Reviews for The Apothecary Diaries

Wow, I think we found another gem that is none of your conventional storyline with the same damn stereotypical lead characters. If I could compare this series to another, it would be Akatsuki No Yona off the bat. Although this is a seinen, I felt that it can also play off as shoujo genre as well because of its art style, and the vibe that I got from the first few chapters. I've always enjoyed historical setting in my manga so when I discovered upon this series, oh boy I was so excited. The protagonist is not just sassy, but also has a very likeablepersonality that would make the readers fall for her charms. She's a little crazy- which the author has done very well in drawing her wicked expressions during those situations. Whenever I see those, I just go "Oh shit.." and would be very taken aback. HOWEVER, she's also very smart and is very good with her words. She's sharp and can read the situation very well, which is something that I find quite refreshing.

The plot of this manga is very interesting. I don't think I've come across similar storyline and I think it has a lot of opportunities to develop. It is not your typical girl-in-palace-falls-in-love-with-a-high-ranking-official cliche and has her doctor/pharmacist background as a "side dish" to go with the story. Although I would say that I would love to see more of Maomao in her vast world of medicine and poison. If any of you have seen the K-drama "Dae Jang Geum/Jewel In The Palace", that's how I kind of want the direction of this manga to follow. Well, not exactly as the latter, but I expect for there to be more instances and situation where her skills as a doctor/pharmacist and knowledge of medicine are tested and thus, growth as a character and social status. Seeing how this is a seinen manga, I hope that the author would go in-depth as it is such a waste to just focus the story on the romance and shallow introduction of her medicine knowledge.

With that being said, if you're here because you seen this manga popping up in your recommendations or anywhere, go ahead and give it a shot! You won't regret it and in fact you'll probably thank me. I hope reading this review has encouraged you to give the manga a chance. You'll love it, so enjoy and have a nice day! ;-)

This manga is like the main character, an unusual gem that shines with a non-traditional beauty. After I got your attention, let me explain my confusing intro for this review. The story is a common, but also uncommon story, that puts a plebeian girl into the harem of the emperor as a maid. So far so common, but here the plot disperses from the common root. There are no "ugly (usually not ugly at all) duckling charms beautiful prince" shenanigans happening here, because our main heroine is not interested in any of that. Her only interest is in herbs, mushrooms, poisons, medicine and experiments including all ofthose.

Unfortunately for her, even those interests can be quite valuable in a place brimming with intrigue and assassination attempts.

Unfortunate because our main heroine planned to get out of the place by being of no use as a maid, but her interest in aforementioned things cuts her plans to escape short.

How could she resist all the unusual poisons that are being used in the scheming of the palace?

The different arcs can vary heavily, but usually circle around the mystery of the happenings at the court of the emperor and his harem and end often in our quite clever main heroine having to play detective to uncover the truth of the events that shake up the inner circle of the emperors' harem. These fascinating episodic mysteries build the core of the story, but there is always an underlying plot that never stops moving. In this quite serious plot they somehow managed to weave in even some hilarious comedic moments. These can range from character to character moments to tasteful situational comedy.

If this description of the plot direction intrigues you for only the smallest amount you are in for a treat, because now we will talk about the real strength of the manga, the characters and the art.

The characters are astonishingly varied, while also managing to avoid most clichés. All the characters in the harem are unique and bring their own strength and weaknesses with them and this includes a giant cast of maidservants, eunuchs and later even prostitutes and soldiers that all have their unique place in this story. Even the far off side characters get at least some characterization and the moment we get close to any of them the characters bloom the moment our main heroine gets in contact using her wits or observational ability.

It is simply breathtaking to see a cast of this size realized in such a detailed and thought out manner.

While the characters are great, the art is where the manga really shines.

I read quite some media in a similar vein, but they often fall into some traps, having all characters be beautiful but too similar to each other (same face syndrome) or having the characters be too perfect, but not in this manga! What the artists did here is amazing, Nekokurage not just gave all the characters beauty and differentiated them through design, but s/he somehow also managed to convey the exact feelings the characters should convey.

