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薬屋のひとりごと [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto] #10
The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 10
After breaking a "curse" on the imperial heirs, a palace servant with training in herbal medicine is promoted up the ranks to food taster...and right into the thick of palace intrigue in this lushly illustrated historical mystery series!
When two beautiful foreign envoys with designs on the Emperor come calling with a tale of old about a spellbinding courtesan who captured the imagination of their family patriarch, it’s up to Maomao to concoct a theatrical scheme to give the ladies a whopper of a story to take home! Later, Maomao goes back to sniffing around the Inner Court to find out the truth about the troubling prevalence of those foreign perfume oils that could spell disaster for the throne's future heirs...
When two beautiful foreign envoys with designs on the Emperor come calling with a tale of old about a spellbinding courtesan who captured the imagination of their family patriarch, it’s up to Maomao to concoct a theatrical scheme to give the ladies a whopper of a story to take home! Later, Maomao goes back to sniffing around the Inner Court to find out the truth about the troubling prevalence of those foreign perfume oils that could spell disaster for the throne's future heirs...
188 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 23, 2022
294 people are currently reading
2222 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 379 reviews
May 14, 2025
lihua was ready to beat the ever loving shit out of xing
January 15, 2023
J’aime toujours autant l’univers, mais j’ai vraiment de plus en plus de mal à voir un fil rouge, et je trouve que ça manque.
Dans quelle direction va-t-on ? Pour quelle raison ? On enchaîne mystères et enquêtes mais sans percevoir une avancée générale de l’histoire du coup c’est un peu frustrant.
Ce tome était cool mais pas transcendant ! + j’en ai marre d’oublier tout ce qu’il se passe avant et d’être perdue parce que y a 6 mois entre chaque tome 😭 si quelqu’un sait où on peut trouver des résumés détaillés des mangas je suis preneuse.
Dans quelle direction va-t-on ? Pour quelle raison ? On enchaîne mystères et enquêtes mais sans percevoir une avancée générale de l’histoire du coup c’est un peu frustrant.
Ce tome était cool mais pas transcendant ! + j’en ai marre d’oublier tout ce qu’il se passe avant et d’être perdue parce que y a 6 mois entre chaque tome 😭 si quelqu’un sait où on peut trouver des résumés détaillés des mangas je suis preneuse.
March 10, 2024
i got bored. i still look forward to reading the next volume tho.
December 26, 2023
That scene from the lake captured how good Maomao and Jinshi's team is!
I can't wait for this volume to be animated. ✨
I can't wait for this volume to be animated. ✨
January 13, 2024
Imagine being the prettiest woman in the country and you’re a man.
Seeing it illustrated was powerfully satisfying.
Seeing it illustrated was powerfully satisfying.
July 3, 2025
you only like that man bcuz he looks like a girl‼️🙂↕️
January 17, 2024
In which Jinshi’s dance draws eyes like moths to a flame, the health care systems of the palace operate under strict gender lines, and certain scents end up offending some sensibilities.
Here’s the short review - still amazing. There, just read it and enjoy as several ongoing plotlines wrap up while others are set into motion. It’s wonderful.
Jinshi continues to bristle against Maomao’s indifference to him in all things. His woefully unrequited affection and Gaoshun desperately trying to signal Maomao about what’s going on and her not getting it are as silly and enjoyable as ever.
The science here in this story would probably never work quite as well in practice, not that I’m planning to start Manga Mythbusters, but it’s always just the right side of plausible when we get the explanations behind things. It rarely over-explains things too. The balance is perfect.
I’m also really enjoying Maomao’s success at surviving at the court. While she still shuns the spotlight, she cannot entirely avoid it, and the free pass she’s been getting for some of her antics has a lady who runs a clinic turning to her, as we learn that females cannot become doctors here.
It’s a pointed reminder that whatever Maomao gets away with and what changes the women experience in society, this is a slow, slow process of change and, sadly, it always has been.
Of course, it’s also nice to see that Maomao is far, far bolder now than she has tended to be in the past. When she confronts the culprit who has been trying to use the perfumes to make an abortifacient, her dander really goes up and she gets a stinging rebuke for her efforts. Not that that stops her bullheaded nature and desire for justice.
