Just fyi, I changed this video's title. It was initially "Maomao is not like the other girls" which I intended jokingly but I think was tactless. Some comments were made with that title in mind though so I've pinned this for context.
A female protagonist that isn't screaming every 5 seconds and not trying so hard to be pandering to the audience? she isn't like the other girls indeed 😭
Maomao is exactly like the other girls, not all of them are obsessed with poison, but the series manages to make all of them feel like interesting people with their own interests and motivations
I love how much the serie doesn't judge unjustly the female characters in it, it's so refreshing. They all feel like actual characters and not just set dressing.
I really liked how the show doesn't come across as judgemental of the women for behaving and acting to the rules of the system they were raised in. Staying beautiful and favourable is often a matter of life and death for many of these women, and it's not their fault if they don't have an understanding or knowledge that's been denied to them. Maomao just happened to be born to particular people with particular connections in a particular place that allowed her to flourish. I appreciate that the writing celebrates her skills without hiding that.
I'm being a bit facetious with the title. Maomao does stand out, but not because she's inherently different from any of the other women in the series. She's fortunate enough to have been raised under circumstances that give her slightly more agency over her situation than many others, but that relatively minor level of privilege doesn't make her "better" or anything. And the way the series portrays a sympathetic perspective on the variety of women that it focuses on reflects that. A large part of what makes this series great is the extent to which all of the characters are written with depth and an unique worldview, which makes them all distinct (including but not limited to Maomao).
@@NEETByNature Maomao is clearly neurodivergent ... With that aspect in mind, she really isn't like many other people, that and her above average iq . There is nothing wrong with being different, it's just that she doesn't hold herself in a higher position because she is different.
@@hanjesse31 Obscure likes and dislikes, doesn't freak out over intimacy, doesn't obsess over a guy just bc he's attractive, stays sharp by prioritising her work over all else. Most and almost all women in real life act like that even at her age. She's similar in a way to Haruhi in OHSHC in which women tend to find them relatable and thus like them as characters more
That's what makes her unique in her own way in anime , because she's a character that's actually like girls in real life whiteout portraying an absurd representation of women
Yeah she’s a well written female character something that is hard to come by. Especially (!) in anime and manga that is not shojo (and even then we often only get soft spoken and very feminine girls - who are obviously fine but not always an accurate representation). But every other genre you get sexist archetypes, inaccurate, disrespectful and downright degrading portrayals, no story and plot relevancy and hentai/ecchi/fanservice!
i absolutely ADOREEEEE the way MaoMao and all the other women characters are written in the show, with little to no "anime-typical fan service", which is refreshing to see given that there are scenes with brothel girls and other concubines of the palace. this show handles all of that with such? respect? i wasn't mentally prepared to see a show that has nuanced characters, where even though the main female character has her quirks, she still has empathy and cares about those close to her. what i genuinely loved is that MaoMao never gave up on her quest of going back to meet her father during the first half of the show; she went to town the first chance she got with the soldier man (i forgot his name im so sorry). she never lost focus from her father because she was helping the pretty purple haired man or the other people around the palace
I personally see Maomao as 'the genius who cares' cause while other anime characters are known as geniuses and doing good, doing the latter is often not really the reason said smart people actually do it and unlike the former she still has things to learn. She isn't all knowing in her subject matter and she isn't the greatest at her craft. She has room to grow. All the while she isn't trying to upend society to fix its problems, she is just doing good where she can and it feels all the more genuine for it.
Anime only viewer. Two things: The fact that apothecary diaries explicitly states that it's a strictly fictional world with fictional characters, sets itself apart from other K or C imperial court dramas. It gives the author more agency to explore aspects without strictly adhering to historical accuracy, like aphrodisiacs and chocolate being available. It also gives the viewers more excitement, theres more unknowns, anyone could do anything or die at any moment Second, I feel the show's brilliancy is the clear resolution of suspense and intrigue that gets built up within each arc. The audience get their questions answered, both plot and character developement feel natural and satisfying. We aren't dangled with a carrot promising shocking plot twists, or leave feeling empty with more questions than answers (like most drama series). In short, we feel our time investment into what we watched was worth it. It's brilliantly written, and I can't wait to see what's on offer in future seasons
And while it sets up and answers the smaller plot it also all leads into bigger questions and machinations that we know we will see develop as the series continues! We are given answers and more questions...
For me, what make this series so much better than others that handle similar topics, is the character designs. Through body language and appearance alone, you can understand who is in charge in a room. Especially showcased when Maomao disguises Jinshi. The amount it takes to make him look more like a commoner and his noble being still shining through when he gets careless in the city is extremely well done. The only exception to this is, funnily enough, the emperor himself, but once you learn who he is you know he doesn't exude nobility as much for the simple fact that he doesn't need to. He is the Emperor, his status alone turns everyone else common, he does not need to behave a certain way, he just is that important. Too many other shows of that genre fall into the trap of making every character too beautiful and similar, to the point that you can't even tell people apart. My favorites are the concubines, you can clearly see their appeal, but they are also unique in their beauty. You won't mistake Gyokuyou or Lihua and Ah-Duo is something completely different, but they are all without a question beautiful by all standards.
A beautiful detail I've noticed is that in episode 23, when Loulan arrived with her servants, all those servant girls had pretty much identically drawn faces, unlike other concubines' maids. The attention to the characters of every calibre is what let the creators to sneak in that detail ❤
@@piyanath1066 sir, I already know. This is why I called the detail "beautiful" and not "interesting" or "suspicious". They're already dropping hints for the next season that hasn't even been confirmed yet! That's dedication if I've ever seen one.
In relation to aphrodisiacs, we need to consider how rare chocolate and coffee were in China (and even in much of Europe) during the Tang Dynasty. Even in the manga it's not only the chocolate, but a /boozy/ chocolate mixture soaked bread that makes the maids (who would have never tasted chocolate before) feel strange. Add in the herbs that cause a raise in temperature and bam! what could very well be considered an aphrodisiac at the time.
That's fair. I kinda glossed over the Aphrodisiac part, but it seems reports on their their efficacy is kinda depends on what you define as an Aphrodisiac effect in the first place. So to your point, while they may not technically be a strictly sexual stimulant, some foods could make someone feel overstimulated or woozy.
I think you mean the Qing or Ming, not the Tang, Cocoa came from the Amazon and wasn't known by the Old World until the 16th century. Also, it seems to me based on my reading of the LNs that the story takes place in a world that is akin to late 18th to early 19th centuries.
@@diegonatan6301fair enough, I was writing this comment thinking about tang dynasty based on my memory of a lot of the clothing shown in the series early on, but it definitely could've also pointed towards the ming dynasty looking at examples of clothing online
@@kino9643 Tang dynasty ended 585 years before Columbus's voyage made it to the Caribbean 1492-907=585. So the Ming dynasty that was in power at the same time that Spain began colonizing the Americas where Cacao is native makes more sense. Not that I haven't seen weird anachronisms in stories before like corn on the cob somehow being in Ancient China when Maize is from the Americas
Aphrodisiacs aren't really real nowadays, but a person who has lived on rice and fish their entire life would be very sensitive to stimulants, even simple ones like sugar and caffeine. It wouldn't lead to sexual feelings directly, but combined with the right atmosphere it could easily lead things that way. I wonder how addictive something like Coca-Cola would be to someone from the ancient past. The only way they could normally even taste "sweet" would be from honey.
Yeah, and there's a legend that chocolate is given on Valentine's Day because it was thought to be an aphrodisiac--which is what's implied in this series.
I don’t mean to be rude, but depending where you were, a lot of places had some sort of fruit, berries, or even just actual sugar, so while they obviously wouldn’t have anything as crazy as a Coca Cola, most places do have options other than honey
@@yomanyo327 I was going to say precisely that, go out and eat a progenitor wild apple and while it has some sweetness it is equal parts sour and unpleasant. Hundreds of years of deliberate selective breeding have done a lot to alter our foods today.
A Sherlock Holmes character with exaggerated but believable deductive skills. But still with underdeveloped social skills. It's kind of brilliant that the trope meshes so well with the setting.
One thing worth pointing out regarding the Emperor and his tons of concubines is that he's actually on the side of shrinking the imperial harem, since the size ballooning out of control is yet another consequence of his father's "taste" that he'd like to fix, but certain powerful clans push for it to remain. He's an absolute hornball and has no issues swinging his authority around, but every time his political policies are brought up he proves to actually be a pretty great guy.
@@linkskywalker5417 Even in the harem there is a difference between high consorts and medium consorts. A medium consort that has a male child moves up, a high consort who is childless is at best provided with a nice palace somewhere else (ah duo)
In western culture harem is often wrongly seen as "lustful ruler thing" while in reality it was often clans and other political powers forcing it. It was exactly same for Ottoman that choosing from a dozen or more princes made sure the next ruler would be extraordinary as well. They had a line of extraordinary rulers for over 300 years until Suleiman the magnificent and if any of those sultans tried to abolish harem he would be seen as "an enemy of state" by political factions..
And how part of the trouble is what he's inherited and how to deal with that. The consequences that would fall on women who had little to no choice in their situation.
Another recent Chinese-based court anime was Raven of the Inner Palace, which unfortunately got mostly ignored. It's another take on the case-of-the-week formula, only supernatural rather than medicinal, with Shouxue (the Raven Consort) quite literally dealing with the ghosts of the past. She also has a prickly, teasing dynamic with Gaojun the male lead - however as characters they aren't as vivid as Maomao and Jinshi, and the animation budget was clearly lower...I’d still recommend it though!
I loved the anime so much, it got me reading the light novels. The the apothecary diaries came out and now I'm reading that series too. I agree I was it did not get nearly the love and attention it deserved.
