I fell in love with The Apothecary Diaries through the anime. The anime began airing on Crunchyroll during Fall 2023’s anime season, and over the last two years, it captivated me entirely. I quickly burned through the available tankobon volumes of the manga before Season 2 debuted in Winter 2025, but it wasn’t enough.
When the anime’s second season surpassed the manga, I was at a loss. The only thing left to do was dive into Natsu Hyūga’s light novels. Originally published in 2014, Volume 1 of The Apothecary Diaries released an English translation in 2021. The minute I got my hands on the first volume, I couldn’t wait to sit down and devour it. I needed to see for myself how closely the anime and manga followed the story, and I wasn’t disappointed.
What Is The Apothecary Diaries About?
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For those unfamiliar with The Apothecary Diaries, the story follows a 17-year-old apothecary named Maomao. Kidnapped and sold into service at the imperial palace, she washes laundry in the Emperor’s rear palace. Set in the fictional Li Empire (inspired by China’s Tang and Ming Dynasties,) the story is teeming with social and political issues. Classism, misogyny, violence and oppression are just the tip of the iceberg in this story, but The Apothecary Diaries handles controversies with grace.
Maomao, who prefers to keep herself distanced from attention, is drawn into the greatest mystery of of the current Li Empire. Why do the current Emperor’s heirs keep dying? When the infant son and daughter of two of the Emperor’s high-ranking consorts fall mysteriously ill, everyone believes it’s a curse. Being a practical and evidence-driven young woman, Maomao doesn’t believe in curses. In her mind, there’s a scientific, logical answer for even the most impossible mysteries.
When she realizes the cause for the illness plaguing the Emperor’s children, Maomao has no choice but to help. Unfortunately, only one of the consorts heeds her warning, which means only one of the children survives. This courageous act wins Maomao the gratitude and affection of the Emperor’s favorite consort, Lady Gyokyou. Her days working in the rear palace laundry are over, when Consort Gyokyou takes her on as her official poison taster.
Maomao’s background in medicine makes her the perfect candidate. The fact that she has spent most of her life experimenting with a variety of toxins and poisons is just icing on the cake.
The Young Adult Foundation Is Perfect for Jinshi & Maomao’s Slowburn Romance
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The Apothecary Diaries falls perfectly into the YA mystery genre, with a slowburn romance at the heart. One of the best parts about the romance between Maomao and the rear palace “eunuch,” Jinshi, is how realistic it feels. At 17, the last thing on Maomao’s mind is romance. The fact that Jinshi is quite literally the most beautiful and ethereal creature in the world doesn’t seem to phase her. For Jinshi, it’s a refreshing change of pace. Normally, all he needs to do is bat his long lashes, and everyone swoons, but not Maomao. In fact, one of the things Jinshi seems to like most about Maomao is the way she looks at him: like he’s a slug.
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Seemingly immune to his charm and beauty, Jinshi works hard to get under her skin. She doesn’t trust him, believing that someone as beautiful as he is must be fake. It’s her brilliant mind that keeps bringing them together throughout the series. The ease with which she solved the mystery surrounding the Emperor’s children becomes the cornerstone for their relationship. Someone sees a mysterious spirit wandering the rear palace at night, and Maomao’s brought in to consult on the matter. A man Jinshi greatly respects passes away unexpectedly, and he askis Maomao to get to the bottom of it.
It’s the collection of these little mysteries that forms the foundation for The Apothecary Diaries. Without them, there would be no real story to follow, and we would never get to see Maomao shine. She is easily one of the most compelling young adult female protagonists in modern literature, and her romance with Jinshi is only a small part of what makes her appealing.
Courtly Intrigue and Mystery Make Maomao & Her World Feel Realistic
Despite The Apothecary Diaries setting and era being fictional, there is a real world historical element to the story that feels like lost history. As Maomao begins digging into the rear palace’s many mysteries, she uses logic to make sense of them. Her approach to finding the truth feels modern. In a world that clings to superstition, Maomao keeps her head. That affects not just how we see her as readers, but how other characters in the books view her. There are plenty of people who respect her quirky nature, especially when she puts it to work making sense of the senseless.
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On the other hand, there are just as many people around the palace who don’t like her. Some believe their better than she is because of their station. Others just think she should mind her own business. That is a powerful element when shaping a relatable character. She isn’t perfect.
Another reason Maomao feels relatable is her inner-dialogue. She is a young woman who knows her strengths as well as she does her own weaknesses. She’s spent a lot of her life as an introvert, despite growing up between her adoptive father’s apothecary and the brothel, Verdigris House. She prefers to handle things on her own, which can be trouble for her at times.
Watching her growth, even across this first light novel, is one of the greatest aspects of the story.
The Apothecary Diaries Light Novel Vs. the Manga
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When it comes to adaptation one media to another, fans of the original content often find themselves disappointed. Material gets changed, plot points get left out, and in many cases it isn’t even the same story at the end. The Apothecary Diaries doesn’t come with that suffer from that unfortunate stigma. The manga is a very faithful translation of the story, though because it’s a visual medium it does speed things up a little.
Hyūga-Sensei’s light novel is meticulous in its detail. It’s so well-fleshed that an artist is able to easily bring the vision from the page to life in a way that enhances the depth of the light novel. They work beautifully together, and while the light novel is definitely the best way to go for a more in-depth story, the manga is a great place to start.
At present, there are 15 tankobon volumes of the manga, and only 14 of them have been translated into English. There are also 15 light novel volumes, but each one covers much more ground than the tankobons. Volume 1 of the light novel is equal to roughly four tankobon volumes or 21 manga chapters. The anime’s second season actually surpasses the manga at this point. That alone is reason enough to stock up on The Apothecary Diaries’ light novels!
The Apothecary Diaries Volume 1 On a Scale of 1 to 10
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Natsu Hyūga’s The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 1 light novel is a must read for fans of the manga and/or anime. The story feels deeper, and the characters are more developed. I will say that transitioning from the manga and anime to the light novel was an adjustment. The light novels are a little denser because there is more to them, but that isn’t a bad thing. The fact that I already knew the story from the anime and manga made for a slightly slower read than normal.
On a scale of 1 to 10, The Apothecary Diaries Volume 1 gets a full 9 stars. I highly recommend this first volume, whether you’ve seen the anime or read the manga already or not.
