Adorkable Musings

As I have mentioned, I am a fan of anime.  I watch more than I watch traditional TV.  One of my favorite series is The Apothecary Diaries.  It is based on the light novel by Natsu Hyuuga.  It is a series about a young apothecary named Maomao.  It unfolds during China’s imperial era.  I am not 100 percent sure about the timeframe.  There isn’t an exact timeframe, as far as I can tell.  😅 The story goes over Maomao’s adventures in the rear palace.  Where the Emperor keeps his consorts.  The adventures range from simple questions to solving decades-old mysteries.

One of the most noticeable things about the light novel is that it’s clearly been translated.  Some of the word structures and phrases felt a little off.  Almost like a literal translation, it slowed the book’s flow.  While the light novel has much more detail, it is clear that the manga is based on this series.  Some moments were almost word-for-word with the anime.  I had to force myself to get through this because, well, I knew what was going to happen.  The saving grace was the extra details.  There were moments in the anime that I didn’t understand, or that went over my head.  The light novel helped me understand it more easily.

The series is a good book for young adults who want to start reading.  There are references to sex and smoking, but it is an overall good book.  I will read the other books in the series because I want to know what happens before the new season starts.  I’m greedy that way.