Maomao finds herself sold into service at the Inner Court after being kidnapped while harvesting plants in the area near her home. Although she tries to keep a low profile, Maomao warns two distinguished consorts that their face powder is poisonous to their babies. Unfortunately, only one heeds the warning and the other loses her baby soon after giving birth. Once Sir Jinshi, the eunuch in charge, learns that Maomao is an aspiring apothecary, he puts her to work as a lady-in-waiting for Consort Gyokuyo. Maomao’s primary job is to act as a food taster, but Sir Jinshi has other problems where he can use her skills. Maomao is not only good at detecting poison but also at deducing motivations and linking series of events. Her medicinal skills outshine the doctor on staff as well.
Over the course of the first four volumes, Maomao helps identify a poisoner, nurses a distinguished consort on the brink of death back to health, saves a courtesan and her patron during a short visit home, explains a bullying situation within the Inner Court, and is dismissed from service before her term is officially complete. Although she misses her family, Maomao discovers she enjoys working in the Inner Court, especially when her other option is to sell her services as a courtesan in the brothel she was raised in.
Normally, I prefer some element of fantasy in my historical stories. However, there is very little reference to anything paranormal or fantastical in this series. Instead, I was captivated by the hidden depth of our main character, Maomao, and the court intrigue of the Chinese imperial palace. I have no idea how accurate any of the portrayals are, so I can’t speak to authenticity, but it makes for a very compelling story. Besides giving each character their own growth throughout, the author develops the relationships between characters with the same care. There are plenty of mystery elements and procedural tropes sprinkled in to add another layer to everything.
I started my own relationship with this world by watching the anime first, then discovering the manga when I grew impatient waiting for new episodes to release. I do prefer the colorful anime sequences, but the manga’s illustrator does a great job capturing the right amount of detail and emotion without becoming too busy or losing the important moments. Each character’s eyes are expressive and the clothing style differences for each layer of society does a great job setting the scene. There is some discussion of the emperor’s nightly visits and a consort’s job to produce heirs, as well as discussion of the dangers of ingesting too much poison. This is not the main focus and there is no on page sex depicted. This series will have wide appeal from early teens though adults and will do well in any public library collection. I highly recommend this series.
A note about the anime: The second part of The Apothecary Diaries is set to simulcast on Crunchyroll this winter. Part one featured twelve episodes that animate the events drawn in volumes one through four of the manga. The anime follows the manga closely, so if you have readers who can’t wait for the next anime episode to release, the first ten volumes of the English manga are available for purchase in physical format. If you have readers who are looking for even more of this world and these characters, there are several volumes of light novel that have been translated into English in electronic format. However, they will not start becoming available for purchase in physical format until May of this year.
The Apothecary Diaries, vols 1-4
By Natsu Hyuuga
Art by Nekokurage Hollendonner
Square Enix, 2020
Vol 1 ISBN: 9781646090709
Vol 2 ISBN: 9781646090716
Vol 3 ISBN: 9781646090723
Vol 4 ISBN: 9781646090730
Publisher Age Rating: Teen
Related media: Anime
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16), Tween (10-13)
