Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
The Apothecary Diaries
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Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: The Pharmacist's Monologue
Japanese: 薬屋のひとりごと
English: The Apothecary Diaries
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Information

Type: Light Novel
Volumes: Unknown
Chapters: Unknown
Status: Publishing
Published: Aug 29, 2014 to ?
Genres: Drama Drama, Mystery Mystery
Theme: Medical Medical
Serialization: None
Authors: Hyuuga, Natsu (Story), Shino, Touko (Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.871 (scored by 60786,078 users)
1 indicates a weighted score.
Ranked: #352
2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #856
Members: 25,627
Favorites: 1,593

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Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
8.87
Ranked #35Popularity #856Members 25,627
Light NovelHyuuga, Natsu (Story), Shino, Touko (Art)
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Synopsis

In the East is a land ruled by an emperor, whose consorts and serving women live in a sprawling complex known as the hougong, the rear palace. Maomao, an unassuming girl raised in an unassuming town by her apothecary father, never imagined the rear palace would have anything to do with her—until she was kidnapped and sold into service there.

Though she looks ordinary, Maomao has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and an extensive knowledge of medicine. That's her secret, until she encounters a resident of the palace at least as perceptive as she is: the head eunuch, Jinshi. He sees through Maomao's façade and makes her a lady-in-waiting to none other than the Emperor's favorite consort... so she can taste the lady's food for poison!

At her lady's side, Maomao starts to learn about everything that goes on in the rear palace—not all of it seemly. Can she ever lead a quiet life, or will her powers of deduction and insatiable curiosity bring her ever more adventures, and ever more dangers?

(Source: J-Novel Club)

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Background

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto has been published digitally in English as The Apothecary Diaries by J-Novel Club since February 14, 2021, and in print by Square Enix since May 14, 2024.
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Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
Adaptation (Manga)
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Maomao no Koukyuu Nazotoki Techou
Adaptation (Manga)
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Maomao no Koukyuu Nazotoki Techou
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
Adaptation (TV)
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 2nd Season
Adaptation (TV)
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 2nd Season
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 3rd Season
Adaptation (TV)
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 3rd Season
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Movie
Adaptation (Movie)
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Movie
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 3rd Season Part 2
Adaptation (TV)
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 3rd Season Part 2
 
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More characters
Characters

Maomao
Maomao
Main
Jinshi
Jinshi
Main
Loulan
Loulan
Supporting
Shisui
Shisui
Supporting
Gyokuyou
Gyokuyou
Supporting
Kan, Lakan
Kan, Lakan
Supporting
Gaoshun
Gaoshun
Supporting
Xiaolan
Xiaolan
Supporting
Lihua
Lihua
Supporting
Ah-Duo
Ah-Duo
Supporting

Reviews

Write review
5 Recommended
0 Mixed Feelings
1 Not Recommended
All reviews (6)
Jun 3, 2024
Valval0
Recommended
Preliminary (1/? eps)
I highly recommend reading this series to anyone who liked the anime. I've currently read five volumes, and it still remains very interesting. It initially caught my interest after watching the anime, and the novels feel much the same. If you liked the anime, then you'll probably also like the novel. The novels are structured as a collection of short stories that follow a detective format, centered around medicinal themes. While the short stories might seem disconnected at first, they each subtly contribute to and advance the main plot. This makes for nice stopping points, but it can sometimes be a bit frustrating not to ...
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Dec 20, 2023
Ringo_Juzu
Recommended
InformativeInformative
Preliminary (7/? eps)
This series is great at telling an over-arching narrative. It has some soft mystery vibes and a large focus on political intrigue.
It's probably the best LN I've read in terms of narrative focus. It's hard to really put in words, since in the first place, the purpose of writing is to take the reader from one point to another in a coherent way. I think all I can really say about it, is that it's well-paced and leaves just enough for the reader to be satisfied but still wanting more. Which sounds bad, but I mean it in the best way possible.
Despite being mostly slice ...
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May 5, 2026
Lightning_art7
Not Recommended
Preliminary (20/? eps)
Spoiler
I tried the first two light novel volumes, and it feels like various short stories smushed into a novel format. And it kinda feels like "the crime of the day" or something like that. It progresses as "chapter one", "chapter two", etc, but it's actually short stories contained in each chapter or whatever, so the reader thinks it's a continuous story, but it's not. Which would lead to confusion. And Maomao feels like a Mary Sue because she can solve basically everything. They say she can handle poison by letting snakes bite her, but if it's realistic, she'd die the first time a snake bit ...
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Favorite Light Novel Volume *Possible Spoilers*
irondark30 - Feb 15		 1 repliesby BusyBee19 »»
Feb 18, 7:25 AM
Where can I read the light novels
CharlieBrown_ - Jan 19, 2025		 7 repliesby MadanielFL »»
Oct 28, 2025 6:40 AM
Volume 16?
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Aug 6, 2025 12:32 AM
Manga or Light Novel
Manoah_llng - May 4, 2025		 7 repliesby BlueSharko »»
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