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薬屋のひとりごと [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto] #2
Los diarios de la boticaria, vol. 2
El eunuco Jinshi descubre entre las criadas a la joven Maomao, que antes era boticaria, y la asciende a doncella de la consorte Gyokuyou. Como tal, la chica recibirá órdenes directas del emperador, pero ¿qué clase de trabajos le encargarán? Entre otras cosas, le tocará participar por primera vez en una recepción en los jardines del palacio. La curiosidad innata y el ansia de saber la inducen a actuar y, sin esperarlo, va atrayendo la atención de los demás. ¡Maomao no para ni un momento en el segundo volumen!
184 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2018
412 people are currently reading
2417 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 920 reviews
April 11, 2023
This series is giving me all the feminist vibes that I needed from a manga. After realizing the breadth of her skill set in the last volume, the Emperor calls on Maomao to take care of the ailing mistress. This manga has beautiful artwork and storytelling that is to die for. The character development that readers will see in Maomao during this volume are impeccable. I was blown away by her sheer genius and ability to move through the court. If you're interested in political intrigue, dynamic characters, with a dash of suspense, I think that this is a series worth reading. The scenes during the garden banquet were both shocking and delightful. I can't wait to dive into the rest of this series.
April 1, 2024
Un manga que j’apprécie particulièrement. Je trouve les dessins très beaux et j’aimerais tellement qu’on en fasse un kdrama je sais que le manga a été adapté en animé mais je reverrai de le voir en drama. Nous continuons la découverte de l’univers ici Mao Mao assiste au banquet donné par l’empereur. Mao Mao est un personnage attachant drôle j’adore sa passion pour les poisons c’est un personnage féminin fort et indépendant, je ne connais pas bien l’univers des mangas mais il me semble que c’est un univers pas mal masculin… si vous avez des recommandations je vous écoute.
April 26, 2022
I am not committed to reading this whole series yet, but I am happily surprised--given the "alluring" cover, typical of a lot of manga--how feminist this series really is. In this volume, Maomao, a young woman trained in the art of herbal medicine, an apothecary, who was kidnapped and sold to the Emperor, is now moving up the social ladder--cooking healthy food, inventing herbal cures for various ailments--promoted to food taster (ah, but a dangerous job!) by eunuch Jinishi, who favors her, since he has seen her cure ill people.
As food taster at a large formal gathering, she tastes--and spits out--poisoned food, but a man eats it anyway, since no one had seen any ill effects from her eating it. But she cures him, too. She finds poison in some of the make-up that is killing women, and solves this problem. But Jinishi wants more from her (oh, not that! He's a eunuch). He wants her to keep cooking and baking tasty and healthy delicacies, and he wants her to help people and to use her scientific skills to find out who is doing all this poisoning.
Along the way we get a critical perspective on child brides--the Emperor's father impregnated a girl with the Emperor when the girl was NINE, and about the worldwide kidnapping and assault of young women and girls. With the enforced harem incarceration the mangka kind of has it both ways; she draws the various extravagant costumes and hair with relish (our obsession with competitive beauty!) but also reveals the violent jealous competition for power among the women within this strict, multi-leveled cultural world. Women are pitted against each other at every turn, and beauty is a weapon in that struggle (one woman is helped to gain confidence in her rise up the social ladder because she has large breasts).
And MaoMao, who never wanted to be in the harem, reveals to Jinishi why she wears certain kinds of "uglifying" makeup and clothes to avoid being chosen by the Emperor, and to avoid the common practice of men assaulting "pretty" women. This is a good series.
As food taster at a large formal gathering, she tastes--and spits out--poisoned food, but a man eats it anyway, since no one had seen any ill effects from her eating it. But she cures him, too. She finds poison in some of the make-up that is killing women, and solves this problem. But Jinishi wants more from her (oh, not that! He's a eunuch). He wants her to keep cooking and baking tasty and healthy delicacies, and he wants her to help people and to use her scientific skills to find out who is doing all this poisoning.
