POpular light novel The Apothecary diaries has already made a successful jump to manga and anime, but now the final frontier has been crossed as Prime Video announced a live-action adaptation to air in 2028 during their "Prime Video Presents Tokyo" where the actress set to play the role, Mana Ashido, expressed her excitement.
The actress revealed that she was always a fan of the light novels by Natsu Hyuga and feels a lot of pressure knowing that she would be playing a character from a book she loved. The passion of the rest of the creative team has given her the confidence to take up the mantle of Maomao. Even so, it was difficult for her to control her emotions as a fan.
We can understand her excitement - with Maomao being both highly knowledgeable of herb lore, quick-witted and capable in the heightened political setting she finds herself in, it's a role that require a great deal of subtlety and range to pull off convincingly.
Mana Ashida rose to stardom after appearing in the television drama Mother, and the youngest lead star in Japanese drama history when she starred in Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien. She has also made a splash in films with Confessions and Bunny Drop.
The live-action will require a great deal of skill to pull off, given the ornate setting of the palace harem, but the production team seem confident they can recreate the lush atmosphere of the original books.
It's gratifying that Hyuga approves of the production, even though she wasn't sure it could work in a different art form. However, much like Eiichiro Oda's declaration of satisfaction with the choice of as Inaki Goday as Monkey D Luffy, apparently Hyuga has stated that after meeting the actress, she was essentially "Maomao". Who are we to argue?
Hyuga has also overseen the production and paid special attention to props, settings, script and even the way in which characters walk, to accurately recreate the world in which Maomao lives.
The series is due for release in 2028 on Amazon Prime. Fingers crossed that the series can convey the intrigue, mystery and romance of the original.
