Mana Ashida’s 5 Best Roles to Watch Before ‘The Apothecary Diaries’

Mana Ashida has been acting since she was a child, and she has already taken on many different kinds of roles. From emotional dramas to big Hollywood movies, she has shown that she can handle both quiet and demanding characters.

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Now, Ashida is preparing for one of her most interesting roles yet. She will play Maomao in the live-action adaptation of The Apothecary Diaries, which is set to arrive on Prime Video in 2028. Before that happens, these five roles show why she could be a great fit for the clever palace pharmacist.

1 Mother Remains One of Ashida’s Most Powerful Performances

Mother was one of the roles that turned Mana Ashida into a major child star. She was only five when she played Reina Michiki, a young girl living through terrible abuse. The role was emotionally heavy, but Ashida never made her performance feel forced.

What stands out most is how much she could show without saying much. A small look or change in her expression could tell the audience what Reina was feeling. That skill could be very useful as Maomao. Throughout the anime, Maomao often keeps her emotions hidden while quietly watching everything around her. Ashida’s performance in Mother shows that she already understands this kind of subtle acting.

2 The Greatest Teacher Brings Out Her More Mature Side

Ashida showed a more mature side of her acting in The Greatest Teacher. She played Kanau Ugumori, a quiet student whose troubled life becomes an important part of the story. Instead of making Kanau overly dramatic, Ashida gives the character a calm and guarded personality.

This feels close to Maomao in an interesting way. Maomao is also someone who watches first and speaks later. During the early palace story, she notices small details that other characters completely miss. Whether it is a strange illness or a possible poisoning, her sharp eyes are often her biggest strength. Ashida’s quiet performance as Kanau suggests she can bring that same watchful quality to Maomao.

3 BL Metamorphosis Proves Ashida Can Make Quiet Roles Shine

BL Metamorphosis gives Ashida a much lighter role. She plays Urara Sayama, a shy high school girl who loves Boys’ Love manga. Her hobby brings her closer to an older woman, creating an unusual but sweet friendship.

The role is especially interesting because Urara has a passion that she does not always show openly. Maomao has something similar. She can seem completely uninterested in normal palace life, but mention herbs, medicine, or poison and her personality suddenly changes. In the early episodes of The Apothecary Diaries, her curiosity about poison often becomes almost funny. Ashida’s work as Urara shows that she can play a quiet character while still making her unusual interests feel lively and believable.

4 Pacific Rim Gave Ashida Her Memorable Hollywood Debut

Ashida also appeared in Guillermo del Toro‘s Pacific Rim as young Mako Mori. Her screen time is limited, but the scene is one of the film’s most memorable moments. Young Mako runs through a destroyed Tokyo while trying to escape a Kaiju attack.

There is not much dialogue to depend on here. Ashida mainly uses her face and body language to show Mako’s fear. That is an important skill for The Apothecary Diaries because Maomao will face plenty of dangerous situations. From poison and murder attempts to the secrets of the Inner Palace, the story can quickly move from comedy to serious danger. Ashida’s performance in Pacific Rim shows that she can make those tense moments work through simple physical acting.

5 Bunny Drop Highlights Her Natural Charm and Deadpan Humor

Bunny Drop is one of the best roles for seeing Ashida’s natural charm. She plays Rin Kaga, a six-year-old girl who ends up being raised by her adult relative Daikichi, played by Kenichi Matsuyama.

Rin is sweet, but she is also surprisingly independent. Ashida gives her a calm and sometimes deadpan personality, which makes many of her scenes naturally funny. That side of her acting could work extremely well as Maomao. Jinshi may be one of the most beautiful men in the palace, but Maomao is rarely impressed. Her blank reactions to his attention are part of what makes their relationship so entertaining, especially during the early Inner Palace story.

Now the big question: Which Mana Ashida role are you most excited to watch before The Apothecary Diaries? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.