No character is a better example of this masterful craftsmanship than our main heroine Maomao herself. She is never meant to be the beautiful flower, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't be appealing. She has a rough beauty to herself, that can be smoothed quite a bit if necessary (with the help of her fellow maids and cosmetics), that gives her a variety of looks that never betray her core design.

The designs completely sells the appeal of the second or first concubine, without undermining the beauty of the other characters.

The art also manages to visualize the beauty that comes from the confidence that surrounds the more important members of the harem (or the top prostitutes). Even if you see a character for the first time, nobody has to tell the reader at what position this character is, the body language, self-assuredness, clothing and actions will let you know the position of the character.

This brilliance is later even abused and played with when characters dress up to go undercover as a person of lower rank. It manages to showcase how much work has to be put into a disguise to dim the aura of someone with authority and the art makes sure to still let the true authority shine through in a moment of carelessness. These brilliant moments only work because of the incredible strength of the art.

The backgrounds are not as spectacular as the character art, but they are still brimming with detail and I'm sure that quite some research went into this time period to depict the places and architecture in as satisfying a way as possible.

In conclusion, this manga is astonishingly good. The story is interesting and goes in a direction you would not expect from the classical setup, while the art and characters fill the world with tons of life. This manga is not for the action hungry, but if you have any interest in mystery, political intrigue, early pharmacy and comedy in a historic setting this manga will be one of your favorites.

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 protagonistsI've read in a hot minute, and her unique personality mixes so perfectly with the rest of the manga's cast. It's so damn fun to read, and the beautifully done art makes it all that more *chef's kiss.* There's fantastic emotional beats, comedic beats, and even romantic beats. It's overall excellent on pretty much every front you could imagine.

But most of all, the signature mysteries set within the sort of ancient China atmosphere is just plain entertaining. If you've ever wished Detective Conan was actually a historic drama where the protagonist uses medical knowledge to sniff out conspiracies within a palace, gosh do I have the thing for you!

I was truly SWEPT me off my feet.

Also, I ended up with like five wikipedia tabs open after my first time binging the series. If you ever need to know in-depth about eunuchs, foot-binding, ancient brothels, or anything adjacent to those topics... you know who to ask.

MAO MAO SWEEP!

Found another favourite and I can confidently predict this manga will blow up soon. I really enjoy how the chapters are episodic and reminiscent of detective/Agatha Christie-type narratives (in Kusuriya's case, each chapter is usually about discovering who was responsible for poisoning [insert name of imperial concubine that was poisoned]). Although this sounds repetitive, each chapter is kept interesting with new strategies the female lead uses to identify the culprit. This manga is based on a light novel and from reading a few chapters of the light novel I can say that the plot is/will be GREAT and keeps you intrigued for the whole duration of theread with it's many twists and turns. The light novel develops from an episodic structure into a more long-term narrative as it goes on which makes the story very interesting so I can only assume the manga will go through the same thing - Story 9/10

Female lead is comically matter-of-fact, quietly intelligent and shrewd. Male lead is equally as intelligent but acts as a great foil to her in his flamboyancy. They make a great match. - Characters 10/10

Art - 10/10

So clean and crisp - love the style.

Romance 10/10

It's subtle and slow to develop but it's so cute.

Definitely worth reading.

In its best moments Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is a historical royal court detective with a competent quirky girl pharmacist protag – the very sound of it is like a balm for my soul, I have waited for a plot like this for years! Unfortunately, it is still not free of side effects – one or another toxic substance is always present in the narrative and hurts the otherwise enjoyable read. The premise is perfect. A young female pharmacist from a red light district ends up by chance becoming a harem maid, and quickly gets entangled in intrigue as a willing food-tester, occasional medic, and a detectivefor "sensitive" cases. When the story opens up more, in the adaptation of the second volume of the LN, the weight shifts more towards the detective work, with our heroine being an ancient China Sherlock – brains, medical knowledge, unusual personality – and a beautiful influential eunuch whose attention she’s caught being a Watson – social knowledge, cases and resources supply. Gradually, the investigations, initially simplistic and short, become more elaborate and/or educational, a slow-burn overarching plot starts to form.

