Jan 22, 2024
«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
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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!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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