Forum - View topic(The) Apothecary Diaries (TV).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11446 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Season 01: (The) Apothecary Diaries (TV) Season 02: (The) Apothecary Diaries (TV 2) Source: Light Novel (ongoing @ 15 volumes, written by Natsu Hyūga, illustrated by Touko Shino) Demographic: Seinen Animation Studio: OLM, Toho Animation Studio Genres: comedy, drama, mystery, romance Themes: aristocracy, China, concubines, conspiracy, detective, eunuchs, historical, medicine, medieval, politics, royalty Plot Summary: Maomao, an apothecary, was just out collecting herbs when she was kidnapped by procurers for the Imperial harem, an easy way for unscrupulous people to get money by having “relatives” go work in the Rear Palace. Hiding her skills and knowledge, Maomao hopes to just glide by, earning as little as possible for her kidnappers during her term of service, but such is not to be. When royal infants begin to fall ill, Maomao can't keep quiet. This catches the eye of the far-too-handsome Jinshi, who elevates Maomao from laundry maid, to poison taster, to the Emperor's favorite concubine. Air Date & Platform: Season 01: October 21, 2023 (Saturday) Available on: Crunchyroll Season 02: 2025 Available on: Crunchyroll Episode Count / Runtime: Season 01: 24 episodes Season 02: Pending Total: 24 episodes ---------------------------------- Oh, boy, "kidnapping" and "China defamation," can't wait for all the Talkback reports I'm gonna' be getting for this one. But seriously, Chinese dynasty-era period pieces, regardless of how light or dark they are, always interest me. I think they make for a cool aesthetic. I feel like this'll be Fall '23's answer to My Happy Marriage, only somewhat reverse-circumstances. Last edited by Tony K. on Fri Apr 12, 2024 5:35 pm; edited 6 times in total |
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 10032 Location: Virginia |
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Nothing at all like My Happy Marriage. No supernatural powers for anyone. No marriage. No miserable childhood. Mao Mao is no wounded butterfly. If it follows the novel, this will be a mystery of the week for several episodes.
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11446 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Nice, I do like medical mysteries, too. Should be interesting with old Chinese medicine as a theme.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24171 |
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A concubine in the "Rear Palace." Heh. But seriously... I'm hyped for this one. I know there's no supernatural angle but I can't help but be reminded of Raven of the Inner Palace.
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10032 Location: Virginia |
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Not a concubine, at least not as far as the volumes translated so far. A servant in the Inner Court. It is only for two years which is why she is more irritated about the kidnapping then traumatized. Born in a bordello and raised in the pleasure district, she has a madam and a couple of high end courtesans in lieu of a mother and a foster father who is a physician to the district. Not much bothers her. This is the setup.
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
 Posts: 2656 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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There are some similarities between Maomao and Shouxue, but Maomao is about 50% saltier. Honestly, she's one of my favorite LN heroines and I always drop everything whenever a new volume of the novels comes out. |
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10032 Location: Virginia |
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Only 50%??
Volume 9 is due October 9th. The eighth volume ended on a cliff hanger. |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
Posts: 2656 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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Ha ha, good point. More like 80%.
I've had volume nine on pre-order since June. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2683 |
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The last show of the season has finally started with a generous helping of three episodes (one of several multiple episode starts this season). I really like the series thus far, as is evident in me watching all three in a row without a break. The setting is interesting and a fair bit more dangerous than one might initially think. The characters are also great. Maomao in particular is wonderful in how salty/sarcastic she is regarding certain things and people (especially Jinshi). Jinshi himself is a sly fox who knows how to use his beauty well.