It is fun, it is relatively realistic, it makes sense. A harem would necessary have a lot of the same problems a red light district has, it is logical that a woman can shine on the female side of the forbidden city. Eunuchs are known to have influence in harems and enjoy scheming. Furthermore, it meshes perfectly with the personality of our heroine – she is painfully intelligent, eccentric to a fault, detached, cynical, not stereotypically feminine, relatively amoral, laser-focused solely on production, invention, and testing of medicine and poisons. One could suspect she is on the autistic spectrum, with herbal medicine being her obsessive interest. Her fascination with poisons is so strong it’s almost sexual. She is a natural disruptor, a fascinating character to follow and a great foil to the flowery façade of court femininity.

The art is functional – attractive, easy to digest, but nothing to write home about. The best parts are the design of the main heroine with her many meme-worthy disgruntled faces and, probably, the ornate costumes of the courtesans. The supposed androgyne celestial beauty of an eunuch doesn’t cut it by manga bishounen standards at all, hilariously, however. And the art never rises to be something special or to the levels of elaboration needed for a proper historical period piece. The style is more of a medicine than a poison nonetheless, if we look at the final diagnosis of Kusuriya no Hitorigoto.

What truly plagues this manga is romcom it greedily clings to for some reason, but can’t digest properly at all. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto may be published as seinen, but it displays a lot of romatic comedy shoujo symptoms at any given moment.

The first issue is the tonal clash, born out of the -com virus strain. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto has a lot of “comedic” excessive mannerism and chibi contortions. Sadly, it’s not something like an occasional joke, it’s constant, stalling, annoying and masturbatory. Most characters are assigned 2-3 gags and those are repeated ad nauseam: “she is so wild, lol”, “maids act like school girls, omg”, “he sulks in the corner like a baby, haha”. The self-gratifying, meta nature breaks immersion. The upbeat, silly tone takes away from more serious moments, when a character is killed, banished, or executed. Staging and the subsequent demonstrations of these scenarios waste the page space.

The uncomfortable affectation is most evident in the way multiple characters treat the male lead. According to the lore, he is a gender-transcending beauty without peer, who sways both men and women to a destructive degree. A lot of text in the manga is dedicated to jokes about creeps hitting on him or hiding him from people for mutual safety. It’s not very logical since tastes and sexual orientation exist, it’s not supported by art, as I have mentioned, and it’s overall shitty to joke about sexual harassment. The heroine treats him with disgust overall, but routinely imagines him in sexual scenarios in her head, for some reason.

Yet an even bigger threat lies in the rom- part – in the misguided love story and in the male love interest himself, somewhat separately. The love story is simply redundant: it lacks chemistry and motivation. The heroine is not interested in corporeal matters except for healing and/or poisoning, is visibly disenfranchised in romance after her childhood in the red light district. She is distrustful of men and shows extreme disdain towards the male lead. The male lead is suddenly and inexplicably infatuated with her, his feelings are initially explained as “toying”, then manifest themselves in poor shoujo fashion – control, being condescending, pushing, touching, pressuring. His boundless support from the shadows cheapens heroine's successes. Worst of all is that the inexplicable need for stereotypical romance occasionally contaminates the plot, mostly in the form of heroine being enslaved or sold used as a lighthearted story device (what’s with casual slavery and female-oriented stories? tell me, Mahoutsukai no Yome!).

The male lead is problematic as a character overall. To make him more important the author has put him so high socially that he is essentially tied to the court, and most of the action in the manga is limited to his domains, basically - confined to the palace grounds. The global plot will likely be also driven by him. To make room for it the protagonist is repeatedly barred from making any choices for herself. He is it all – handsome, tall, influential, rich, unnaturally caring towards the MC, cunning, wanted by everyone. But his social position doesn’t seem fully realistic, and, what’s especially sad for me, right from the start it’s implied that he is not what he seems, and especially no eunuch. This is a huge disappointment, because why not? What’s so scary about it in the context of an antisocial heroine with poisoning fetish? Eunuchs existed, had influence, schemed, could seek companionship, romance, even sex. Having such an unusual pair, romantically or not, in the focus would have been madly entertaining.