Along the way we get a critical perspective on child brides--the Emperor's father impregnated a girl with the Emperor when the girl was NINE, and about the worldwide kidnapping and assault of young women and girls. With the enforced harem incarceration the mangka kind of has it both ways; she draws the various extravagant costumes and hair with relish (our obsession with competitive beauty!) but also reveals the violent jealous competition for power among the women within this strict, multi-leveled cultural world. Women are pitted against each other at every turn, and beauty is a weapon in that struggle (one woman is helped to gain confidence in her rise up the social ladder because she has large breasts).
And MaoMao, who never wanted to be in the harem, reveals to Jinishi why she wears certain kinds of "uglifying" makeup and clothes to avoid being chosen by the Emperor, and to avoid the common practice of men assaulting "pretty" women. This is a good series.
July 28, 2024
4/5
Someone needs to make Maomao the emperor.
Someone needs to make Maomao the emperor.
July 7, 2025
Ich sehe da ganz großes Potenzial, dass das eine neue Lieblingsreihe wird!
Nachdem Band 1 mit seinen ganzen Zeitsprüngen ein wenig verwirrend für mich war, bin ich in Band 2 schon richtig angekommen in der Geschichte. Maomao ist teilweise ein klein wenig einschüchternd - sie hat Freude daran, Gift zu sich zu nehmen!? Aber ihren Charakter finde ich einfach stark! Ich bin super gespannt auf die weitere Entwicklung von ihr und ihrer Geschichte am Kaiserhof.
Nachdem Band 1 mit seinen ganzen Zeitsprüngen ein wenig verwirrend für mich war, bin ich in Band 2 schon richtig angekommen in der Geschichte. Maomao ist teilweise ein klein wenig einschüchternd - sie hat Freude daran, Gift zu sich zu nehmen!? Aber ihren Charakter finde ich einfach stark! Ich bin super gespannt auf die weitere Entwicklung von ihr und ihrer Geschichte am Kaiserhof.
Want to read
July 21, 2024
February 15, 2021
Maomao’s earlier success has drawn the attention of the Emperor, who entrusts her with caring for one of his consorts. There’s a smidgen of mystery here, but nothing that our heroine can’t handle. Afterwards, there’s a fancy banquet for all the court to attend, which is basically shorthand for lots of backstabbing and palace intrigues.
This is very much a series that I am coming to adore because it is such a breath of fresh air from the typical books that I read. Not that I don’t like my usual shojo, but this is something else and, indeed, something special. While the medical mystery aspect is toned down to the point where it’s practically sidelined, this still makes for a very good second volume.
A lot of that is down to Maomao, who remains one of the most interesting heroines I’ve seen in a manga. She’s so easy to root for, with both her sharp sense of justice and carefully honed survival instincts. She’s very much living in a man’s world, as I said before, so every time she manages a win it feels very earned.
There’s a lot they don’t sugar coat here, from the unflinching revelation of the former emperor’s taste in “women” to the way Maomao has had to present herself in order to be less of a target for predators when she worked in the pleasure district (this is a wickedly good reveal and very clever of her, if sad). I don’t doubt both are well steeped in history, but be warned nonetheless.
We don’t get a lot of her back and forth with the head eunuch, Jinshi, this time, though what we get is pretty fun. However, we do see that she sure likes her poison. This is basically a fetishization of the precepts of Chinese medicine, where you do yourself a little harm to make yourself better, and it does make me laugh because of how her normal reserve gleefully dissipates at the prospect of nearly killing herself.
Otherwise we see her being shrewd and smart when other women are content to play at politics and try to enhance their own status, sometimes at Maomao’s expense, which never ends well. The way she uses everything at her disposal to stay alive speaks to her resourcefulness.
If Maomao has a weakness, however, it’s the things she doesn’t understand yet in high society - there’s no way that one particular action involving one of the military men isn’t coming back to haunt her.
Beyond some questionable content, as noted, I do think that this book is mostly trope-free with one likely exception. I will tell you right now that no prince in any story is sickly and rarely seen without actually being right in plain sight with nobody noticing. I’ve not spoiled myself, but if that’s not Jinshi’s true identity, I will be shocked.
