If you feel like you don't have anything to add to the conversation, but want to leave a comment to help with the algorithm, let me know what anime you think should be Anime of the Year for 2023!
Even though I have problems with the adaptation of Heavenly Delusion I still think its a solid pick for AOTY. I just hope that the people who watched the anime also read the manga or checkout Masakazu Ishiguro other works. Also, The Magical Revolution is most underrated show of this year.
The secret is having the MC clearly and concisely voicing their logical thought process to the audience, instead of just guessing and somehow getting the correct answer in other anime.
Do we actually see that process though? I would argue you don't see any of the process, and the MC just automatically knows the answer to every problem; this is the narrative equivalent to guessing and ending up being correct. There is no actual display of investigation or deduction; the MC simply knows what the end outcome is without any exploration for how they arrived to their deduction. There is no point in the narrative where she struggles with possible outcomes. There is no point in the narrative where she is shown to have to "think" and explore possible avenues of explanation. She always and immediately knows what must be done, how something has been done, and what the answer to every situation is. We don't see her battle questions, because questions don't even bear any weight to her because she already has the answer to every single one. Where is the thrill of answering a question if you already know every single step to answering it, where is the mystery when you never have to question possibilities?
@@SNOZ562? Was the Tobacco attempted murder episode not enough of a process for you? It literally showed the character seeing the symptoms and clues, figuring it out step by step, even showing possible scenarios of what happened or who was involved that she considered. I dont recall any particular instance where it was unreasonable for her to already know the problem or issue given that she is an experienced apothecary, and when she doesn't know immediately the series always shows her process. If I'm mistaken and you think an example does not show this, by all means I'd appreciate one.
@@Pyxytythis precisely, and not only do we see her thought process through what is essentially an early form of forensics, we also see in this case, she's still learning, in fact we see her learning constantly, either to have more confidence in her deductions or about court culture, or even about her expertise. Episode 6 has a subtle telling of how much her actions have done by the fact one of the people who reacts to her in a trusting manner... Is the emporer.
@@SNOZ562that’s literally not true lol. You’re acting as if she knows everything for the sake of that she’s the main character. She knows MORE than most because of her education and training as an apothecary. She’s smart, intuitive and pieces things together by observation. She hasn’t struggled that much so far because the truth is hidden in plains sight as most mystery stories are. Besides she is not always right as seen in the episode when she went back home and had to take a good while to understand everything that went on with the poisoning of the guy at the brothel. She is a know it all and justifiable so given the context and world building that has been shown so far. But lacks knowledge in more implicit and niche aspects like understanding of the hairpins because she’s never been in that hierarchical context before.
Not only that, but Mao Mao has a mature personality and not some annoying childlike nievate. She understands the reality of the world around her to the point it's kind of dark lol. She's one of my favs.
I love how MaoMao isn’t in the usual morality spectrum of other MC’s (which isn’t necessarily a good or a bad thing my favorite character is a self-sacrificing idiot) Like she will help if she can it does have a sense of justice but not as a detriment of her self , she will do things for her own benefit and desires She has curiosity and a sense of justice but she wouldn’t put herself on danger for that , yet in a weird way she accept of the fact that her death is a easy thing but doesn’t want to die
@@ILiekFishesYeah because a lot (not all) of character writing in anime is shit nowadays. They sacrifice character writing in order to create wish-fulfillment fantasies that reduce characters to props rather than people with their own set of complexities.
The line "It's not a would or would not type of issue. It's can or cannot" went so fucking hard, so bluntly highlighting the power dynamic right to Jinshi's face.
Maomao definitely comes across as genuinely more brilliant than a lot of posers who pretend to be smart in both Western media and other anime. Aoi Yukis vocal performance just enhances this further.
Just to point out, MaoMao's guess as to why Lishu is being bullied isn't because it's seen as immoral to remarry or that their society tells women not to remarry. Her guess is that people think it's immoral for a consort to remarry the son of the previous emperor she was married to, basically marrying her stepson. The only reason Lishu is so high in the ranks of consorts despite the current emperor not even treating her as a consort is because of her family's position. It's a messed up situation that neither she nor the current emperor wants, but are put in due to politics of the previous emperor's reign and Lishu's family.
5:54 In the scene where she slaps the concubines i disagree that it has anything to do withthe borrowed authority from jinshi or the emperors as it makes a point if the fact she had forgotten he was in the room....that was her emotion unlocking her own natural charisma/authority that she normally hides due to her lower station
On the contrary, I agree with the video. It's only Jinshi's presence and authority that gets Maomao to Lihua's side, and the episode is quite clear on that, as before then she was literally thrown out on every previous attempt. Jinshi is her carte blanche-and whether she consciously forgot he was in the room or not, unconsciously she was clearly freed to act as she saw fit by his oversight. And if he thought she was doing anything appropriate, one word from him would have stopped her in her tracks. In fact, Jinshi almost certainly outranks EVERYONE in the room-and certainly everyone conscious. Lihua's LIWs were acting on their own authority to banish Maomao, but Jinshi's sex appeal and his intervention on Maomao's behalf takes the wind out of their self-assured sails. Their matron can't back them because she's too ill, and they essentially fail a morale check when Jinshi doesn't intervene to stop Maomao's behavior. Their willingness to do EXACTLY what Maomao says for the rest of the episode makes it very clear that they know Maomao is the HBIC until Lihua is back on her feet, and Maomao only has that authority because Jinshi allowed her to have it in front of Lihua's squad. His passivity is a de facto endorsement of Maomao, and everyone in the room knows it.
@@Ebongreen Except she is clearly not doing it in calculated way, it's moment when her natural anger gets better of her and she stops thinking in diplomatic ways - even when using Jingshi authority before she was going in in calculated, diplomatic way. Her anger outburst is not something she needed Jingshi permission for (and its rather clear n later scenes and episodes that ladies in waiting are afraid of her specifically, not Jigshi authority behind her).
@@Dorrovian I initially was with you, but then I understood what the other guy was saying. In other words, let me put it in this way. If she was not on the emperors orders and Jinshi’s orders, she would not have conducted herself that same way. Maomao is on the same level as the other LIWs, and in that episode she was higher then them due to the temporary power granted to her. Do you think if this was another concubine she would have slapped them and dragged her across the floor in the same way? No. So whether it is controlled or uncontrolled anger , she never overstepped her boundaries. It’s like a goldfish in a bowl. That goldfish can swim as much as it wants and do anything, as long as it doesn’t leave that bowl. The moment it does, it’s dead.
@@samt7676 I understand what they are saying, I just disagree. Maomao, while being intelligent and mature beyond her years is still teenager. She is not master manipulator, she clearly wanted to solve things in diplomatic way, as her life philosophy clearly seem to be one to not stand out and survive. Her anger outburst is clearly unplanned and scares herself later. It was allowed to be that effective because of Jingshi backing in part, but it also scared everyone in the room into submission by itself. LID didn't get scared after checking what Jinshi does, entire scene is shoot in the way that concentrates our attention on Maomao and when we look away from her all LID were looking at Maomao in panic. They aren't just afraid of Jingshi, they are afraid of Maomao, which is clearly shown in later scenes. People are naturally afraid of violence and we should remember that this is palace setting, open violence is unthinkable. Poisoning, daggers in silk and shadows, bulling - yes, but not open, uninhibited violence. And we should not forget she was there already on Emperor orders before Jingshi shown up, which LID decided to ignore considering themselves better than her. Jingshi authority would be enough for a moment, after he left it would fade similarly to weight of emperor orders for them… if it wasn't for them being now scared of her outburst.
@@DorrovianYo, you guys are amazingly acute. So can we just agree to disagree that Maomao’s awareness of the new shift in imbued authority and violation of her bottom-line to rage are both elements at play that ‘could’ have driven to her conduct that way. Impulsive decision or not. Calculated or not. A person’s decision making and the eventual action is a lenient tendency to respond, not a concrete and logically thorough response.
I feel like Apothecary Diaries has one of the most desired abilities in storytelling that most try to do, and failed miserably: The art of nuance when it tells its subplots without a direct exposition. The way this anime was able to pull of the 'show don't tell' without insulting the audience's intelligence really every episode feel rewarding to watch as some of the plot-points get fleshed out. The way the show implies of a character's intentions without the over-the-top monologues like you'd often see in a lot of manga/anime is just wonderfully written. The best part is how smart the writing is, and how societal critique within each episode is not told in a way where it would insult the audience's intelligence, but rather it gently acknowledges the struggles that women of the palace have to endure. All the while, that self-same acknowledgement also serves to create a worldbuilding space in the audience's mind, establishing that sense of immersion for its setting. This video is a good take, and I feel that even though Apothecary Diaries isn't talked about enough in the english-speaking side of this site, so its always good to see someone talk about this. Apothecary Diaries and Frieren are the only two animes that stuck out to me this season.
One of the most interesting facets of the shows storytelling style is exactly how it wields that Show-Don't-Tell mechanic. MaoMao is *constantly* theorizing about what's going on. And constantly reinforcing both herself and the viewer with 'don't go spouting theories without evidence.' That's a natural evolution. Except that Maomao is almost always implied to be correct in the theories shes focusing on. She was right about Fuyo. She was right about the attempt on the life of the Brothel Scammer. She was right about the events surrounding Lishue. She was right about Ah-Dou. But she never gets the evidence to PROVE shes correct and never outright states that she is correct to the people around her (and thus to the viewer). The story treats her like the opposite of an unreliable narrator, but ties that facet into her characterization. Honestly it's a brilliant writing technique.
@@KrescentwolfYeah and when she “speaks out of conjecture” it’s not an “Aha!” moment because sometimes figuring out a mystery didn’t matter. It was more her being curious how things played out and thinking what plausibly happened. It’s like being a spectator when you see the aftermath of a car crash and you try to piece together what happened.
@@CalmClamFam She will find solutions to some mysteries and still be incorrect. To be told the true solution afterward. Some I even figured out before her or got the correct answers.
@@Krescentwolf Mao Mao herself is the queen of unreliable narrator. Ontop of the story practically brimming with "show dont tell", the author also took what could be considered as a "plot armor" for detectives almost always being correct and then flipping it upside down by convincing the audience that Lakan was a piece of shit through Mao Mao's "plot armor" alone. We saw Mao Mao's "disgust" and we were mistakenly led to believe Mao Mao deathly hates Lakan. And we don't doubt Mao Mao a single bit because why would we? She was never entirely wrong throughout the entirety of show. But then the grand revelation about Lakan was that the author played us like a fiddle, and throws that "plot armor" to our face for assuming everything we think Mao is thinking must be correct. Only this time we didn't even realize we were making conjectures in our head trying to read between the lines, when the message of the series from the beginning had been "Do not speculate on conjectures".
