serving as assistant director on the earlier anime.
Norihiro Naganuma directed the first two seasons and handled series composition, establishing the adaptation’s combination of palace mystery, medical investigation, restrained comedy and character drama.
Fudesaka’s promotion provides continuity because he has already been closely involved with the anime’s production.
OLM will continue producing the television series.
An Original Anime Movie Arrives in December 2026
The franchise will also release its first theatrical anime movie in December 2026.
The film will feature a completely original story created by light novel author Hyuganatsu.
Norihiro Naganuma will direct the movie after leading the first and second television seasons.
The theatrical story is therefore not being presented as a simple compilation of previously broadcast episodes.
A specific December release date, full synopsis and supporting cast have not yet been revealed.
The Franchise Has a Busy Schedule Ahead
The Apothecary Diaries will have an unusually active period beginning in late 2026.
Season 3 Cour 1 begins in October, followed by the original movie in December. The television story will then return with Cour 2 in April 2027.
The schedule gives fans three major releases within approximately seven months.
It has not yet been clarified whether the movie’s story will directly affect the events of Season 3 or function as a separate adventure within the anime continuity.
What Is The Apothecary Diaries About?
The Apothecary Diaries follows Maomao, a young woman raised in the pleasure district by an experienced physician.
After being kidnapped and sold into service at the imperial palace, she attempts to complete her duties quietly and avoid attracting attention.
Her plans change when she investigates a mysterious illness affecting the emperor’s children.
Jinshi, a beautiful and influential palace official, recognizes her medical knowledge and arranges for her to become a food taster for Lady Gyokuyo.
Maomao’s new position exposes her to poisons, political schemes, suspicious illnesses and secrets connecting the inner and outer courts.
Although she repeatedly claims that she wants a quiet life, her curiosity makes it almost impossible to ignore an unusual medical mystery.
Maomao and Jinshi’s Relationship Drives the Story
Maomao and Jinshi possess very different personalities and social positions.
Jinshi is accustomed to people becoming overwhelmed by his appearance, while Maomao responds to his attempts at charm with suspicion or visible discomfort.
He initially finds her indifference entertaining and begins giving her increasingly difficult investigations.
Their relationship deepens as Maomao proves that she can be trusted with information others would use for political advantage.
Jinshi gradually develops feelings he cannot easily express, partly because his true identity and responsibilities prevent him from pursuing an ordinary relationship.
Maomao remains more interested in medicine than romance, but her actions repeatedly demonstrate that Jinshi’s safety and emotional state matter to her.
The White Clover Visual Reflects Their Slow-Burning Romance
The new illustration captures the appeal of their relationship without forcing an openly romantic scene.
Maomao is not embracing Jinshi or reacting dramatically to his presence. She is teaching him how to do something practical.
Jinshi, meanwhile, appears satisfied simply to receive her attention and share the activity.
That understated interaction fits a romance defined by gestures, interruptions and feelings hidden beneath conversations about work.
The flower crown may be temporary, but the time spent creating it represents a closeness that neither character could have imagined when Maomao first entered palace service.
Based on the Light Novels by Hyuganatsu
The Apothecary Diaries is based on the light novel series written by Hyuganatsu and illustrated by Touko Shino.
The story began as a web novel before receiving a commercial publication through Hero Bunko.
Its combination of historical mystery, medicine, palace drama and slow-building romance developed a large readership before the television anime premiered.
The franchise has also received two separate manga adaptations, each presenting the story with its own visual approach.
The Anime’s Main Japanese Cast
- Aoi Yuki as Maomao
- Takeo Otsuka as Jinshi
- Katsuyuki Konishi as Gaoshun
- Atsumi Tanezaki as Lady Gyokuyo
- Yui Ishikawa as Lady Lihua
- Hina Kino as Lady Lishu
- Yuko Kaida as Lady Ah-Duo
- Asami Seto as Shisui and Loulan
- Misaki Kuno as Xiaolan
- Hiroshi Yanaka as Luomen
- Takuya Kirimoto as Lakan
- Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Lahan
- Tatsumaru Tachibana as Basen
Final Thoughts
The Apothecary Diaries has concluded its two-year seasonal illustration project with a white clover visual featuring Maomao and Jinshi.
The artwork shows Maomao teaching Jinshi how to weave a flower crown beneath a clear blue sky, capturing a rare peaceful moment between the central characters.
The visual is the final entry in Maomao and Jinshi’s Journey Through the Four Seasons, which delivered a new plant-themed illustration on the 22nd day of every month beginning in July 2024.
Official desktop and smartphone wallpapers have been released, while a Japanese giveaway gives five fans the opportunity to receive a card featuring the final illustration.
The franchise is also preparing for its Summer Garden Party event on August 15, Season 3 Cour 1 in October 2026, an original anime movie in December 2026 and Season 3 Cour 2 in April 2027.
Although the monthly visual series has reached its end, Maomao and Jinshi’s story is entering one of its busiest periods yet, with new palace mysteries, political dangers and emotional developments waiting across both television and cinema.
