Forum

#28

Peculiar pacing in this episode, most likely because as already noted there's a lot of setup in this episode as next week follows on with the search for the "Moon Goddess". The first part with the twins and the mirror isn't for show either; like Chekhov's gun it seems twins are featuring in the next week and the first puzzle is a stepping stone for Maomao to solve the next diplomatic problem vexing Jinshi.

A lot of background exposition in this episode due to its focus on setup. We now know that full-length mirrors are a luxury import Maomao's homeland cannot produce (except in small quantities as hand mirrors) and that the average height of females in Maomao's homeland is much shorter than 175cm (and we know Maomao is universally acknowledged as short statured). I'm surprised she didn't propose her adoptive older sisters, as all three of them meet the height requirement and can dance, but the envoys are ladies themselves and either have a cross-dressing fetish or something specific they are looking for in the name of new trade negotiations.

I'm almost certain this is the first episode where the old Madam of the brothel actually talks about her past. Age does shrink people, but to think she was at least 175cm and busty is quite the contrast. Maomao trusts her objective judgment because of her hard-nosed cynicism, but it's strange the episode lingers on such trifling details such as multiple insects in the impromptu dance stage and insect remains on the dress. Not to mention the north area of the rear palace where last week's corpse was found turns out to be the stage from 50 years ago. Even the last scene with Loulan and the emperor as well as Loulan's lady-in-waiting Zicui with its ominous music seems to hint at something more for next week.

Bear gall is traditionally prized in Chinese medicine (and an unfortunate reason why so many bears are culled for their reputed qualities). Maomao's reaction to it is unsurprising, but it's interesting learning Jinshi is getting bribed with all of these exotic medical components yet cannot keep his promise for a bezoar. It wouldn't surprise further down the line that these exotic medical components will feature in the season's central mystery, given how many random callbacks we've had to that particular episode.

#29

The Moon Goddess arc ends, but with each story arc another piece falls into place for the showcase framing the entire adaptation. With a bit of help from the insect-nut Zicui, Maomao figures out all of the ingredients required to recreate what the twin special envoys had specifically asked the Court for. All that remained was to explain her theory to the powers that be, and Court bureaucracy with imperial oversight would take care of the rest.

It wasn't just the glow in the dark moths that were required; having the right dancer and the ideal conditions to replicate what the envoys would have expected from a divine being were also crucial. Although the use of the term Diana indicated a Greek origin for the moon goddess, I could have sworn the envoy lunged at Maomao with a stream of Slavic invective. Not sure if the names are the same for both languages, but they should be close enough and the research into details by this franchise has never failed to impress.

Although thwarted in their (brazen) attempt to muscle in on the Rear Palace hierarchy, it appears the twin envoys are not finished with their business at Court just yet. We are not privy to what she was looking at in that short scene, but I wouldn't bet against them using dirtier tricks to get what they want.

For the next story arc, Maomao's sideline as an apothecary is being called into question. Because she has the emperor's favour, she is allowed to be an exception in the very rigid hierarchy of Court medicine. The disapproving tone given by the warden of the sanatorium indicates Maomao might be in trouble if she visits the quarter again. She might have to as well as next episode indicates something sinister on the hygiene front is affecting the palace and it isn't a natural epidemic.

I do not trust those two special envoys at all. Them sticking around seems like quite a bad development safety wise. The performance was magical though, I like that sabotage what was made it possible the first time it was done. As for the end, that smells like the start of another case.

Episode 6 (of the second season) was nice in that it showed that Lihua has grown and become more mature and confident as a person, it also explained why her ladies in waiting are not that stellar. The whole face powder debacle did not make them look all that competent and given this week's episode that fits since they were selected by Shin. Shin herself got off quite lightly, though given her pride maybe it is indeed the most painful punishment?

#30

When the trailer episode for this week was shown, I didn't realise the significance of the shot featuring Lihua and the chief lady in waiting. Now we viewers know much more about the background behind the concubine's close shave with death in season one, as well as learning why Maomao was so insistent the perfumes from the caravan were to be confiscated.

