Season 2 to Season 3: Jinshi's Appearance After the Injury Draws Reactions of "Oh No!" and "That Beautiful Face" in The Apothecary Diaries Episode 49

Episode 49 of the anime The Apothecary Diaries aired on October 2 (broadcasting in sequence). Jinshi, voiced by Takeo Otsuka, was shown after the injury to his face in Season 2, and viewers were shocked.

In Episode 49, "Locusts," the first episode of Season 3, the paper that Loulan (voiced by Asami Seto), also known as "Shisui," entrusted to Jinshi at the end described signs of a disaster about to strike the country, and Jinshi was troubled by it. When Jinshi, who had shared the omen with Gaoshun (voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi), touched the area around his cheek, the scar Loulan had given him in Season 2 was still clearly visible on his face.

As Jinshi's scar remained, viewers on social media expressed their surprise with comments such as "It doesn't go away...!?", "That beautiful face," "Will it never heal?" and "The scar on his cheek is still there, oh no!"

The Apothecary Diaries is an anime based on the light novel of the same name by Hyuganatsu. It became a major hit, with popular elements including the mystery-solving led by Maomao (voiced by Aoi Yuki), who comes to work as a poison taster in the rear palace, and the comical exchanges between Maomao and Jinshi. The TV anime Season 3 is scheduled to air in two split cours, starting in October 2026 and April 2027, and the series' first theatrical film is also set for release on December 11, 2026.

■Episode 49, "Locusts"
With the aftermath of the Shi clan's rebellion settled, Maomao, relieved of her post as poison taster in the rear palace, had gone back to her life as an apothecary in the pleasure district. Meanwhile, Jinshi, who had made his status as the emperor's younger brother public, formally took part in governing and was troubled by the "sign of a disaster about to strike the country" that Loulan had entrusted to him at the end.
One morning, Maomao and Chou-u were served simmered locusts for breakfast by the Madam of Verdigris House, and after taking a bite, Chou-u started to say something that had caught their attention...

(C)Hyuganatsu, Imagica Infos/"The Apothecary Diaries"Project