ECC Ediciones has published one of the most anticipated works by manga fans, The Apothecary Diaries
For a while now, ECC Ediciones seems to have set a goal of publishing manga that is well-received in Spain, but not well-known by the general public. A clear example of this is his work Chihayafuru, which is highly sought after by many readers. Recently, the publisher published another very well-received manga, The Apothecary Diaries, a seinen that has been a critical and sales success in Japan for years, without an anime adaptation (it recently had one).
Originally, the work was a series of light novels written by Natsu Hyuga and illustrated by Touko Shino. They were very successful and the work was adapted into manga twice, once by Square Enix and Monthly Big and the other by Shogakukan. The manga published in our country is from Square Enix, written by Natsu Hyûga and drawn by Nekokurage.
History of the Apothecary Diaries
The work is set in the middle ages, the main character is Mao Mao, a young scholar who is forced to become a servant in the imperial court. One day, when he hears that all the emperor’s children have very short lives due to their curiosity, their desire for knowledge and a little laziness, he begins to investigate this strange phenomenon. From there, the story unfolds with palace intrigues and mysteries to unravel, as Mao Mao’s medical knowledge and, above all, poisons are something many want to use.
This is a work that perfectly blends the historical genre, drama, mystery and humor. For most of the story we follow Maomao, who is the protagonist of the work and lets us see that she is not the most ordinary child of her time.
We are faced with a very intelligent girl who can read and write (a rarity in a maid of the era). In addition, her curiosity makes her very reckless, she is able to perform experiments on plants and poisons herself. We can describe her as a herbal geek, because while other maids are dazzled by her beautiful face, she only cares about her medicines. He’s a very well-developed character, with a lot of personality that readers will love, especially in funny situations, because his reactions are so funny.
In this first volume, in addition to serving as an introduction, we have human stories that will always be at the core of herbal knowledge, but where intrigue and love are mixed, prompting questions for the reader. This volume has a calm rhythm, but it does not feel boring at any time, on the contrary, the reading is easy, fun and enjoyable.
The picture of Nekokurage is something to highlight. You won’t find any ugly characters in the whole work, all the designs emphasize the beauty of even the character that is not considered “beautiful”. The character designs are very interesting and very well differentiated, so it doesn’t matter if you get lost in the names, you can actually identify the characters. The level of detail in which the characters are drawn is excellent and there are some very beautiful splash pages. The backgrounds of the pictures are very simple, but not empty, perhaps so that the reader can focus on the characters and not on anything else.
Apothecary’s Diary by ECC Ediciones Edition.
ECC has done a great job with the Apothecary Diaries issue. Measuring 12.8 x 18 cm, the comic reads wonderfully without having to open the manga any more than necessary. The quality of the paper is good, so there will be no problems to enjoy the story in 184 pages. In addition to the first 4 chapters, the volume contains sequels by Hyuga and Nekokuraj.
The volume is covered in a soft cover with a dust jacket. There has been some controversy with the decision to have a cover title on social networks, but it must be said that it looks very good and allows you to see the picture better. The manga is now available at a price of €9.95.
Apothecary’s Diary is a fun manga. A career that grows steadily but never feels slow or boring. The picture, especially the design of the characters, is very impressive and beautiful. The protagonist of the story turns out to be a very interesting, very intelligent person, with a unique personality that all readers will love.
Apothecary Diaries no. 01
Author: Natsu Hyûga | Nekokurage.
Publisher: ECC Editions
Format: Paperback with dust jacket and flap
Dimensions: 12.8 x 18 cm
Pages: 184 black and white pages
ISBN: 978-84-19920-77-5
Price: 9,95 €
Synopsis: Mao Mao is a servant in the imperial palace in the middle ages. She used to work as a botanist in the happy district, but all the emperor’s children have a short life, when she heard a rumor out of natural curiosity and curiosity, she began to investigate the cause, and the story begins. . What does fate have in store for him!?