Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (2025)

Kitsunegasaki

Recommended

Preliminary (4/24 eps)

It's truly a remarkable time to be alive when one of the standout anime of 2023 is themed around oriental culture. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is an enchanting anime that excels in multiple aspects, from its engaging characters to its exceptional music, stunning artwork, superb voice acting, and clever humor. And to top it off, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto's main character is somewhat cat-like?! (ΦωΦ).

This anime stands as a testament to excellence, consistently exceeding expectations. The interactions among the characters are not only entertaining but also filled with depth and charm. The ambiance, aesthetics, and music of the show are undeniably captivating. The incorporation of a distinct ...

Alisson07

Recommended

"The Apothecary Diaries" or "Kusuriya no Hitorigoto", an anime that pleasantly surprised me and, in my opinion, ranks among the best anime of 2023/2024. The anime is set in imperial China and tells the story of Maomao, who was kidnapped and taken to the emperor's palace. From there, we begin to learn more about her personality and traits, along with the unfolding of the story, revealing an intricate web of interconnected events and mysteries.

Technical Aspects:

Plot = 9.8/10

In my view, the anime presented no flaws in the plot. The way events connect and some mysteries are gradually unraveled shows meticulous and insightful writing. It's been a ...

MajiMaestro

Recommended

Preliminary (5/24 eps)

Hearing about Apothecary Diaries for the first time about a month or so ago, I didn't really give it much thought, other than hearing it was from OLM and that preview visuals were pretty impressive at first glance. Upon giving it a shot... good god it flew up my personal list at the speed of LIGHT, I am in love with this show.

If you want the short version, simply go to the enjoyment part of this review

Story 10/10:
The plot itself gets going really quickly, to a comically whimsical degree despite the horrible circumstances in the reality of the situation. Every episode has its own ...

BrickToast

Mixed Feelings

The Good:
This show get's a LOT right. The characters, the setting, the music, the colors, it's all loving crafted, animated, and produced. Like the many varied flowers found in both the Pleasure District and on the Rear Court, the overall feel and vibe of this anime is seductive, comforting, and alluring.

The Big Flaw:
Where does this show fall short then? Writing. Writing writing writing. Once past the opening episodes, the flaws of the writing starts to become pretty noticeable. It's not bad compared to other anime, just aggressively average.

Mystery Cases:
Some of the episodes follow a sort of episodic mystery-case style format which is a great ...

gingerholic

Recommended

Preliminary (5/24 eps)

"Now that does it," I thought to myself after the credits rolled in at the end of the 5th episode. As a total sucker of the 'ugly duckling turned beautiful swan' storyline, I knew I got hooked the moment our female protagonist Maomao got a "makeover" (or should I say, the lack thereof) leaving the bishounen "eunuch" absolutely speechless at her transformation. Think Skip Beat where Kyoko stunned Sho with her get-up at the Prisoner PV set, yeah that sure brought back memories...an anime from over a decade ago *gasp*...I am old school, what can I say.

The premise of the anime is interesting in that ...

LuteFlute

Mixed Feelings

Informative

Preliminary (16/24 eps)

The show is still airing of course so take my review with a grain of salt. (Spoilers marked below)

What I do wholly recommend and loved were the first 13 episodes, of which are worth a watch, however past that is a bit iffy in my opinion. What hooked me from the beginning was the show's setting, story and context. It managed to weave its fairly unique situation into the tropes of the mystery genre. From concubines, mid-wives interactions, to rear palace hiearchies, Apothecary diaries had a real thing going on as learning and exploring this world was a joy to watch, all the while having ...

eksratu

Recommended

Informative

I watched this show while it was airing and found myself drawn in by its strong character writing, eye-catching visuals, and subdued humor (a far cry from the over-the-top gags I often expect from anime). As the episodes went on, the mysteries got deeper, and I began to appreciate the intentional shot compositions, the fun callbacks, and even the slick opening themes. There was a lot to love about Kusuriya no Hitorigoto.