I think Maomao is like the other girls, in that’s she has depth, media even media with women as the target demographic tends to write women in a very 2D fashion. Even when they make the main characters interesting that are weirdly flat, either just be a male characters made to be female, or high energy extremely competent girl bosses. Maomao and AD as a whole strikes a wonder balance that makes us very much fictional world real and relatable.
I love your style of editing, specially the parts where you showcase manga by spotlighting single panels by separating them. Looks really cool and keeps me engaged in the video.
She's the antitesis of the "not like other girls" trope where usually a protagonist is announced and with every scene is portrayed as "not like other girls she's better than them but in reality is just another 1 of the bunch" in the apothecary diaries we see a protagonist that doesnt give 2 flying fucks about her image as the "ideal girl", she's as her adoptive father describes a "mad scientist" with unbriddled curiosity and a brilliant mind, if anything growing up in a brothel gave her a view of the world where she understands beauty is often more of an obstacle than an asset, which shows how down to earth she sees the world to the point of being a little jaded. She couldnt care less about finding love and thats a refreshing change from the overused love obssessed teen girls that seems to be the norm in stories. Shes not a bad person and will do the right thing when she can but wont go out of her way to meddle on things that dont concern her and that defines the kind of protagonist that feels more relatable bc the reality is most ppl dont want to be involved in other ppls business when they have their own problems to deal with
Maomao is not your average protagonist... because she's average. She's in a colorful and well written cast of character whom a few of them you could've easily written the story from their perspective. It just so happens Maomao is the protagonist but that alone doesn't make her more special than anyone else. Apothecary Diaries is a good way to write a cast of characters and choose a protagonist. A well-written cast and story is one where anyone could be the protagonist and the story wouldn't need to change to suit it.
I love the inclusion of the Verdigris House and the Inner Court as main features of the story. Plenty of women in the story are interesting, smart and important parts of the story.
I feel like a big part of Maomao’s appeal to me is what comes across to me as very distinctive autism coding. You don’t often see neurodivergent coded female characters who aren’t either infantilised or are stereotypical character archetypes like kuudere or genki girls, so it’s really compelling to see a well rounded and thought out female character like Maomao. - I feel like that coding doesn’t get talked enough with her.
Alongside ace/aro coding she is one of my favorite characters. Especially with the inclusion of recognizing that others would find people attractive because of how they look without really being attracted to them and doing/saying things that can be construed as sexual without necessarily being fully aware of how they come off to an outsider
@@bashboi4074 I totally agree! She’s extremely aware of the social mechanisms at play in a very analytical manner, I adore that for her. I wasn’t sure about the ace/aro coding because I still can’t shake the vibe that it could end up a slow burn romance, but not knowing anything more than the anime I didn’t feel like I knew enough to make that analysis, but I have absolutely picked up that same thing - as someone who’s identified as demi, I can relate from that perspective! Honestly I kinda hope it doesn’t end up as a slow burn - as I love their dynamic as it is.
@@Lovingmadjom demi can still fall under the ace umbrella. Although I am aware that not all demi people identify as ace. Her being aroace and demi would fit perfectly into a slow burn romance.
Huh, I never thought to look at Maomao as being neurodivergent. I'll admit it's one of a few blind spots I want to learn more about, so I'm underqualified to comment on it myself, but I would love to read or watch an analysis of Maomao from that perspective.
Maomao is just such a fun character to watch in general and hard carrys this story and how she understands her place in the world but instead of rolling over and taking it or directly fighting it she uses the power she has given because of her knowledge she fully uses to advantage to help others by not giving away fully what she has figured out or faining ignorance because of her status as well has what she does to protect her self from that world makes her extremely interesting and when she is actually given power and lifes are at stake she becomes super scary and uses that power right before she slaped that lady in waiting i was like slap her not expecting her to but when she did and draged her around spilling the powder on her sold me on this show
Yesterday I found and binge watched the whole show in one sitting and I’m leaving ep 23 for today I don’t want the series to ever end it’s so good and I just need more man it’s like a drug 😭
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is a web novel, adapted to light novel (by the same author) which is being adapted into 2 separate mangas that are both ongoing and now into an anime. All versions (WN,LN and mangas) are ongoing :D
@@zagnetureszagzag5790 Afaik, the Web Novel is thr equivalent of a "Wattpad Original story", while the Light Novel is the professionally published version
@@zagnetureszagzag5790 web novel was self published by author to the net. Usually it was very rough and random, and the author'd edit past chapters all the time if they changed their mind to suit the future chapters. I prefer called it 'blueprint version'. Once a publisher judged that it's worth selling, they would sign a real editor to surveillance the work. The author will re-publish it as actual books from very beginning, but with a much better plot, grammars, and the most important thing: consistensy. This is the 'official version'.
@@zagnetureszagzag5790 the webnovel is very much a sort of first draft to the light novel. It's rougher and the chapters are usually shorter but they are released a lot faster than the light novel.
Maomao is frighteningly self-aware for an anime character. She's so serious because her circumstances are serious and her actions have actual consequences. Like, Maomao's associations with develop on and off screen and so the world around her feels really fleshed out and natural. She HAD TO learn to work with the "quack" in the rear palace and learns that he's just a guy with his own unfortunate circumstances. My favorite thing about Maomao is that she reflects and laments in the way a real teenaged girl would and her immaturity is always at war with her education. Too many female main characters are either too clueless or too perfect and they're often teenaged girls! 😂 Maomao's childhood in a brothel has somewhat adultified her and so she's a bit cynical by default and yet the small glimpses of her inner girlishness also feel genuine.
something that makes apothecary diaries apart from so many others is that its common for the story to drive the characters in some way but in A.D i cannot think of such a time, it always the characters driving the story by their own motivation impressive writing also mao mao has mad autistic rizz done perfectly
There are a LOT of other interesting female protagonists in anime. Ryuko Matoi from Kill La Kill is interesting, and so is Tohru from Fruits Basket, Sariphi from Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Zero Two from Darling in the Franxx, Nanami Momozono from Kamisama Kiss, Maka Albarn from Soul Eater and who could ever forget Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon? Of course, not all female anime protagonists are the same. Maomao is in a class entirely of her own.
I totally agree. I wanted to focus on Maomao specifically here, but I'm a fan of female anime protagonists in general. There are plenty of great examples
Noriko (Gunbuster) walked so Nono and lar'c (Dibuster) could run so that Zero Two could fly. I didn't care for Zero Two, but I can understand why others would.
What I find very interesting is that she thinks herself incapable of love, like how she literally said that this feeling died when she was born (or something along these lines). Or how she claims that she only worries about her dad so he can continue to teach her medicine, which is frankly not true. It's like she's scared of making connections but instead of admitting that, she convinced herself she just can't love.
Ad has a living breathing world. Many manga, anime, and light novels tend to have more synthetic setting where its very obvious "this is a story" instead of being a narrativized depiction that could have happened. Very common with isekai mostly for the reason that they tend to be written by inexperienced writers in a web novel context where everyone copies a lot from each other, chasing the latest successful trend.
I was honestly thinking earlier how this is one of the few animes which I can watch week to week as it aired and not feel like my time was wasted. Every episode feels satisfying, you never feel like nothing happened, it respects the viewers time and I really appreciate that.
This makes me so happy that it's being successful and appreciated... I told my boyfriend years and years ago that I thought this would have made the perfect adaption. Light novel had both episodic type of stories, but it also had an overreaching clock plot, how the different small stories ended up being Related and building something greater. And the characters were all very interesting twists on propular tropes, and I think the Chinese major based, but also influenced by both Korean and Japanese culture, made the story very unique, the setting just wasn't quite historical but also not quite full fantasy
she fully aware that she is capable of having that knowledge thanks to her dad, and that she wouldn’t have been so lucky have never been taken by him, by the fact that he is the child of a prostitute, she knows damn well she has the life she has and she can have the hobbies she have thanks to her dad, she knows damn well the amazing opportunity she was given, based on the sole fact women aren’t even taught to read! this is a cruel world for women in general and she knows it and she is grateful for the fact she was given a different opportunity, she never puts other women down and rarely even insults her intelligence knowing that being smart is not encouraged at all to women. Also she has expressed herself very clearly that she is only passionate about poisons and medicines and thats why is so easy for her to learn about it while she struggles with other types of knowledge, she even failed the secretary exam that is one of the little jobs women can do ad requires years of preparation. She is like any other girl, with the difference that she was given different opportunities and she took it, i also loved the fact that she can be blunt and not afraid about most stuff, while being analytical, she is also not afraid of intimacy or talking about it without being portrayed as a pervert (which in anime they either make woman afraid of intimacy or make it look like a sacrifice or they make her a derange nymphomaniac, theres no middle ground ad its aways portrayed bad)
This video convinced me to watch the apothecary diaries! It's a lovely and well spoken video about a great story. I'm having a good time watching the anime, and I really appreciate how few spoilers you included.
Mao mao is unique because she is a rare example of strong woman in anime, movies and other. "Not like other girls", we need to prolonge it with "as a character in culture"
all you see now are "strong women" in entertainment, they are just done very poorly by those who claim they are progessives. It is not rare to have a strong woman, it is rare to do it right. You wont see a well done strong woman made by western artists anymore because their mind is plagued by wokeness where strong woman means a toxic man in woman disguise, often condescending to other women and hating anything feminine
In all honesty, seeing a girl being so unabashedly invested in something she loves is what makes me love not just Maomao, but Myne from Ascendance of a Bookworm, and Marin from Sono Bisque doll. They are just so bright in their own right
I must admit that I originaly ignored this one because it was just "another" Apothecary animes that we have seen released of late.... Yet I around episode 19 decided to give a chance and... Binged all 19 episodes in one sitting. And it have very quickly become my favorite of the season it is just sooo damn good!