So, source material reader here. I absolutely love how Lihua's ladies in waiting are absolutely terrified of Maomao for the rest of the story. Some new ones come along later and start harrassing Maomao. An older lady then comes along, realises who her coworker is fucking with, and drags her off. Similar things happen several times throughout the story.
Yes it's so funny seeing how Maomao's actions have lasting effects on the people around her. We get to see her her world changes and it's done very consistently too
I do, too, and I find it funny because Maomao doesn't even consider what she did all that "terrifying." She sees them, they react the way they do, and she's really just like, "What's up with you??" then moves on with her life. They legit see her as some death-bringer but she's just chilling and doing nothing, it's great
A couple of people have mentioned that Apothecary Diaries doesn't really work as a mystery. I agree, but I don't think we should be looking at it in the same terms as (for example) an Agatha Christie style thing, where the mechanics of clue gathering and crime solving are the focus. Instead, I see it modeled after American hardboiled detective stories, where the mechanics of crime solving take a back seat to -- for lack of a better description -- the moral wasteland of modernity and the role of the detective to be just slightly more honorable than the criminals. Maomao fits perfectly in the genre, with her sardonic voice overs and the way she accepts the inherent nastiness of the rear palace and the pleasure district, while trying to make things just a little bit more just. Her monologue after the wheat stalks incident, which was mentioned in the video, would fit comfortably in a Chandler novel.
It's a mystery, the problem is you're seeing it as multiple episodic mysteries. The first 12 episodes are literally just the first book. It's all interconnected.
@@theKobus It's been long time since I have someone mention Montalbano in any detective fiction discussion :D I really like the books, their style is so different from what we are used in british detective fiction. And yes, this is good analogy
You know Māo is how you say cat in Chinese, it's also the sound a cat makes when it's talking (mao mao mao). Hence why Maomao at times is depicted with cat ears and a tail, a cat doesn't like to be touched and approached by strangers until they earn its trust. It's why Maomao dislike being around and touched by Jinshi, their relationship is very cat like.
My mind truly opened when I realised that Maomao is kind of a Sherlock Holmes archetype. She's eccentric and solves mysteries good, but more importantly in that deliciously captivating deductive style.
I read Gyoukuyous statement of longing in being that she will never have the emperors love all to herself. Even were she or one of the other concubines to become mother of the empire the emperor will always have others and she knows this. Her envy is in the single dedication showed by both concubine and soldier to one another something she will never have despite he opulence, beauty and splendor. One of my favorite things about this show and the novel it was based on is the antagonists for the an example Lihau's handmaiden. Lihau's handmaiden did what she thought was right with no malice for Lihua she thought that even in her sickness her lady MUST look her best. The enemy here is ignorance and the desperate need to maintain the power structures at play. In a world where beauty is your sharpest weapon why would you use an inferior whetstone. As shown at the end of the episode the handmaiden cares deeply for Lihau and it is only Maomao connecting the poison to the death of the prince that makes the handmaiden understand her ignorance and the show does an amazing job with both the handmaids face of realization and Maomao recognizing that and tempering her rage.
"In a world where beauty is your sharpest weapon why would you use an inferior whetstone" The kind of sentence that without surprise you would find in 48 laws of power,lol
Gyokuyou’s line in the first episode about ignorance being a sin really does keep coming up - over and over, in this first book alone, we see the pattern of someone dying, or being put at serious risk, because someone else messed with their diet without realizing the potential consequences.
As a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture I love Maomao so much! I have become obsessed with this show and stayed up until 3 AM to binge the available 11 episodes of it. Her little happy dance when she gets access to all of the herbs takes me back to my college days making custom formulas for my patients with a fully stocked herb room.🤩
Slight correction, the high tiered concubines are from politically relevant families more than the ones that have the Emperor's favor. Like the Emperor has never touched Lishu, but she's still a high concubine because she's from a politically powerful family. Later on in the books, a high consort enters and it's mentioned that she's so weird the Emperor only visits her out of obligation. As for Maomao, the longer the books go, the more you realize that the facets of her personality didn't come from nowhere. She's kind of got a lot of the Madame of Verdigris House in her (since she was essentially raised there), and a lot of her other mannerisms start to make more sense when you meet her relatives.
I think my favourite thing about Mao Mao is that she showed how she actually got to a higher position unlike other characters that become the hierarchy without much explanation and logic. In her world she demonstrated such grace and outstanding intelligence that really you can’t help but like her
I watch a ton of Chinese and Korean period dramas. I love how apothecary diaries hits on all the challenges women in general and especially in the back of palace face. The maids especially have no safety net to speak of. The way an anime manages to convey this without going into huge detail is just amazing. Besides, MauMau is a terrific character.
Agreed with every point! Maomao has became one of my favorite characters of all time. She is just so competent but not to the expense of the others. What I mean by that is that they don't make others less intelligent to make her seem better, which happens way too often in anime
As a manga reader (does it count as source reader when the source is the novel?) I'm really satisfied with the anime; superb direction, beautiful soundtrack, and great performances. It's really nice to see Gyokuyou's playfulness on display, because in static manga form I sometimes forget that she's relatively young (19 at the start of the story) due to her constant dignified appearance. I honestly can't wait for them to go even further into the deeper conspiracy that will happen later on.
Gyokuyou is probably my favorite supporting character in the series, and the anime cements this. she's kind and sweet and playful and behind that sweet smile is a brilliant, intuitive mind. Gyokuyou has the best reads on people, which probably contributes to her success with the Emperor, because she can be what he needs. it's also worth noting that she has the best ladies in waiting. I mean...given what we've already seen and will see, that's a comparison between a well made burger and three shit sandwiches, but still. it's worth noting she very consciously limited the number of ladies in waiting, and the ones she has, she trusts implicitly. she's kind of a masterclass in how to write a character who is a brilliant political operator and still somehow a good person.
@@dvillines26 Ah-Duo’s ladies in waiting are very good, for the most part! It’s just, well, the issue of one in particular being desperate to cover up a past mistake.
I'm impressed they managed to do 1 singular volume into 12 episodes. Most animes do 3-4 episodes per light novel volume. This is adapted so fatefully I cannot believe it. And if the anime keeps the same pace we will be left with a cliff hanger at the end of the season.
Having read the manga, Frieren was the anime I anticipated the most, and it does not disappoint, I really enjoy it. However, Apothecary's Diaries completely blindsided me, and is easily my one discovery this season. As such, while I'm always happy to see how Frieren will adapt a story I already know, Apothecary are the episodes I await for the most, because I can't wait to see what happens next (I'll probably pick up the manga or the LN at the end of the season, though).
@@Talyrion Exactly same for me, I haven't ready any of the source materials (I guess there is the LN, the WN, and two different Manga adaptations?) for Apothecary, but I was reading Frieran and super hyped for the anime especially considering the talent on board. I hadn't heard anything about Apothecary until I watched the first episode out of curiosity, and though i still love Frieran and think it's a fantastic adaptation and show, Apothecary might be my favorite this season and Maomao my favorite character in years.
Frieren was becoming my favorite this year until I started watching Apothecary. I agree, I do enjoy watching Frieren and look forward to its journeys to come but Apothecary was a sweet surprise I didn’t see coming and I admit it’s probably my favorite anime to release this year tbh. It just hits different
I like both for different reasons. I feel Frieren is more transparent with the main story moments, but then has these absolutely potent moments that aren't the episode's main focus, like when Stark take command in a dance and elevates the scene. Perfect little scenes. Maomao is a joyous mystery in a historical, less common setting done expertly. Kusuriya operates at a higher story level longer, with smaller peaks. Both are my valuable shows of the season
I agree that Mao Mao is that secret sauce. I like how she likes to keep a low profile but can't help herself. As you say she has a great balance of traits that make her feel unique and fleshed out personality wise. Love seeing her flip that switch to competent badass. She can seem so down to earth and casual and then can suddenly steal all the power in the room with her eyes and words. I can easily see her becoming like one of the most influential people in the country at this rate without even wanting it, she's just that kind of person. Great video, loved your Frieren video as well, that show has been my jam lately; what a beautiful meditation on the passage of time and the immense role people can play in your life. Speaking of anime of the year in your pinned comment, I would say Frieren. I dont know when the last time we got a proper fantasy anime with this kind of vibe and production and writing. If it keeps up this quality and sticks the landing I can easily see it being a fondly remembered classic for years and years to come.
MaoMao is Chinese for a baby cat or kitten which describes MaoMao's personality. In the Anime, when portraying MaoMao's in super deformed character, she gets cat ears.
Appreciate that channels such as Replay Value managed to give some love to The Apothecary Diaries! It's show that most of the larger ani-tubers seem to merely mention out of obligation instead of giving the proper recognition it deserves.
Genuinely such an interesting story so far just finished the series and I really like how you depicted the systemic issues women face in this time period and how our main character navigates through these structures❤
What I like about the mysteries in Apothecary diaries is that we get the information at the same time as Maomao and can solve it with the same evidence she has, while lesser stories will have the MC just pull the correct answer out of left field
I honestly thought this was going to be a run-of-the-mill mystery show, but I totally agree. I was prepared to skip filler, but nothing in this show IS filler. Absolutely beautiful and tactful world-building in such a small sector meanwhile building a cast of characters that make sense for their places in society. And the episodes after this video was posted are incredible. Hats off to one of my new favorites of all time. Definitely will read the LN after it finishes airing.
I love watching Cdramas with my mother and being Chinese myself, seeing the trailer for this anime show up really peaked my interest. And now, finally getting to watch the anime, I think the art style is gorgeous and the storytelling is just as amazing and it really just makes you want to come back. It has elements of a ancient China Cdrama but with a character like MaoMao, it adds so much more
To me, although the source material and writing is obviously extremely good and sets her character up well, the voice acting and direction with Aoi Yuki and Norihiro Naganuma is what absolutely makes her my favorite character in years. I love the little nuances in the acting, and the way they use changes in her vocal tone depending on the mood of the scene and herself to really sell moments. People do naturally change their vocal tenor when in lighter or more serious moments, and you see it to some degree in anime, but they really swing to really large extremes when needed in her case, but at the same time it's a very natural change that still feels like it's still Maomao and not Yuki-san suddenly turning into a different character. The scene where she calls out the garden party poison, her yelling at the handmaidens about the poison, etc. contrast so dramatically in terms of her delivery and tone with the lighter moments that to me it's really the performance and spot-on vocal direction that are some of the most impressive things to me about this show and her character.
i am amazed that this anime isn't talked about more. compelling story, great characters and a consistent and gorgeous art style that looks more like movie production rather than a tv anime,
The power play is particularly evident in the recent chapter when Jinshi tries to feed her honey, which you show around 11:00. Fortunately her mistress came to her rescue.
