Apothecary Diaries

Characters:

• Maomao – An apothecary that was pressed into service in the interior imperial harem as a maid.
• Jinshi – A eunuch who helps maintain the inner court
• Gaoshun – Jinshi’s attendant
• Luomin – Maomao’s adoptive Father and a doctor
• Lakan – Maomao’s father and a military strategist
• Fengxian – Maomao’s mother and a courtesan at the Verdigris house
• Lihaku – a military official who becomes friends with Maomao
• Xiaolan – Maomao’s friend in the palace
• The Emperor – You’ll never guess who this guy is
• Gyokuyou – The “Honored” Consort that Maomao serves in the Jade Pavilion
• Ah Duo – The “Pure” consort in the Garnet Pavilion
• Lihua – The “Wise” consort in the Crystal Pavilion
• Lishu – The “Virtuous” consort in the Diamond Pavilion
• Loulan – The new “Pure” consort in the Garnet Pavilion

Genres

• Historical Fiction
• Romance
• Manga
• Mystery
• Fantasy

Trigger Warning

• Kidnapping
• Human Trafficking (alluded to)
• Poisoning
• Bullying
• Attempted Murder
• Mild nudity
• Sexual Themes
• Violence
• Mild Language
• Fertility Issues
• Loss of a Child
• Illnesses/ STDs

*There may be spoilers in this review. I will try to avoid major spoilers but some may need to be brought up to be discussed.

Setting

Fantasy setting Imperial China, Ming/ Tang Dynasty

Thoughts

When I first picked it up it felt like a good light read. I got through it pretty fast but the more I read the more I appreciated it. I like Maomao and I like how other characters react to her and her quirks. She’s a touch different for a manga heroine, especially with her propensity for poisons. She’s smart and logical with a small touch of kindness that rounds her out well.

I like seeing the inner court and learning about the customs and culture. The art is stunning and the clothes in particular are a ton of fun to look at. There are several class levels and characters portrayed which makes the interactions really engaging to read about.

It is about the Imperial harem so there are a few more adult themes hinted at than what I was anticipating but it didn’t feel like it was detracting from the story itself. In fact, I feel like it naturally added to the drama and gave the heightened feelings of the mystery a great context to develop. There are all sorts of people who react to stress in all sorts of ways and this was a really fun psychological way to explore that.

Feelings

I really liked it. Square Enix usually makes me a little nervous when it comes to storytelling. Their art and presentation are always lovely and an experience to view but the stories can sometimes be a little lacking. This was not the case with Apothecary Diaries and I was very happy to find the development grew very steadily.

The series hasn’t finished yet but I am excited to keep reading. The anime was pretty spot on with its adaptation and I really enjoyed seeing the colors and movements with an already fun story.