Maomao's entire world is an interesting one, and to me, part of appeal of her character was said by Suiren in that she understands her place, but values life all the same with Maomao being living proof of that as she's the daughter of a courtesan and for the longest time, a unknown client. She's near the bottom of the social ladder yet brings positive things to both the inner palace, and the people that live and work there. She doesn't preach, but does, often without making it clear she did anything, such as trying to tell the consorts about the powder because she doesn't do what she does for recognition or wealth, but because she has the power to help, so she does, even when it would benefit her in more ways then one not to. That combined with her hard working nature, lack of villainous or selfish motives and skills even earn her note from the Emperor. Though I won't lie, watching her slap the hell outta the handmaiden when she realized that she was still using the powder despite knowing its poisonous nature was also entertaining.
In clear, she feel like a real person as a character and not some sort of anime girl cliché. She is not define by here looks but by her personality, knowledge, logic.... it feels refreshing !
Amazing analysis of Maomao and AD in general. It put into words what I felt watching the series (not just whodunnit but how and why) and honestly explains why some shows stand out and just resonate vs fall flat. Also appreciate your research into what dynasties inspired certain worldbuilding (like 4 consorts) and the liberties our author took with some medicine / poison properties. Great work!!
Also, Maomao's background is really unique. It's not often you find a protagonist raised in a Red Light District. Her reaction to this background is interesting and unique too. She isn't oblivious to the happenings in the District, nor does she take it lightly, which I have seen happen. Sometimes a character comes from a brothel as an interesting past, btu is never brought up again. Or its brought up as part of their tragic past, and they look back at that time in horror. But Maomao isn't like that. She bluntly brings up r*pe, STD's, bad customers, toxic makeup, and lots of other horrible things that actually happen to sex workers. But she loves several courtesans as sisters, and Verdigris House is like a second home to her. Also, her relationship with Jinshi is really neat and also makes her feel "different than other girls." She immediately acknowledges he is beautiful, but other than that she doesn't really seem to care about him at all. Even as their relationship grows, there is very little romance between them. Really just longing from Jinshi. The manga/anime/novel focuses more on their slowly growing friendship before getting anywhere near romance. Maomao isn't even slightly interested in Jinshi, which is super rare for a protagonist! It feels more like a real and healthy relationship, which is kinda rare in anime tbh.
what i love the most is the fact that despite being one of the smallest in height and only 17, her voice is much deeper and mature toned than women in their 30's in most anime. she sounds soothing
I like how down to Earth she is and how she doesnt just fall head over heels for a man she just met, (even if she has known him for several months now) to me it just makes her a more likable character then seeing her clinging to a man like a damsel in distress like every cheesy romance anime. Not that I have anything against romance, but I much prefer to see it a very slow build then shoved in the ones face.
I don't really like that approach tbh. It feels like lazy writing to me. If Maoamo was a boy the story would be completely different, because her situation would be completely different. Personally, I feel that the greatest appeal of Maomao as character is that... she's just a girl. A girl who likes poison and medicine, but a girl after all. She's caught in extraordinary situations but at the end of the day, she still feels real and relatable. I think the author was able to highlight that very well in the story.
@@bluecherry1011 I think you misunderstand written like a male protagonist with „could be replaced with a male protagonist“. That‘s not what it is. Often times female characters have many flaws in their writing because of stereotypes the authors include, making them especially weak or persuasive etc. Here it‘s just maomao being her true self. Just like a „normal“ male protagonist is written.
@@bluecherry1011 To summarize what naectro said in a different way, female protagonists often have lots of stereotypes, especially in anime, which makes them incredibly 2 dimensional and very repetitive at times, while the actual nuanced character writing (characters that behave like real human beings with their own depth, goals, hopes and fears) are usually reserved for male protagonists by the same reason. Apothecary diaries shatters this stereotyped gender barrier and introduces a girl protagonist that behaves...like a normal girl. Next to 0 common tropes, just a fairly autistic girl with her own interests, talents and obsessions, who had a rough childhood that forced her to mature early and is now trying to make the best she can with her current situation, aware of what she can and can't do, using her logic to interact with the world around her and manipulating it to her own benefit so she can get by without getting noticed, while also having a bunch of intrinsic flaws as she is after all, still a teenager. Actual nuance in a female character, a feat almost unheard of in anime media.
After a long self discovery journey, I have come to the conclusion that I am an addict for the apothecary diaries series. I have almost caught up to the light novel, I have read the manga, watched the anime both in sub and in dub, and I have watched practically every youtube video about apothecary diaries.
She reminds me SO MUCH of myne from ascendance of a bookworm!! God I want more protagonists like that. “Female protagonist autistically obsessed with a special interest and can’t see a gesture of romance directed at them if it slapped her in the face” I can only think of myne from bookworm and Maomao from apothecary diaries. Does anyone know of any others?
Yes to everything you said. And also personally I think Maomao is such a great character because she's actually relatable to girls in real life. Not in the sense that all girls have obsession with medicine and poison the way she does lol. But simply the fact that she's caring, but also realistic, goal oriented and passionate about what she loves/enjoys, rather than her world and individuality revolving around romantic interest for a man. She's interacts with her setting meaningfully and actually drives the story forward making her feels like a 3-dimensional character in a land of popular anime where I'm sorry but: most of the female characters are 2-dimensional and written like they're caricatures of women rather than how actual women behave.
It wasn't mentioned but I think it is important to mention that the girls sold into the rear palace are not permanent slaves rather they are sold into a work contract that pays the "family" as well as the girl who is sold for a number of years so they do get their freedom back after they complete their contract that only lasts a few years.
@Sandcastleprincess I believe you are right, and thankfully the contract is no longer relevant after she is fired from the rear palace so the show isn't stuck in a strict timeline.
2:40 well she did voiced Victorique from Gosick you can say she has experience with playing small girls with a interesting personality that help solve mystery whenever she’s interested in it
Honestly I'm not surprised by Yuki Aoi's performance with Maomao. She already voiced and did so very well a similar character in Tanya from Youjo Senki. I mean literally to a fault they're nearly identical characters, outside of Maomao being empathetic while Tanya isn't. But both characters a thinkers, both characters are plotters, both characters try to get around problems that are thrown at them in logical ways. So the voice work between the two is very similar. I mean when Maomao broke out in her Evil Laugh, I was like OMG now she is Tanya. So much so I'd like to imagine Maomao to be a reincarnated Tanya being reincarnations are canon in Youjo Senki just without memories this time around.
Apothecary Diaries is a nice contrast to all the Issekai anime. I'm a history buff and I find the portrayal of the Royal Court and the peoples daily lives who run it very interesting. Thanks for the video.
I had the exact same epiphany moment where I was like "Why am I reading this? This is not something I would usually be into", but immediately after having that thought, I started having withdrawal and read the next chapter. This is that good shit, where characters and the world feel alive and complex, with insane depth, lots of mysteries, and extremely interesting answers.
Awesome video! I didn’t know your channel, but uve just got yourself a new subscriber! :-) can’t wait for the next video! (In the meantime ill go watch the old ones!)
How do you only have sub 1k subs? This video was entertaining to the level in which i was shocked that you didnt have at least 5 digits for your subscriber count. Keep it up man, u just got a sub from me 👍
It’s been a while since an anime has properly portrayed a female character. I didn’t realize that till I realized I’d never seen a character like Maomao but that was just because she actually HAD a very intricate personality like a normal human being
I love your analysis! 🤩 In case anyone's interested, determining the approximate time period is quite difficult here. (Some viewers immediately decided it's Tang(618-907), but no, it's just about consort hierarchy.) The political system seems similar to Song (960-1279). (This is my own understanding, hence the least reliable part.) Overall culture and society are Ming (1368-1644). Scientific knowledge is Qing (1636-1912). (This I took from some other TH-cam video) I also tried to consider bits of geopolitics from the novel but failed...... Obviously the intro every episode about the world being imaginary is there for a reason😅 Conclusion: My headcanon is 17th century😊
Spoiler alert: I agree with you about the time period is 17th century. Some details in later volume novel support this idea . . . . . . . . . . . . > Vol 3 and 4 show that they have musket, the latest version imported from the west that using internal ignition instead. > Vol 9 describes that this country infact owned Western style warships with canons on broadside. Pretty advanced design. > Vol 8 told about the story of Loumen and his colleagues when they go study abroad in "suppose" European. Their teacher was a Heretical Witch, or a female doctor that practice advance medical method including surgery. She was later executed during the Witch Hunt. Loumen and his colleagues managed to bring back her life research and practice them in secret to this day.
Apoth Diaries is .... a Korean or Chinese period drama, but in anime form. Which should have been brought to screen long ago. Her character or spunk is not new to A-Dramas, it is just new to anime.
I'd be interested in your thoughts after viewing the last 2 episodes. Amazing writing that in a brief time totally upended what the viewer (if anime-only, like me) was led to believe about one specific important character. I couldn't believe i was getting emotional at the resolution of that character's current arc. These episodes also made clear that one important spine of this season was Maomao and her relatives.
I am saying this without watching video there are numerous reasons why she is interesting , her up bringing was diffirent from a normal girl she was birth by a mother who rejected her she was adopted by a professional apothecary who was once a eunch who also taught maomao about diffrent medicines and poison she naturally built interest in it also she have detective side of her that makes more interesting seeing who her brain process after witnessing a scene of crime is just fascinating
Rozemyne from ascendance of a bookworm is as crazy as maomao. The first 3 seasons of the anime don't show it yet since it covers the first 7 volumes, out of 32 or 33. But she is a maniac like maomao, season 4 has been announced, and a switch in studios to wit studio, to adapt part 3 of the series, which is when it gets to the good stuff.
