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A review by rereader33
The Apothecary Diaries, Volume 1 by Itsuki Nanao, Nekokurage, Natsu Hyuuga
5.0
I am already in love with this series because I am in love with Mao Mao. What a fucking legend, she is so sassy, blunt, and smart she's such a great protagonist. The fact that she referred to her kidnapping as "most inconvenient" speaks volumes of who she is as a character. Also, she's just really fucking funny. She knows when to hold her tongue, but her inner monologue is so savage and blunt, it's incredible!
Moving on, I really love how rich and sumptuous the artwork is. The way the characters are designed, as well as effective use of heavy lines, shading, and lighting, really sells their nobility and status. That being said, the artwork/ art style is fluid and flexible enough to accommodate dramatic moments, cute/ heartwarming moments, or comedic moments. Also, the characters are super expressive and anyone who knows me knows I'm absolute trash for that.
As for critiques, while I'm not fond of some of the things said (such as men becoming more "feminine" when their "manhood" is removed) I understand that it is trying to be historically accurate so I'm willing to give it a pass. One thing that does bother me is that there isn't always an explanation as to why something was a problem. For example, in the first chapter it's discovered that a face powder the consorts were wearing was poisoning their children, thus causing them to die sooner. While I inevitably came to the conclusion that the children were getting poisoned from being in close contact to the powder, such as being held to the consort's face, thus the powder rubbing off on them, that was never really explained. You just have to draw your own conclusions, which is weird considering this is a mystery series and the mysteries should at least be thoroughly explained after the reveal. It obviously wasn't enough to ruin my enjoyment, but I felt the need to address it.
Rant aside, I had a blast reading this and have already started volume 2. I really love this first volume and highly recommend it!
Moving on, I really love how rich and sumptuous the artwork is. The way the characters are designed, as well as effective use of heavy lines, shading, and lighting, really sells their nobility and status. That being said, the artwork/ art style is fluid and flexible enough to accommodate dramatic moments, cute/ heartwarming moments, or comedic moments. Also, the characters are super expressive and anyone who knows me knows I'm absolute trash for that.
As for critiques, while I'm not fond of some of the things said (such as men becoming more "feminine" when their "manhood" is removed) I understand that it is trying to be historically accurate so I'm willing to give it a pass. One thing that does bother me is that there isn't always an explanation as to why something was a problem. For example, in the first chapter it's discovered that a face powder the consorts were wearing was poisoning their children, thus causing them to die sooner. While I inevitably came to the conclusion that the children were getting poisoned from being in close contact to the powder, such as being held to the consort's face, thus the powder rubbing off on them, that was never really explained. You just have to draw your own conclusions, which is weird considering this is a mystery series and the mysteries should at least be thoroughly explained after the reveal. It obviously wasn't enough to ruin my enjoyment, but I felt the need to address it.
Rant aside, I had a blast reading this and have already started volume 2. I really love this first volume and highly recommend it!