Maomao works because she is not infallible, and never has been, but she’s competent and very smart. She has a real talent and it both leads to and gets her out of trouble. None of that has changed.
The story has clever mysteries and still oozes with tons of potential, which is lovely. The set-up at the end might be a little too much by way of artifice, but I will allow it, as it shows how Maomao is very much her father’s daughter in some ways, and her grandfather’s in others.
5 stars - looks great, is smart, treats its characters with respect, and is chock full of interesting plot and dialogue. What more do you want from your manga?
Here’s the short review - still amazing. There, just read it and enjoy as several ongoing plotlines wrap up while others are set into motion. It’s wonderful.
Jinshi continues to bristle against Maomao’s indifference to him in all things. His woefully unrequited affection and Gaoshun desperately trying to signal Maomao about what’s going on and her not getting it are as silly and enjoyable as ever.
The science here in this story would probably never work quite as well in practice, not that I’m planning to start Manga Mythbusters, but it’s always just the right side of plausible when we get the explanations behind things. It rarely over-explains things too. The balance is perfect.
I’m also really enjoying Maomao’s success at surviving at the court. While she still shuns the spotlight, she cannot entirely avoid it, and the free pass she’s been getting for some of her antics has a lady who runs a clinic turning to her, as we learn that females cannot become doctors here.
It’s a pointed reminder that whatever Maomao gets away with and what changes the women experience in society, this is a slow, slow process of change and, sadly, it always has been.
Of course, it’s also nice to see that Maomao is far, far bolder now than she has tended to be in the past. When she confronts the culprit who has been trying to use the perfumes to make an abortifacient, her dander really goes up and she gets a stinging rebuke for her efforts. Not that that stops her bullheaded nature and desire for justice.
Maomao works because she is not infallible, and never has been, but she’s competent and very smart. She has a real talent and it both leads to and gets her out of trouble. None of that has changed.
The story has clever mysteries and still oozes with tons of potential, which is lovely. The set-up at the end might be a little too much by way of artifice, but I will allow it, as it shows how Maomao is very much her father’s daughter in some ways, and her grandfather’s in others.
5 stars - looks great, is smart, treats its characters with respect, and is chock full of interesting plot and dialogue. What more do you want from your manga?
November 29, 2023
They need to give my girl MaoMao a better title and more money! She out here solving all the inner court problems.
January 15, 2026
I love the variety of all the little mysteries that Maomao solves throughout the palace.
February 17, 2026
This manga is often a breath of truly fresh air. To think we'd get into genetics in a historical fiction, right? Or that legends could be unearthed in not just one, but two separate stories in one volume. Truly magical.
February 10, 2023
Now that’s more like it! Maomao makes a bit more progress as the story continues and I’m fully invested in the outcome again. She’s basically still the cleverest character around (good for her!) and proves it by solving the riddle of the shrine. But it all only fuels her curiosity about Jinshi’s identity - and yet she isn’t sure she wants to figure it out. « Ignorance is bliss », was it?
However, the parting words of this volume are quite intriguing. « She will regret that, come a few days time. But for now, she remains blissfully unaware. » Like… Yeah, okay, you got my attention! What could possibly go wrong?
However, the parting words of this volume are quite intriguing. « She will regret that, come a few days time. But for now, she remains blissfully unaware. » Like… Yeah, okay, you got my attention! What could possibly go wrong?
August 15, 2025
Jinshi my love ❤️
That's it. That's the review.
That's it. That's the review.
April 8, 2025
Il y a-t-il plus belle danseuse ?
February 22, 2026
Vaya idea la de MaoMao y los rabos de lagartija 😂
Read
November 30, 2023Damn you, cliffhanger! What a good one too 😭
May 10, 2024
I would never have survived all the court politics, with its plotting, backstabbing, and general shenanigans.
December 2, 2023
December 2023
Kindle edition
Manga
Noooo, you can’t leave it there. Shoot. Up to date now and ending on a cliffy. The dance was cool and I like the little bonus at the end with Jinshi swimming the pond. Curious if that’s it for the envoys. I liked how strong the consort is now and the way she balled her fist to dish out punishment.