Its weird when Mao Mao's kind of character becoming exposed more and more because the stuff I read on Wattpad and machine translated Chinese novels, there are girl protagonists like her and just as badass as her with different personalities, hobbies and really great conflict on their story. I'm proud that the shoujo badass protagonist is going mainstream since I had to dig up shitty ad sites and weird English vocabularies just to read something like this.
Honestly, my love for Apothecary Diaries stems from how much love to read wuxia and xianxia novels. As much as I love them though, I absolutely *HATE* the trope (that is almost 100% of all the wuxia and xianxia novels) where female romance lead is bad ass> she's really powerful, but MC gets stronger then wins her heart> suddenly she's useless and only exists from then on to praise her husband and how amazing he is. Even when I read stories with a female lead, its crazy how often the story turns into them becoming reliant on their husbands/boyfriends and such. The fact Maomao never falls into that trope and remains strong and true to her nature is amazing. There is some undertones of romance, but that's clearly not a driving point that becomes the sole focus of her existence, and I appreciate that so much.
What i like about this series is that Maomao is unashamed of who she is and no one judges her in the misogynistic way like so many other animes i watch have the 'female characters prove societal expectations wrong' arc which just feels like lazy pandering to get some cheap praise but here, people respect her, her profession and trust her knowledge, like how Jinshin inhaled that poison flower without second thought when he saw Maomao do it and all the other detective stuff she does. Even when she is disrespected, like when Lihua's servants refuse to let Maomao do her empourer ordained job, they never make it about her gender. I could go on to list way more examples, but point is the problems Maomao faces are more to do with her status as a commoner servant than the fact that shes a girl and people actually treat her like a human
The one problem with Maomao that a little bit ruins the character... is her knowledge. She is just too smart. I won't believe that she could learn that much from her step-father, especially about donkey saliva loosening the glue and low melting point of some alloys (this episode just made me facepalm, such a fairy-tale type of bullshit). It's not really a BIG BAD thing. It's only sometimes she is described as an all-knowing young girl. I really liked the series though, waiting for season 2 (or I will just read manga).
I agree so much. The thing that took me out of the story was that MaoMao got everything right except for the time her dad was there and that was only to make him seem smart. It was so frustrating and disappointing when people said she was the best female character they’ve ever seen when she doesn’t make any mistakes.
What, the low melting points? Doesn't even need to be an alloy. Gallium melts just below 30 degrees Celsius, and weakens a number of other metals like iron.
Don't compare old concepts with modern concepts. At the time those concepts are the latest in science and technologies. Also don't Westernize, Eastern culture, this anime is great for the time line its going for, learn from history. This anime is actually very accurate, the author did a great job in research. This anime is good for only one reason. The producer and animators did an excellent job.
Ah, maybe my phrasing wasn't the best there. I didn't mean to insinuate the author was "wrong" to add those concepts into the story. She clearly wants to give an accurate portrayal of Chinese culture through their understanding of the world at their time. I can admit I may be guilty of forcing too much of a Western perspective on Eastern culture since I clearly have a bias. From my understanding, there has been somewhat of a reevaluation of traditional Chinese medicine in recent times as well, which I wanted to mention, but cut out of the script for brevity.
Personally, Maomao's VO did a phenomenal job voicing her. The voice fit her character like glove, in the way that make some other anime I watched felt jarring sometimes.
I was very surprised as to how good this anime turned out. the original visuals had turned me off the series so i skipped it thinking it was just another pharmacy anime. Than months later i came across an interesting recap title with a different picture and turn out to be this one, and i got hooked it was nothing like the visuals
I hate to see people saying MaoMao is more realistic than other female anime characters. Personalities typical with anime girls are not that unrealistic. Girls can be cheerful, kind, happy-go-lucky, or any other characteristics you might associate with anime girls. Such girls DO exist and not in such a small number, especially in Japan. People say realistic just because she’s not overly optimistic and down to earth, which is just one kind of personality. It’s not more “real” than any other personalities, like those of typical anime girls.
Been watching you for over a year now and every time I get a notification you dropped a new video I get hyped to watch it. Still get surprised by your sub count you deserve much more! Quality on these videos are great! Keep it up!
Glad you're enjoying them! I appreciate the support. I've got a lot of ideas for upcoming stuff so hopefully I'll be able to get something new up sooner rather than later
Miracle of miracles, what it takes is good writing and a genuine interest in the characters. You identified some of the factors here why she comes across as relatable and believable. But I think there is anonther very important factor regarding her genius. She generally behaves like a smart person, not an idiotic caricature that magically spouts correct solutions. She does not look at an issue for five seconds and blurts out the solution to all the world's issues. What she does is she observes, she notes, she makes inferences and assumptions, tries to investigate suspicions and actively drops thread when she believes that not following them is the better choice. And with that she navigates situations that seem unrelated, but lead her deep into a web of veiled interests, intrigues and secrets. In this, we see her being selfish, petty and at times full of herself. Why would she not be aware that she is smart? And yet, she is very aware that she is one transgression away from being beheaded. So she plays dumb, keeps her mouth shut, tries to manipulate people into coming to her conclusions. The one time we really see her feeling free to be very smart around people is when she gives sex ed to the concubines. Because this is an expertise where nobody can blame her, nobody has political interests to haunt her. Hell, half of them can barely speak of it. So she is free to present all the knowledge of a brothel's physician to a captive audience. And that is where the show veers into feminist territory as knowledge of their own bodies is historically key to women's liberation.
She does look like Yuna from kuma bear and has a similar attitude but I love they way they both just do what they want and give the haters the "bird" I hope this show gets another season
I hope you can add in 1:18 the other manga version (just to help people inform we have two manga adaptations!) One is from Kurata (no english TL unfortunately, but more advanced in the plot, and the other one you mentioned is from Nekokurage)
Kinda of surprised you didn't bring Maomao's upbringing as a grand-daughter of a prominent Madame - which definitely shapted her ideas about family life, relationships and by being raised by brothel's apocathery gave her her career. Also, while she's very poor when compared to some in the Imperial hierarchy, the fact that she's there and known as useful to some of the officials means she's at least middle class (in so far that Imperial China can be said to have a middle class)
Yes its a brothel but if you notice many of the women in that house dont actually sleep with guys. Maomaos mother in particular was what we would call an escort who was valued more for her gaming ability.
@@stephenvoss6092Had things gone to plan Granny would sell Fengxian off to the highest bidder. That’s why after she lost her chastity her price plummeted to near worth less.
@@stephenvoss6092 Well yea the women we see the most are of the upper class in the brothel; So it does make them purely Escorts. But Mao's mother losing her value to be near worthless proved that the women at the very bottom ranks, will often have to sleep around with the low income citizens; In that brothel. Her mom did get the very rare type (3 types) of the particular STD that could damage her neurologically.
![[ BEST MOMENTS #1 ] Maomao x Jinshi 😍😍|| The Apothecary Diaries @anime_clip_ss](/img/n.gif)
Just fyi, I changed this video's title. It was initially "Maomao is not like the other girls" which I intended jokingly but I think was tactless. Some comments were made with that title in mind though so I've pinned this for context.
Thank you; I still enjoyed the video 👍
You should have kept the original title because I saw this, expecting a video on the titular character from "Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart".
A female protagonist that isn't screaming every 5 seconds and not trying so hard to be pandering to the audience? she isn't like the other girls indeed 😭
Oh u need to watch top chinese harem . Even watch two three ,there are copycats so watch one of each.
Maomao is exactly like the other girls, not all of them are obsessed with poison, but the series manages to make all of them feel like interesting people with their own interests and motivations
I love how much the serie doesn't judge unjustly the female characters in it, it's so refreshing.
They all feel like actual characters and not just set dressing.
I really liked how the show doesn't come across as judgemental of the women for behaving and acting to the rules of the system they were raised in.
Staying beautiful and favourable is often a matter of life and death for many of these women, and it's not their fault if they don't have an understanding or knowledge that's been denied to them.
Maomao just happened to be born to particular people with particular connections in a particular place that allowed her to flourish. I appreciate that the writing celebrates her skills without hiding that.
I'm being a bit facetious with the title. Maomao does stand out, but not because she's inherently different from any of the other women in the series. She's fortunate enough to have been raised under circumstances that give her slightly more agency over her situation than many others, but that relatively minor level of privilege doesn't make her "better" or anything. And the way the series portrays a sympathetic perspective on the variety of women that it focuses on reflects that.
A large part of what makes this series great is the extent to which all of the characters are written with depth and an unique worldview, which makes them all distinct (including but not limited to Maomao).
@@NEETByNature Maomao is clearly neurodivergent ... With that aspect in mind, she really isn't like many other people, that and her above average iq . There is nothing wrong with being different, it's just that she doesn't hold herself in a higher position because she is different.
@@subratanandy2142I have seen no evidence of her being neurodivergent, could you provide some examples?
The strong female character made perfect.
She's not going to knock you out.
But she's SMART, DRIVEN, KNOWLEDGEABLE and BRAVE.
She can knock you out with poison though.
@@pasindudinusha6507 She could but shes not sharing her poison ;-)
she actually takes advantage outa the situation, rather than deus ex machina her way through the movie
@pasindudinusha6507 that's part of her knowledge and intelligence 😁
If necessary she will 100% knock you out though
Maomao is very similar to many girls in REAL LIFE as opposed to the kinda cliched versions mostly (not always) seen in anime.
Similar in what manner?