Personally I adore how this show treats the watcher. In most animes, complicated scenes can be even MORE complicated with long monologues that on the one hand want to explain everything, and on the other they slightly insult the viewer because it seems that the viewer does not understand the story as such. But this show proof that in fact, smaller explanations are needed and also better. I am also glad that Maomao gives options objectively. It's up to us, the viewers to decide if we see a problem in the system. Like the situation with a young concubine. The previous emperor had disgusting needs attached to young children, Maomao brought up the problem the last emperor had without adding additional comment. Only by saying that the previous emperor was a pedophile was enough to known what she meant and in general what opinion she had in all of that. The story has a smooth flow and realism with dash of fantasy, Maomao is aware of how much influence she posses and the fact that she is nothing more then slave, she is balancing her duty based on her rank. It does not inflict emotional pain of the viewer, it does not have a typical approach to anime girls with typical squeaky voices and typical anime girl behaviour, fan service if it exists is naturally associated with the story, all scenes that are a little provocative are related either to a story with concubines, or are related to the story that is being told (aphrodisiac situation). The story is not forcibly told, the characters are intelligent and well written, Jinshi is as dominant as she is but offers space for her to develop talent and supports her even though they disagree in all situations. Jishi, like a eunuch, who hides interesting secrets, who is running different affairs, who is good with everyone and controls the entire inner palace, and who with his appearance stuns everything, although not visible in all episodes, is dominant enough to be noticed and recognized as the second main characters, and with Maomao, they both function. She knows that he is powerful and that she can achieve some things with him, and he who wants to be next to her because he was first intrigued by the girl that has completely different interests (since she grew up in a brothel she probably can not see currently herself with a partner in her life) and then later he was interested in her intelligence and determination. All and all, I think this is refreshing and also changing a lot of things in anime, I think that we are all collectivly done with typical stroylines where everything already exist but just with different anime names. Maomao is a good proof how to create a character that has depth, lore and virtues/flaws, without flunking her with weird sexual details and fanservices that are, imo, ruining the good written storylines.
Lots of hype about Frieren and I like that show a lot. But Moamao is best girl of 2023 to me. To be both funny and interesting to the degree she is shows how talented the author is. We have been blessed with the amount of quality anime's this fall. Apothecary Diaries isn't what I would have expected my favorite of the season to be but it has become just that.
What you said about lighting and coloring is so true occasionally I find myself pausing and just admiring what theyve done with the scene. The clothing and buildings already have an array of colors but then you get inti the skies and the way light changes those colors. Especially the eyes look gorgeous
I've seen a couple of characters who have a similar sense of pragmatism as MaoMao in a couple of existing Chinese shows SuCi from "Maiden Holmes" and ShiYi from "The Sword and the Brocade", except while MaoMao was thrust into positions where she has little power, these girls are forced into positions of power due to circumstances beyond their control. SuCi disguises herself as a man in order to infiltrate a government detective agency so that she can investigate and avenge the slaughter of her entire clan, while ShiYi agrees to become the primary wife of a high ranking official because she suspects his family to be involved in the death of her mother. Ironically, I've seen people comment about how ShiYi and SuCi don't try to take advantage of their positions of power, in spite of the fact that they are just using the position as a means to an end.
Fantastic analysis. One aspect that I'd like to add about Maomao's movement through her society, that I think helps reinforce a lot of her actions and motives, is that she's always careful to say when something is outside her area of expertise or keep her thoughts to herself if it's not her place to speak her actual thoughts about something.
I'd like to mention that many things that is mentioned in the video, and also mentioned by other people in the comments, is the natural thing for the historical chinese theme. As an avid watcher and reader of historical chinese movies and novels, the act of knowing where one belongs in the ladder of power, keeping your head low to avoid punishment, being socially sensitive, being able to read the lines and understanding inferential meaning from gestures and words are all natural to this genre. It's just that, so far, apothecary diaries is one of the only mainstream anime set in historical china that actually adopts its culture. So, it is quite refreshing to see these tropes in the form of a japanese anime.
As someone who hadn't even heard mumblings of Apothecary Diaires from the manga crowd before the Fall season, I was utterly blown away by this show. This season has been rich, between Apothecary Diaries, Frieren, and Pluto. There have been some solid watches earlier this year like Insomniacs After School, Skip and Loafer, and of course Oshi no Ko. But those three heavy-hitters from Fall have just stood head and shoulders above the rest to me, and since both Apothecary and Frieren are 2-cour, Pluto's pretty much become Anime of the Year for me by default, with Skip and Loafer nipping at the heels. And because I'm reflective of the year anyway, The Dangers in my Heart was a really charming series, if on the edge of excessively fanservicey. Definitely not for everyone, but a bit of a guilty pleasure for me.
Any thoughts on Heavenly Delusions or Vinland Saga? I'm surprised it got no mention seeing your broad taste. Definitely agree though, by surprising and unexpected means, Apothecary Diaries have been one of my most favorite series this year. I also appreciate the Skip and Loafer appreciation 😅
@@Pyxyty Heavenly Delusions must have completely slipped past me, I don't remember hearing about it! I'll definitely give it a look! Vinland Saga is complicated for me. I watched season 1 and while I really did like it, it felt like this series that had so much buzz about it. I felt like everyday I couldn't not stumble upon this extreme hype and a barrage of spoilers. I sort of ended up growing completely numb and didn't bother watching season 2. I definitely will try to give it a go someday, but I really feel like it has to be at just the right time. Also I was leaving out sequel seasons (not that I was too interested in many this year 😅).
@@thepsyshyster ah, fair enough, good decision to put it off, i can def understand that and probably should have done it for some series (probably many but jjk is one that comes to mind). Good to know, thanks for the response!
I really tried to get into Dangers, and I'm sure the MC (hopefully) has some sort of character arc, but I couldn't stand watching him for more than an episode or two. I know he's supposed to be a bit of a self-insert for the edgy lonely otaku types, but I just found him unbearable as a person and couldn't stand him. Does he get bearable fairly quickly? Because I've heard a lot of goods thing about the show, but I just couldn't get past the first couple episodes because of him.
@@KahlevNFrom what I remember, his character arc is fairly slow, change being largely incited by gradually learning from his mistakes. He does drop his angsty murderer persona very quickly, thankfully. By the end of the first season, he's probably around where you'd want him to start. The Dangers in My Heart definitely not a show I'd recommend to most. Honestly, I nearly dropped it at first, feeling the comedy low-brow and the fanservice too much. However, when I stopped to consider the characters in the show being middle schoolers rather than high school-age more prevalent, the show and its habits clicked for me. Of *course* the prepubescent kids that just learned what sex is are going to try bringing it up as much as they can, acting like they how what they're talking about - that's just how a lot of brats are! And someone more reserved at that age like the protagonist would absolutely end up panicking when those discussions start to infest how he interacts with others. It recontextualized a lot of the comedy to something I could actually enjoy, and I felt justly rewarded for sticking with it, even if its not the most revolutionary series. Or I'm just reading too much into the subtext of a series about horny teenagers!
I am SO satisfied with this anime adaptation; the source material is great already, but the sound design and artistic choices they made in the anime elevate the comedy IMMENSELY
I adore this show! I found it entirely by accident because unlike my husband and sons I don't watch much anime. I can't wait for each episode to drop. ❤
This video is the reason I started watch this anime and after catching back up and rewatching it I couldn't agree more. Maomao is probably my favorite so far this year in terms of MCs. At first I didn't think I would like this anime as much as I do. Great recommendation as always thanks.
I started this show because of the reviews. I’m normally more of an action shonen guy. But this show stole my heart and became one of my favorite animes. I tried to look up the writer of the light novel but I couldn’t find much. I’m looking forward to every episode and really hope this show will continue for a long time.
I remember picking an anime at random to watch and choosing this one because of the thumbnail, posing her thinking made me believe it was going to be a story that make her female lead look smart, boy was I in for a treat. For some reason it makes me so happy to see other people liking it as much as I have. Loved the video, have a like and a sub good sr~
Man, absolutely BANGER of a video!! I am currently caught up on Apothecary Diaries and seeing someone else also love it and gush over it's greatness is awesome to see!
I can't help but compare The Apothecary Diaries to Ascendance of a Bookworm. I enjoyed both, but there's something about the former that really piqued my interest. I think this video made me realize how much I love The Apothecary Diaries even more.
Just think about it, we are in a world line it is possible for The Apothecary Diaries and Ascendance of a Bookworm to be on air in the same season. Poison Germlin vs Book Gremline and overwork Jinshi vs overwork Lord of Evil
@@chungwong1010 just wait till they get to Darth Rozemyne ... (tho I have no idea how Darth she will be. EN LN is still at least half year away from the completion of the series at Part 5 Vol 12, while at Part 5 Vol 9 (pre-pub prt.6) currently)
I am so happy that you say that! Bookworm is by far my favourite light novel, and I wanted to wait for the release of Apothecary Diaries until starting to read the corresponding light novel. Now I am even more excited to start!
I think the concubines who adapted to the palace life and to the emperor are just making best of their situation. Like what Maeve from Westworld once said, "If you're getting f'ed either way, go with the lucrative version."
I can atest as a reader of the Light Novels that questions of power dynamics are pervasive throughout the rest of the series. And that even the Emperor is bound by the chains of his environment.
Light Novel reader here - and after 10 books I still love the series, though I think MaoMao as a character kind of takes a hit when the typical japanese urge sets in to have an explanation for everything, especially why she is the way she is. I think it would have been perfectly fine to leave that part unexplained, but it gives the whole thing an opportunity to help and hinder her in the things she does so I guess it's fine. And I'm afraid this series will not find an anime end, since it is really long and the story expands a lot (as you would expect from a longer series thb) but this kind of makes me sad, since I really like the animation a lot. However MaoMao might be a realist when it suits her, but when she doesn't like reality and doesn't find a way around the situation she finds herself in, then she straight up rejects and ignores it, which makes for an intriguing and sometimes frustrating plot.
good point about how she's a realist but tends to ignore realities that she doesn't like. She's sharp but sometimes deliberately chooses to act ignorant, which still makes sense though and is rooted in a rational thoughtprocess as well. Accepting some realities can put her in a tough position so she avoids acknowledging them. With Jinshi, it can get quite frustrating..Especially because he's already in such a tough position, is desperate to get out and then we have the counterpart with Maomao who isn't in such a tough position and is desperate to *not* to get into it.
