The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 12

The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 12

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!

Strong-armed into getting out more, Maomao attends a spooky soiree where court ladies share spine-tingling tales of terror as a diversion from their daily toil. While there are plenty of chills to go around, the thrills are perhaps few for the skeptical Maomao…until the evening takes an eerie turn! And still more thrills await when Jinshi requests Maomao’s presence on a hunting trip. All is not as it seems when court intrigue and subterfuge are in play however, and master and servant find themselves in a very tight spot and uncomfortably close quarters when a break from a banquet on the hunt goes awry…

Story Locale:Alt. Medieval Asia

Series Overview: 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!

Biographical Notes:

Natsu Hyuuga is the author of The Apothecary Diaries light novel series.

This is Nekokurage’s first manga adaptation of a light novel series.

Title Notes:

The Apothecary Diaries anime adaptation was announced in early 2023 and is planned for release later in the year!

BIG SELLER: The first volume of this manga adaptation has sold over 600,000 copies in Japan!

BASED ON A HIT WEB NOVEL NOW BEING PUBLISHED IN THE NA MARKET: This series is an adaptation of a popular web novel that was serialized in 2011 on one of Japan’s main open-source creator platforms. From there, the novel was published as a single volume, before being republished as an ongoing light novel series due to its popularity. The novel is being digitally released in English by J-Novel Club, with Vol. 8 being released in June 2023.

STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONIST: Palaces might normally come with princesses, but an eccentric, pragmatic servant with a face full of freckles and her wits about her takes center stage in this series! Forget Sherlock; the great detective of the inner palace is born…and her name is Maomao! Female-fronted fantasy manga with sprawling ensemble casts and lots of political intrigue have gained a bigger audience in recent memory.

AGE RATING: Teen – This material is suitable for readers ages 13+.

More details on Nekokurage & Natsu Hyuuga:

Natsu Hyuuga’s Twitter account

More works by Natsu Hyuuga

Nekokurage’s Twitter account

More works by Nekokurage

Publisher’s Twitter account