@@hanjesse31 Obscure likes and dislikes, doesn't freak out over intimacy, doesn't obsess over a guy just bc he's attractive, stays sharp by prioritising her work over all else. Most and almost all women in real life act like that even at her age. She's similar in a way to Haruhi in OHSHC in which women tend to find them relatable and thus like them as characters more
TRUE
That's what makes her unique in her own way in anime , because she's a character that's actually like girls in real life whiteout portraying an absurd representation of women
Yeah she’s a well written female character something that is hard to come by. Especially (!) in anime and manga that is not shojo (and even then we often only get soft spoken and very feminine girls - who are obviously fine but not always an accurate representation). But every other genre you get sexist archetypes, inaccurate, disrespectful and downright degrading portrayals, no story and plot relevancy and hentai/ecchi/fanservice!
i absolutely ADOREEEEE the way MaoMao and all the other women characters are written in the show, with little to no "anime-typical fan service", which is refreshing to see given that there are scenes with brothel girls and other concubines of the palace. this show handles all of that with such? respect? i wasn't mentally prepared to see a show that has nuanced characters, where even though the main female character has her quirks, she still has empathy and cares about those close to her. what i genuinely loved is that MaoMao never gave up on her quest of going back to meet her father during the first half of the show; she went to town the first chance she got with the soldier man (i forgot his name im so sorry). she never lost focus from her father because she was helping the pretty purple haired man or the other people around the palace
Apothecary Diaries has a TON of fanservice, including from Jinshi, it just never demeans the characters and that's what makes it work so well
@@Serocco mhm! which is why i said "anime typical" in the sense where it's just there for the sake of it, usually in a demeaning manner :3c
The name Andreas means man
I personally see Maomao as 'the genius who cares' cause while other anime characters are known as geniuses and doing good, doing the latter is often not really the reason said smart people actually do it and unlike the former she still has things to learn. She isn't all knowing in her subject matter and she isn't the greatest at her craft. She has room to grow. All the while she isn't trying to upend society to fix its problems, she is just doing good where she can and it feels all the more genuine for it.
Anime only viewer. Two things:
The fact that apothecary diaries explicitly states that it's a strictly fictional world with fictional characters, sets itself apart from other K or C imperial court dramas. It gives the author more agency to explore aspects without strictly adhering to historical accuracy, like aphrodisiacs and chocolate being available.
It also gives the viewers more excitement, theres more unknowns, anyone could do anything or die at any moment
Second, I feel the show's brilliancy is the clear resolution of suspense and intrigue that gets built up within each arc. The audience get their questions answered, both plot and character developement feel natural and satisfying. We aren't dangled with a carrot promising shocking plot twists, or leave feeling empty with more questions than answers (like most drama series). In short, we feel our time investment into what we watched was worth it. It's brilliantly written, and I can't wait to see what's on offer in future seasons
That’s what I had to remind myself of when I saw the potato in the warehouses.
And while it sets up and answers the smaller plot it also all leads into bigger questions and machinations that we know we will see develop as the series continues! We are given answers and more questions...
For me, what make this series so much better than others that handle similar topics, is the character designs. Through body language and appearance alone, you can understand who is in charge in a room. Especially showcased when Maomao disguises Jinshi. The amount it takes to make him look more like a commoner and his noble being still shining through when he gets careless in the city is extremely well done. The only exception to this is, funnily enough, the emperor himself, but once you learn who he is you know he doesn't exude nobility as much for the simple fact that he doesn't need to. He is the Emperor, his status alone turns everyone else common, he does not need to behave a certain way, he just is that important.
Too many other shows of that genre fall into the trap of making every character too beautiful and similar, to the point that you can't even tell people apart.
My favorites are the concubines, you can clearly see their appeal, but they are also unique in their beauty. You won't mistake Gyokuyou or Lihua and Ah-Duo is something completely different, but they are all without a question beautiful by all standards.
A beautiful detail I've noticed is that in episode 23, when Loulan arrived with her servants, all those servant girls had pretty much identically drawn faces, unlike other concubines' maids. The attention to the characters of every calibre is what let the creators to sneak in that detail ❤
@@Lonely_Mothin future you will know why they were identical
@@piyanath1066 sir, I already know. This is why I called the detail "beautiful" and not "interesting" or "suspicious". They're already dropping hints for the next season that hasn't even been confirmed yet! That's dedication if I've ever seen one.
@@piyanath1066what's the reason? To let Lady Loulan shine?
@@simranrabab7820 no, to help Loulan escape the rear palace. I'll not spoil it anymore because that's one of the biggest plot twists of the story.
In relation to aphrodisiacs, we need to consider how rare chocolate and coffee were in China (and even in much of Europe) during the Tang Dynasty. Even in the manga it's not only the chocolate, but a /boozy/ chocolate mixture soaked bread that makes the maids (who would have never tasted chocolate before) feel strange. Add in the herbs that cause a raise in temperature and bam! what could very well be considered an aphrodisiac at the time.
Thank u for that knowledge I will use it wisely 😊
That's fair. I kinda glossed over the Aphrodisiac part, but it seems reports on their their efficacy is kinda depends on what you define as an Aphrodisiac effect in the first place. So to your point, while they may not technically be a strictly sexual stimulant, some foods could make someone feel overstimulated or woozy.
I think you mean the Qing or Ming, not the Tang, Cocoa came from the Amazon and wasn't known by the Old World until the 16th century. Also, it seems to me based on my reading of the LNs that the story takes place in a world that is akin to late 18th to early 19th centuries.
@@diegonatan6301fair enough, I was writing this comment thinking about tang dynasty based on my memory of a lot of the clothing shown in the series early on, but it definitely could've also pointed towards the ming dynasty looking at examples of clothing online
@@kino9643 Tang dynasty ended 585 years before Columbus's voyage made it to the Caribbean 1492-907=585. So the Ming dynasty that was in power at the same time that Spain began colonizing the Americas where Cacao is native makes more sense. Not that I haven't seen weird anachronisms in stories before like corn on the cob somehow being in Ancient China when Maize is from the Americas
Aphrodisiacs aren't really real nowadays, but a person who has lived on rice and fish their entire life would be very sensitive to stimulants, even simple ones like sugar and caffeine. It wouldn't lead to sexual feelings directly, but combined with the right atmosphere it could easily lead things that way. I wonder how addictive something like Coca-Cola would be to someone from the ancient past. The only way they could normally even taste "sweet" would be from honey.
Yeah, and there's a legend that chocolate is given on Valentine's Day because it was thought to be an aphrodisiac--which is what's implied in this series.
I wonder if they'd be even willing to drink it considering how overwhelngly sweet it would be to them.
I don’t mean to be rude, but depending where you were, a lot of places had some sort of fruit, berries, or even just actual sugar, so while they obviously wouldn’t have anything as crazy as a Coca Cola, most places do have options other than honey
@@yomanyo327 I was going to say precisely that, go out and eat a progenitor wild apple and while it has some sweetness it is equal parts sour and unpleasant. Hundreds of years of deliberate selective breeding have done a lot to alter our foods today.
You forgot fruits bro. They are sweet too.
A Sherlock Holmes character with exaggerated but believable deductive skills. But still with underdeveloped social skills. It's kind of brilliant that the trope meshes so well with the setting.
One thing worth pointing out regarding the Emperor and his tons of concubines is that he's actually on the side of shrinking the imperial harem, since the size ballooning out of control is yet another consequence of his father's "taste" that he'd like to fix, but certain powerful clans push for it to remain.
He's an absolute hornball and has no issues swinging his authority around, but every time his political policies are brought up he proves to actually be a pretty great guy.
Speaking of issues with balooning harems, why don't harem animes even touch on how problematic it can be?
@@linkskywalker5417 Even in the harem there is a difference between high consorts and medium consorts. A medium consort that has a male child moves up, a high consort who is childless is at best provided with a nice palace somewhere else (ah duo)
In western culture harem is often wrongly seen as "lustful ruler thing" while in reality it was often clans and other political powers forcing it. It was exactly same for Ottoman that choosing from a dozen or more princes made sure the next ruler would be extraordinary as well. They had a line of extraordinary rulers for over 300 years until Suleiman the magnificent and if any of those sultans tried to abolish harem he would be seen as "an enemy of state" by political factions..
And how part of the trouble is what he's inherited and how to deal with that. The consequences that would fall on women who had little to no choice in their situation.
Another recent Chinese-based court anime was Raven of the Inner Palace, which unfortunately got mostly ignored.
It's another take on the case-of-the-week formula, only supernatural rather than medicinal, with Shouxue (the Raven Consort) quite literally dealing with the ghosts of the past. She also has a prickly, teasing dynamic with Gaojun the male lead - however as characters they aren't as vivid as Maomao and Jinshi, and the animation budget was clearly lower...I’d still recommend it though!
I actually heard about that one recently! I've been meaning to check it out but haven't gotten around to it yet
Oh, I also watched this anime, very cool.
Also the OP is an outright banger. I wish more people had seen it.
This is so true! I loved the anime
I loved the anime so much, it got me reading the light novels. The the apothecary diaries came out and now I'm reading that series too.
I agree I was it did not get nearly the love and attention it deserved.
I think Maomao is like the other girls, in that’s she has depth, media even media with women as the target demographic tends to write women in a very 2D fashion. Even when they make the main characters interesting that are weirdly flat, either just be a male characters made to be female, or high energy extremely competent girl bosses. Maomao and AD as a whole strikes a wonder balance that makes us very much fictional world real and relatable.
I love your style of editing, specially the parts where you showcase manga by spotlighting single panels by separating them. Looks really cool and keeps me engaged in the video.
She's the antitesis of the "not like other girls" trope where usually a protagonist is announced and with every scene is portrayed as "not like other girls she's better than them but in reality is just another 1 of the bunch" in the apothecary diaries we see a protagonist that doesnt give 2 flying fucks about her image as the "ideal girl", she's as her adoptive father describes a "mad scientist" with unbriddled curiosity and a brilliant mind, if anything growing up in a brothel gave her a view of the world where she understands beauty is often more of an obstacle than an asset, which shows how down to earth she sees the world to the point of being a little jaded.