I want to note something about the white face powder: I dnt think it was just taken from the rear palace i think the emperor BANNED its creation and distribution as it had contributed to at least 1 of his sons deaths (possibly 3 of them). He had all the powder taken from the rear palace but couldn't take all of it out of the markets and the like as easily or without spending vast amounts of money. Also edit: it cost more than 15,000-75,000 copper coins to have a meeting with one of the princesses of the brothel Moamoa goes to those little boat things we see in one of the first things are made of silver I think they are called nyang or Teal? I forget where i learned this but they are worth 1,000-5,000 copper coins each and Gold Nyang would be worth more.
Love this video - I think you've hit a lot of salient points, especially themes that get explored more as the story progresses. I'd definitely be excited to see more of your apothecary diaries analysis as the anime continues! (Since I believe you mentioned you haven't seen the source material)
Thanks for making this video and promoting this anime. After I watched your video I dove right in and have really been enjoying this show. It gives me chill vibes like kinos journey and I really love it for that.
Amazing video, it made me appreciate Apothecary Diaries even more! I LOOOVE this show. It reminds me of one of my favorite manga, Akatsuki no Yona. Yona and Maomao are not too alike, but they are both strong female main characters in a not physical way. Finally we get animes with great female characters. Frieren is also a treat this season. And about the power dynamics, YES. The most impactful scene for me is when (spoilers) Maomao asks Jinshi to please execute her when venom if needed. And even after that, she corrects herself and says she will be okay with any method. Even if Jinshi was shocked, Maomao knows her position very well. She knows that Jinshi couldn't do anything to save her. And it is proven when Fengmin is executed in the latest chapter. Maomao is always afraid of solving the mysteries given to her because of the potential punishment people will receive. It happened with Lishu's taste tester and Lihua's maidens. Sadly, Maomao knows she can't save Fengmin but gives her a choice. I JUST LOVE HER SO MUCH. And I think it's fantastic that they don't focus on the romance. Slow burns are my favorite and I'm really curious to see how Maomao will develop feelings for Jinshi, if it ever happens.
BRO YES AKATSUKI NO YONA. Both of them have a nuanced, richly political storyline, and a matter-of-fact attitude that's so refreshing. Like I about lost my head when Akatsuki no Yona showed Yona dealing with her period, you NEVER see that. It's a level of respect for both the readers and the characters' story.
I'd like to mention that the voice actor for Maomao is also the same one for Tanya Degurechaff from Youjo Senki, and their characters are so similar as well! They both are quite intelligent, have an extremely logical and pragmatic thought process for all problems and situations, have an in-depth understanding of the power systems of their worlds and *_try_* to keep their head down without getting into trouble, but the trouble always ends up finding them. They also have a slightly goofy side to them when thinking about things they really like, Maomao with medicine/food tasting and Tanya with destroying her enemies/exploiting the system and chocolate, they both also have a fearsome side to them when angry (with a crazy laugh to boot).
I seriously loved your perspective on this anime. Thank you for your positive input too most nowadays only do videos like these just to say that there were too many filler episodes or whatever it truly is refreshing to hear an actual analysis
I'll also add that in a medium and time where women can apparently YEET around men three times their size with impunity or who are given superpowers 'just because', Maomao does NEITHER. She's NOT physically imposing, NOR physically capable. She knows this. So she doesn't make it a point of contention; if anyone tries to get physical with her, she KNOWS she'll lose and so will find a way to prevent things from getting there. She's NOT in control in ANYTHING except her field of expertise. She's not a master strategist, an architect or noble. She's an apothecary with a REALLY sharp mind. So, she depends on others to take on the roles she can't. She depends on Jinshi because he IS a noble and can intimidate, threaten or cajole others. She doesn't throw away her femininity, but instead uses it when necessary. She uses her mind, her wit, her ability to observe and read people, her skepticism and her connections to do things that FAR outshine and out-perform others. But she never shadows over, for instance, the other concubines. She is such a well-balanced character. She has power, quite a bit of it, but never flaunts it. She has weaknesses, a LOT of them, but they don't 'define' her. The author made a very well-crafted character and stuck to the core of said character instead of diluting it with more 'abilities' as the series goes on. It's why almost anyone can empathize with Maomao.
woah, the last time i saw your content you were uploading the Hyouka analysis videos !! Crazy how much time has passed. I've been loving the Apothecary Diaries
Totally agree the how she live in the operating world thing. As a novel reader who have reached the latest update, it’s really an enjoyment to see such a thoughtful character she is. She knows where to draw the line and uses her brain to reverse the situation of uneven power. Even in her latest relationship with Jinshi, she still realize what kind of risk she is facing instead of dump into romance directly.
What I like about her or a characteristics that I wanted to improve in my life is genuinely helping everyone without any malice or hidden agenda, it’s just her curious nature. But at the end it became her power and allies. Like when she helped the doctor about the problem in the paper. She didn’t have any reason to help him but she did. Her way of life feeds her curiosity, hunger for knowledge and hobby while helping the others but not in the extend of violating other’s boundaries.
As good as the anime is, I was not expecting the light novel/manga to be as good as it was. I had no idea how lengthy the series was. The anime appears a bit shallow in the first half season but it picks up like crazy from here on out. And a refreshing part is that the characters are all interesting and likable in some way usually. No one is flat out evil for no reason, while some are unforgivable most characters have some depth. Side characters are pleasantly important and recurring.
Truly the best new anime of the year for me after not being on my radar at all!!! Would be best of year of Spy x Family didn’t have one of its best arcs in anime form this year. But both shows have made for the most stacked anime Saturday I’ve experienced in a long time
Source material reader here, I highly recommend reading the light novels if you like this story! The first season covers only light novels 1-2, and currently there are 11. This story is so rich and Maomao is an expert at solving mysteries! It’s so good.
Actually the real reason Apothecary Diaries work so well is mostly just the solid writing befitting of the setting. Apothecary Diaries starts of as a Web novel (then goes into Light Novel). When it first started out, there are no pictures or voices. Yet it was still popular. This is a Japanese story in a Chinese setting. When have you ever seen these "cross cultural" kind of stories with characters that act befitting of the setting? Every other story have something like "This is medieval Europe but all the characters act like Japanese people". Those characters feel "transported" rather than culturally bred there. Not this story. The whole political intrigue, poisoning attempts, different motives, valuing sons over daughters, etc makes all the characters feel alive and "realistic". The characters, for what its worth, genuinely feel like ancient Chinese people who live there rather than cutboard cutout simps.
I actually knew, or rather suspected correctly, the answer to the first two mystery before it was revealed. While the answer wasn't revealed in story persay, I'm fairly sure they are historical event(that or I've seen them in "period dramas" of some sort). The second is especially obvious due to the visual cue focusing on the handling of wood. By contrast, it is some of the latter mystery that I was slower on the uptake on due to not familiar with the subject matter. I know nothing of honey and was not expecting value-sabotage.
It's the opposite with me. Although I don't I think much about honey (and I'm afraid of bees in general), the moment I remembered that it could be poisoned because of the flowers from which it was collected, the secret was revealed.
As a manga reader, I was so happy that Apothecary Diaries got animated because I was so so so sure that people are gonna like this series with its complexity and fun plot/characters.
Probably my favorite Anime of the year, so much so that I went back and read the manga, then the light novels. MC is unique in that realist attitude, which gets her in as much trouble as it gets her out of (see episode 12). The storyboard seems to wrap up a new mystery/problem per episode but they slowly but surely tie together in common threads.
I just watched all the available episodes today. The misunderstanding literally had me snort laughing for like five minutes. This is such a seriously good show.
I'm Chinese, watching this felt like it competently beat a lot of Chinese webnovels and webmangas by simply making a fantasy Chinese version of Korean Changumi. It clicked just right.
I agree, I really appreciate the show not beating us over the head with the power dynamic/injustices/unfairness; the point still gets across to us. I’m so glad the show so far doesn’t devolve into grim dark/torture porn sort of imagery to try to hammer these things home.
![[ BEST MOMENTS #1 ] Maomao x Jinshi 😍😍|| The Apothecary Diaries @anime_clip_ss](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/sRi5E1_pAik/mqdefault.jpg)
If you feel like you don't have anything to add to the conversation, but want to leave a comment to help with the algorithm, let me know what anime you think should be Anime of the Year for 2023!
Obviously, Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149. Is there even a contest
Frieren
Definitely the one with the big-breasted Girl with special abilities and a western name.
Even though I have problems with the adaptation of Heavenly Delusion I still think its a solid pick for AOTY. I just hope that the people who watched the anime also read the manga or checkout Masakazu Ishiguro other works.
Also, The Magical Revolution is most underrated show of this year.
I feel like if it's not Frieren then hell will freeze over
The secret is having the MC clearly and concisely voicing their logical thought process to the audience, instead of just guessing and somehow getting the correct answer in other anime.
Do we actually see that process though? I would argue you don't see any of the process, and the MC just automatically knows the answer to every problem; this is the narrative equivalent to guessing and ending up being correct. There is no actual display of investigation or deduction; the MC simply knows what the end outcome is without any exploration for how they arrived to their deduction.
There is no point in the narrative where she struggles with possible outcomes. There is no point in the narrative where she is shown to have to "think" and explore possible avenues of explanation. She always and immediately knows what must be done, how something has been done, and what the answer to every situation is. We don't see her battle questions, because questions don't even bear any weight to her because she already has the answer to every single one. Where is the thrill of answering a question if you already know every single step to answering it, where is the mystery when you never have to question possibilities?
@@SNOZ562? Was the Tobacco attempted murder episode not enough of a process for you? It literally showed the character seeing the symptoms and clues, figuring it out step by step, even showing possible scenarios of what happened or who was involved that she considered.
I dont recall any particular instance where it was unreasonable for her to already know the problem or issue given that she is an experienced apothecary, and when she doesn't know immediately the series always shows her process. If I'm mistaken and you think an example does not show this, by all means I'd appreciate one.
@@Pyxytythis precisely, and not only do we see her thought process through what is essentially an early form of forensics, we also see in this case, she's still learning, in fact we see her learning constantly, either to have more confidence in her deductions or about court culture, or even about her expertise. Episode 6 has a subtle telling of how much her actions have done by the fact one of the people who reacts to her in a trusting manner... Is the emporer.