In the end, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto doesn’t want to fight for its ideas, I am afraid. It may have an eunuch characters, but it doesn’t want to truly study what it means physically, socially, mentally. It may have a really weird socially awkward female lead, but then she is made to show conventional gratitude and affection suddenly. The main character is introduced as unfeminine, but later they go “you look stunning when in makeup” way. The author tries to noblify its main cast as if ashamed of their servant occupation. The red light district is scary and visceral, the sober view of the main heroine on class division is striking, but Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is not consistent with castle policies, social politics or generous with historical data, sadly.

In short, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is classified on MAL as a historical seinen drama, and it is such a healing remedy indeed to an extent, but it’s also a female-oriented romance comedy placebo of poor quality. Drug tolerance varies by person, so some readers may be fine. The concentration of components varies wildly volume per volume too, so it pays off to be patient and waiting for the right moment with this manga. Personally, multiple times it seemed to me that Kusuriya no Hitorigoto had finally become what I dearly wished it to be – yet something always poisoned the impression in the end.

I would still prescribe Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, with caveats, to those interested in a detective story with medical edge in the ancient China setting, in female investigators, and maybe in court intrigue. The caveat being – don’t expect it to be high-brow or high-class too much to avoid possible disappointment. I definitely don’t recommend it to those looking for a good romance, social commentary, or historical knowledge.

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is amazing as a recipe, but the realization is dragged down by unnecessary additions. Even for a reader like me, achingly ready for its starting premise, it’s at best more of palliative sweet cough drops for a seasonal respiratory infection, than a radical cure it promised to be and maybe could have been, if it had cut off the pollutants. At its absolute worst - it's a inedible saccarine slush, you should avoid on your menu if you want to get better.

Im not really good at reviews but i want to try to convince you to read this manga. The story is very unique in it's setting but what makes this manga standout so far are the characters. I found myself several times being taken back as they went against expectations, the shining example being the main character in Maomao. She is a great example of a "strong" female protagonist done right as she strives to pursue her own interests even in a new circumstances, helping those around her. The art itself is pleasing, especially on the character closeups and it's comedic moments through the interactionsof Maomamo and those in her work circle hit well in delivery and expressions.

«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 inmany 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!

Imperial China/ Female Servant with BioChem Knowledge/ Detective/ Potentially Romance? ***Hidden Gem Alert, but I prefer the other manga adaptation!!*** {More detailed drawing/ less detailed story}-> drawing focus Minor Spoiler: Story: 10As an avid reader about history, I can definitely guarantee you that this story has actually gone through researches before writing them out. Social hierarchy, sexual differences are portrayed truthfully as those from the old Imperial days. With the background setup, the story planner needs to have decent scientific knowledge to create scenes for the main female character (Mao Mao) to act like a Conan-ish figure.

With so many elements together, each chapter (around 30-40p each) is able to transition smoothly and leave you wanting for more! Thus, an easy 10 for the effort from the novelist who help make his content adapt from novel into this manga.

Art: 9

Without a doubt, drawings of the characters’ emotions, clothing, and ornaments are on point. Background can definitely allow the me or the readers easily recognize the details of the ancient chinese decors or buildings. This version of manga is definitely slightly “more” detailed than the other manga adaptation; yet, it was the art style differences between the two adaptations that propels me to give this category an 9.

When I reflect upon the art style, it kind of reminded me of “Magi”. Because of this style, the manga is really chill and tries to potentially make readers smile or laugh. Yet, this doesn’t help generate enough of suspicion or shaky moments of “what is going to happen next” feeling for a detective-ish story. Thus, for me, this is a -1.

Other than just the style, everything is fantastic. For chapter 3, you can definitely see how much more details the mangaka put into effort of drawing the effect of the drugs on 3 maids.

Character: 10

Easily a 10 when different characters have various depths, thoughts, emotions, and motivations behind what they do through the scenes and how they grow!

Enjoyment: 9.5

I love the manga and I love the theme. I appreciate the style of this manga. -0.5 because I prefer the other adaptation. Yet, I still binged read 23 chapters in 4 hours and will definitely check out the new updates.

