The Apothecary Diaries Manga, Vol. 1

2017 • 178 pages

Ratings25

Average rating4.2

After breaking a "curse" on the imperial heirs, a palace servant with training in herbal medicine is promoted up the ranks to food taster...and right into the thick of palace intrigue in this lushly illustrated period mystery series! Maomao, a young woman trained in the art of herbal medicine, is forced to work as a lowly servant in the inner palace. Though she yearns for life outside its perfumed halls, she isn't long for a life of drudgery! Using her wits to break a "curse" afflicting the imperial heirs, Maomao attracts the attentions of the handsome eunuch Jinshi and is promoted to attendant food taster. But Jinshi has other plans for the erstwhile apothecary, and soon Maomao is back to brewing potions and...solving mysteries?!

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13 primary books

The Apothecary Diaries (Nekokurage)

The Apothecary Diaries (Nekokurage) is a 13-book series with 13 primary works first released in 2017 with contributions by Natsu Hyuuga, Nekokurage, and Itsuki Nanao.

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The Apothecary Diaries Vol 13

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Ribbon

Maomao tries to keep her head down as a servant in the inner court (the emperor's booty call compound) but her education level soon becomes apparent. Her knowledge is medicine and poison is the solution to some situations but superior reasoning skills are the solution annoyingly often. I would rather the focus stay on her specialized skill set.

A hot feminine guy (assumed eunuch but suspiciously not confirmed) acts as puppet master of the inner court. He keeps flirting with Maomao and she has no interest.

Art is pretty but the concubines are pretty interchangeable. The only characters with distinct appearances are Maomao, hot fem guy, and grumpy soldier guy. Maybe the next volume will reveal why this was deemed worthy of an anime adaptation.

November 12, 2023