A special program for the TV anime “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” (also known as “The Apothecary Diaries”), titled “Kyuuchuu Inokori Danshikai SP” (Imperial Palace Stay-Behind Boys’ Gathering SP), was broadcast on ABEMA on May 16th. The program featured four cast members: Ootsuka Takeo, who plays Jinshi; Konishi Katsuyuki, who plays Gaoshun; Tachibana Tatsumaru, who plays Basen; and Toyonaga Toshiyuki, who plays Rahan. This was the series’ first special program in a “boys’ gathering” format, where the cast members delved into the anime’s appeal, looking back on the second season.
Featuring the Cast
Here are the talented voice actors who participated in this special “Boys’ Gathering”:
| Cast Member (Japanese Name Order) | Character |
|---|---|
| Ootsuka Takeo | Jinshi |
| Konishi Katsuyuki | Gaoshun |
| Tachibana Tatsumaru | Basen |
| Toyonaga Toshiyuki | Rahan |
Before recording, the cast reportedly even discussed going with a “boys’ school vibe,” and the boys’ gathering kicked off in super high spirits right from the start. Toyonaga Toshiyuki, who plays Rahan and only appeared from Episode 42 (which had just aired), happily shared, “Even though I’ve only appeared in one episode in terms of the anime broadcast, I was featured a bit in the opening sequence, and it seems I’ve already been getting reactions from viewers,” expressing his delight.
Reflecting on the Story and Characters
The program included a segment looking back at “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” so far. Seeing a character relationship chart displayed on the screen, Konishi Katsuyuki commented, “It’s grown so much! It was a bit simpler in the first season, right?” showing a sense of nostalgia from his perspective, having been part of the story since the beginning.
Ootsuka Takeo mentioned, “Until now, Jinshi was a mysterious eunuch, but finally the words ‘Imperial Cousin Geishu, Hwa Chu-li’ have appeared,” referring to Jinshi’s revealed position. He also added a comment that piqued curiosity about Rahan’s future involvement with Maomao, noting, “Since Rakan is Rahan’s adoptive father, that means Rahan is also related to Maomao, doesn’t it?”
Tachibana Tatsumaru and Toyonaga Toshiyuki, participating in the special program for the first time, spoke about the characters they play with clear affection. Tachibana Tatsumaru described Basen as “earnest and inflexible, but deep down, he’s a really good guy.” He also added that it was “really fun” showing the father-son moments like “Getting a knuckle chop from Gaoshun-papa.” Konishi Katsuyuki, who plays Gaoshun, affectionately chimed in about Basen, “He’s a clumsy kid,” and “He’s a kid who tries his best, so please look favorably on him,” leading to a heartwarming conversation unique to the two actors portraying father and son.
Toyonaga Toshiyuki revealed that Rahan was initially explained to him as “a pervert who is good with numbers,” which he found to be quite a shocking description. He also mentioned that he was influenced by Kirimoto Takuya, who plays Rakan, saying, “Watching Kirimoto-san’s approach on set, I tried to incorporate some of that feeling as well while acting,” suggesting he aimed to capture some of Rakan’s distinctive traits in his portrayal of Rahan.
ABEMA Comment Ranking & Fan Reactions
Next up was the “ABEMA Comment Ranking” corner. The official ABEMA Anime Channel X account is currently releasing the top 3 scenes with the most comments for each episode, and this segment looked back at the top-ranked scene from various episodes in a ranking format. The four cast members readily agreed with the viewers’ comments, saying things like, “The comment sense is great,” and “It just shows that everyone is curious about the same things,” finding common ground with the audience’s reactions.