@@SNOZ562that’s literally not true lol. You’re acting as if she knows everything for the sake of that she’s the main character. She knows MORE than most because of her education and training as an apothecary. She’s smart, intuitive and pieces things together by observation. She hasn’t struggled that much so far because the truth is hidden in plains sight as most mystery stories are.
Besides she is not always right as seen in the episode when she went back home and had to take a good while to understand everything that went on with the poisoning of the guy at the brothel.
She is a know it all and justifiable so given the context and world building that has been shown so far. But lacks knowledge in more implicit and niche aspects like understanding of the hairpins because she’s never been in that hierarchical context before.
Not only that, but Mao Mao has a mature personality and not some annoying childlike nievate. She understands the reality of the world around her to the point it's kind of dark lol. She's one of my favs.
Mao Mao gets some cat characteristics at times, not only because it is cute or it suits the moment, but also because her name actually means “Cat Cat”
wait its literally 猫猫 hahahaha
I'm so glad that pun can be adapted to English so easily. Meaomeao.
Later on a cat gets introduced and the cat also gets named Maomao. Maomao is not amused.
@@Aerowind poor maomao (the human)
@@Aerowind For the curious, the cat’s name is written 毛毛 (fur-fur).
I love how MaoMao isn’t in the usual morality spectrum of other MC’s (which isn’t necessarily a good or a bad thing my favorite character is a self-sacrificing idiot)
Like she will help if she can it does have a sense of justice but not as a detriment of her self , she will do things for her own benefit and desires
She has curiosity and a sense of justice but she wouldn’t put herself on danger for that , yet in a weird way she accept of the fact that her death is a easy thing but doesn’t want to die
Kinda sound like Sherlock
tfw characters acting like people is apparently something noteworthy
@@ILiekFishesanime
@@ILiekFishesYeah because a lot (not all) of character writing in anime is shit nowadays. They sacrifice character writing in order to create wish-fulfillment fantasies that reduce characters to props rather than people with their own set of complexities.
is ur favourite character Kim dokja or cale Henituse 😭😭
The line "It's not a would or would not type of issue. It's can or cannot" went so fucking hard, so bluntly highlighting the power dynamic right to Jinshi's face.
Do you remember what episode that line is from? I'd like to rewatch that scene!
@@martijnkemmerenmk Episode 9, you can start at about 18:35 to see the full dialogue this line is in
Maomao definitely comes across as genuinely more brilliant than a lot of posers who pretend to be smart in both Western media and other anime. Aoi Yukis vocal performance just enhances this further.
Just to point out, MaoMao's guess as to why Lishu is being bullied isn't because it's seen as immoral to remarry or that their society tells women not to remarry. Her guess is that people think it's immoral for a consort to remarry the son of the previous emperor she was married to, basically marrying her stepson. The only reason Lishu is so high in the ranks of consorts despite the current emperor not even treating her as a consort is because of her family's position. It's a messed up situation that neither she nor the current emperor wants, but are put in due to politics of the previous emperor's reign and Lishu's family.
5:54 In the scene where she slaps the concubines i disagree that it has anything to do withthe borrowed authority from jinshi or the emperors as it makes a point if the fact she had forgotten he was in the room....that was her emotion unlocking her own natural charisma/authority that she normally hides due to her lower station
On the contrary, I agree with the video. It's only Jinshi's presence and authority that gets Maomao to Lihua's side, and the episode is quite clear on that, as before then she was literally thrown out on every previous attempt. Jinshi is her carte blanche-and whether she consciously forgot he was in the room or not, unconsciously she was clearly freed to act as she saw fit by his oversight. And if he thought she was doing anything appropriate, one word from him would have stopped her in her tracks.
In fact, Jinshi almost certainly outranks EVERYONE in the room-and certainly everyone conscious. Lihua's LIWs were acting on their own authority to banish Maomao, but Jinshi's sex appeal and his intervention on Maomao's behalf takes the wind out of their self-assured sails. Their matron can't back them because she's too ill, and they essentially fail a morale check when Jinshi doesn't intervene to stop Maomao's behavior. Their willingness to do EXACTLY what Maomao says for the rest of the episode makes it very clear that they know Maomao is the HBIC until Lihua is back on her feet, and Maomao only has that authority because Jinshi allowed her to have it in front of Lihua's squad. His passivity is a de facto endorsement of Maomao, and everyone in the room knows it.
@@Ebongreen Except she is clearly not doing it in calculated way, it's moment when her natural anger gets better of her and she stops thinking in diplomatic ways - even when using Jingshi authority before she was going in in calculated, diplomatic way. Her anger outburst is not something she needed Jingshi permission for (and its rather clear n later scenes and episodes that ladies in waiting are afraid of her specifically, not Jigshi authority behind her).
@@Dorrovian I initially was with you, but then I understood what the other guy was saying. In other words, let me put it in this way. If she was not on the emperors orders and Jinshi’s orders, she would not have conducted herself that same way. Maomao is on the same level as the other LIWs, and in that episode she was higher then them due to the temporary power granted to her. Do you think if this was another concubine she would have slapped them and dragged her across the floor in the same way? No. So whether it is controlled or uncontrolled anger , she never overstepped her boundaries. It’s like a goldfish in a bowl. That goldfish can swim as much as it wants and do anything, as long as it doesn’t leave that bowl. The moment it does, it’s dead.
@@samt7676 I understand what they are saying, I just disagree. Maomao, while being intelligent and mature beyond her years is still teenager. She is not master manipulator, she clearly wanted to solve things in diplomatic way, as her life philosophy clearly seem to be one to not stand out and survive.
Her anger outburst is clearly unplanned and scares herself later. It was allowed to be that effective because of Jingshi backing in part, but it also scared everyone in the room into submission by itself. LID didn't get scared after checking what Jinshi does, entire scene is shoot in the way that concentrates our attention on Maomao and when we look away from her all LID were looking at Maomao in panic. They aren't just afraid of Jingshi, they are afraid of Maomao, which is clearly shown in later scenes. People are naturally afraid of violence and we should remember that this is palace setting, open violence is unthinkable. Poisoning, daggers in silk and shadows, bulling - yes, but not open, uninhibited violence.
And we should not forget she was there already on Emperor orders before Jingshi shown up, which LID decided to ignore considering themselves better than her. Jingshi authority would be enough for a moment, after he left it would fade similarly to weight of emperor orders for them… if it wasn't for them being now scared of her outburst.
@@DorrovianYo, you guys are amazingly acute. So can we just agree to disagree that Maomao’s awareness of the new shift in imbued authority and violation of her bottom-line to rage are both elements at play that ‘could’ have driven to her conduct that way. Impulsive decision or not. Calculated or not. A person’s decision making and the eventual action is a lenient tendency to respond, not a concrete and logically thorough response.
I feel like Apothecary Diaries has one of the most desired abilities in storytelling that most try to do, and failed miserably:
The art of nuance when it tells its subplots without a direct exposition. The way this anime was able to pull of the 'show don't tell' without insulting the audience's intelligence really every episode feel rewarding to watch as some of the plot-points get fleshed out.
The way the show implies of a character's intentions without the over-the-top monologues like you'd often see in a lot of manga/anime is just wonderfully written. The best part is how smart the writing is, and how societal critique within each episode is not told in a way where it would insult the audience's intelligence, but rather it gently acknowledges the struggles that women of the palace have to endure. All the while, that self-same acknowledgement also serves to create a worldbuilding space in the audience's mind, establishing that sense of immersion for its setting.
This video is a good take, and I feel that even though Apothecary Diaries isn't talked about enough in the english-speaking side of this site, so its always good to see someone talk about this. Apothecary Diaries and Frieren are the only two animes that stuck out to me this season.
The symbolism is strong with these two, their morals provoking and the plot clever. More so, the production, mesmerisingly beautiful.
One of the most interesting facets of the shows storytelling style is exactly how it wields that Show-Don't-Tell mechanic. MaoMao is *constantly* theorizing about what's going on. And constantly reinforcing both herself and the viewer with 'don't go spouting theories without evidence.' That's a natural evolution. Except that Maomao is almost always implied to be correct in the theories shes focusing on.
She was right about Fuyo. She was right about the attempt on the life of the Brothel Scammer. She was right about the events surrounding Lishue. She was right about Ah-Dou. But she never gets the evidence to PROVE shes correct and never outright states that she is correct to the people around her (and thus to the viewer). The story treats her like the opposite of an unreliable narrator, but ties that facet into her characterization.
Honestly it's a brilliant writing technique.
@@KrescentwolfYeah and when she “speaks out of conjecture” it’s not an “Aha!” moment because sometimes figuring out a mystery didn’t matter. It was more her being curious how things played out and thinking what plausibly happened. It’s like being a spectator when you see the aftermath of a car crash and you try to piece together what happened.
@@CalmClamFam She will find solutions to some mysteries and still be incorrect. To be told the true solution afterward. Some I even figured out before her or got the correct answers.
@@Krescentwolf Mao Mao herself is the queen of unreliable narrator.
Ontop of the story practically brimming with "show dont tell", the author also took what could be considered as a "plot armor" for detectives almost always being correct and then flipping it upside down by convincing the audience that Lakan was a piece of shit through Mao Mao's "plot armor" alone. We saw Mao Mao's "disgust" and we were mistakenly led to believe Mao Mao deathly hates Lakan. And we don't doubt Mao Mao a single bit because why would we? She was never entirely wrong throughout the entirety of show.
But then the grand revelation about Lakan was that the author played us like a fiddle, and throws that "plot armor" to our face for assuming everything we think Mao is thinking must be correct. Only this time we didn't even realize we were making conjectures in our head trying to read between the lines, when the message of the series from the beginning had been "Do not speculate on conjectures".
So, source material reader here.
I absolutely love how Lihua's ladies in waiting are absolutely terrified of Maomao for the rest of the story. Some new ones come along later and start harrassing Maomao. An older lady then comes along, realises who her coworker is fucking with, and drags her off.
Similar things happen several times throughout the story.
Yes it's so funny seeing how Maomao's actions have lasting effects on the people around her. We get to see her her world changes and it's done very consistently too
The way Maomao just LEVELED that girl for being a dumbass was priceless! Same energy as Freya bitch-slapping Ishtar back to Tenkai in Danmachi.
