@AISLE_GHOUL2026-01-14 19:00 UTC
Cried during The Apothecary Diaries. Mostly at the ticket price.
“Even the credits needed a rewrite.”
— THE DEVIL TOMATO
ADVERTISEMENTReserved space
2023 · Animation / Drama / Mystery
The Apothecary Diaries
BURN INDEX · PLATFORM AVG
LOCKED14%
COMMUNITY LEDGER · 0 ROASTS REGISTERED
SALT SHAKER · PLATFORM AVG
LOCKED20%
COMMUNITY LEDGER · 0 SALT SHAKES LOGGED
TOTAL LEDGER ENTRIES FOR THIS TITLE · 0 · LIVE
— WHERE TO WATCH
🔥 The Devil Tomato is sniffing out streaming services…
ICE COLD · STRUCTURALLY PERFECT
ICE COLD · 0–20%
Masterfully crafted. Un-roastable.
CERTIFIED COOKED · 71–100%
An absolute cinematic disaster.
Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she's sold as a lowly servant to the emperor's palace. But she wasn't meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she's making a name for herself solving medical mysteries!
— THE CRITIC'S ROAST
💀 APPLYING THIRD-DEGREE BURNS…
— AUDIENCE VERDICT TAGS · LIVE10 TAGS
— THE DOSSIER
RELEASE DATE
2023
RUNTIME
—
GENRE
Animation / Drama / Mystery
PLOT SUMMARY
Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she's sold as a lowly servant to the emperor's palace. But she wasn't meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she's making a name for herself solving medical mysteries!
STARRING CAST
Cast information unavailable.
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Public Roast Feed
@POPCORN_CRITIC2026-01-22 11:00 UTC
The Apothecary Diaries is 90 minutes of merch-tie-in with a story bolted on as a legal afterthought.
@CREDITS_FLEE2026-01-26 01:00 UTC
If whispered monologues were currency, The Apothecary Diaries would settle the national debt.
@RATIO_RAT2026-01-12 15:00 UTC
The Apothecary Diaries confuses "subtle" with "the cast forgot to act".
— QUICK ANSWERS
People also ask
Why is The Apothecary Diaries rated highly on Roasted Tomatoes?+
The Apothecary Diaries (2023) is praised with a low burn score on Roasted Tomatoes with a Burn Index of 14/100. Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she's sold as a lowly servant to the emperor's palace. But she wasn't meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she…
What streaming era or audience vibe does The Apothecary Diaries fit best?+
The Apothecary Diaries works best as a recent streaming-era watch for animation fans. With a Burn Index of 14/100, pair it with viewers who can handle that heat level.
Is The Apothecary Diaries worth watching according to Roasted Tomatoes?+
The Apothecary Diaries scores 14/100 Burn — Roasted Tomatoes recommends it as a confident watch.
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Unfiltered Reddit Outrage
Simulated r/movies discussion threads · curated commentary timeline.
r/boxoffice · u/JumpCutJunkie🔥 1.8k points
Hot Take: The Apothecary Diaries's third act ruined what could have been a masterpiece
Just got out of The Apothecary Diaries and I'm convinced critics are being paid in residuals. Two genuinely good scenes do not make a film. Convince me otherwise.
💬 1,553 COMMENTS·SIMULATED THREAD
r/criticalkino · u/FrameByFrameFred🔥 3.4k points
[Serious Discussion] Is anyone else completely checked out by the pacing in The Apothecary Diaries?
Honestly, The Apothecary Diaries would be a tight 95-minute movie. Instead we got a bloated runtime padded with B-roll and lingering shots that add nothing.
💬 672 COMMENTS·SIMULATED THREAD
r/flicks · u/JumpCutJunkie🔥 1.3k points
Why does no one talk about how mid the writing in The Apothecary Diaries actually is?
Rewatched The Apothecary Diaries last night and noticed even more plot holes than the first time. The motivations don't track at all once you stop and think about act two.
💬 133 COMMENTS·SIMULATED THREAD
r/movies · u/PopcornPhilosopher🔥 0.9k points
The cinematography in The Apothecary Diaries is doing all the heavy lifting and it shows
Director clearly thought The Apothecary Diaries was deeper than it is. There's a difference between ambiguous and unfinished, and this leans hard into the second.
💬 477 COMMENTS·SIMULATED THREAD