About

The Apothecary Diaries, also known as Hepburn: Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, is an ongoing Light Novel, manga and anime set on an alternate historical China-inspired setting that follows the story of Maomao, a young girl trained as an apothecary, who becomes a servant in the emperor's palace after being kidnapped from her hometown. Written by Natsu Hyūga and illustrated by Touko Shino, the series originally began as a web novel on Shōsetsuka ni Narō in 2011 and has since expanded into multiple manga adaptations, light novels, and an anime series that started airing in October 2023. Online, the series has gained an expressive fandom, who create memes, fan art and discuss plot-related topics on platforms like Reddit, Twitter / X, TikTok and YouTube.

Plot

The Apothecary Diaries is set in a fictional imperial court reminiscent of ancient China, following protagonist Maomao, a girl raised in a brothel called Verdigris House, who is kidnapped and sold into the emperor’s palace as a servant. Her trained apothecary skills are used to investigate medical mysteries and decipher palace secrets that gradually draw attention from influential courtiers, including the eunuch Jinshi, leading her into the imperial court's complex political and social intrigues.

History

On October 27th, 2011, The Apothecary Diaries web novel^[1] was released on the site Shōsetsuka ni Narō, created by Natsu Hyūga. Its popularity led to its acquisition by Shufunotomo, who published it as a standalone novel in 2012 (illustrated by Megumi Matsuda). The series then transitioned into a light novel format with Touko Shino’s illustrations from August 2014 onward, now published under the Hero Bunko imprint. To date, it has amassed 16 volumes, with ongoing new releases.

Reception

The series has been highly successful commercially and critically. It ranked as the sixth best-selling light novel series in 2019,^[2] with over 31 million copies published by January 2024.^[3]

On December 15th, 2023, YouTube^[4] user @ReplayValue posted a video commenting on the series' positive reception from fans all over the world. The post (seen below) received more than 294,000 views and 12,000 likes in two years.

Fandom

The Apothecary Diaries has cultivated an active online community. Shortly after the series' debut, a dedicated wiki was launched, and discussions on platforms like Reddit^[5], in a subreddit named r/KusuriyaNoHitorigoto/, gained traction over the years, accumulating more than 71,000 fans.

Online Presence

The series gained significant popularity after the premiere of the 2023 anime, which inspired memes, discussions and other online commentary about its characters and plot. For example, on January 17th, 2024, redditor u/galaxycatloaf uploaded a meme about the show's protagonist, Maomao, to the r/TheApothecaryDiaries^[6] subreddit channel, which received more than 1,300 upvotes and 111 comments in a year.

On May 25th, 2025, TikTok^[7] user @_robzzz_ posted a Maomao fan edit, amassing over 5.9 million plays and 1.2 million likes in two weeks.

Search Interest

External References