A new series has just appeared at Ki-oon edition. Indeed, Hyuga Natsu' s apothecary notebooks , Nanao Ikki and Nekokurage, a long-awaited work, were published at the beginning of the year.
The notebooks of the apothecary T01!
The Apothecary's Notebooks is a seinen by Hyuga Natsu, Nanao Ikki and Nekokurage. Currently composed of 7 volumes in Japan, the series began in France last January at Ki-oon. The second volume of the series will be available from March 04, 2021.
At 17, Mao Mao had a complicated life. Trained at an early age by an apothecary from the pleasure district, she finds herself kidnapped and sold as a servant in the women's quarter of the imperial palace! Surrounded by high walls, it is cut off from the outside world. In order to survive in this luxury prison teeming with conspiracies and dirty tricks, the girl tries to hide her knowledge to blend in.
But when the suspicious deaths of newborn princes stir the court, his passion for poisons takes over. She observes, investigates… and find the solution! By wanting to do well, here she is spotted …Jinshi, a handsome and calculating high-ranking official, guesses her talent and promotes her as the personal taster of one of the emperor's favorites. In the middle of this nest of snakes, the slightest misstep can be fatal!
Discover the hidden side of the most secret place of the imperial city! In this world of women ruled by men, Mao Mao will need all his intelligence and knowledge to unravel the intrigues of the court… With its extraordinary heroine and beautiful settings, this manga event adapted from a successful novel has everything to please!
Intrigues and poisons in the heart of the imperial palace!
This work plunges us into a universe little known to the general public. Indeed, we go to discover the imperial palace and more precisely the inner courtyard. We must admit that we have been immersed in history from the very first pages. The main heroine, Mao Mao is confronted with suspicious events quite quickly and cannot help but want to help. This is what will earn him to be noticed by some officials working there. The plot of the series appears quite quickly and allows us to immerse ourselves in the scenario without too much difficulty. In addition, the actions are carried out in a fluid way and allow to keep a pace neither too slow nor too fast. Different themes are addressed as the pages progress. However, we must admit that we really liked the one of traditional medicine. Indeed, it turns out that the main character has a hidden talent, which gives a new perspective to the story. Although the latter will not remain so for long because Mao Mao will be quickly "unmasked", the desire to learn more about a medicine little used here is a positive point that adds a lot of attractiveness to the series. A number of questions came to mind and made us want to learn more about this world that was then unknown to us. What does Jinshi really want? What adventures await Mao Mao? Will she manage to leave the imperial palace? So many questions we can't wait to know the answers to!
A quality drawing!
Nekokurage offers us for his first work quality graphics! Indeed, it is with pleasure that we took the time to observe the many details available in the different boxes. The sets imitate with great lightness the various scenes present in the book. The pleasure of discovering certain boxes is present and does not weigh down the reading. In addition, the pencil stroke is very appreciable. Indeed, the lines are fine and neat, which allows to dive deeper into the series. The representation of the characters is also very pleasant. The faces of the characters are very well drawn and discovering the different expressions and emotions on their faces is very satisfying. This helps to make certain scenes more intense. The mimicry, especially those of Mao Mao are also very interesting and gives a rather comic dynamic to the work. Ki-oon offers us once again a quality work! After the publication of manga, very different we admit it with the masterpieces of Lovecraft, the publisher offers us this time a captivating series where brilliantly intertwines with enigma, poison and high society. Whether by the scenario or by the graphics, the author managed to captivate our attention.