4 stars. A unique setting deserves a unique heroine and I appreciate both of them for different reasons. It’s a very fun story about a woman trying to make her way in a world where she barely has a chance. Beyond wanting a bit more in terms of mystery, I haven’t got many complaints.
This is very much a series that I am coming to adore because it is such a breath of fresh air from the typical books that I read. Not that I don’t like my usual shojo, but this is something else and, indeed, something special. While the medical mystery aspect is toned down to the point where it’s practically sidelined, this still makes for a very good second volume.
A lot of that is down to Maomao, who remains one of the most interesting heroines I’ve seen in a manga. She’s so easy to root for, with both her sharp sense of justice and carefully honed survival instincts. She’s very much living in a man’s world, as I said before, so every time she manages a win it feels very earned.
There’s a lot they don’t sugar coat here, from the unflinching revelation of the former emperor’s taste in “women” to the way Maomao has had to present herself in order to be less of a target for predators when she worked in the pleasure district (this is a wickedly good reveal and very clever of her, if sad). I don’t doubt both are well steeped in history, but be warned nonetheless.
We don’t get a lot of her back and forth with the head eunuch, Jinshi, this time, though what we get is pretty fun. However, we do see that she sure likes her poison. This is basically a fetishization of the precepts of Chinese medicine, where you do yourself a little harm to make yourself better, and it does make me laugh because of how her normal reserve gleefully dissipates at the prospect of nearly killing herself.
Otherwise we see her being shrewd and smart when other women are content to play at politics and try to enhance their own status, sometimes at Maomao’s expense, which never ends well. The way she uses everything at her disposal to stay alive speaks to her resourcefulness.
If Maomao has a weakness, however, it’s the things she doesn’t understand yet in high society - there’s no way that one particular action involving one of the military men isn’t coming back to haunt her.
Beyond some questionable content, as noted, I do think that this book is mostly trope-free with one likely exception. I will tell you right now that no prince in any story is sickly and rarely seen without actually being right in plain sight with nobody noticing. I’ve not spoiled myself, but if that’s not Jinshi’s true identity, I will be shocked.
4 stars. A unique setting deserves a unique heroine and I appreciate both of them for different reasons. It’s a very fun story about a woman trying to make her way in a world where she barely has a chance. Beyond wanting a bit more in terms of mystery, I haven’t got many complaints.
May 28, 2024
I'm loving this series! Maomao is clever and kind and funny.
July 17, 2023
Wow. She's sassy, sarcastic and clever to boot. <3
October 19, 2025
Zdecydowanie wciągnęłam się w historię. 😁
July 6, 2025
4.5 - Maomao is such a little weirdo I love her
March 5, 2022
I'm not sure if it's because I'm tired or what, but I didn't quite love this volume as much as the first.
However, Maomao continues to be an incredible character! She was SO intimidating in this one!
And then seeing her in her "element"? Oh my goodness, she has to be one of the most unique female characters I've read!
Also the plot twist involving her was VERY good! I definitely did not see that coming!
Jinshiiiiii! <3 I wouldn't call myself his fangirl (LOL), but we had a potential shippable moment that I absolutely loved!
Gorgeous art as always, even though I could go without the focus on boobs in that first chapter. :p
Overall, I liked it and would buddy read volume three with my friend.
However, Maomao continues to be an incredible character! She was SO intimidating in this one!
And then seeing her in her "element"? Oh my goodness, she has to be one of the most unique female characters I've read!
Also the plot twist involving her was VERY good! I definitely did not see that coming!
Jinshiiiiii! <3 I wouldn't call myself his fangirl (LOL), but we had a potential shippable moment that I absolutely loved!
Gorgeous art as always, even though I could go without the focus on boobs in that first chapter. :p
Overall, I liked it and would buddy read volume three with my friend.
June 17, 2024
it gets better
The strength of the main character is so much more obvious in this volume. I love the sewing representation! I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series!
The strength of the main character is so much more obvious in this volume. I love the sewing representation! I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series!