Overall: 9.33->9

When you are two manga adaptations from the exact same novel, one has to come out as a winner. Unfortunately, this lost so -1. ;( YETTTTTTTTTTTTT, I will not discredit the content and art of this manga. It is still extremely fantastic! :D Just not the better style~

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*For this manga, I have written two separate reviews regarding the diff between this and the other manga (https://myanimelist.net/manga/110929/Kusuriya_no_Hitorigoto__Maomao_no_Koukyuu_Nazotoki_Techou).

Both of which are based from the same novel, but their art style is pretty different and minor details are slightly diffferent as well. Some sections of the review will be exactly the same, but some won't. Read carefully for the contrast between these two and find out which you prefer!

tl:dr on bottom This manga was quite different than what I expected it to be by reading the first few chapters and looking at the artwork, in a good way. At its core, this is a detective manga set in imperial Japan or China or something. However, the thing that sets it apart from other detective series is first and foremost the main character. Plot-wise it's fairly episodic in nature, with a few chapters being devoted to a separate case that the MC has to solve, so it runs similarly to other detective series. In this case, most of the mysteries have to do with poisons andother chemicals that contribute to the illness or death of various individuals within the palace. Nothing really groundbreaking in terms of plot here though

Where this manga shines is in the characters it showcases. The MC in this manga is a headstrong young girl that generally does what she wants unless she really can't help it. She is overly passionate about what she loves, is sassy towards authority and is above all very smart and clever. Her character alone carries the majority of this manga, and it's a treat to see such an unconventional character be the lead. The only other major character is the palace official she reports to, but he is much less interesting. Their relationship is pretty funny to watch though.

The art style of this manga is also very well done, with everything being very clearly drawn except in more comedic scenes that call for simplistic drawing. Honestly nothing but praise for the artwork shown here

Overall, the manga is a great one to read, although quite short at the moment. Going with the MC to solve the cases that only she can fully understand is always exciting, and seeing her just be herself is probably the most fun part of the entire ride.

tl:dr- strong detective manga with a great female MC and beautiful art

A real hidden gem! I wish the updates were more frequent, but I've found this a fantastic read so far. The characters are very fun to see interact with each other, and the art and story have been quite compelling. From my perspective, this is also a very unique setting, taking place in China, in an Imperial Harem. Even though the story is likely tailored to a female audience, I found this thoroughly enjoyable so far, being an adult male in my late twenties. I suppose the closest thematic manga/anime I can think of would be Fushigi Yugi. Something that has occurred to methat's odd is that even though the names of the characters are authentically Chinese, the title of the manga is in Japanese. Just a curious note.

How long do these reviews need to be? I'm generally a person of few words.

I've read many kinds of manga, but ones in a while you will really encounter a hidden gem. This manga is one of those, the story itself is very fascinating and so soothing to read and will really hooked you and makes you smile as you keep reading it. A "Strong Willed" little girl MC is very amusing to see, to the point i want to hug her:). The art is very great and likeable and the characters are all adorable and pleasing to see. If slice of life is your forte and with a mix of historical and medicine, I highly recommended this manga toyou.

Pros: - The historical, medical and mystery tags are the defining content feature, with drama, comedy and romance being the supporting content. This create a kinda unique combo, that allows the mangaka to avoid the fantasy and high school tropes, while still maintaining some romcom drama. - The art is pretty well done, but the narrative is what makes this stand out. The character motivations, the interrelationships, the dramatic plots, twists and reveals, the foreshadowing and hints, the background knowledge. All these elements are implemented with a care and meticulousness, that makes the mangas narrative stand out as quite remarkable. - The long chapters makes the story pacingless predictable, which is great.

Cons:

- I have very little negative to say about this manga, so it will mostly be nitpicking.

- Our main character is written as, and consistently show, above average deduction skill and knowledge. She is wise in most regards, even fragile court intrigue that would humble the average manga protagonist. She does make mistake, but she is very good at using her insight to calculate peoples intentions. All this is good! But when it comes to romance directed at herself, she is as clueless as the weebs reading this. It is comedicly entertaining, but it does seem out of character for her.

