Die Tagebücher der Apothekerin - Geheimnisse am Kaiserhof 13

薬屋のひとりごと [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto] #13

by Nekokurage

Hinter der strahlenden Fassade des kaiserlichen Hofs verbergen sich viele düstere Geheimnisse. Eines der am besten gehüteten Geheimnisse stellt der Bruder des Kaisers dar, den seit vielen Jahren niemand mehr gesehen hat. Nach dem Zwischenfall bei der Jagd machen sich Maomao und Jinshi daran, die Täter hinter dem heimtückischen Überfall ausfindig zu machen. Doch dieser Angriff war nur ein Teil eines größer angelegten Komplotts, welches welches auf das Leben des kaiserlichen Bruders abzielt. Und ausgerechnet Maomao kommt dessen wahrer Identität gefährlich nah …

Genres: Manga, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Romance, Graphic Novels, Comics

178 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2023

Reviews

[aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5

[cr chapter: 74]

Maomao is the strongest soldier because I would not survive the flirty, touchy, and smiling-only-at-her Jinshi. I would melt on the spot.

[Ricarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

No thoughts, just Maomao cuddling with her bezoars. ❤️🐈‍⬛

[Paula ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ✨ stars

I need next volume like now

[Reem ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎♡̷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

read 7 or 8 volumes is one sitting. this is how good this manga is. but on a serious note…I NEED THE NEXT CHAPTER IMMEDIATELY OR I WON’T SURVIVE

[kristyn ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

maomao is such a girls girl

[DianaRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

i need things to pick up the pace, and for jinshi to spill his secret!!

[Minerva Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ 🐸⚘️😺

[mikaela (spinebreaker) · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh

mY

GOD

[Khadija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time she mentions a 🐸 I die on the inside

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The continuing story of the frog prince, ahem, and the young woman who is pretty much totally aromantic.

Another strong volume of intense politicking, shrewd mystery, and a shocking amount of bare butts. All mixed up with changing society and Jinshi’s attempts to get the attention of somebody who has no desire to have any desire.

That has been the bread and butter of this series for many a volume and there’s no real reason for it to change when the results are so dang good. A perpetual favourite of mine continues to be a favourite, basically.

The mystery is a little basic and the stakes are low, but it lets Maomao and Jinshi tag team an older attendant with a mean streak along the way, which makes it a pretty satisfying adventure.

Watching Jinshi tie himself in knots trying to get Maomao’s attention while she desperately attempts to avoid his affections, reading them as something entirely other than that, because Maomao, is pretty fun.

I mean, Maomao might be more amenable to all this when Jinshi blatantly spells it out for her, but I think I like her being this way, honestly. It’s not a character type we get that often and she has enough going on without.

There’s a lot of politics and aforementioned intrigue this volume and it’s satisfying watching Maomao navigate such a complicated environment. She’s shrewd and clever, but her tendency to dismiss the social side of things often leads her into trouble.

Seeing her bounce off so many personalities during the bathhouse section is terribly fun, although those period outfits leave little to the imagination in the most workmanlike way possible, hilariously. Feminine hygiene has rarely seemed more terrifying.

Even the whole science display with the ice is pretty fun, although I can have a low tolerance for these sorts of ‘invention shows up out of nowhere in an unusual manner’ stories. Still, if anybody can pull that off, it’s Maomao.

The way that times are slowly changing in the palace helps the setting take on a life of its own. The oblique discussion on how eunuchs are created and how that whole practice has been ended was really interesting. Learned helplessness indeed.

There aren’t major story arcs here, but it’s a lovely look at the characters and the series that shines a light on several things and all of them are pretty good, while a couple are excellent. Long as you aren’t addicted to long form storytelling, I think this one’s a winner.

4.5 stars - it’s not the best volume seen yet, but great characters and a fascinating setting can shine even when things aren’t at their best. Still a fantastic manga.

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need the next volume or chapter😭
The Apothecary Diaries became one of my favorite manga series💚

[inès · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un tome incroyable comme d’habitude !! L’attente va être longue jusqu’au prochain 🥲

[Nathismyking · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'est vraiment super, j'ai hâte pour la suite !

[toointofiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

and i want ice cream right now 🍧

[Poliana Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Capitulos del 73 al 76
Se ha quedado muy interesante pero toca esperar a que vayan publicando más episodios para saber que pasará con Maomao

[Jeanne Eléonore · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'est donc ça de vivre ???

[Gigi Jung · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐⭐⭐✨

[deborah.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

RENSHI DEVI STARE CALMO, TI AMO, MA NON FARE LO PSYCO 😂

Il fatto che mi manchi un volume solo per essere in pari mi uccide ❤️‍🩹

Sui social: deborah.reads

[Munehito Moro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that I'm up to the latest volume of this series, I'm thinking of the time before I learned about this manga series.

A few years back, someone from Serbia (!) told me about this manga. She is into anime, and she informed me of Kusuriya no hitori-goto. That person was using the anime version to learn Japanese, which I found rather...strange.

I am not a voracious manga reader, despite being Japanese. It's a myth that every Japanese is a manga lover. Yes, I have read some manga. I do love some anime, especially those directed by Mamoru Oshii (Mobile Police Patlabor movies and Ghost in the Shell are among my favorites). However, I'm not a fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion. I couldn't really get the charm of Demon Slayer.

I would always prefer Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Demon Slayer.

So it was a fresh surprise to me that I have found The Apothecary Diaries captivating. Maomao is a great lead. She grew up in a red-light district, having been taken care of by classy courtesans and a hard-driving owner of their brothel. Her "father" used to be a court doctor who got banished after an unfortunate incident. She is addicted to (learning about) drugs and using them whenever she can.

Maomao is probably one of the greatest, the most unique female detectives Japan has created.

Also, the English translation of the title is ingenious. The Japanese word hitori-goto means "monologue" or sometimes "gibberish." In the manga's context, it could mean "private case files" without sounding too detective novel-ish.

To translate that word into "diaries" was a great choice, as it captures both "monologue" and "case file" meanings. Whoever came up with this choice, I commend them. I have been reading this series in the original Japanese version, but I guess the translation of its content must be fantastic, too.

By the way, the Serbian person who first introduced me to this manga works at a cosmetics store. We should all wait for the potential release of The Serbian Cosmetician's Diaries!!!

[Sylvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’ai pas le mots ! Une lecture de qualité ça ne change pas ! Je suis contente de me rendre compte que j’avais raison sur un point même si je pense que l’histoire nous réserve encore quelques surprises, j’ai trop hâte vraiment alors que le tome vient juste de sortir ça promet 😮‍💨

[Jaye Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again I must say that Maomao is next level because if Jinshi was doing all that flirting to me, I'd fold like a lawn chair. Bro is so majestic.

This volume was so much chiller compares to the last one but still entertaining. Maomao now thinking about Jinshi's frog is the realest.😭

[Deb]

c’est vraiment trop bien

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the frog 🐸😭

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

La frustration de la conversation pas finie 😭

[Kitkat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it so far but it didn’t wow me like the last volume. But I feel like it’s leading me up to something awesome! 🤩

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I wait until the next volume 🥹

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'attendais si impatiemment ce nouveau tome, mais pourquoi est-ce que ça se lit aussi vite, hein ? L'intrigue avance, mais j'ai BESOIN de savoir ce que mijote Jinshi par rapport à Mao Mao, ça prend trop de temps, là. Plus on en sait, moins on comprend, tellement l'intrigue est plus complexe qu'il n'y parait... Toujours cette pointe d'humour et les personnages attachants, notamment les amies de Mao Mao. Bref, à quand la suite ?

[Helene Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I still enjoyed reading this volume, I feel like the series is loosing steam. We’re moving more towards an episodic writing style, and I’m not sure I like that? But maybe I’m missing something. Maybe there is a bigger picture. 🫠 Guess I need to read the light novel now?

[Grumpy · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'était trop bien ✨. Jinshi my love ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Sahra Aksoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhhh, Jinshi Sama.... I love you so much ;)