She couldnt care less about finding love and thats a refreshing change from the overused love obssessed teen girls that seems to be the norm in stories.
Shes not a bad person and will do the right thing when she can but wont go out of her way to meddle on things that dont concern her and that defines the kind of protagonist that feels more relatable bc the reality is most ppl dont want to be involved in other ppls business when they have their own problems to deal with
Its not she doesnt care, she actually does not want to be noticed. A plot twist is she forgot that laundry girls do not know how to read and write.
Maomao is not your average protagonist... because she's average. She's in a colorful and well written cast of character whom a few of them you could've easily written the story from their perspective. It just so happens Maomao is the protagonist but that alone doesn't make her more special than anyone else.
Apothecary Diaries is a good way to write a cast of characters and choose a protagonist. A well-written cast and story is one where anyone could be the protagonist and the story wouldn't need to change to suit it.
I love the inclusion of the Verdigris House and the Inner Court as main features of the story. Plenty of women in the story are interesting, smart and important parts of the story.
I know for a lot of people, Frieren is their AotS. For me, it's Apothecary Diaries. I can't even put into words how much I love this show.
I watch both, both are great imho
Frieren on saturday, apothecary on sunday for me
I feel like a big part of Maomao’s appeal to me is what comes across to me as very distinctive autism coding. You don’t often see neurodivergent coded female characters who aren’t either infantilised or are stereotypical character archetypes like kuudere or genki girls, so it’s really compelling to see a well rounded and thought out female character like Maomao. - I feel like that coding doesn’t get talked enough with her.
Alongside ace/aro coding she is one of my favorite characters. Especially with the inclusion of recognizing that others would find people attractive because of how they look without really being attracted to them and doing/saying things that can be construed as sexual without necessarily being fully aware of how they come off to an outsider
@@bashboi4074 I totally agree! She’s extremely aware of the social mechanisms at play in a very analytical manner, I adore that for her.
I wasn’t sure about the ace/aro coding because I still can’t shake the vibe that it could end up a slow burn romance, but not knowing anything more than the anime I didn’t feel like I knew enough to make that analysis, but I have absolutely picked up that same thing - as someone who’s identified as demi, I can relate from that perspective! Honestly I kinda hope it doesn’t end up as a slow burn - as I love their dynamic as it is.
@@Lovingmadjom demi can still fall under the ace umbrella. Although I am aware that not all demi people identify as ace. Her being aroace and demi would fit perfectly into a slow burn romance.
@@melinnamba Very true, and kinda how I relate!
Huh, I never thought to look at Maomao as being neurodivergent. I'll admit it's one of a few blind spots I want to learn more about, so I'm underqualified to comment on it myself, but I would love to read or watch an analysis of Maomao from that perspective.
Maomao is just such a fun character to watch in general and hard carrys this story and how she understands her place in the world but instead of rolling over and taking it or directly fighting it she uses the power she has given because of her knowledge she fully uses to advantage to help others by not giving away fully what she has figured out or faining ignorance because of her status as well has what she does to protect her self from that world makes her extremely interesting and when she is actually given power and lifes are at stake she becomes super scary and uses that power right before she slaped that lady in waiting i was like slap her not expecting her to but when she did and draged her around spilling the powder on her sold me on this show
Yesterday I found and binge watched the whole show in one sitting and I’m leaving ep 23 for today I don’t want the series to ever end it’s so good and I just need more man it’s like a drug 😭
Now this is a character study. Great work!
Thanks!
A female character with no high pitched voice , actually knowledgeable and no overstuffed body? I'm in
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is a web novel, adapted to light novel (by the same author) which is being adapted into 2 separate mangas that are both ongoing and now into an anime. All versions (WN,LN and mangas) are ongoing :D
hi may I ask what is difference between web novel and light novel
@@zagnetureszagzag5790 Afaik, the Web Novel is thr equivalent of a "Wattpad Original story", while the Light Novel is the professionally published version
@@zagnetureszagzag5790 web novel was self published by author to the net. Usually it was very rough and random, and the author'd edit past chapters all the time if they changed their mind to suit the future chapters. I prefer called it 'blueprint version'.
Once a publisher judged that it's worth selling, they would sign a real editor to surveillance the work. The author will re-publish it as actual books from very beginning, but with a much better plot, grammars, and the most important thing: consistensy. This is the 'official version'.
@@zagnetureszagzag5790Web novels are self published while, light novels are published by a company.
@@zagnetureszagzag5790 the webnovel is very much a sort of first draft to the light novel. It's rougher and the chapters are usually shorter but they are released a lot faster than the light novel.
Maomao is frighteningly self-aware for an anime character. She's so serious because her circumstances are serious and her actions have actual consequences. Like, Maomao's associations with develop on and off screen and so the world around her feels really fleshed out and natural. She HAD TO learn to work with the "quack" in the rear palace and learns that he's just a guy with his own unfortunate circumstances. My favorite thing about Maomao is that she reflects and laments in the way a real teenaged girl would and her immaturity is always at war with her education. Too many female main characters are either too clueless or too perfect and they're often teenaged girls! 😂 Maomao's childhood in a brothel has somewhat adultified her and so she's a bit cynical by default and yet the small glimpses of her inner girlishness also feel genuine.
something that makes apothecary diaries apart from so many others is that its common for the story to drive the characters in some way but in A.D i cannot think of such a time, it always the characters driving the story by their own motivation
impressive writing
also mao mao has mad autistic rizz done perfectly
There are a LOT of other interesting female protagonists in anime. Ryuko Matoi from Kill La Kill is interesting, and so is Tohru from Fruits Basket, Sariphi from Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Zero Two from Darling in the Franxx, Nanami Momozono from Kamisama Kiss, Maka Albarn from Soul Eater and who could ever forget Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon? Of course, not all female anime protagonists are the same. Maomao is in a class entirely of her own.
I totally agree. I wanted to focus on Maomao specifically here, but I'm a fan of female anime protagonists in general. There are plenty of great examples
I'm so glad you mentioned Sariphi. I'd also like to mention Princess Syalis
Noriko (Gunbuster) walked so Nono and lar'c (Dibuster) could run so that Zero Two could fly.
I didn't care for Zero Two, but I can understand why others would.
Maomao is not in a class of her own she is like Akagami from the show Snow white With the Red Hair.
@@asandax6 they similar but not really. Or should i say she mixed of violet and shirayuki?
Aoi Yuuki also voiced Tanya from Tanya the Evil. It's very recognizable. Especially when it shows up in short burst, whenever Maomao becomes serious.
What I find very interesting is that she thinks herself incapable of love, like how she literally said that this feeling died when she was born (or something along these lines). Or how she claims that she only worries about her dad so he can continue to teach her medicine, which is frankly not true. It's like she's scared of making connections but instead of admitting that, she convinced herself she just can't love.
Ad has a living breathing world.
Many manga, anime, and light novels tend to have more synthetic setting where its very obvious "this is a story" instead of being a narrativized depiction that could have happened.
Very common with isekai mostly for the reason that they tend to be written by inexperienced writers in a web novel context where everyone copies a lot from each other, chasing the latest successful trend.
I was honestly thinking earlier how this is one of the few animes which I can watch week to week as it aired and not feel like my time was wasted.
Every episode feels satisfying, you never feel like nothing happened, it respects the viewers time and I really appreciate that.
Maomao: As you see, you're not dealing with the average protagonist anymore
This makes me so happy that it's being successful and appreciated... I told my boyfriend years and years ago that I thought this would have made the perfect adaption. Light novel had both episodic type of stories, but it also had an overreaching clock plot, how the different small stories ended up being Related and building something greater.
And the characters were all very interesting twists on propular tropes, and I think the Chinese major based, but also influenced by both Korean and Japanese culture, made the story very unique, the setting just wasn't quite historical but also not quite full fantasy
qqqq
she fully aware that she is capable of having that knowledge thanks to her dad, and that she wouldn’t have been so lucky have never been taken by him, by the fact that he is the child of a prostitute, she knows damn well she has the life she has and she can have the hobbies she have thanks to her dad, she knows damn well the amazing opportunity she was given, based on the sole fact women aren’t even taught to read! this is a cruel world for women in general and she knows it and she is grateful for the fact she was given a different opportunity, she never puts other women down and rarely even insults her intelligence knowing that being smart is not encouraged at all to women. Also she has expressed herself very clearly that she is only passionate about poisons and medicines and thats why is so easy for her to learn about it while she struggles with other types of knowledge, she even failed the secretary exam that is one of the little jobs women can do ad requires years of preparation. She is like any other girl, with the difference that she was given different opportunities and she took it, i also loved the fact that she can be blunt and not afraid about most stuff, while being analytical, she is also not afraid of intimacy or talking about it without being portrayed as a pervert (which in anime they either make woman afraid of intimacy or make it look like a sacrifice or they make her a derange nymphomaniac, theres no middle ground ad its aways portrayed bad)
This video convinced me to watch the apothecary diaries! It's a lovely and well spoken video about a great story. I'm having a good time watching the anime, and I really appreciate how few spoilers you included.
Mao mao is unique because she is a rare example of strong woman in anime, movies and other. "Not like other girls", we need to prolonge it with "as a character in culture"
all you see now are "strong women" in entertainment, they are just done very poorly by those who claim they are progessives. It is not rare to have a strong woman, it is rare to do it right. You wont see a well done strong woman made by western artists anymore because their mind is plagued by wokeness where strong woman means a toxic man in woman disguise, often condescending to other women and hating anything feminine
Awesome video - interesting examination, well produced, and thoughtfully presented!
