Reviews - Les carnets de l'apothicaire T01

1.71k reviews for:

Les carnets de l'apothicaire T01

Itsuki Nanao

4.27 AVERAGE

kalanadi's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous funny medium-paced

merleita's review against another edition

4.0

funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

gothauntiewrites's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I really enjoyed this manga, as I know many others have. For me, it includes many things that check boxes for me. Here are three.

A Historical Setting

I was thrilled to learn about Imperial China and some of its history. I confess I've not read too many pieces with this setting, and I love the attention to detail. One of my favorite things as a reader is to explore perspectives and setting different from my own background.

An Intelligent Main Character

Maomao is clearly very learned. She knows exactly what she is talking about in terms of medicine, and isn't afraid to correct someone if they are misguided or wrong. I see some of her qualities in myself. In addition, she's a well-rounded character who has times of triumph and tragedy. I appreciate her three dimensional qualities.

A Mysterious Backstory Coupled with Moments of Humor

Maomao comes from unfortunate circumstances we know very little about when we start. The series could choose to lean into it and make this into a grim tale, but they don't! Instead, The Apothecary Diaries, with its rational yet adorable protagonist, offers many moments of well placed humor.

I look forward to reading more in this series that incorporates realism with a bit of whimsy.

Content Warnings

spookykoro's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

lanxn's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

sunscour's review against another edition

4.0

I love stories with a good mystery..

_heidireads_'s review against another edition

3.75

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

I started reading this series because I’m a huge fan of the anime and was nearly finished with season 2. Knowing I’d want to know what happens next, I decided to pick up the light novels, which is my first time ever reading any!

The first couple of volumes mostly serve as a refresher, but I’m really excited to dive into the parts that haven’t been adapted yet. So far, I’m thrilled with how closely the light novels align with the anime.

I absolutely love the plot and adore all the characters, especially Maomao and Jinshi. Maomao is effortlessly cool and unbothered, while Jinshi is irresistibly charismatic. Their banter is top-tier and always entertaining. This series is fantastic! I can’t wait to keep reading!