Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Finale in 2 Episodes! Yuuki Aoi, Ootsuka Takeo, Seto Asami, Nazuka Kaori Appear on Climax Special “Witness the Destination of Resolve”

A special program just before the climax of the TV anime Kusuriya no Hitorigoto was streamed on June 20, 2025. An official report summarizing the cast’s talk segment has been released.

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is based on the novel by Hyuuga Natsu. It tells the story of Maomao, a girl who becomes a “poison taster” in the rear palace and solves difficult cases using her knowledge of poisons and medicine.

The TV anime aired for two consecutive cours starting in October 2023. The second season began airing for two consecutive cours in January 2025 and is currently ongoing. With only two episodes remaining, the “Anime Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Climax Just Before Special Program” was streamed on June 20. Yuuki Aoi, who plays Maomao, Ootsuka Takeo, who plays Jinshi, Seto Asami, who plays Shisui/Rouran, and Nazuka Kaori, who plays Suirei, appeared on the program and engaged in a talk segment, looking back at the second season and delving into the anime’s charm.

During the program, information about the Blu-ray Vol. 4 release commemoration event was also announced. It is scheduled to be held at animate hall BLACK on December 14, featuring appearances by Yuuki Aoi and Ootsuka Takeo.

Special Program Report

The ABEMA special program, titled “Climax Just Before Special Program,” featured Yuuki Aoi, Ootsuka Takeo, Seto Asami, and Nazuka Kaori. Seto-san and Nazuka-san made their first appearance on a Kusuriya no Hitorigoto special. Seto-san commented, “Introducing myself as Shisui/Rouran is quite nerve-wracking. I appeared in the first season, but I wasn’t credited as Rouran-hi, so I’m happy I can finally say it!” Nazuka-san also expressed her joy, saying, “I’m glad to have this opportunity to look back on ‘Kusuriya’ together with everyone, as I haven’t had the chance to talk about it with you all like this before.”

The program began with a segment reviewing the relationships between characters by comparing the relationship charts from the previous special program at episode 42 and the latest episode 46. “Not only about Shisui/Rouran, but also things from the time of the former emperor are connecting. It feels like all the final pieces have finally fallen into place,” Yuuki-san commented.

Next, the segment moved to “Kusuriya Staff Selected! 8 Keywords to Enjoy the Climax,” where the cast shared their thoughts while watching clips of various scenes based on keywords selected by the anime staff. When the theme “Malice Lurking in the Rear Palace” highlighted the ghost story scene from episode 40, Yuuki-san noted, “There’s an anime-specific effect where the drawings become more detailed depending on how good the ghost storyteller is.” Nazuka-san also commented on the production’s ingenuity, saying, “The close-ups on the mouths are very impressive. While there’s acting conveyed through the eyes, it’s amazing how many different expressions are shown through the mouth alone.”

When the keyword “Rouran and Suirei” was selected, the clip shown was of Rouran-hi immediately after entering the court. The cast exclaimed, “Even the gesture of throwing away the hair ornament depicts her personality,” and “If you watch it thinking it’s Shisui, she looks like Shisui!” They were amazed at how foreshadowing was already scattered throughout the earlier episodes, which is now apparent having seen up to episode 46. Looking back at the first season, Seto-san said, “It felt like I was starting to build the character of Shisui to get to Rouran,” and Nazuka-san added, “I tried not to stand out, to just feel like I was always there somehow. During recording, I was careful not to leave too strong of an impression,” sharing anecdotes unique to their characters’ positions.

Here, the program moved into a break time segment, “Everyone’s Perception of Maomao? Kusuriya Cast’s ito.” Ito is a board game where you express numbers with words and arrange them in ascending order. The theme for this session was “Things Maomao would be happy to receive.” Early on, Yuuki-san dropped the word “Goo,” which everyone agreed was clearly a high number. Following her, Ootsuka-san mumbled sadly, “Jinshi’s kanzashi. Considering Maomao’s past behavior…” hinting at a low score. Seto-san and Nazuka-san also announced items related to the series: “Jasmine flower tea” and “A cheap kanzashi from around town.” Their order turned out to be perfectly correct. The game was a great success thanks to the cast’s deep understanding of Maomao’s character.

Returning to the 8 Keywords segment, when “Jinshi’s Resolve” was chosen, Ootsuka-san commented, “He’s a character with many faces; how much he shows and which side he shows changes depending on who he’s with.” Yuuki-san exclaimed, “He became so manly to help Maomao! But Maomao didn’t see this part, did she? (laughs)” While saying that, she also discussed the relationship between Maomao and Jinshi, explaining, “Maomao probably doesn’t want to be swayed by Jinshi’s human-like aspects, so she keeps a certain distance, but she acknowledges his work ethic.” At this point, the Season 2 final visual depicting Jinshi’s resolve was revealed to the cast for the first time. The female cast members squealed, “Wow! He’s so cool!!” and “Thank you for the ponytail!” Ootsuka-san, who plays Jinshi, commented, “The strength of will is evident in his expression, something not seen in previous visuals, making him look even more beautiful.”

Regarding the next keyword, “Shisui’s Resolve,” Seto-san expressed her joy upon watching the broadcast, saying, “It was a scene where the pauses were very important, and I worked on nuances like breathing and nasal sounds. I was so happy they picked up those sounds and included them.” Nazuka-san praised Yuuki-san, saying, “It was a performance that only Aoi-chan, who has built up the character of Maomao to this extent, could deliver,” referring to Maomao’s conflict of wanting to stop Shisui as a friend but also respecting Shisui’s own will. The cast also enthusiastically discussed other keywords not mentioned in this report, so be sure to check out the archive!

As the special program drew to a close, the announcements segment began. Along with information about the Season 2 Blu-ray, the release commemoration event featuring Yuuki-san and Ootsuka-san was announced! Additionally, collaboration food items from the Universal Studios Japan collaboration event “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Mystery Walk ~Investigate the Mysterious Medicine~,” starting on July 1st (Tuesday), arrived and were tasted by the cast. They enjoyed discussing their impressions of the collaboration food items, such as “Maomao’s Colorful Sudachi Cold Noodles Combo” and “Maomao’s Strawberry Almond Tofu with Yellow Peach,” which were packed with elements from the series.

At the end of the program, the cast members sent messages to the viewers. Nazuka-san said, “This made me look forward to the upcoming episodes even more. Of course, I’m excited about Maomao and Jinshi’s developments, and Shisui is also working hard, so I hope everyone will watch until the end.” Seto-san commented, “After recording finished, I felt a sense of accomplishment mixed with loneliness, so I was happy to look back with the cast while watching the footage. There are only two episodes left, but I hope you won’t miss the end.” Ootsuka-san added, “It made me want to rewatch the anime. Also, I hope everyone will watch episodes 47 and 48 to see where everyone’s resolve leads.” Finally, Yuuki-san looked back on the special, saying, “During recording, we would seriously face our roles while acting, and during breaks, we would excitedly talk about the series. It was a truly happy time where we could have deep discussions about the work in an atmosphere that reminded me of those times. This is a work made with great care, so please witness the story’s climax with your own eyes.” With her words expressing anticipation for the climax, the special program concluded.

Image Gallery

Special Program Details

Blu-ray Event Details

(C) Hyuuga Natsu・Imagica Infos／”Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” Production Committee

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