If anything, the trigger behind this week's episode was the formidable infirmary lady from the previous episode. Turns out she wasn't a traditionalist stickler for the rules, but recognised Maomao for the skills she possessed and how much help she could be for her own personal need. Who would have thought the request to find a missing lady-in-waiting with a distinctive consumptive cough would lead to the summary dismissal of a chief lady-in-waiting?

Did attentive viewers realise who the chief lady-in-waiting really was without that side by side shot? I for one did not realise the two were related, but the motive for driving her cousin to death's door and denying the emperor an heir is one of the oldest in existence. Even Maomao didn't realise the familial connection until Xing confessed it out of frustration. Underestimating Maomao and failing to recognise her when she visited the residence was a typical manifestation of her pride, which Maomao recognised and exploited to her advantage. Having secured the evidence, all that remained was for authority to back up Maomao and for the punishment to fall. Seeing Lihua remark that a slap wasn't enough and for her to prepare a straight punch to her face for additional punishment was also amusing, given that Lihua herself wasn't all that different from Xing in season one. She owes Maomao, and both her and the emperor acknowledge that as well as for the changes Maomao has brought on her since they met.

The episode does bring more questions than answers, since Maomao does not believe Xing possessed the required medical knowledge to come up with the idea of using scents and herbs to prepare medical tonics to promote foetal abortion. If Maomao is right and someone did give Xing the idea, then there are few candidates in the rear palace with the knowledge and motive, as well as the political backing required to avoid execution should their identities be revealed. Xing is but one pawn who is now removed from the board, yet the factions aiming to bring down the imperial family's attempts to bear heirs are still shrouded in shadow. Maomao is increasingly being used as the imperial family's main weapon in bringing these conspiracies to light, and she's aware of this and not too pleased at being dragged into matters much larger than her pay grade. So long as she's bribed with the appropriate high-grade medical ingredients and has intellectual stimulation from the puzzles she has to solve in the process, she'll put up with it for longer even if she does risk physical injury each time she gets involved.

I had criticism with this story, and how "smart" Maomao is (and how everyone else is less "smart" than her, even the characters that should be more intelligent and perceptive), but lately I "understood" that many of Maomao's suppositions are only suppositions, there's not proof that she is right and this must be intentional and relevant later.

But then there are "cheats" like in this episode which makes you realize, "wait", why didn't Shin appear more before, especially on episodes 1 and 4 from the first season? Why wasn't she responsibility for the power incident?".

We can say that it's "normal" for mystery stories to only introduce information and characters when they're relevant, Kusuriya does this, but in cases like this one with Shin and also the Clinic in the previous episode, plus everyone remembering that actually Maomao shouldn't make medicines inside the Palace is a bit too much to accept.

The anime should have hinted at the two last points earlier.

#31

This episode is HEAVY, and not in the way casual viewers would expect. This is one of those where viewers have to watch it, and then rewatch season one particularly the episode where Jinshi and Ah Duo feature heavily in their respective episodes. Then think carefully about what the old eunuch had to say in this episode, and the episode has massive implications to the main storyline even though it is ostensibly a one-off arc.

So there we have it. In the most casual manner possible, Jinshi lets slip what Maomao actually guessed way back in season one but refused to contemplate further for her own self-preservation. Jinshi and the Emperor are indeed brothers, but this is the first time we hear it from the man himself even though it's been shown in other ways indirectly multiple times in the adaptation. Because of the double role he plays, he is almost never seen as the Emperor's Younger Brother and is always hidden from view because he is Jinshi, the emperor's favoured eunuch in charge of the rear palace.

And that's just the first part of the episode. The symbolism gets even heavier as the Emperor himself decides to pick Maomao's brains just as his younger brother continuously does throughout the adaptation. No doubt the current sovereign has wanted to crack the puzzle which his forefathers have solved one way or another over the years, but he could never do it no matter how many times he tried. Having taken Maomao in as his guest the first time round, he would then use Jinshi as the insurance to allow her in a second time. He bet Maomao had figured out the puzzle of the doors having gone through them once, and indeed she had given several heavy hints from the old eunuch himself earlier in the day. Although the rule his dynasty had set was bent considerably by using Maomao instead of the traditional concubine, the result was what the Emperor had been aiming for. He's a little condescending when he speaks about Maomao's figure, but there's no doubt he has once again benefited from keeping her around not just as his favourite concubine's poison taster. A good sport as well, since other sovereigns less accommodating than him could have executed the eunuch for his defiance and not bothered bringing Maomao along for pride and traditionalism.

