What a bombshell! The popular light novel series “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries)” has just surpassed the incredible figure of 40 million copies in circulation. With this issue it becomes the second best-selling light novel in historyonly behind “Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime), which has 45 million according to its most recent report.
The boom of “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” is no coincidence. Its anime adaptation has been a true phenomenon and has boosted sales of the novel like a rocket. Before the first season premiered in October-2023, the series had 24 million copies sold. A month later, there were already 27 million, and when the season ended in March 2024, the figure had already risen to 33 million. By September-2024, it reached 38 million, and with the second season underway since January-2025, it has broken the 40 million barrier.
With this figure, the franchise has left behind heavyweights like “Toaru Series” (31 million)“Sword Art Online” (30 million) and “Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei” (25 million). Right now, only “Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken” is ahead with 45 million, but if the series continues at this pace, it would not be strange if it ends up being crowned the best-selling in all of history.
Now, with the second season airing and attracting more and more people's attention, “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” continues to break it. Will he be the one who ends up taking that crown of so many years from Rimuru Tempest? Or will the slime end up pulling a few million more copies out of the bag to secure its spot?
Source: Mantan Web
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