In all honesty, seeing a girl being so unabashedly invested in something she loves is what makes me love not just Maomao, but Myne from Ascendance of a Bookworm, and Marin from Sono Bisque doll. They are just so bright in their own right
I must admit that I originaly ignored this one because it was just "another" Apothecary animes that we have seen released of late.... Yet I around episode 19 decided to give a chance and... Binged all 19 episodes in one sitting. And it have very quickly become my favorite of the season it is just sooo damn good!
Maomao's entire world is an interesting one, and to me, part of appeal of her character was said by Suiren in that she understands her place, but values life all the same with Maomao being living proof of that as she's the daughter of a courtesan and for the longest time, a unknown client. She's near the bottom of the social ladder yet brings positive things to both the inner palace, and the people that live and work there.
She doesn't preach, but does, often without making it clear she did anything, such as trying to tell the consorts about the powder because she doesn't do what she does for recognition or wealth, but because she has the power to help, so she does, even when it would benefit her in more ways then one not to. That combined with her hard working nature, lack of villainous or selfish motives and skills even earn her note from the Emperor.
Though I won't lie, watching her slap the hell outta the handmaiden when she realized that she was still using the powder despite knowing its poisonous nature was also entertaining.
In clear, she feel like a real person as a character and not some sort of anime girl cliché. She is not define by here looks but by her personality, knowledge, logic.... it feels refreshing !
Amazing analysis of Maomao and AD in general. It put into words what I felt watching the series (not just whodunnit but how and why) and honestly explains why some shows stand out and just resonate vs fall flat. Also appreciate your research into what dynasties inspired certain worldbuilding (like 4 consorts) and the liberties our author took with some medicine / poison properties. Great work!!
Also, Maomao's background is really unique. It's not often you find a protagonist raised in a Red Light District. Her reaction to this background is interesting and unique too. She isn't oblivious to the happenings in the District, nor does she take it lightly, which I have seen happen. Sometimes a character comes from a brothel as an interesting past, btu is never brought up again. Or its brought up as part of their tragic past, and they look back at that time in horror. But Maomao isn't like that. She bluntly brings up r*pe, STD's, bad customers, toxic makeup, and lots of other horrible things that actually happen to sex workers. But she loves several courtesans as sisters, and Verdigris House is like a second home to her.
Also, her relationship with Jinshi is really neat and also makes her feel "different than other girls." She immediately acknowledges he is beautiful, but other than that she doesn't really seem to care about him at all. Even as their relationship grows, there is very little romance between them. Really just longing from Jinshi. The manga/anime/novel focuses more on their slowly growing friendship before getting anywhere near romance. Maomao isn't even slightly interested in Jinshi, which is super rare for a protagonist! It feels more like a real and healthy relationship, which is kinda rare in anime tbh.
what i love the most is the fact that despite being one of the smallest in height and only 17, her voice is much deeper and mature toned than women in their 30's in most anime. she sounds soothing
I like how down to Earth she is and how she doesnt just fall head over heels for a man she just met, (even if she has known him for several months now) to me it just makes her a more likable character then seeing her clinging to a man like a damsel in distress like every cheesy romance anime.
Not that I have anything against romance, but I much prefer to see it a very slow build then shoved in the ones face.
I just wanted to mention how much I love that you use an image from A Martial Master wakes up as a Concubine
This a great video that details why the Apothecary Diaries is so good (also i love how you dragged Moon Flower Kingdom)
Maomao's growth has been exponential. I bet videos about her like yours have been a huge help
Man finally remembered his TH-cam password. Seriously why are all the good anitubers so underappreciated and resultantly inactive 😢
I once read about her that she is just written like a male protagonist and it just works out
that really stuck with me
I don't really like that approach tbh.
It feels like lazy writing to me.
If Maoamo was a boy the story would be completely different, because her situation would be completely different.
Personally, I feel that the greatest appeal of Maomao as character is that... she's just a girl. A girl who likes poison and medicine, but a girl after all. She's caught in extraordinary situations but at the end of the day, she still feels real and relatable.
I think the author was able to highlight that very well in the story.
@@bluecherry1011 I think you misunderstand written like a male protagonist with „could be replaced with a male protagonist“. That‘s not what it is. Often times female characters have many flaws in their writing because of stereotypes the authors include, making them especially weak or persuasive etc.
Here it‘s just maomao being her true self. Just like a „normal“ male protagonist is written.
@@bluecherry1011 To summarize what naectro said in a different way, female protagonists often have lots of stereotypes, especially in anime, which makes them incredibly 2 dimensional and very repetitive at times, while the actual nuanced character writing (characters that behave like real human beings with their own depth, goals, hopes and fears) are usually reserved for male protagonists by the same reason.
Apothecary diaries shatters this stereotyped gender barrier and introduces a girl protagonist that behaves...like a normal girl. Next to 0 common tropes, just a fairly autistic girl with her own interests, talents and obsessions, who had a rough childhood that forced her to mature early and is now trying to make the best she can with her current situation, aware of what she can and can't do, using her logic to interact with the world around her and manipulating it to her own benefit so she can get by without getting noticed, while also having a bunch of intrinsic flaws as she is after all, still a teenager. Actual nuance in a female character, a feat almost unheard of in anime media.
After a long self discovery journey, I have come to the conclusion that I am an addict for the apothecary diaries series. I have almost caught up to the light novel, I have read the manga, watched the anime both in sub and in dub, and I have watched practically every youtube video about apothecary diaries.
All thanks to this video I got into Apothecary Diaries AND OH MY GOD WHY DID I SLEEP ON IT?!?! ITS BECOME ONE OF MY FAVORITE ANIME/MANGA OF ALL TIME!
Mao Mao feels real and an actual character that's what makes her likable
She reminds me SO MUCH of myne from ascendance of a bookworm!! God I want more protagonists like that.
“Female protagonist autistically obsessed with a special interest and can’t see a gesture of romance directed at them if it slapped her in the face”
I can only think of myne from bookworm and Maomao from apothecary diaries. Does anyone know of any others?
She's great. Terminally smart, genre-savvy. Love this series.
Yes to everything you said. And also personally I think Maomao is such a great character because she's actually relatable to girls in real life. Not in the sense that all girls have obsession with medicine and poison the way she does lol. But simply the fact that she's caring, but also realistic, goal oriented and passionate about what she loves/enjoys, rather than her world and individuality revolving around romantic interest for a man. She's interacts with her setting meaningfully and actually drives the story forward making her feels like a 3-dimensional character in a land of popular anime where I'm sorry but: most of the female characters are 2-dimensional and written like they're caricatures of women rather than how actual women behave.
Great video, your channel is underrated
I was not ready for the Lakan reveal yesterday 😕
There's also the playing with tropes, most prominent being Mao's initial reaction to the shojo-coded Jinshi.
The opening song that go me hooked on this gem.
Song name : "Hana ni Natte / Be a Flower"
It wasn't mentioned but I think it is important to mention that the girls sold into the rear palace are not permanent slaves rather they are sold into a work contract that pays the "family" as well as the girl who is sold for a number of years so they do get their freedom back after they complete their contract that only lasts a few years.
Maomao is there on a two year contract I believe. It's in the books.
@Sandcastleprincess I believe you are right, and thankfully the contract is no longer relevant after she is fired from the rear palace so the show isn't stuck in a strict timeline.
2:40 well she did voiced Victorique from Gosick you can say she has experience with playing small girls with a interesting personality that help solve mystery whenever she’s interested in it
Honestly I'm not surprised by Yuki Aoi's performance with Maomao. She already voiced and did so very well a similar character in Tanya from Youjo Senki. I mean literally to a fault they're nearly identical characters, outside of Maomao being empathetic while Tanya isn't. But both characters a thinkers, both characters are plotters, both characters try to get around problems that are thrown at them in logical ways. So the voice work between the two is very similar. I mean when Maomao broke out in her Evil Laugh, I was like OMG now she is Tanya. So much so I'd like to imagine Maomao to be a reincarnated Tanya being reincarnations are canon in Youjo Senki just without memories this time around.
I mean she voiced shuten from fgo which is crazy
Apothecary Diaries is a nice contrast to all the Issekai anime. I'm a history buff and I find the portrayal of the Royal Court and the peoples daily lives who run it very interesting. Thanks for the video.
I had the exact same epiphany moment where I was like "Why am I reading this? This is not something I would usually be into", but immediately after having that thought, I started having withdrawal and read the next chapter. This is that good shit, where characters and the world feel alive and complex, with insane depth, lots of mysteries, and extremely interesting answers.
Awesome video! I didn’t know your channel, but uve just got yourself a new subscriber! :-) can’t wait for the next video! (In the meantime ill go watch the old ones!)
How do you only have sub 1k subs? This video was entertaining to the level in which i was shocked that you didnt have at least 5 digits for your subscriber count. Keep it up man, u just got a sub from me 👍
Glad you liked it! I'm going to try my best to get some more videos done soon so keep an eye out.
I can also see some parallels in storytelling and resolving mysteries with Sherlock holmes books.
It’s been a while since an anime has properly portrayed a female character. I didn’t realize that till I realized I’d never seen a character like Maomao but that was just because she actually HAD a very intricate personality like a normal human being
I loved how we got frieren and Maomao that season. People loved them immediately.
Between this and Frieren bleeding into 2024 and Spice and Wolf coming back we're eating real good on the female protagonist front.
I love your analysis! 🤩
In case anyone's interested, determining the approximate time period is quite difficult here. (Some viewers immediately decided it's Tang(618-907), but no, it's just about consort hierarchy.)
The political system seems similar to Song (960-1279). (This is my own understanding, hence the least reliable part.)