That final remark to Jinshi from the eunuch has so many possible meanings behind it even Maomao has chosen to stop thinking about it again for self preservation. A very pointed one about being careful with marriages, not to the Emperor but to Jinshi. No prizes for guessing the old eunuch knows who Jinshi really is, but is sticking to his duty as warden of the palace and leaving sound advice whether sought for or not. As to what he could mean (Maomao? The foreign twins? Other exotic princesses equivalent to Gyokuyou as political marriage tools?)

Then there's the kingdom's founding myth, and how Maomao pulled back the mythology behind it to explain why the shrine of choosing was so significant. I don't equate colour-blindness with excellent night vision, but this series does and make it a highlight about how the founding matriarchs were subtle in ensuring they would always have a hand in natural selection of the genetic traits of their successors. The emperor's reaction to Maomao's revelation was also surprisingly laconic, since others might have reacted to Maomao's theory as a slight. He accepted her explanation of an acceptable degree of colour blindness without complaint, and seemed to enjoy the entertainment derived from watching Maomao take apart the puzzle which had bedevilled him for so long in just two attempts.

If this episode wasn't heavy enough, next one is even more so. Just as this one talks about the Empress Mother, we viewers will meet this emperor's mother next week. And if my eyes don't deceive me, this is going to be huge plot-wise as it's been one of the few dangling threads from season one that remained unresolved and finally this introduction might set a few gears in motion.

Heavy indeed, I do wonder though if Maomao's position is becoming safer or more perilous as time goes on. She is learning more and more information that is not allowed to be made public and an increasing group of people know how intelligent she is and thus realize how much she likely knows/understands. It usually does not end well for people who know too much.

Also kudos to the old eunuch, he may no longer have any actual balls but he sure has steel ones for being as cheeky as he is towards the emperor.

Officially, Jinshi and the Emperor are brothers. However, the possibility of a baby swap between Ah Duo and the then Empress's baby was implied. Ah Duo birthed the current Emperor's son that officially died.
So there's a double secret to keep Jinshi safe. Most people don't know that Jinshi is not a eunuch but a royal. But there are also people that think Jinshi is the Emperor's brother. That may not be true. Currently we see what amount of danger a male prince heir faces. Many poisoning attempts to kill fetuses and babies. Even Jinshi was targeted before with another type of murder attempt even though his status should've been hidden.

#32

The start of another of those multi-episode mystery arcs. But this one has by far the most obtuse opener I can think of this season. Looking back at the episode, there's very little going on in stark contrast to last week where despite the dialogue heavy episode there were multiple revelations to keep the pace going. This week is extremely slow in comparison, since so much of it is devoted to formally introducing the Empress Dowager, her background and the influence she still command over court and society.

Zicui and the cicadas feels like an afterthought, but it does get Maomao in the right place to see the Dowager's procession head to the infirmary (more background detail on that structure casually given by Zicui in passing). Maomao herself also learns the Dowager has indirectly affected the brothel which raised her, albeit not in a manner which directly impacted Maomao in a negative fashion.

Hongniang doing the wall slam move on Maomao as an unsubtle reminder on where her loyalties lie is for me a personal highlight of the episode. We already know Hongniang is very loyal to her mistress, but she's usually easy-going and happy to manage at arms-length. It's only when the VIPs come calling that she has to put her foot down, and for Maomao doubly so because of her unique status as the rear palace troubleshooter. It's also telling Hongniang relieved Maomao of her usual poison-tasting duties while at the Dowager's invitation, which Maomao interprets as a sign of trust to really lay it on for casual viewers who didn't realise the significance of this immediately.

As for the mystery, the Dowager is afraid she was responsible for laying a curse on the previous emperor because he didn't rot like his spouse did after lying in state for a year. That alone is the spur for her to seek professional help, having heard multiple times of Maomao's exploits from her own sources. Maomao naturally finds it suspicious that the previous emperor was subject to some kind of embalming or other procedure which arrested the normal process of decay. Beyond that, there's nothing to go on except the memories of the Dowager and the reputation of the previous emperor as an incorrigible lolicon. A tough mystery indeed for Maomao, and even if this one has a solution she will need to be even more diplomatic than she was last week.