Kindle edition
Manga
Noooo, you can’t leave it there. Shoot. Up to date now and ending on a cliffy. The dance was cool and I like the little bonus at the end with Jinshi swimming the pond. Curious if that’s it for the envoys. I liked how strong the consort is now and the way she balled her fist to dish out punishment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2024
Je suis si fan
March 13, 2025
ahhh so much fun!!
April 29, 2026
Mnóstwo się tutaj działo, mam teorię co będzie w następnym tomie. Było trochę zaskoczeń, na szczęście nikt nie zginął, było zabawnie. Ale brakuje mi Maomao
September 19, 2024
This volume was so enjoyable! I'm very curious to see how the 11th one will continue
February 22, 2023
Un tome sympa où on a le dénouement d’intrigues précédentes et l’installation de nouvelles.
Mao Mao me fait mourir de rire avec ses têtes 😂 J’aime énormément les dessins !
Je voudrais juste qu’on arrête de couper n’importe comment les tomes pour qu’on galère pas à s’y retrouver dans les suites d’intrigue. On nous coupe parfois en pleine scène et on nous dit d’attendre 6mois pour le prochain tome… alors qu’on est en pleine action… Il faudrait regrouper les chapitres qui se concentrent sur une même scène correctement ☹️
Pour autant sur ce tome, on nous laisse en plein cliffhanger et ça fait plaiz 😏
Mao Mao me fait mourir de rire avec ses têtes 😂 J’aime énormément les dessins !
Je voudrais juste qu’on arrête de couper n’importe comment les tomes pour qu’on galère pas à s’y retrouver dans les suites d’intrigue. On nous coupe parfois en pleine scène et on nous dit d’attendre 6mois pour le prochain tome… alors qu’on est en pleine action… Il faudrait regrouper les chapitres qui se concentrent sur une même scène correctement ☹️
Pour autant sur ce tome, on nous laisse en plein cliffhanger et ça fait plaiz 😏
December 1, 2023
Oh, I just read most of this in the 3rd light novel!
March 4, 2024
frogs amirite
June 8, 2024
The plot of this one was difficult to follow, but I still loved the art style and character humor
August 28, 2024
it’s the way that they understand and know each other so implicitly… (I’m taking whatever breadcrumbs I can get at this point)
May 6, 2026
Entretenida como siempre, los primeros capítulos también tienen su nota cómica a costa de Jinshi, y en fin, su guapura. Ya sabemos que el Palacio Interior es un hervidero de chismes y conspiraciones, y Mao Mao pese a querer mantener la distancia se ve envuelta continuamente en situaciones que ponen de manifiesto su inteligencia además de su posición poco común dentro de una sociedad tan cerrada y jerarquizada. En este caso, descubre la existencia de una clínica para las criadas atendida por mujeres que sin embargo tienen prohibido el uso de la medicina. Tirando del hilo en la desaparición de una pobre criada muy enferma, desenmascarará un complot contra de una de las consortes. Me ha gustado ese matiz social y como siempre la puesta en evidencia de la total falta de derechos de las mujeres. Y en consecuencia la rivalidad e incluso el odio que se puede despertar entre nosotras al depender no de nuestros méritos sino del gusto de los poderosos y a la pirámide patriarcal.
July 14, 2024
this vol. made me want the season 2 so badly. i cant wait until it comes out. again story line and plot with the art, I'm in love even more. I love Mao Moa and Mao Mao (the cat so much) it is honestly ironic how Mao Mao isn't really that fond of cats tho.
and Jinshi. Don't even get me started. i tell you this guy could really destroy world peace. his girl look was absolutely breathtaking. like damn, he looks better as a women than he does as a man. overall loved this and am waiting till my hold on vol 11 comes.
and Jinshi. Don't even get me started. i tell you this guy could really destroy world peace. his girl look was absolutely breathtaking. like damn, he looks better as a women than he does as a man. overall loved this and am waiting till my hold on vol 11 comes.
March 12, 2024
Ohh j'ai beaucoup aimé le début de ce tome, avec le passé de la tenancière et toutes les intrigues politiques qui en découlent. Quant à la fin du tome... Je veux la suite ! On découvre vraiment trop de nouvelles choses, c'est frustrant cette attente... J'aurais dû acheter tous les tomes d'un coup.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 379 reviews