- I considered mentioning that the romance is "Komi Can't Communicate" slow, but it didn't really annoy me at all, since the rest was great.

- Historical (and fantasy/isekai) genres are responsible for introducing the reader to the world's rules. This manga is good at that, but one (unspoiled) relationship with another you girl remains undefined for 30+ chapters before this is used to surprise the reader. In Inio Asano's Punpun, every earlier emitted detail hit me like a truck when revealed, due to the realistic nature of the setting. This punch is less severe in a historical manga, were the author chose not to define a relationship that we, the reader, couldn't predict.

Judgement:

- I loved every second, was glued to my seat and will reread it.

- I hope it finishes before 200 (long chapters), so it never becomes stale or repetitive.

Is this a masterpiece? No but probably a hidden gem. I think it got everything that someone can ask for: 1) Mistery 2) intrigues 3) Comedy 4) it is set in a particoular era of the history of China and you can learn some "behind the scenes" of living in this Kingdom or Royal court 6) lots of elements related to the "art" of being an herbalist and so the old tecnique in medical field 7) last but not least it has even a Shoujo like story (Between Mao mao and Jinshi sama) so even if it's a Seinen target manga it can be appreciated by lots of fans of other genres. Inthe end you have a different story (it comes from a light novel), for sure not one you expect to find many times so yeah, i'll definitely recommend it, give it a try, it's been interesting almost since the very start for me.

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-genremanga, and it does quite a good job with its mysteries. There's daily mysteries and overarching mysteries that take longer to unfold. There's lots going on, and it really ropes you in and makes it difficult to stop reading. Like, I keep reading for a resolution to the current mystery, but then I end up getting caught up in the following mystery. And then I just keep reading!

This manga also has a beautiful art style. Maomao is adorable (despite her constantly being described as homely in the story), and many of the characters are just so pretty and visually pleasing. The art never gets old.

The only real flaw of this series is male-pandering tropes and art we get here and there, which is to be expected since it is a seinen. Truthfully, I think it's a shame it was demographed to men, especially since the original novels (not the light novels), had a female-intended demographic. Now truthfully I haven't read the novels so I cannot speak on their behalf, but just imagine this series without the ridiculous breast sizes and male-centric jokes- it would be perfect. At least the story revolves around sex-work and political sex within the imperial walls, so I suppose the big breasts would make sense- since that's apparently what men love- though it is still certainly over-exaggerated.

Overall, this story is 100% worth reading. The characters, setting, story, and art are just too good to pass up.

smart capable fl with a refreshing personality, our beautiful bishounen ml engaging plot and twists.. just a masterpiece, really. cant wait to see more! art style isnt overly flashy either but it is gorgeous! makes me think of yotd when reading. I can tell the rest of the series will just be amazing, the characters are well thought out and i love the setting of ancient china here too! i feel like you don't see a lot of that in manga! i love this manga, and i would 110% recc it to anyone unfortunate enough to catch me on mal!

As someone who is a fan of the manhua "Song of the Long March", I can say that I am pleased with this manga. First off, a strong female (intellectually in this case) in a historical setting is not a new concept, but it's not exactly common either. I have read a fair share of them, but this one is quite unique and Maomao is a very interesting lead. Not only does she contain a vast amount of knowledge in herbal medicine, but her attitude is not one to mess with. Despite having a weak/frail appearance, she is anything but that and can easily take careof herself since her experiences in the red light district has steered her development in that direction. I also find her love for poison to be very amusing, as it is a food taster's greatest fear, while for her it is pleasure. She is overall very likable with her sassy and comical demeanor. For the male lead I don't have much to say since we do not know much about him, as we don't often get his perspective very often. However, I will say that he is quite likable at the moment and his interactions with Maomao is very adorable.