April 9, 2025
im so in love
Read
April 24, 20253,75
September 29, 2025
I love Maomao so much
March 2, 2023
Maomao is so gorgeous on this cover.
😍
It is really difficult, inside and outside of the palace, but there will always be challenges from unlikely circumstances and the actions of the people.
Yet Maomao is still willing to help with her skills and kindness.But she is really scary when angry.I love her expressions! 🤣🥰
And as for the fashion here in this manga, it is beautiful and detailed (the outfits of the ladies!). Stunning! ✨
It is really difficult, inside and outside of the palace, but there will always be challenges from unlikely circumstances and the actions of the people.
Yet Maomao is still willing to help with her skills and kindness.
And as for the fashion here in this manga, it is beautiful and detailed (the outfits of the ladies!). Stunning! ✨
August 31, 2021
Un deuxième tome toujours aussi intéressant.
Une petite intrigue assez mystérieuse, quoi que trop rapide peut-être.
Hâte de lire la suite !
Une petite intrigue assez mystérieuse, quoi que trop rapide peut-être.
Hâte de lire la suite !
October 29, 2025
This encapsulates female rage, feminism, and everything I would have never expected to be portrayed this well in a manga. I can ramble on and on about how stunning the artwork and storytelling are here but what I REALLY want to talk about is the flawless transition into what I assume to be character growth in Maomao throughout this volume. Her interactions and intellectual capabilities throughout the court has left me speechless. Every character is compelling (even the ones you don’t pay attention to), the thrill, and the political impacts are what make this such a powerful story. All I have to say now is make maomao the emperor ( ꈍ◡ꈍ) I rest my case.
March 30, 2025
Я не можу, яка вона прикольна 😄прочитала цей том і просто в любові до манґи🥰
February 3, 2021
While I don't love the "humorous" way MaoMao's relationship with poisons is framed, I otherwise loved this second outing with her. Most specifically, I really appreciate the revelation that MaoMao takes steps to make herself less attractive - it's a real thing that I've certainly done before just to feel safer.
Sir Jinshi definitely has his work cut out for him...
Sir Jinshi definitely has his work cut out for him...
March 29, 2022
Maomao is sick and twisted. I love her
May 9, 2023
Ja nigdy nie mangowa - śmieje się podczas czytania tego i bardzo mi się podoba
July 6, 2025
3.5🌟
Palace intrigue, blowfish poison, and another apothecary investigation
Palace intrigue, blowfish poison, and another apothecary investigation
December 1, 2023
December 2023
Kindle edition
Manga
I love the art and the story is a breath of fresh air. Angry Maomao is cool, I like how she’s holding her own. The makeup freckles was sad, as was the bullying of the younger consort. I liked Maomao taking care of the sick one and getting her back on her feet.
Kindle edition
Manga
I love the art and the story is a breath of fresh air. Angry Maomao is cool, I like how she’s holding her own. The makeup freckles was sad, as was the bullying of the younger consort. I liked Maomao taking care of the sick one and getting her back on her feet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2021
she's a cute little sherlock holmes and i'm here for it
August 12, 2024
5/5 ⭐
Mao Mao ♥️
Mao Mao ♥️
August 3, 2025
Relecture, et c'est un 5 étoiles
L'animé a complètement chamboulé la vision que j'avais de cette histoire (à part Jinshi évidemment, si ce n'est que je l'aime encore plus qu'avant ❤️)
Bref, I'm obsessed. Je veux lire et connaître toutes les versions de cette histoire maintenant 😍
L'animé a complètement chamboulé la vision que j'avais de cette histoire (à part Jinshi évidemment, si ce n'est que je l'aime encore plus qu'avant ❤️)
Bref, I'm obsessed. Je veux lire et connaître toutes les versions de cette histoire maintenant 😍
March 21, 2023
we love a clever protagonist
February 27, 2024
THIS WAS SUCH A FUNNY VOLUME, THE LAST BONUS HAD ME HOWLING.
I truly love all these characters and the art is simply top. I really can't wait to keep reading.
I truly love all these characters and the art is simply top. I really can't wait to keep reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 920 reviews