I have to chuckle at Maomao now having such a reputation that the mysteries find her without having to do anything at all herself. That was already somewhat the case with Jinshi often consulting her but it is only getting busier for her as time goes on. Mystery wise I want to say that it may have something to do with the painting/paints that somehow entered the body and caused some reaction?

@smurky turkey

Do a search on spoiler[Orpiment]

Can I be on the real with y'all? I'm liking season 2, but it is not having the same impact on me that the first season did. I think to a certain extent this is because I've acclimatized to the show and they're not really doing anything new. Also, I admit that I'm generally not finding the mysteries as interesting as in the first season, nor have they come up with something the equal of dealing with Maomao's real father. Hopefully, something is coming down the pike that will rev up my interest, again.

The mystery was solved a fair bit faster than I expected but it was an interesting one and I am glad to have guessed it for once. Episode 9 was not really about the mystery though, it was about showcasing several scarred people. That includes the late emperor who I still dislike for being a perv but in the end was a traumatised boy forced onto the throne and who was mentally not all there.

A no from me Blood, I am still very much hooked every week.

#33

The arc finishes almost as quickly as it began, but the value of having outsiders bringing in fresh experiences and knowledge into an environment so excluded from the outside world is once again highlighted to casual viewers. This episode is not the first time the palace environment of ignorance and stifling hierarchy has led to inadvertent deaths.

Perhaps it was fitting that the previous emperor died the way he did, given his age and what he had done to all of the underage girls brought into the palace. It is an interesting mental exercise to consider how he would have turned out if he wasn't born into his position, as Maomao did. Given the resemblance between the previous emperor when he was younger and the current Jinshi, there is no doubt that Jinshi is of the imperial lineage. As for Jinshi, he's lucky that the policy of depriving the royal scions of their favourite toys or playthings quickly definitely saved him, considering how lethal arsenic is to both adults and children.

The mystery is very technical as it relies on casual viewers being aware of the biochemistry behind Orpiment, but that's not the real draw of the episode. That belongs to the Empress Mother's monologue into the past and how she ended up in the palace. Turns out she did indeed curse the man who ruined her body in exchange for granting her the position she holds today, but if that's the case why did she ask Maomao for help with the mystery behind the unblemished corpse? Political reasons? Or something more emotional? The man she used and was used in turn is no longer alive, and the legacy left behind is something she still treasures, despite knowing the truth behind his parentage. The commission she tasked Maomao has been completed to her satisfaction, but is there more to her besides this arc's cameo appearance?

New arc for next week, and I wouldn't have expected Maomao and her peers to engage in Japan's traditional summertime hobby of ghost stories. The series has always come up with inventive ways of ushering in a new mystery for Maomao to sink her teeth into, and unusual ways to link these standalone mysteries into the overarching storyline. They haven't disappointed this quarter despite the attention spans of some viewers already spent due to the deliberate approach taken, so what more can this adaptation bring to the table now that we are just about halfway through the scheduled airtime?

Forum - View topic
(The) Apothecary Diaries (TV).

Nohara Hiroshi Hirumeshi no Ryūgi Spinoff Cuisine Manga About Shin-chan's Dad Gets TV Anime

This Week in Anime - The Anime Movie Magic

I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day Manga Review

Interview: Zero Escape's Kotaro Uchikoshi on Ever 17 and Never 7 Finally Coming West

Fall in Love, You False Angels Volume 1 Manga Review

Duel Masters LOST ~Gekka no Shinigami~ Anime Ends; New Duel Masters LOST ~Bōkyaku no Taiyō~ Manga, Anime Series Announced

Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Feb 26-Mar 4

A Gatherer's Adventure in Isekai Light Novels Get TV Anime

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom Volume 1 Novel Review

Black Torch Manga Gets TV Anime

Helena and Mr. Big Bad Wolf Volume 1 Manga Review

	Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Series Discussion	All times are GMT - 5 Hours Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Next
Page 7 of 8

Forum - View topic(The) Apothecary Diaries (TV).

Forum

Forum - View topic
(The) Apothecary Diaries (TV).