The cases/mysteries are unique in that they are not the core of each episode so to speak. Each episode does have a case, but it is not like the episode will focus solely on it like in a Detective Conan. Daily life/the world does not stop just to solve the case. Solving also does not mean revealing everything and presenting the solution in a spectacular fashion. So yeah, I am in for more and judging by the end of the third episode things are becoming exciting. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24171 |
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Episodes 1-3
Highly enjoyable. Love Maomao and her interaction with Pretty Boy. Her reactions to him are classic. Man, what a friggin' super solid season. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2970 |
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#1-#4
Very late to the party, although it seems everyone watching this show sticks to the review discussion thread, which is fine by me. If a show casts its net wide enough and the quality is there, viewers will come. It's some feat to top this website's review ratings considering how stacked this season is with all kinds of shows. The setting is either Yuan or Ming imperial China, but there's so much incongruity with both settings that I'm just going to enjoy the atmosphere and ignore the historical inaccuracies. The author has done research on TCM, as well as some aspects of palace life but there's a uniquely Japanese spin on what goes on behind the walls of the palace for the concubines. If I took Maomao and placed her in the 21st century, she'd get by as a pharmacist with a sour demeanour and zero romantic sense. She's got all of the qualities which would make neutral viewers cheer for her: the dry delivery of her diagnosis, the numerous occasions when her otaku instincts take over and she shows the ears which belie her given name; the no-nonsense savaging of incompetent ladies-in-waiting who disobey instructions and her callous disdain of the out-of-place pretty boy palace manager. She may find him creepy, but she owes him for giving her the opportunity she needed to get to work with the top concubine in episode #4. Thanks to her efforts, she has the ear of both the emperor's favourite concubines as well as his personal trust having seen first-hand how skilled she is. Putting aside how historically inaccurate Jinshi is, he has a useful role as a foil to Maomao's surliness. He's also extremely intelligent in his own right and has incredibly capable subordinates and the trust of the concubines, but we casual viewers have no idea why he's occupying the role he has when by rights he should not be anywhere near the concubine's residential quarters. Not sure if the series will reveal more about who he really is beyond his assistant's very cryptic remark. Also, his secret masochistic streak gives Gaoshun the same case of disgust Maomao has when he attempts to charm her. It's not just the interpersonal relationships which sell the show: it can put on the emotional hooks if it wants to especially with episode three. If the animators deliver more episodes like this (getting the frequency right is tricky to maximise the impact), I'll be even more impressed with the show. As for the TCM, it's easy to relate to as plenty of it is still relevant today for nutrition. The mysteries regarding chemical processes are easier to relate to in the 21st century, but for Maomao to casually state them and be believed centuries ago would be a hard sell, no matter how conducive the audience is to her knowledge. It's still great entertainment, and part of the reason why I'm seeing this through to the end despite its quaint approach to one-off story arcs. |
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10032 Location: Virginia |
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Jinshi is not actually masochistic. He is just really, really tired of women coming on to him. He finds Maomao's attitude refreshing and enjoyable. What we will find concerning who he is depends on how far the anime gets into the season. Basically, it appears simple but is really very complicated.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2970 |
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His mantra of "Anything that can be used should be used as such" doesn't stop him from using his looks to get his way around the concubines and serving girls. If he was so tired of them coming on to him, he wouldn't be so blasé about using that trait just about every time he hits a wall. The way he reacts when Maomao recoils from his "advances" seems more like masochism to me as he looks like he gets an adrenaline high each time he thinks about it, but that's just me.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2970 |
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#5
This is the first time a story arc spans multiple weeks, and it looks to be an interesting one. The coloured fires indicate the tablets have been coated with substances for a specific purpose, which Jinshi suspects is a conspiracy against the palace or the main concubines. Although Maomao's apothecary task this week is to deal with the rashes from the allergic reaction, that's not all she will have to deal with if the concubines are the target of poisoning. Speaking of the concubines, the system used in this episode corresponds directly with the Song dynasty harem hierarchy. The emperor's outfit in episode 4 is closer to Song then it is to Ming and Yuan, yet the way the ladies-in-waiting talk about multiple capitals makes Song unlikely because of its military disadvantage compared to the later dynasties. All the more to just enjoy the setting as it is rather than worry about the historical details. I wondered why Maomao had two very different appearances highlighted in the OP, and this episode answers that question. Even Jinshi for all his intelligence was stumped as he has no knowledge of the world outside the palace and cannot comprehend the need to use makeup to make appearances less attractive. It also sets the stage for the scene highlighted so often in trailers; that of Maomao declaring poison in her dolled-up appearance. I'd only just noticed, but the imperial physician is actually credited as ヤブ医者, which is literally quack doctor. He's nice enough to her now knowing she takes the heat off him with her skills, and he's knowledgeable enough about food that he can share goodies she digs up in the palace grounds in secret. Gaoshun secretly thinks Maomao is Jinshi's new favourite plaything, but is it only just that? She still can't stand him, but he's now added empathy to her plight in addition to admiration of her skills into the list of reasons he has for visiting her every opportunity he gets. It's lethal for both if the attraction becomes mutual, so how far can Jinshi take it before it becomes a scandal? If Maomao plays a key figure in stopping whatever conspiracy is afoot and somehow wins the respect of the two remaining prime concubines, she'll have influence rivalling that of Jinshi and the Matron of the rear palace. The emperor already trusts her for last week's achievements, which is a huge feat for someone who was randomly kidnapped off the streets. Does she stay long enough in the palace to grow a metre and become more physically imposing to the rest of the palace inhabitants? |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2683 |
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Well, after episode 6 we can conclude that Mao is a rather unique character. I do not know of many others that would enjoy getting to swallow poison like that. She can also be real intimidating when she need to be. The food taster that switched the dish (and saved her lady accidentally) got off with a warning/murderous stare and since she seems to not have known how bad allergies can get it seems fitting (though having someone like that serve you seems like a recipe for further issues).
Also a special mention for the minister who decided not to believe the poison taster and test out the dish himself. Truly clever thinking there. The family relation of the emperor and the previous one are also.....special. |
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