Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries)

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Drugstore Soliloquy

Japanese: 薬屋のひとりごと

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: Unknown

Chapters: Unknown

Status: Publishing

Published: May 25, 2017 to ?

Genres: Drama, Mystery

Themes: Historical, Medical

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Big Gangan

Authors: Hyuuga, Natsu (Story), Nekokurage (Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.60¹ (scored by 17,657 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #100²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #259

Members: 61,743

Favorites: 2,950

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8.60

Ranked #100Popularity #259Members 61,743

MangaBig GanganHyuuga, Natsu (Story), Nekokurage (Art)

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Synopsis

In a certain imperial court, it has been a few months since a 17-year-old girl known as Maomao was kidnapped and forced to work as a low-level servant at the emperor's palace. Still, she manages to retain her curious and pragmatic spirit, planning to work until her years of servitude are over. One day, however, she catches wind of the fact that the emperor's two infants have fallen gravely ill. She decides to secretly take action, drawing on her experience as a pharmacist raised in the poor red-light district.

Despite Maomao's attempts to remain anonymous, she soon catches the eye of Jinshi, an influential eunuch who recognizes her talents. Maomao soon finds herself in the emperor's inner court, where she gradually makes a name for herself by utilizing her knowledge and eccentric personality to solve various medical mysteries.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto has been published in English as The Apothecary Diaries by Square Enix since December 8, 2020. It has also been published digitally by Square Enix through Manga UP!

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Alternative version:

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

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Characters

Maomao

Main

Jinshi

Main

Gyokuyou

Supporting

Kan, Lakan

Supporting

Gaoshun

Supporting

Meimei

Supporting

Lihua

Supporting

Loulan

Supporting

Ah-Duo

Supporting

Lishu

Supporting

Reviews

Jan 22, 2024

LaCherrubs

Recommended

Preliminary (68/? eps)

«If I keep my head down and do my work, I’ll get out of here sooner or later». These were the protagonist Maomao’s famous last words, before being involved in the mysteries, crimes, poisonings and secrets of the Chinese imperial court.

‘The Apothecary diaries’ manga is so much more than what the title suggests, it is a compelling story covering multiple aspects, such as politics, strategies and romance of a fictional country, very similar to China during the Ming-era between the 14th and 17th centuries. The reader will discover a new world through the eyes of Maomao, a simple girl who unfortunately finds herself involved in ... many mysteries to unravel, despite only wanting to keep a low profile and to work undisturbed as an apothecary.
Maomao is very different from any other female lead you could ever read in a manga: she is a stoic character, rarely shaken by tricky situations thanks to her sharp resolution and quick problem-solving skills. Her strong approach to delicate situations is sometimes misunderstood as indifference by the other sensible ladies at the palace, in fact Maomao doesn’t show any emotion on her face, but this doesn’t mean that she doesn’t feel them deeply inside. In reality she is just and can’t stand ignorance and you’ll find yourself loving her fearless heart.

Talking about love…from the very first chapters she captures the attention of the beautiful eunuch Jinshi: he is a beautiful man, adored by every woman (except for Maomao), who supervises the rear palace. Despite being so different from Maomao, they share the same desire for truth and justice and they often work together to find out the culprits of every incident at the court. It is also hilarious how every time he tries to seduce the protagonist, she turns him down; in fact, her feelings only emerge when she hears someone mention medical herbs and poisons. She can be considered crazy and deranged for loving testing venoms on herself, but you can really tell the profound affection and genuine curiosity she feels about them. The dynamic between Jinsh and Maomao is comical, such as many other situations in the manga; I often find myself laughing out loud when she suggests her mad ideas and makes everyone drop their jaw.

The story has a complex plot development which is assembled like a puzzle at the end of every chapter and it’s very interesting how the pieces of the mysteries at the imperial court are put together every time by the intuitive and knowledgeable brain of our apothecary. While reading, you’ll find yourself learning a lot of interesting facts and elements about Chinese culture and about different types of venoms (which well…you never know…maybe they could be useful…). But most of all you will feel every emotion from the introspection of the protagonists: there are many touching backstories that make you realize the cruelty, pain, longing and despair of some characters and maybe you’ll sympathize with them, knowing each and everyone’s different circumstances.

I strongly recommend reading the original light novel as well: there are currently 11 volumes and right now the first 9 of them are available in English, also online in pdf and other formats. The manga adaptation is perfect down to the very last detail of the light novel, and so is the anime which accurately depicts the beautiful scenes written in the novels. The LN has gorgeous descriptions and conveys the strong emotions that every character is feeling. It does an excellent job at setting the scenes and it makes the reader discover the various mysteries along with the protagonists, by giving clues which are intriguing to follow. The books will give you a deep dive on the crimes and pitfalls of this fictional Chinese country and you’ll be sure to be immediately invested on this world; so much so that you won’t be able to bring yourself to stop reading it!

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Sep 18, 2023

whylime

Recommended

Preliminary (63/? eps)

TL;DR: MAOMAO SWEEP!!!!!!!! I just know that once the anime for this series comes out, it will be the new darling of the animanga world, and for good reason. The Apothecary Diaries is a fun mystery series with a fantastic main protagonist and intriguing court drama. Don't sleep on the Maomao sweep!!

(MAOMAO SWEEP IS REAL!!!) Okay, I'll really stop now. I have no idea where that came from. I guess the spirit of the Maomao sweep just possessed me for a moment...

L;DR:
Ttrust me, you will be on board after dipping your toes into the Apothecary Diaries. Maomao is genuinely one of the best protagonists ...

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Aug 25, 2023

berrypinklimeade

Recommended

Preliminary (23/? eps)

Upon reading the first chapter or two, I truthfully wasn't initially enticed. However, just a few chapters more and I found myself unable to stop reading. The story, the mysteries, the characters, all started to draw me in, and before I knew it, I was in love.

The characters are very lovable and well written, even the somewhat unimportant side characters. As they come and go I find myself missing the ones that didn't get a lot of screen time, or rather page time, since this is a manga. Maomao is an especially lovable protagonist, as most reviews will tell you.

This is a mystery-genre ...

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Poll: Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Chapter 72 Discussion ryzxgum - Apr 28	1 replies	by Moonshine_cookie »» Apr 28, 5:03 PM
Poll: Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Chapter 23 Discussion whitebeartigtig - Mar 28	1 replies	by Ranxomare »» Apr 10, 5:16 AM
Poll: Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Chapter 22 Discussion whitebeartigtig - Mar 28	1 replies	by Ranxomare »» Apr 10, 5:12 AM
Poll: Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Chapter 21 Discussion Hershel_Layton - Jan 11, 2019	5 replies	by Ranxomare »» Apr 10, 5:05 AM
Poll: Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Chapter 20 Discussion Hershel_Layton - Jan 1, 2019	9 replies	by Ranxomare »» Apr 9, 9:48 AM

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
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The Apothecary Diaries
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