The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 8

薬屋のひとりごと [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto] #8

by Nekokurage (Artist), Natsu Hyuuga (Original Story), Itsuki Nanao (Composition)

THE TRUTH OF MAOMAO’S BIRTH IS REVEALED?! Sly tactician Lakan’s attempts at provocation lead to his own downfall when Maomao challenges him to elephant chess, only to outplay him in a game of wits! In a stupor from drinking “poison” as punishment for his loss, Lakan dreams of a long-lost past, his affair with a beautiful courtesan, and meeting her daughter for the very first time. Upon waking, he finds himself at Verdigris, where he is pressed to buy the freedom of a girl of his choosing and take her home as his wife! But will any of the flowers there catch his eye when his heart is in love with a memory?

Genres: Manga, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Romance, Seinen, Fiction

178 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2021

Reviews

[rory (jess' version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is my second time reading but i still cried over the reunion of maomao's parents

[aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Maomao's parents reunion-

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maomao’s father, biologically speaking, has been taken down by his wily daughter and we get to learn a little more of their history. We get a little song, a little dance, a reminder of what’s in Jinshi’s pants. Then Maomao might meet her match in… Maomao?

Boy, for the amount that I think Maomao’s pops is a real piece of work, this volume does some fascinating stuff at generating some sympathy for the devil. We also see where her dislike of him stems from (massive beatings, as it happens, but not what you think).

The denouement of this storyline shows why Maomao simply doesn’t see him as any sort of father figure to begin with, yet she does him a kindness of a sort and also sidelines him for a while plus helps the place that raised her. A tidy package.

All this is helped by the gorgeous sequence where she receives a dress and dances on the roof in celebration of a courtesan who has won her freedom. The best parts of this happen when Jinshi arrives on the scene and we learn that Maomao is literally feeling no pain (though she should be) and we get the second princess carry of the series.

Without a big driving storyline we get lots of small stuff to keep the characters chugging along doing their thing and it works really well across the board. The section about fiction books coming to the court is lot of fun and lets Maomao help another friend; the historical aspects are handled deftly.

Then the cat shows up.

From a simple babysitting request comes a real urchin of a cat that Maomao gets tasked to nurse to health. This whole section is wonderfully sickly sweet and if you like cats, this is adorably wholesome to boot

Even better is the part where Maomao is describing the way cats worm their way into people’s affections to Jinshi and he is clearly conflating that description with how his relationship with our lead has evolved. I don’t see how the light novels can possibly have done this half as well.

This also leads to a discussion of feline castration and Maomao clearly still thinks Jinshi is a eunuch. While this might seem ridiculous, it’s a fun indication that Maomao might be a bit more like her father than she realizes, just without the inability to recognize faces.

No, we don’t get a mystery or a big plotline, but it’s really nice to breathe between the heavy stuff and the things sprinkled throughout these chapters are all part of the series’ charm. It may not advance a plot, but it advances the characters.

5 stars - it’s too good, honestly, just an amazing piece of historical fiction that can handle the big moments and the small moments with equal aplomb. One of my rare series where I start at five stars and work down.

[Violet ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not sign up for the feels in this volume! 🥲



Their love story and decisions made me cry a little. When the circumstances are not in your favor, it is really hard! 

But at least there is a cute kitten here. 🐈

[b. ♡]

crying real tears during my silly apothecary adventures was NOT on the list today!

[NyxShadow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si j'aime toujours l'ambiance et les dessins, cela fait plusieurs tome que j'ai l'impression que l'histoire fait du sur-place. C'est un peu embrouillé et les faits se succèdent de manière étrange.

[kristyn ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

maomao sharing her name with the cat 😭😭

[Minerva Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro fue el más dolorosos que leí de Los diarios de la boticaria. Conocer la historia del padre y la madre de la Maomao me ha dejado el corazón destrozado. Y ni contar cuando vi el anime!!