I don’t want to overhype this show, because it’s not for everyone. But for me, it hit all the right spots and quickly became a personal favorite. I highly recommend giving this show ...

narumimaria

Recommended

Well-written

Preliminary (17/24 eps)

In the synopsis, Maomao possesses special skills that set her apart, placing her in challenging situations that explore her unique abilities. A captured servant with medical knowledge surpassing even the nobles of the same profession, which leads her to serve directly in the royal court.

Each episode explores the ailments that Maomao must remedy as an apothecary, an ancient version of a pharmacist. From resolving an illness among the Emperor's concubines to becoming the official food taster for one of them to ensure food safety, the series presents various mysteries to be solved.

These challenges range from curing diseases in the kingdom's soldiers to creating an aphrodisiac ...

fullmetalbender

Recommended

Preliminary (5/24 eps)

The Apothecary Diaries (a.k.a. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto or The Pharmacist's Monologue) is truly a unique piece of work, particularly in its titular apothecary protagonist, who is an absolute delight to follow in her mad medicinal adventures.

Though primarily a pseudo-historical mystery, Apothecary Diaries is an assortment of several genres that work very well together and has a great (if slightly odd) sense of humour. While initially episodic in nature, the stories tie in with each other quite nicely, focusing first on establishing the characters and their network of relationships, and gradually converging towards an overarching story. Maomao is a character like no other and it's always ...

DaKua

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (10/24 eps)

tl;dr Overall decent, interesting premise and setting, good art, good ost, fun but limited characters. Somewhat boring plot as of 10 episode in.

This anime definitely stands out from the crowd with it's setting, probably it's main draw. Not many anime are willing to dive into other cultures and while not the most accurate, it's good enough to captivate. While interesting in that aspect, it feel short in the writing so far and leave a bit to be desired in the main characters present through the show.

Art - 8
While it might not be the most breathtaking anime you've ever watched, this is definitely a major ...

Marinate1016

Recommended

Well-written

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is hands down one of the best anime I’ve ever seen. Boasting some of the most gorgeous character designs and visuals, as well as masterful direction. But that’s not what makes this show great. Its characters, mystery, historical setting, down to earth story and pharmaceutical aspects make it one of a kind. It’s a perfect example of simplicity being the ultimate sophistication and is rightfully highly regarded.

At the end of the day, Kusuriya is very much a slow burn historical mystery anime with a lot funny character interactions. It starts slow with Maomao being thrown into life in the palace initially against ...

gyrfalcon02

Recommended

Preliminary (12/24 eps)

As a lifelong Detective Conan fan, this TOPS Conan!

Apothecary Diaries marries the intrigue that we get from detective-type shows and combines it with the imperial court drama that is so rarely seen in anime, and does so beautifully! The plot points are well foreshadowed and well explained, which gives us viewers great pleasure as we deduce alongside Mao Mao (the main character).

The artstyle is also delightful: colorful, vibrant, and "alive". It perfectly conveys the bustling atmosphere of the ancient city, and all the characters are beautifully drawn, with fine details down to motifs on the hairpins being relevant!

I highly recommend everyone gives it ...

bunnymai

Mixed Feelings

Funny

Preliminary (12/24 eps)

Preliminary thoughts at the halfway point of the season (ep 12):

It's not a bad anime, and it certainly started off interesting and cute. However, the story slowly got more confusing and less enjoyable. I think I was misled at the start to think that this was a cute slice-of-life where Maomao just enjoys her life doing apothecary stuff, but it has become more of a detective drama with Maomao as an apothecary ex machina solving all the palace mysteries.

Anyway, I'm just being harsh on the anime, because the real reason I dislike the show is because of one character - Jinshi.
I swear I've not seen ...