I do, too, and I find it funny because Maomao doesn't even consider what she did all that "terrifying." She sees them, they react the way they do, and she's really just like, "What's up with you??" then moves on with her life. They legit see her as some death-bringer but she's just chilling and doing nothing, it's great
A couple of people have mentioned that Apothecary Diaries doesn't really work as a mystery. I agree, but I don't think we should be looking at it in the same terms as (for example) an Agatha Christie style thing, where the mechanics of clue gathering and crime solving are the focus. Instead, I see it modeled after American hardboiled detective stories, where the mechanics of crime solving take a back seat to -- for lack of a better description -- the moral wasteland of modernity and the role of the detective to be just slightly more honorable than the criminals. Maomao fits perfectly in the genre, with her sardonic voice overs and the way she accepts the inherent nastiness of the rear palace and the pleasure district, while trying to make things just a little bit more just.
Her monologue after the wheat stalks incident, which was mentioned in the video, would fit comfortably in a Chandler novel.
Personally I disagree, it's clearly a mystery story. It's just more about overall games of power and conspiracies in the palace than singular murders.
It's a mystery, the problem is you're seeing it as multiple episodic mysteries. The first 12 episodes are literally just the first book. It's all interconnected.
She's more like Montalbano, where her sensitivity to the 'way we do things here' is so important. (or Sam Vimes)
@@theKobus It's been long time since I have someone mention Montalbano in any detective fiction discussion :D
I really like the books, their style is so different from what we are used in british detective fiction.
And yes, this is good analogy
@@Aerowindis right. The manga unwinds the links beautifully and the light novel even more so
You know Māo is how you say cat in Chinese, it's also the sound a cat makes when it's talking (mao mao mao). Hence why Maomao at times is depicted with cat ears and a tail, a cat doesn't like to be touched and approached by strangers until they earn its trust. It's why Maomao dislike being around and touched by Jinshi, their relationship is very cat like.
"Xiao" can mean "little" or "small", so Xiaomao can mean "Little Cat" or "Kitty".
My mind truly opened when I realised that Maomao is kind of a Sherlock Holmes archetype. She's eccentric and solves mysteries good, but more importantly in that deliciously captivating deductive style.
I read Gyoukuyous statement of longing in being that she will never have the emperors love all to herself. Even were she or one of the other concubines to become mother of the empire the emperor will always have others and she knows this. Her envy is in the single dedication showed by both concubine and soldier to one another something she will never have despite he opulence, beauty and splendor.
One of my favorite things about this show and the novel it was based on is the antagonists for the an example Lihau's handmaiden. Lihau's handmaiden did what she thought was right with no malice for Lihua she thought that even in her sickness her lady MUST look her best. The enemy here is ignorance and the desperate need to maintain the power structures at play. In a world where beauty is your sharpest weapon why would you use an inferior whetstone. As shown at the end of the episode the handmaiden cares deeply for Lihau and it is only Maomao connecting the poison to the death of the prince that makes the handmaiden understand her ignorance and the show does an amazing job with both the handmaids face of realization and Maomao recognizing that and tempering her rage.
"In a world where beauty is your sharpest weapon why would you use an inferior whetstone"
The kind of sentence that without surprise you would find in 48 laws of power,lol
Gyokuyou’s line in the first episode about ignorance being a sin really does keep coming up - over and over, in this first book alone, we see the pattern of someone dying, or being put at serious risk, because someone else messed with their diet without realizing the potential consequences.
As a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture I love Maomao so much! I have become obsessed with this show and stayed up until 3 AM to binge the available 11 episodes of it. Her little happy dance when she gets access to all of the herbs takes me back to my college days making custom formulas for my patients with a fully stocked herb room.🤩
Wait there’s 11 episodes!!
@@desiree7633 12 now!
@@desiree7633there’s 12 ep now and it still not finished 😊
It looks like fun. Kind of like science class when I was little. Also makes me wish I knew the herbs better.
Slight correction, the high tiered concubines are from politically relevant families more than the ones that have the Emperor's favor. Like the Emperor has never touched Lishu, but she's still a high concubine because she's from a politically powerful family. Later on in the books, a high consort enters and it's mentioned that she's so weird the Emperor only visits her out of obligation.
As for Maomao, the longer the books go, the more you realize that the facets of her personality didn't come from nowhere. She's kind of got a lot of the Madame of Verdigris House in her (since she was essentially raised there), and a lot of her other mannerisms start to make more sense when you meet her relatives.
I think my favourite thing about Mao Mao is that she showed how she actually got to a higher position unlike other characters that become the hierarchy without much explanation and logic. In her world she demonstrated such grace and outstanding intelligence that really you can’t help but like her
I watch a ton of Chinese and Korean period dramas. I love how apothecary diaries hits on all the challenges women in general and especially in the back of palace face. The maids especially have no safety net to speak of. The way an anime manages to convey this without going into huge detail is just amazing. Besides, MauMau is a terrific character.
There's nothing I love more than a thought provoking and deep story that can also make me howl laughing. This show is a real gem.
Agreed with every point! Maomao has became one of my favorite characters of all time. She is just so competent but not to the expense of the others. What I mean by that is that they don't make others less intelligent to make her seem better, which happens way too often in anime
As a manga reader (does it count as source reader when the source is the novel?) I'm really satisfied with the anime; superb direction, beautiful soundtrack, and great performances. It's really nice to see Gyokuyou's playfulness on display, because in static manga form I sometimes forget that she's relatively young (19 at the start of the story) due to her constant dignified appearance.
I honestly can't wait for them to go even further into the deeper conspiracy that will happen later on.
Gyokuyou is probably my favorite supporting character in the series, and the anime cements this. she's kind and sweet and playful and behind that sweet smile is a brilliant, intuitive mind. Gyokuyou has the best reads on people, which probably contributes to her success with the Emperor, because she can be what he needs. it's also worth noting that she has the best ladies in waiting. I mean...given what we've already seen and will see, that's a comparison between a well made burger and three shit sandwiches, but still. it's worth noting she very consciously limited the number of ladies in waiting, and the ones she has, she trusts implicitly. she's kind of a masterclass in how to write a character who is a brilliant political operator and still somehow a good person.
@@dvillines26 Ah-Duo’s ladies in waiting are very good, for the most part! It’s just, well, the issue of one in particular being desperate to cover up a past mistake.
I'm impressed they managed to do 1 singular volume into 12 episodes. Most animes do 3-4 episodes per light novel volume. This is adapted so fatefully I cannot believe it. And if the anime keeps the same pace we will be left with a cliff hanger at the end of the season.
While I love Frieren, this one’s got to be my favourite this season, if not this year tbh. Glad to see you make a video about it!
Same for me.
Having read the manga, Frieren was the anime I anticipated the most, and it does not disappoint, I really enjoy it. However, Apothecary's Diaries completely blindsided me, and is easily my one discovery this season. As such, while I'm always happy to see how Frieren will adapt a story I already know, Apothecary are the episodes I await for the most, because I can't wait to see what happens next (I'll probably pick up the manga or the LN at the end of the season, though).
@@Talyrion Exactly same for me, I haven't ready any of the source materials (I guess there is the LN, the WN, and two different Manga adaptations?) for Apothecary, but I was reading Frieran and super hyped for the anime especially considering the talent on board. I hadn't heard anything about Apothecary until I watched the first episode out of curiosity, and though i still love Frieran and think it's a fantastic adaptation and show, Apothecary might be my favorite this season and Maomao my favorite character in years.
Frieren was becoming my favorite this year until I started watching Apothecary. I agree, I do enjoy watching Frieren and look forward to its journeys to come but Apothecary was a sweet surprise I didn’t see coming and I admit it’s probably my favorite anime to release this year tbh. It just hits different
I like both for different reasons. I feel Frieren is more transparent with the main story moments, but then has these absolutely potent moments that aren't the episode's main focus, like when Stark take command in a dance and elevates the scene. Perfect little scenes. Maomao is a joyous mystery in a historical, less common setting done expertly. Kusuriya operates at a higher story level longer, with smaller peaks. Both are my valuable shows of the season
I agree that Mao Mao is that secret sauce. I like how she likes to keep a low profile but can't help herself. As you say she has a great balance of traits that make her feel unique and fleshed out personality wise. Love seeing her flip that switch to competent badass. She can seem so down to earth and casual and then can suddenly steal all the power in the room with her eyes and words. I can easily see her becoming like one of the most influential people in the country at this rate without even wanting it, she's just that kind of person. Great video, loved your Frieren video as well, that show has been my jam lately; what a beautiful meditation on the passage of time and the immense role people can play in your life. Speaking of anime of the year in your pinned comment, I would say Frieren. I dont know when the last time we got a proper fantasy anime with this kind of vibe and production and writing. If it keeps up this quality and sticks the landing I can easily see it being a fondly remembered classic for years and years to come.
MaoMao is Chinese for a baby cat or kitten which describes MaoMao's personality. In the Anime, when portraying MaoMao's in super deformed character, she gets cat ears.
It's a detective story. And all the best detective stories are character studies of the detective. Poirot. Montalbano. Vimes. Maomao.
Appreciate that channels such as Replay Value managed to give some love to The Apothecary Diaries! It's show that most of the larger ani-tubers seem to merely mention out of obligation instead of giving the proper recognition it deserves.
Genuinely such an interesting story so far just finished the series and I really like how you depicted the systemic issues women face in this time period and how our main character navigates through these structures❤
What I like about the mysteries in Apothecary diaries is that we get the information at the same time as Maomao and can solve it with the same evidence she has, while lesser stories will have the MC just pull the correct answer out of left field
I honestly thought this was going to be a run-of-the-mill mystery show, but I totally agree. I was prepared to skip filler, but nothing in this show IS filler. Absolutely beautiful and tactful world-building in such a small sector meanwhile building a cast of characters that make sense for their places in society. And the episodes after this video was posted are incredible. Hats off to one of my new favorites of all time. Definitely will read the LN after it finishes airing.
I love watching Cdramas with my mother and being Chinese myself, seeing the trailer for this anime show up really peaked my interest. And now, finally getting to watch the anime, I think the art style is gorgeous and the storytelling is just as amazing and it really just makes you want to come back. It has elements of a ancient China Cdrama but with a character like MaoMao, it adds so much more
To me, although the source material and writing is obviously extremely good and sets her character up well, the voice acting and direction with Aoi Yuki and Norihiro Naganuma is what absolutely makes her my favorite character in years.