For the art work, it is just gorgeous. Not only have I found myself staring at the intricate details, such as the beautiful hair pins, but I appreciate the art that the manga itself is.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this manga and I highly recommend it :)

As I grow up, I realize I value harmony increasingly much, in various aspects. One is anything that composes myself being in perfect tune; body, mind, emotion all streamlined to minimize internal discord and optimize my energy and mood towards creative pursuits. Another is tied to peace in my external environment; I crave that my surroundings are tranquil, allowing me to recharge in peace from hustle-and-bustle and any other tests of life. And yet another is tied to appreciation of art, be it music, fictional works or even culinary arts; I appreciate a lot when anything I consume, metaphorically or literally, leaves my senses pleased orunsettled yet never disgraced, only to be digested smoothly and leave me with an impactful impression for ages to come. Just the right dose dividing medicine from poison.

For fictional works, I translate this into their elements being in a sort of “internal harmony” not unlike the first aspect; perfect balance within their own framework. Well then, how is my review related to that? Long story short, this work is a prime example of achieving such harmony.

Note:__ this review is spoiler-free.

~~~ [1. First, on setting…] ~~~

It should be made crystal clear that the setting is not in ancient China by any stretch, unlike what some pages claim. It is set in an Asian fantasy nation, apparently a mishmash influenced by real-life Imperial China during multiple dynasties.

For example, the custom of foot binding is referenced, yet is not as commonplace in Kusuriya no Hitorigoto as it was during certain dynasties in China. Also, certain plants (e.g. cocoa) were not present in China, not at least before the Columbian Exchange took place.

Either way, the primary setting is a huge palace complex, perhaps not unlike the Forbidden City, with a clear difference being the presence of trees. The secondary setting is the world outside the palace, the protagonist’s hometown specifically.

~~~ [2.Okay, but what of harmony?…]~~~

Time to elaborate. But first, I must point out the lynchpins of this manga: mystery and Maomao. Without either, the manga would be half-full. Mystery is its most prominent genre, with multiple layers of both episodic and overlapping mysteries.

The first are the most commonplace, often involving some medicine-related issue, with quite some counterexamples to break the mold and prevent the work from becoming formulaic and stagnant. The second are tied to characters' personal history, politics or even intrigue.

Now on to the next most prominent genre, it is probably drama. Often, it involves gritty realism on hardships people have to endure, especially women, but also court politics. However, primarily thanks to the unique perspective and antics of the eccentric protagonist, much historical slice-of-life and comedy is sprinkled alongside its mature and down-to-earth drama that prevents the work from becoming too sober, yet without degrading it to excessively silly.

Overall, as long as one is interested in the premise and is not alienated by the heroine, they can hardly find anything sticking out like a sore thumb. Mystery, drama, comedy, slice-of-life all meticulously ground in a spice mix pleasing the senses without upsetting the stomach.

Nonetheless, this is only one side of the coin. To conclude my point, it is imperative I elaborate on the protagonist and the rest of the cast.

~~~ [3. Maomao, court and town…] ~~~

It will become readily apparent the story is told by the perspective of its heroine, Maomao, and a lot of internal monologue is included, showcasing her thoughts and opinions. And her internal world is rich to say the least.

Looking like a plain teenage girl, she is actually more like a hyper-perceptive and intelligent… mad scientist, with a nearly obsessive like of anything potentially medical. “What does not kill you makes you stronger” could have easily been her motto. She is also quite complex, even paradoxical. Oddball with little social grace, yet confident and humble at the same time. Apathetic and insensitive, yet also surprisingly compassionate when push comes to shove.

Maomao aside, the male lead, Jinshi, is an equally hyper-perceptive and intelligent so-pretty-it-could-kill head eunuch. He is also quite a gadfly yet also social gracious, cunning and courteous. He is surrounded by mystery, one that is explored within the narrative.

Other denizens of the court include the emperor, his consorts, their ladies-in-waiting and other maids, guards and eunuchs. Outside the palace, the reader also gets to meet Maomao’s family and other familial people, among others. Not all characters are fleshed out, more so since Maomao holds the reins in this manga, but all play their given roles accordingly and glue together drama, comedy and mystery in one grand tapestry.

And that was "short story made long" on why this manga is a prime example of a work achieving internal harmony. I look forward to more chapters being released.

~~~ Hope you enjoyed my review! ~~~