Overall culture and society are Ming (1368-1644). Scientific knowledge is Qing (1636-1912). (This I took from some other TH-cam video)
I also tried to consider bits of geopolitics from the novel but failed......
Obviously the intro every episode about the world being imaginary is there for a reason😅
Conclusion: My headcanon is 17th century😊
Spoiler alert:
I agree with you about the time period is 17th century. Some details in later volume novel support this idea
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
> Vol 3 and 4 show that they have musket, the latest version imported from the west that using internal ignition instead.
> Vol 9 describes that this country infact owned Western style warships with canons on broadside. Pretty advanced design.
> Vol 8 told about the story of Loumen and his colleagues when they go study abroad in "suppose" European. Their teacher was a Heretical Witch, or a female doctor that practice advance medical method including surgery. She was later executed during the Witch Hunt. Loumen and his colleagues managed to bring back her life research and practice them in secret to this day.
Apoth Diaries is .... a Korean or Chinese period drama, but in anime form. Which should have been brought to screen long ago. Her character or spunk is not new to A-Dramas, it is just new to anime.
I'd be interested in your thoughts after viewing the last 2 episodes. Amazing writing that in a brief time totally upended what the viewer (if anime-only, like me) was led to believe about one specific important character. I couldn't believe i was getting emotional at the resolution of that character's current arc. These episodes also made clear that one important spine of this season was Maomao and her relatives.
Silver flatware is really good at telling you if there is seafood or cabbage family vegetables in a dish because both have a lot of sulphur
what i like apo TAD is that it tackles everythinh in a holistic way.. especially the politics part.. her journey is interesting
I just binged the series. I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection to Symphogear. That’s crazy!
Maomao is soooo likable.
The last time I was so invested in a female MC was years ago in Jormungand with Koko.
Its rare for me to like a MC so mutch.
I am saying this without watching video there are numerous reasons why she is interesting , her up bringing was diffirent from a normal girl she was birth by a mother who rejected her she was adopted by a professional apothecary who was once a eunch who also taught maomao about diffrent medicines and poison she naturally built interest in it also she have detective side of her that makes more interesting seeing who her brain process after witnessing a scene of crime is just fascinating
Rozemyne from ascendance of a bookworm is as crazy as maomao.
The first 3 seasons of the anime don't show it yet since it covers the first 7 volumes, out of 32 or 33. But she is a maniac like maomao, season 4 has been announced, and a switch in studios to wit studio, to adapt part 3 of the series, which is when it gets to the good stuff.
I might re watch this amazing anime.I loved this anime
Its weird when Mao Mao's kind of character becoming exposed more and more because the stuff I read on Wattpad and machine translated Chinese novels, there are girl protagonists like her and just as badass as her with different personalities, hobbies and really great conflict on their story.
I'm proud that the shoujo badass protagonist is going mainstream since I had to dig up shitty ad sites and weird English vocabularies just to read something like this.
"Maomao is built different" yea...cause with the amount of poison she tries to consume daily others would be eternally resting xD
Honestly, my love for Apothecary Diaries stems from how much love to read wuxia and xianxia novels. As much as I love them though, I absolutely *HATE* the trope (that is almost 100% of all the wuxia and xianxia novels) where female romance lead is bad ass> she's really powerful, but MC gets stronger then wins her heart> suddenly she's useless and only exists from then on to praise her husband and how amazing he is. Even when I read stories with a female lead, its crazy how often the story turns into them becoming reliant on their husbands/boyfriends and such. The fact Maomao never falls into that trope and remains strong and true to her nature is amazing. There is some undertones of romance, but that's clearly not a driving point that becomes the sole focus of her existence, and I appreciate that so much.
What i like about this series is that Maomao is unashamed of who she is and no one judges her in the misogynistic way like so many other animes i watch have the 'female characters prove societal expectations wrong' arc which just feels like lazy pandering to get some cheap praise but here, people respect her, her profession and trust her knowledge, like how Jinshin inhaled that poison flower without second thought when he saw Maomao do it and all the other detective stuff she does. Even when she is disrespected, like when Lihua's servants refuse to let Maomao do her empourer ordained job, they never make it about her gender. I could go on to list way more examples, but point is the problems Maomao faces are more to do with her status as a commoner servant than the fact that shes a girl and people actually treat her like a human
The one problem with Maomao that a little bit ruins the character... is her knowledge. She is just too smart. I won't believe that she could learn that much from her step-father, especially about donkey saliva loosening the glue and low melting point of some alloys (this episode just made me facepalm, such a fairy-tale type of bullshit).
It's not really a BIG BAD thing. It's only sometimes she is described as an all-knowing young girl.
I really liked the series though, waiting for season 2 (or I will just read manga).
I agree so much. The thing that took me out of the story was that MaoMao got everything right except for the time her dad was there and that was only to make him seem smart. It was so frustrating and disappointing when people said she was the best female character they’ve ever seen when she doesn’t make any mistakes.
What, the low melting points? Doesn't even need to be an alloy. Gallium melts just below 30 degrees Celsius, and weakens a number of other metals like iron.
Don't compare old concepts with modern concepts. At the time those concepts are the latest in science and technologies. Also don't Westernize, Eastern culture, this anime is great for the time line its going for, learn from history.
This anime is actually very accurate, the author did a great job in research. This anime is good for only one reason. The producer and animators did an excellent job.
Ah, maybe my phrasing wasn't the best there. I didn't mean to insinuate the author was "wrong" to add those concepts into the story. She clearly wants to give an accurate portrayal of Chinese culture through their understanding of the world at their time.
I can admit I may be guilty of forcing too much of a Western perspective on Eastern culture since I clearly have a bias. From my understanding, there has been somewhat of a reevaluation of traditional Chinese medicine in recent times as well, which I wanted to mention, but cut out of the script for brevity.
Personally, Maomao's VO did a phenomenal job voicing her. The voice fit her character like glove, in the way that make some other anime I watched felt jarring sometimes.
I was very surprised as to how good this anime turned out. the original visuals had turned me off the series so i skipped it thinking it was just another pharmacy anime. Than months later i came across an interesting recap title with a different picture and turn out to be this one, and i got hooked it was nothing like the visuals
You are one of the first reviewers who pointed out it was a fictional country based on China.
I hate to see people saying MaoMao is more realistic than other female anime characters.
Personalities typical with anime girls are not that unrealistic. Girls can be cheerful, kind, happy-go-lucky, or any other characteristics you might associate with anime girls. Such girls DO exist and not in such a small number, especially in Japan.
People say realistic just because she’s not overly optimistic and down to earth, which is just one kind of personality. It’s not more “real” than any other personalities, like those of typical anime girls.
Been watching you for over a year now and every time I get a notification you dropped a new video I get hyped to watch it. Still get surprised by your sub count you deserve much more! Quality on these videos are great! Keep it up!
Glad you're enjoying them! I appreciate the support. I've got a lot of ideas for upcoming stuff so hopefully I'll be able to get something new up sooner rather than later
Miracle of miracles, what it takes is good writing and a genuine interest in the characters.
You identified some of the factors here why she comes across as relatable and believable.
But I think there is anonther very important factor regarding her genius.
She generally behaves like a smart person, not an idiotic caricature that magically spouts correct solutions.
She does not look at an issue for five seconds and blurts out the solution to all the world's issues.
What she does is she observes, she notes, she makes inferences and assumptions, tries to investigate suspicions and actively drops thread when she believes that not following them is the better choice.
And with that she navigates situations that seem unrelated, but lead her deep into a web of veiled interests, intrigues and secrets.
In this, we see her being selfish, petty and at times full of herself. Why would she not be aware that she is smart?
And yet, she is very aware that she is one transgression away from being beheaded. So she plays dumb, keeps her mouth shut, tries to manipulate people into coming to her conclusions.
The one time we really see her feeling free to be very smart around people is when she gives sex ed to the concubines.
Because this is an expertise where nobody can blame her, nobody has political interests to haunt her. Hell, half of them can barely speak of it.
So she is free to present all the knowledge of a brothel's physician to a captive audience.
And that is where the show veers into feminist territory as knowledge of their own bodies is historically key to women's liberation.
She does look like Yuna from kuma bear and has a similar attitude but I love they way they both just do what they want and give the haters the "bird"
I hope this show gets another season
She knows more than the viewer.
I hope you can add in 1:18 the other manga version (just to help people inform we have two manga adaptations!) One is from Kurata (no english TL unfortunately, but more advanced in the plot, and the other one you mentioned is from Nekokurage)
Kinda of surprised you didn't bring Maomao's upbringing as a grand-daughter of a prominent Madame - which definitely shapted her ideas about family life, relationships and by being raised by brothel's apocathery gave her her career. Also, while she's very poor when compared to some in the Imperial hierarchy, the fact that she's there and known as useful to some of the officials means she's at least middle class (in so far that Imperial China can be said to have a middle class)
perhaps because of spoilers
Yes its a brothel but if you notice many of the women in that house dont actually sleep with guys. Maomaos mother in particular was what we would call an escort who was valued more for her gaming ability.
@@stephenvoss6092Had things gone to plan Granny would sell Fengxian off to the highest bidder. That’s why after she lost her chastity her price plummeted to near worth less.
@@stephenvoss6092 Well yea the women we see the most are of the upper class in the brothel; So it does make them purely Escorts.
But Mao's mother losing her value to be near worthless proved that the women at the very bottom ranks, will often have to sleep around with the low income citizens; In that brothel.
Her mom did get the very rare type (3 types) of the particular STD that could damage her neurologically.
Maomao`s greatest strength is that she knows er place and she plays those cards very well.
I remember this story, it's pretty good. I remember the recap i saw left me feeling like i was missing some cultural context.
I love Maomao, she’s amazing!