However, they were also surprised by some unexpected outcomes. For instance, the heartwarming scene in Episode 39 where Maomao lets the eunuchs taste the finished ice cream ranked higher than the shocking scene in Episode 40 where the revived Suirei reunites with Maomao. Tachibana Tatsumaru analyzed this phenomenon, suggesting, “Maybe people were so engrossed in the serious scenes that they couldn’t type comments,” which everyone agreed with. The corner wrapped up with the intense and popular scenes in the cave featuring Maomao and Jinshi, which took both first and second place, causing a huge stir among the cast, much like a boys’ school, with shouts of “So close!!” and passionate exclamations like “Ahhh! They hugged!”
Maomao Can’t Be the Only One Who Knows! Kyuuchuu Inokori Group Grading Battle!
The final segment was titled “Maomao Can’t Be the Only One Who Knows! Kyuuchuu Inokori Group Grading Battle!” The premise was that even without Maomao, the expert poison taster, the “stay-behind group” should be able to distinguish different tastes. So, they played a game where they had to identify which was the ordinary item and which was the high-class one for various food and drink themes. The sight of the four cast members lined up wearing eye masks adorned with adorable illustrations of Maomao and Jinshi was quite surreal and amusing as the tasting began.
In the first round, “Mushrooms,” Ootsuka Takeo and Toyonaga Toshiyuki chose B, while Konishi Katsuyuki and Tachibana Tatsumaru chose A, splitting the answers down the middle. Tachibana Tatsumaru brilliantly guessed correctly by reasoning, “It tasted like something I hadn’t really eaten before. It I haven’t eaten it, maybe it’s high-class?” using a clever bit of reverse psychology. In the second round, “Honey,” everyone agreed it was obvious which was which and all four chose A, resulting in another correct answer for everyone. In the final round, “Water,” only Ootsuka Takeo chose B, predicting, “I haven’t really drunk something like this before, so maybe it’s expensive?” In contrast, the three who chose A gave opinions like “It was easy to drink” and “I could taste something.” However, the correct answer was B, making Ootsuka Takeo the sole winner of that challenging round. In the end, Ootsuka Takeo, Konishi Katsuyuki, and Tachibana Tatsumaru all earned 2 points, making them the winners, excluding Toyonaga Toshiyuki.
Wrapping Up the Special Program
At the end of the program, each cast member shared a heartfelt message for the viewers. Toyonaga Toshiyuki encouraged viewers, “From here on, the story will develop into deeper territory, so I hope you’ll look forward to seeing how Rahan-kun navigates things, as well as the overall progression.” Tachibana Tatsumaru added, “The story will become more serious in the latter half. You’ll get to see sides of the characters you haven’t seen before, and there are still characters who haven’t appeared yet, so please look forward to it intensely.” Konishi Katsuyuki invited viewers to participate actively, “Everyone, please try writing comments too! When the story progresses, I hope we can do a project like this again and see everyone’s comments.” Ootsuka Takeo concluded the event by looking back on the special program and ahead to the anime, “We’re already past the halfway point of the second cour of Season 2, and I’m sure everyone is curious about what happens next. Please leave lots of comments on ABEMA. Then maybe we can have another comment ranking!” With these hopeful words, the first-ever “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” boys’ gathering came to a spirited close.
“Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” Season 2 is currently airing, with the latest episodes exclusively and simultaneously broadcast on ABEMA every Thursday at 24:00 JST, with a 3-day exclusive head start before other platforms. The special program “Kyuuchuu Inokori Danshikai SP” is archived on ABEMA for one year and can be watched from the program page linked below.
Program Details: “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” Kyuuchuu Inokori Danshikai SP
Broadcast Date/Time: May 16th (Friday) 23:00 – 24:00 JST
Program URL: https://abema.tv/video/episode/218-804_s1_p1
Cast (Honorifics Omitted): Ootsuka Takeo (Jinshi), Konishi Katsuyuki (Gaoshun), Tachibana Tatsumaru (Basen), Toyonaga Toshiyuki (Rahan) / MC: Okuhama Leila
(C)Hyuuga Natsu・Imagica Infos／”Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” Production Committee
Authored by: ABEMA TIMES
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