I love the little nuances in the acting, and the way they use changes in her vocal tone depending on the mood of the scene and herself to really sell moments. People do naturally change their vocal tenor when in lighter or more serious moments, and you see it to some degree in anime, but they really swing to really large extremes when needed in her case, but at the same time it's a very natural change that still feels like it's still Maomao and not Yuki-san suddenly turning into a different character. The scene where she calls out the garden party poison, her yelling at the handmaidens about the poison, etc. contrast so dramatically in terms of her delivery and tone with the lighter moments that to me it's really the performance and spot-on vocal direction that are some of the most impressive things to me about this show and her character.
i am amazed that this anime isn't talked about more. compelling story, great characters and a consistent and gorgeous art style that looks more like movie production rather than a tv anime,
also having Maomao voiced by the same voice actor of Saga of Tanya the Evil is so perfect!
The power play is particularly evident in the recent chapter when Jinshi tries to feed her honey, which you show around 11:00. Fortunately her mistress came to her rescue.
Personally I adore how this show treats the watcher. In most animes, complicated scenes can be even MORE complicated with long monologues that on the one hand want to explain everything, and on the other they slightly insult the viewer because it seems that the viewer does not understand the story as such. But this show proof that in fact, smaller explanations are needed and also better. I am also glad that Maomao gives options objectively. It's up to us, the viewers to decide if we see a problem in the system. Like the situation with a young concubine. The previous emperor had disgusting needs attached to young children, Maomao brought up the problem the last emperor had without adding additional comment. Only by saying that the previous emperor was a pedophile was enough to known what she meant and in general what opinion she had in all of that. The story has a smooth flow and realism with dash of fantasy, Maomao is aware of how much influence she posses and the fact that she is nothing more then slave, she is balancing her duty based on her rank. It does not inflict emotional pain of the viewer, it does not have a typical approach to anime girls with typical squeaky voices and typical anime girl behaviour, fan service if it exists is naturally associated with the story, all scenes that are a little provocative are related either to a story with concubines, or are related to the story that is being told (aphrodisiac situation). The story is not forcibly told, the characters are intelligent and well written, Jinshi is as dominant as she is but offers space for her to develop talent and supports her even though they disagree in all situations. Jishi, like a eunuch, who hides interesting secrets, who is running different affairs, who is good with everyone and controls the entire inner palace, and who with his appearance stuns everything, although not visible in all episodes, is dominant enough to be noticed and recognized as the second main characters, and with Maomao, they both function. She knows that he is powerful and that she can achieve some things with him, and he who wants to be next to her because he was first intrigued by the girl that has completely different interests (since she grew up in a brothel she probably can not see currently herself with a partner in her life) and then later he was interested in her intelligence and determination. All and all, I think this is refreshing and also changing a lot of things in anime, I think that we are all collectivly done with typical stroylines where everything already exist but just with different anime names. Maomao is a good proof how to create a character that has depth, lore and virtues/flaws, without flunking her with weird sexual details and fanservices that are, imo, ruining the good written storylines.
"obsessed with drugs" sounds really bad out of context
Lots of hype about Frieren and I like that show a lot. But Moamao is best girl of 2023 to me. To be both funny and interesting to the degree she is shows how talented the author is. We have been blessed with the amount of quality anime's this fall. Apothecary Diaries isn't what I would have expected my favorite of the season to be but it has become just that.
What you said about lighting and coloring is so true occasionally I find myself pausing and just admiring what theyve done with the scene. The clothing and buildings already have an array of colors but then you get inti the skies and the way light changes those colors. Especially the eyes look gorgeous
Aoi Yuuki best girl. Every anime blessed with her charisma becomes at least 4 times better
Hell, she personally carried entire "I'm spider, so what" anime with her role as Kumoko.
I've seen a couple of characters who have a similar sense of pragmatism as MaoMao in a couple of existing Chinese shows SuCi from "Maiden Holmes" and ShiYi from "The Sword and the Brocade", except while MaoMao was thrust into positions where she has little power, these girls are forced into positions of power due to circumstances beyond their control. SuCi disguises herself as a man in order to infiltrate a government detective agency so that she can investigate and avenge the slaughter of her entire clan, while ShiYi agrees to become the primary wife of a high ranking official because she suspects his family to be involved in the death of her mother. Ironically, I've seen people comment about how ShiYi and SuCi don't try to take advantage of their positions of power, in spite of the fact that they are just using the position as a means to an end.
Fantastic analysis. One aspect that I'd like to add about Maomao's movement through her society, that I think helps reinforce a lot of her actions and motives, is that she's always careful to say when something is outside her area of expertise or keep her thoughts to herself if it's not her place to speak her actual thoughts about something.
I'd like to mention that many things that is mentioned in the video, and also mentioned by other people in the comments, is the natural thing for the historical chinese theme. As an avid watcher and reader of historical chinese movies and novels, the act of knowing where one belongs in the ladder of power, keeping your head low to avoid punishment, being socially sensitive, being able to read the lines and understanding inferential meaning from gestures and words are all natural to this genre. It's just that, so far, apothecary diaries is one of the only mainstream anime set in historical china that actually adopts its culture. So, it is quite refreshing to see these tropes in the form of a japanese anime.
As someone who hadn't even heard mumblings of Apothecary Diaires from the manga crowd before the Fall season, I was utterly blown away by this show. This season has been rich, between Apothecary Diaries, Frieren, and Pluto. There have been some solid watches earlier this year like Insomniacs After School, Skip and Loafer, and of course Oshi no Ko. But those three heavy-hitters from Fall have just stood head and shoulders above the rest to me, and since both Apothecary and Frieren are 2-cour, Pluto's pretty much become Anime of the Year for me by default, with Skip and Loafer nipping at the heels.
And because I'm reflective of the year anyway, The Dangers in my Heart was a really charming series, if on the edge of excessively fanservicey. Definitely not for everyone, but a bit of a guilty pleasure for me.
Any thoughts on Heavenly Delusions or Vinland Saga? I'm surprised it got no mention seeing your broad taste.
Definitely agree though, by surprising and unexpected means, Apothecary Diaries have been one of my most favorite series this year. I also appreciate the Skip and Loafer appreciation 😅
@@Pyxyty Heavenly Delusions must have completely slipped past me, I don't remember hearing about it! I'll definitely give it a look!
Vinland Saga is complicated for me. I watched season 1 and while I really did like it, it felt like this series that had so much buzz about it. I felt like everyday I couldn't not stumble upon this extreme hype and a barrage of spoilers. I sort of ended up growing completely numb and didn't bother watching season 2. I definitely will try to give it a go someday, but I really feel like it has to be at just the right time.
Also I was leaving out sequel seasons (not that I was too interested in many this year 😅).
@@thepsyshyster ah, fair enough, good decision to put it off, i can def understand that and probably should have done it for some series (probably many but jjk is one that comes to mind). Good to know, thanks for the response!
I really tried to get into Dangers, and I'm sure the MC (hopefully) has some sort of character arc, but I couldn't stand watching him for more than an episode or two. I know he's supposed to be a bit of a self-insert for the edgy lonely otaku types, but I just found him unbearable as a person and couldn't stand him. Does he get bearable fairly quickly? Because I've heard a lot of goods thing about the show, but I just couldn't get past the first couple episodes because of him.
@@KahlevNFrom what I remember, his character arc is fairly slow, change being largely incited by gradually learning from his mistakes. He does drop his angsty murderer persona very quickly, thankfully. By the end of the first season, he's probably around where you'd want him to start.
The Dangers in My Heart definitely not a show I'd recommend to most. Honestly, I nearly dropped it at first, feeling the comedy low-brow and the fanservice too much. However, when I stopped to consider the characters in the show being middle schoolers rather than high school-age more prevalent, the show and its habits clicked for me. Of *course* the prepubescent kids that just learned what sex is are going to try bringing it up as much as they can, acting like they how what they're talking about - that's just how a lot of brats are! And someone more reserved at that age like the protagonist would absolutely end up panicking when those discussions start to infest how he interacts with others. It recontextualized a lot of the comedy to something I could actually enjoy, and I felt justly rewarded for sticking with it, even if its not the most revolutionary series.
Or I'm just reading too much into the subtext of a series about horny teenagers!
I love when you upload a video. I enjoy watching you dissect an anime and hearing your thoughts.
I am SO satisfied with this anime adaptation; the source material is great already, but the sound design and artistic choices they made in the anime elevate the comedy IMMENSELY
I adore this show! I found it entirely by accident because unlike my husband and sons I don't watch much anime. I can't wait for each episode to drop. ❤
This video is the reason I started watch this anime and after catching back up and rewatching it I couldn't agree more. Maomao is probably my favorite so far this year in terms of MCs. At first I didn't think I would like this anime as much as I do. Great recommendation as always thanks.
I started this show because of the reviews. I’m normally more of an action shonen guy. But this show stole my heart and became one of my favorite animes. I tried to look up the writer of the light novel but I couldn’t find much. I’m looking forward to every episode and really hope this show will continue for a long time.
I highly recommend reading the manga and/or light novels. The source material is excellent if you enjoy the anime
Maomao is an autistic coded icon, I adore her mental dialogue.
I remember picking an anime at random to watch and choosing this one because of the thumbnail, posing her thinking made me believe it was going to be a story that make her female lead look smart, boy was I in for a treat. For some reason it makes me so happy to see other people liking it as much as I have.
Loved the video, have a like and a sub good sr~
Man, absolutely BANGER of a video!! I am currently caught up on Apothecary Diaries and seeing someone else also love it and gush over it's greatness is awesome to see!
I jumped to the manga after watching few episodes of this series, it's very addicting to read Maomao's adventure.
I can't help but compare The Apothecary Diaries to Ascendance of a Bookworm. I enjoyed both, but there's something about the former that really piqued my interest. I think this video made me realize how much I love The Apothecary Diaries even more.
Just think about it, we are in a world line it is possible for The Apothecary Diaries and Ascendance of a Bookworm to be on air in the same season. Poison Germlin vs Book Gremline and overwork Jinshi vs overwork Lord of Evil
@@chungwong1010 just wait till they get to Darth Rozemyne ... (tho I have no idea how Darth she will be. EN LN is still at least half year away from the completion of the series at Part 5 Vol 12, while at Part 5 Vol 9 (pre-pub prt.6) currently)
I am so happy that you say that! Bookworm is by far my favourite light novel, and I wanted to wait for the release of Apothecary Diaries until starting to read the corresponding light novel. Now I am even more excited to start!
Not even close.
I think the concubines who adapted to the palace life and to the emperor are just making best of their situation. Like what Maeve from Westworld once said, "If you're getting f'ed either way, go with the lucrative version."