Surealism

Recommended

Preliminary (8/24 eps)

One of the best anime of 2023 in my opinion. The animation is great, really a feast for the eyes. The characters are all unique and interesting. The plot is fun with a Sherlock Holmes style "mystery of the week" approach. There's enough humor to keep things light but the tone is serious when appropriate, it's pretty hard to strike that balance correctly and this show does it well.

The MC is a bit of a Mary Sue, she's not perfect but it's pretty close. That being said so was Sherlock Holmes so it matches the theme of "genius detective". It seems that most folks who ...

KANLen09

Recommended

The Apothecary Diaries - A masterclass at how to do a mystery-drama series, yet sprinkle in some tough thematics and establish a hidden ship within the midst.

If you'd told me 6 months ago that novelist Natsu Hyuuga's Kusuriya no Hitorigoto a.k.a The Apothecary Diaries, would, like the hype that came from Sousou no Frieren a.k.a Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, come to be a strong AOTS contender, I would have chuckled it off to think that a series based on a fictional country in Imperial China during the Tang Dynasty, would be a good show and nothing more. But nope, this 2011 Syosetu work-turned-2014 LN series ...

SuequinhaK

Mixed Feelings

Apothecary Diaries presents us with a refreshing setting reminiscent of imperial China, following the story of a female apothecary. The best way to describe the show is like watching a passionate writer with many ideas throw them into a blender. Fortunately, it wasn't blended to the point of becoming slop, but it still needed work on its characters and story. Unfortunately, the focus was on pointless decorations such as a pretty male lead and good visuals.

I'll get straight to the point. Apothecary Diaries is a mediocre mystery and a weak romance. The drama and comedy were at least entertaining. Fortunately, there's still a message if ...

LazyPotat215

Recommended

Preliminary (13/24 eps)

This easily could've been a tropey anime where "woah, ugly girl who is also smart??? and looks pretty in makeup??? and pretty boy whom everyone likes (and is definitely not what he seems) falls for her because she's so quirky??? AND she solves palace mysterys??? AND all the concubines love her????" but it's not.

What the anime nails 100% that i don't usually see in anime of this genre:
> well written women characters
> having a female MC
> writing romance into the story (even though it's very very tropey) that doesn't distract from the plot.

MaoMao's original intentions don't ever change from wanting to leave the rear palace, ...

dorotthyy

Recommended

Well-written

Preliminary (18/24 eps)

I'm here for everything that this piece will provide us with.

The episode flow, the accuracy of the anime to the manga, voices, character development, storyline, the emotions that can make you feel.. so many small details combined and creating what we have here.

Couldn't have imagined that an anime could be so magnetising.

Story / Character ~10~

The story is wrapped around the mysteries that happened in the fictional country modelled after Imperial China. We can assume that the anime could be set in 15th-century China, judging by the clothing worn by women in that period, it is very similar to the ones worn by ...

nope_e

Mixed Feelings

Back in 2023, I watched 13 episodes of season 1 and thought this was my favorite show of the year. For various reasons: the animation is gorgeous, the level of details is amazing. The soud mixing is also great and makes you feel immersed in the universe.
So the production value is great. I recently rewatched the first 13 episodes and finally finished season 1 and my opinion unfortunaly changed.

So why did my score went from 8/10 to 6...

First, the writing of the characters.

This is actually a procedural show; each episode focused on an event that happened in the imperial court. Jinshi, the male lead, ...

quiet_chaos

Recommended

Preliminary (5/24 eps)

Absolutely amazing. Before I knew what the show entailed, I knew from the cover it was going to be a beautiful anime, and then I see it is a historical anime which makes it even better so I am probably biased already, but this is a must watch. The animations are as beautiful as the cover portrayed.

The animation is gorgeous and Maomao, the MC is a well rounded character for the show and as a woman. She’s clever, funny, beautiful, intelligent; oh but don’t make her mad! You’ll see another side of her you didn’t know she had!

The show isn’t tagged as romance, but ...