Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries)

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: The Pharmacist's Monologue, Drugstore Soliloquy

Japanese: 薬屋のひとりごと

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Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 24

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Oct 22, 2023 to Mar 24, 2024

Premiered: Fall 2023

Broadcast: Sundays at 01:05 (JST)

Producers: Dentsu, Square Enix, Nippon Television Network, TOHO animation, Shogakukan, Imagica Infos

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: OLM, TOHO animation STUDIO

Source: Light novel

Genres: Drama, Mystery

Themes: Historical, Medical

Duration: 22 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 8.92¹ (scored by 179,837 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #18²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #603

Members: 385,030

Favorites: 9,831

Available At

Official Site

@kusuriya_PR

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ANN

Streaming Platforms

Crunchyroll

Netflix

8.92

Ranked #18Popularity #603Members 385,030

Fall 2023TVOLM, TOHO animation STUDIO

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Episodes: /24

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Synopsis

Maomao, an apothecary's daughter, has been plucked from her peaceful life and sold to the lowest echelons of the imperial court. Now merely a maid, Maomao settles into her new mundane life and hides her extensive knowledge of medicine in order to avoid any unwanted attention.

Not long after Maomao's arrival, the emperor's infant children inexplicably begin to experience grave symptoms—almost as if a curse has been cast. The curious Maomao easily solves the mystery and, to remain out of the limelight, attempts to leave an anonymous tip. Unfortunately, the dashing and perceptive eunuch Jinshi sees through it and manages to single her out.

In recognition of her talent, Maomao is promoted to lady-in-waiting for the emperor's favorite concubine, Gyokuyou. As Maomao continues to remedy the numerous ailments afflicting the imperial court, her pharmaceutical expertise quickly proves indispensable.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto was released on Blu-ray in four volumes from January 24, 2024, to July 17, 2024.

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
Other:	Maomao no Hitorigoto
Sequel:	Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 2nd Season

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Maomao

Main

Yuuki, Aoi
Japanese

Jinshi

Main

Ootsuka, Takeo
Japanese

Gyokuyou

Supporting

Tanezaki, Atsumi
Japanese

Kan, Lakan

Supporting

Kirimoto, Takuya
Japanese

Gaoshun

Supporting

Konishi, Katsuyuki
Japanese

Meimei

Supporting

Han, Megumi
Japanese

Lihua

Supporting

Ishikawa, Yui
Japanese

Loulan

Supporting

Ah-Duo

Supporting

Kaida, Yuuko
Japanese

Lishu

Supporting

Kino, Hina
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Morishita, Katsuji

Producer

Hirahara, Yuito

Producer

Hishiyama, Mitsuteru

Producer

Mutou, Hiroshi

Producer

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Opening Theme

	1: "Hana ni Natte (花になって)" by Ryokuoushoku Shakai (緑黄色社会) (eps 1-12)
	2: "Ambivalent (アンビバレント)" by Uru (eps 13-24)

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Ending Theme

	1: "Aikotoba (アイコトバ)" by AiNA THE END (アイナ・ジ・エンド) (eps 1-12)
	2: "Ai wa Kusuri (愛は薬)" by wacci (eps 13-24)

Reviews

Apr 29, 2024

TaifSux

Recommended

Adapting light novels to other forms of media, such as anime, has always been a challenge due to the descriptive nature of the storytelling. This is evident in the fact that there are very few examples of successful light novel adaptations. Animes like Studio Shaft's Monogatari, Ufotable's Garden of Sinners, A.C.G.T's Kino's Journey, and the recently trending Jobless Reincarnation are among the few successful adaptations. My today's subject of review is Apothecary Diaries, which may show the same qualities as Monogatari or Garden of Sinners, but is definitely a shining example of a successful light novel adaptation.

The tale starts with a particularly unique and refreshing ... concept and in a very minimalist manner. Maomao, an ordinary, impulsive, yet curious and incredibly brilliant girl, is our story's central character. As she grew up with her apothecary father, she developed an immense fascination for poisons, herbs and other drugs and, as a result, attained great mastery in that field. One day, Parenthetically, on her way home, she got kidnapped and lodged at that period's Chinese inner palace. Eventually, by slowly getting entangled with a myriad of political and encircling mysteries, her story come the story of the Apothecary Diaries begins. Among the ensemble of all characters throughout the entire screenplay, her character serves as the pivotal driving force of the story. The excellent amalgamation of exceptional character design with sincerely done characterization renders her an easily likeable character; her eccentric personality and interactions with surroundings and other characters ensure the screenplay with an engaging viewing experience in the span of 24 episodes. Notable among other characters was Jinsi, the overseer of all the decisions that take place in the palace. His and Maomao's playful relationship provided me with some great entertainment this anime had to offer. As described, I found Maomao's character to be enjoyable for the majority of the time, but her dominating the entire screen time and overshadowing other characters was a lingering issue, which at times caused me frustration because there were some characters with good prospects but they remained underutilized.

