Title: Parallel World Pharmacy Vol. 2
Author: Sei Takano (manga), Liz Takayama (original story), keepout (characters)
Publisher: One Peace Books
Language: English
Format: Digital
Pages: 168
Genre: Isekai, Fantasy
Publication Date: November 21, 2023
The Story
When we left off, Farma’s father Bruno had cornered him and questioned his methods, threatening his very life; however, Farma came up with a good enough excuse for his father to trust him. With that, they head back to the Emperor and give her the medicine. Six months later, she is cured of tuberculosis. To thank him, she promotes him to an official Court Pharmacist and grants him his wish to open a pharmacy that is affordable for both nobles and commoners.
However, business isn’t booming. Lotte goes around town and performs a survey and their suspicions are correct. All of that changes one day when a young woman faints from anemia. She was so concerned about her skin tone that she was undergoing bloodletting, became weak, and developed an infection. This led Farma to get into the cosmetics business. He wants to make an alternative to ceruse which uses lead and mercury to whiten the skin, both of which are toxic.
When word reaches the Emperor, she has a few demands about Farma’s newfound business. In addition to business demands, she has one other… it seems that the young prince has developed some cavities in his teeth. His next royal diagnosis is upon us!
Characters
Hmm… thinking on things, I can’t really see much of anything in the majority of our characters that would constitute a significant development. The only ones that come to mind are the Emperor and Bruno.
In Bruno’s case, he has become humbled and accepting of Farma and his abilities. Of course, they are using the guise of it being the will of the god which is a saving grace for Farma. He gets to use his Diagnostic Eye a bit more freely now and his father has even begun to act like a father rather than an archduke. He ends up funding Farma’s Pharmacy, discreetly firing a staff member so that Farma could hire him to help out, and has promised to continue to guide him through life while supporting his goals. It truly painted Bruno in a new light rather quickly but it’s nice for Farma to have a true father figure while he tries to navigate life in this other world.
As for the Emperor, she was all meek, timid, and thankful when she was ill but now that she had recovered, she is very demanding and impatient. She wanted Farma’s Pharmacy built immediately. He didn’t even get a chance to think about what products to sell, what the design would be, or even a name. All of that was decided on the fly since the Emperor wanted it done as fast as humanly possible. When Farm’s cosmetics became known, she was a bit miffed that she didn’t get to try them out first. As grateful as she was for being saved, she sure lost that humble side to her rather quickly. It makes me wonder if there will be another instance where she’ll get humbled and revert to how she was before.
Final Thoughts
The second volume has a lot going for it. Not only do we resolve the Emperor’s illness, but we see Farma’s Pharmacy get built, open and expand all within the same volume. His woes of attracting customers were quickly resolved; however, I didn’t expect things to take a turn toward the cosmetic side. I thought it would be more about treating patients and introducing Earth’s modern medicine to another world. The cosmetics aspect seemed like a detour but towards the end of the volume, it appears that we are getting back to Farma’s original goal.
Since the expansion of his business happened, it makes me wonder if things will end up being the same once new medicines are developed and become in demand. One thing the Emperor feared was that Farma’s cosmetics nearly put a monopoly on the economy. I wonder if the same thing will happen when it comes to new drugs as well. Farma did say that he wanted to share his information but he wasn’t quite ready to do so just yet. I have a feeling the more he grows, the more he will have to share what he knows about medicines. Of course, he will still have a market with new medicines but what happens when that runs out? Will he still be needed?
One thing is for sure… the series definitely set itself up with an endpoint. Eventually, things will catch up; however, I am waiting for the inevitable that we haven’t seen yet… a disease on Earth in this new world that doesn’t have a known cure. What would Farma do then? I have a feeling it’s coming but for now, let’s enjoy Farma’s rise through the ranks of the medical world!
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This item was purchased for review.