10 ⭐️🌷♥️🎋

[Anabel Samani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un tomo para sacar el pañuelo 🤧😢😢

[mikaela (spinebreaker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gao Shun living in my head rent free 🥰

so many good faces in this one but i need INFORMATION

i know maomao doesn't care but I DO

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not see that coming and did not think I would be rooting for that dude but here I am.

[Swapnil Deshpande · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started reading it from chapter 41 because the anime S1 ends on chapter 40. The anime was perfect! Loving the manga as well. I’ll probably start reading from Volume 1 later.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

in just a blink of an eye, this volume is finished

[remi.☘︎ ݁˖ · Rating 5 out of 5]

mao-mao has my ENTIRE heart. what a once in a lifetime kind of protagonist!

[ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

this just keeps getting better!!!! i love maomao so much, she's an amazing protagonist.
+ i absolutely cried my eyes out at maomao's parents reunion;;
++maomao the cat.. the cutest im having cuteness aggression.

[Juwita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covernya cantik sekali ditambah isinya cocok dong ⭐5

[Adriana Muñoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jinshi either makes me giggle or causes me to stress the fuck out… there’s no in between.

[Kayla Brunson · Rating 4 out of 5]

We finally found out about MaoMao's parents and her upbringing. This volume was thought out well and I enjoyed reading about how everything came to light.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The backstory of Maomao’s biological father is interesting even if it’s incomplete, and Maomao and Jinshi are still my favorite thing about this, but I’m also in it for the mystery and I feel like everything is slowing down. There is no real progress in their little investigation so I feel less invested in the story right now.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Backstory and cats ? I'm sold

[A Creative Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.75⭐)
Un tome qui se divise en deux parties bien distinctes : une première partie riche en révélations sur les parents de Mao Mao qui était vraiment passionnante, et une seconde partie où l'on a pas vraiment d'intrigue à proprement parler, des chapitres qui sont bien plus de l'ordre de la tranche de vie et qui ne font pas avancer l'histoire.
Cette deuxième partie n'était pas mauvaise, mais ce n'est pas ce à quoi on a été habitués, donc j'ai trouvé ce tome-ci moins intéressant que les autres. Je pense néanmoins que ce petit creux de la vague va permettre de découvrir plein de nouvelles choses dans les tomes suivants.
Et puis, avouons-le, le dernier chapitre était quand même super cute 😻😽 (vraiment donnez nous des bébés chats et nous serons comblés)

[Delirious Disquisitions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapters 37-42

That redemption arc came out like a fright train and gaslit me into thinking I was the stupid one foe reading into things. They basically snape-ed him, force fed that 180 character twist down my throat, and I hated every second of that. Thanks, but Loumen is the only father we acknowledge in this house.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one gave me some sympathy for Lakan, though he is still pretty slimy for the most part. The princess is adorable, as is the cat. It will be interesting to see if the books become a big plot point, or if it just to show the emperor's care.

Check out my YouTube channel for bookish videos and monthly wrap ups!

[Artemissia G · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'est toujours un plaisir et un bonheur que de retrouver Mao-Mao ! Et cette suite est admirable et passionnante puisqu'on y a découvre le passé de ses parents ! J'ai vraiment aimé ce 8e tome, c'est toujours aussi savoureux et les dessins ne sont pas en reste !

[Klaudia (Czytelniczka z Księżyca) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chyba najlepszy tom, jaki powstał na ten moment.
Dosłownie posiada wszystko to, co pragnęłam, a nie wiedziałam.

[Natalie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

December 2023
Kindle edition
Manga

Aww, I didn’t want to like the guy in the end but damn that was bittersweet. The kitty was adorable. Gone back to feeling lighthearted now. lol to the books.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feng Xian gets a happily ever after <3.

[hea booktubes · Rating 4 out of 5]

WTF

[Yas · Rating 5 out of 5]

اوه اوه چه داستانی داشت گذشته مائوئو

[Kindred Reader (lilastrings)]

This is a surprisingly emotional volume which I didn't expect.