As a content that focuses on mystery, the atmosphere is the most vital element to me for immersing in its world. Luckily, Apothecary Diaries excels in this aspect, providing a captivating and immersive experience. One of the most appealing aspects of its ambience was its detailed and natural depiction of that Era, which adds a layer of realism and authenticity to the story. The show illustrates the brothels of that period without shying away from the sensitive topics. Moreover, it vividly showcases the lifestyle of womens of that time and boldly incorporates many sensitive cultural and customary practices of the inner palace. With these, the mysterious events that unfold throughout the series are presented with a combination of soft colour palettes and slightly eerie music. All these things created a very memorable and captivating ambience, which was the primary element that kept me engaged with the show.

The purpose of a well-constructed atmosphere and a compelling main character with a lovable personality is only truly fulfilled when the core story is good. Apothecary Diaries succeeds in this regard for the most part. As the anime narrates its story primarily through short tales due to its episodic nature, it's natural for me to not enjoy every one of those tales. There were a few episodes that didn't meet my standards. However, the way the author connected the plotlines and characters introduced previously to construct a well-organized storyline in the grand scheme of things is applaudable. I am really looking forward to seeing its future for what it unfolds. It's frank to assume that the future seasons are going to appear with bigger surprises to uncover and thicker conspiracies to unfold.

Throughout my review, I predominantly praised the show for its noteworthy qualities, which it undoubtedly possesses. However, when it comes to my personal feelings, my expectation from the anime was to show a bit more ambitious nature. But anyway, It has an immense potential to deliver an unforgettable narrative in the upcoming seasons.

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Gift

Mar 30, 2024

JackHallowz

Mixed Feelings

Positive:
The show's the theme(clothes, building design,...), art (aesthetic characters) and sound design are on point
The plot is coherent, good pace, well connected from the beginning to the end.

Negative:
The characters are not well-written. Every single side-character in the show is just there to support the main character. They exist to create problems and ONLY main character seems to have ability to solve it.
The flaws of main character have no or little impact on her surrounding. For example: Despite being an unattractive girl she still gets the most attention from the most attractive male in the show and there's no punishment for her being unattractive. So ...

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Apr 10, 2024

Legolaspt

Not Recommended

Funny

Kusuriya has a solid start, but it loses itself halfway through, when both character development and plot progression come to a halt.

The show has some elements of a historical drama and of romance, but it focuses mostly on the genre of mystery. Regarding drama and romance: the show is not great, as the personality of the protagonist doesn't suit the genres well, because she is content by just being left alone and she is quite unemotional as well (both genres prefer emotional protagonists who want to have strong connections), and this has the effect that the show lacks a bit in both stakes and hooks ...

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Recent News

'Kusuriya no Hitorigoto' Second Season Announced

The 24th and final episode of the Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) television anime announced a second season on Sunday, revealing a teaser visual (pi...read more

Mar 23, 10:53 AM by Nioxys | Discuss (19 comments)

'Kusuriya no Hitorigoto' Unveils Additional Pair of Cast, Theme Songs, Promo for Second Cours

The official website of the Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) television anime unveiled two additional cast, theme songs, and a promotional video for i...read more

Dec 25, 2023 8:48 AM by Hyperion_PS | Discuss (5 comments)

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Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Episode 24 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Mar 23	248 replies	by ManaMan242 »» 7 hours ago
DON'T REALLY LIKE THIS SHIP ( 1 2 ) Royalty459 - Jan 6	51 replies	by Prishachbadra004 »» Apr 29, 10:15 PM
Poll: Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Episode 19 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Feb 17	240 replies	by Incognonymous »» Apr 28, 4:24 AM
Poll: Is The Apothecary Diaries popular in China ? KingSunWukong - Apr 21	11 replies	by GuyWithoutFear »» Apr 26, 8:13 AM
I came to realize that Maomao is Gregory House Gaming_Moment - Apr 23	11 replies	by Zarutaku »» Apr 25, 5:32 AM

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

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Maomao

Jinshi

Gyokuyou

Kan, Lakan

Gaoshun

Meimei

Lihua

Loulan

Ah-Duo

Lishu

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Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

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