I have watched this series 3 times now. Every time I rewatch it, I pick up something new.
Incredible anime
Couldn't agree more. It was a very pleasant surprise.
This is definitely anime of the season for me. And if it continues as it is, it may go over Oshi no Ko as anime of the year...
I can atest as a reader of the Light Novels that questions of power dynamics are pervasive throughout the rest of the series. And that even the Emperor is bound by the chains of his environment.
Light Novel reader here - and after 10 books I still love the series, though I think MaoMao as a character kind of takes a hit when the typical japanese urge sets in to have an explanation for everything, especially why she is the way she is. I think it would have been perfectly fine to leave that part unexplained, but it gives the whole thing an opportunity to help and hinder her in the things she does so I guess it's fine. And I'm afraid this series will not find an anime end, since it is really long and the story expands a lot (as you would expect from a longer series thb) but this kind of makes me sad, since I really like the animation a lot. However MaoMao might be a realist when it suits her, but when she doesn't like reality and doesn't find a way around the situation she finds herself in, then she straight up rejects and ignores it, which makes for an intriguing and sometimes frustrating plot.
good point about how she's a realist but tends to ignore realities that she doesn't like. She's sharp but sometimes deliberately chooses to act ignorant, which still makes sense though and is rooted in a rational thoughtprocess as well. Accepting some realities can put her in a tough position so she avoids acknowledging them.
With Jinshi, it can get quite frustrating..Especially because he's already in such a tough position, is desperate to get out and then we have the counterpart with Maomao who isn't in such a tough position and is desperate to *not* to get into it.
I was certain that I would hate this series,I have now watched 23 episodes.
MaoMao and Frieren are absolutely my favorite characters right now.
I want to note something about the white face powder: I dnt think it was just taken from the rear palace i think the emperor BANNED its creation and distribution as it had contributed to at least 1 of his sons deaths (possibly 3 of them). He had all the powder taken from the rear palace but couldn't take all of it out of the markets and the like as easily or without spending vast amounts of money.
Also edit: it cost more than 15,000-75,000 copper coins to have a meeting with one of the princesses of the brothel Moamoa goes to those little boat things we see in one of the first things are made of silver I think they are called nyang or Teal? I forget where i learned this but they are worth 1,000-5,000 copper coins each and Gold Nyang would be worth more.
Yeah Maomao def climbing to my fave protagonist of 2023
Love this video - I think you've hit a lot of salient points, especially themes that get explored more as the story progresses. I'd definitely be excited to see more of your apothecary diaries analysis as the anime continues! (Since I believe you mentioned you haven't seen the source material)
Thanks for making this video and promoting this anime. After I watched your video I dove right in and have really been enjoying this show. It gives me chill vibes like kinos journey and I really love it for that.
This series is my bread and butter!! I’m OBSESSED with it so much!! I have almost every printed version of the manga and LIVE for each new episode!!
I just binged the first twelve episodes thank you for the rec this is so good
Amazing video, it made me appreciate Apothecary Diaries even more! I LOOOVE this show. It reminds me of one of my favorite manga, Akatsuki no Yona. Yona and Maomao are not too alike, but they are both strong female main characters in a not physical way. Finally we get animes with great female characters. Frieren is also a treat this season. And about the power dynamics, YES. The most impactful scene for me is when (spoilers) Maomao asks Jinshi to please execute her when venom if needed. And even after that, she corrects herself and says she will be okay with any method. Even if Jinshi was shocked, Maomao knows her position very well. She knows that Jinshi couldn't do anything to save her. And it is proven when Fengmin is executed in the latest chapter. Maomao is always afraid of solving the mysteries given to her because of the potential punishment people will receive. It happened with Lishu's taste tester and Lihua's maidens. Sadly, Maomao knows she can't save Fengmin but gives her a choice. I JUST LOVE HER SO MUCH. And I think it's fantastic that they don't focus on the romance. Slow burns are my favorite and I'm really curious to see how Maomao will develop feelings for Jinshi, if it ever happens.
BRO YES AKATSUKI NO YONA. Both of them have a nuanced, richly political storyline, and a matter-of-fact attitude that's so refreshing. Like I about lost my head when Akatsuki no Yona showed Yona dealing with her period, you NEVER see that. It's a level of respect for both the readers and the characters' story.
This video is actually genuinely underated and I actually genuinely agree with you
I'd like to mention that the voice actor for Maomao is also the same one for Tanya Degurechaff from Youjo Senki, and their characters are so similar as well!
They both are quite intelligent, have an extremely logical and pragmatic thought process for all problems and situations, have an in-depth understanding of the power systems of their worlds and *_try_* to keep their head down without getting into trouble, but the trouble always ends up finding them.
They also have a slightly goofy side to them when thinking about things they really like, Maomao with medicine/food tasting and Tanya with destroying her enemies/exploiting the system and chocolate, they both also have a fearsome side to them when angry (with a crazy laugh to boot).
11:04 yeah I LOVED that part about the humor as well! This show does it so well!
I seriously loved your perspective on this anime. Thank you for your positive input too most nowadays only do videos like these just to say that there were too many filler episodes or whatever it truly is refreshing to hear an actual analysis
The choice of VA is frankly a part of the success
I'll also add that in a medium and time where women can apparently YEET around men three times their size with impunity or who are given superpowers 'just because', Maomao does NEITHER.
She's NOT physically imposing, NOR physically capable. She knows this. So she doesn't make it a point of contention; if anyone tries to get physical with her, she KNOWS she'll lose and so will find a way to prevent things from getting there.
She's NOT in control in ANYTHING except her field of expertise. She's not a master strategist, an architect or noble. She's an apothecary with a REALLY sharp mind. So, she depends on others to take on the roles she can't. She depends on Jinshi because he IS a noble and can intimidate, threaten or cajole others.
She doesn't throw away her femininity, but instead uses it when necessary. She uses her mind, her wit, her ability to observe and read people, her skepticism and her connections to do things that FAR outshine and out-perform others. But she never shadows over, for instance, the other concubines.
She is such a well-balanced character. She has power, quite a bit of it, but never flaunts it. She has weaknesses, a LOT of them, but they don't 'define' her. The author made a very well-crafted character and stuck to the core of said character instead of diluting it with more 'abilities' as the series goes on. It's why almost anyone can empathize with Maomao.
woah, the last time i saw your content you were uploading the Hyouka analysis videos !! Crazy how much time has passed. I've been loving the Apothecary Diaries
Thanks for a wonderful review!
Totally agree the how she live in the operating world thing. As a novel reader who have reached the latest update, it’s really an enjoyment to see such a thoughtful character she is. She knows where to draw the line and uses her brain to reverse the situation of uneven power.
Even in her latest relationship with Jinshi, she still realize what kind of risk she is facing instead of dump into romance directly.
I love Mao Mao so much! Looking forward to new episodes every week
The backgrounds and sounds are the reason why I connect my PC to my TV and watch Apothecary in the big screen.
What I like about her or a characteristics that I wanted to improve in my life is genuinely helping everyone without any malice or hidden agenda, it’s just her curious nature. But at the end it became her power and allies. Like when she helped the doctor about the problem in the paper. She didn’t have any reason to help him but she did.
Her way of life feeds her curiosity, hunger for knowledge and hobby while helping the others but not in the extend of violating other’s boundaries.
As good as the anime is, I was not expecting the light novel/manga to be as good as it was. I had no idea how lengthy the series was. The anime appears a bit shallow in the first half season but it picks up like crazy from here on out. And a refreshing part is that the characters are all interesting and likable in some way usually. No one is flat out evil for no reason, while some are unforgivable most characters have some depth. Side characters are pleasantly important and recurring.
Truly the best new anime of the year for me after not being on my radar at all!!! Would be best of year of Spy x Family didn’t have one of its best arcs in anime form this year. But both shows have made for the most stacked anime Saturday I’ve experienced in a long time
Source material reader here, I highly recommend reading the light novels if you like this story! The first season covers only light novels 1-2, and currently there are 11. This story is so rich and Maomao is an expert at solving mysteries! It’s so good.
Period this is a must see of the season!
Actually the real reason Apothecary Diaries work so well is mostly just the solid writing befitting of the setting. Apothecary Diaries starts of as a Web novel (then goes into Light Novel). When it first started out, there are no pictures or voices. Yet it was still popular.
This is a Japanese story in a Chinese setting. When have you ever seen these "cross cultural" kind of stories with characters that act befitting of the setting? Every other story have something like "This is medieval Europe but all the characters act like Japanese people". Those characters feel "transported" rather than culturally bred there.
Not this story. The whole political intrigue, poisoning attempts, different motives, valuing sons over daughters, etc makes all the characters feel alive and "realistic". The characters, for what its worth, genuinely feel like ancient Chinese people who live there rather than cutboard cutout simps.
Great video!
Keep up the good work!
I actually knew, or rather suspected correctly, the answer to the first two mystery before it was revealed. While the answer wasn't revealed in story persay, I'm fairly sure they are historical event(that or I've seen them in "period dramas" of some sort). The second is especially obvious due to the visual cue focusing on the handling of wood.
By contrast, it is some of the latter mystery that I was slower on the uptake on due to not familiar with the subject matter. I know nothing of honey and was not expecting value-sabotage.
It's the opposite with me. Although I don't I think much about honey (and I'm afraid of bees in general), the moment I remembered that it could be poisoned because of the flowers from which it was collected, the secret was revealed.
As a manga reader, I was so happy that Apothecary Diaries got animated because I was so so so sure that people are gonna like this series with its complexity and fun plot/characters.
Another thing that I like about MaoMao's name is that Gaoshun calls her XiaoMao, which literally means "Little Cat"
I'm gonna call the chibified Maomao in the comedy skits Meowmeow moments from now on
Probably my favorite Anime of the year, so much so that I went back and read the manga, then the light novels. MC is unique in that realist attitude, which gets her in as much trouble as it gets her out of (see episode 12). The storyboard seems to wrap up a new mystery/problem per episode but they slowly but surely tie together in common threads.
I'm obsessed with this show.
I loved the Castti's really subtle reference and the Hikari's land theme as well being played in the background.
I just watched all the available episodes today. The misunderstanding literally had me snort laughing for like five minutes. This is such a seriously good show.
i cant wait for the new season
This is the best show in years for me. Give me 10 more seasons of this and no more isekai......
I'm Chinese, watching this felt like it competently beat a lot of Chinese webnovels and webmangas by simply making a fantasy Chinese version of Korean Changumi. It clicked just right.
I agree, I really appreciate the show not beating us over the head with the power dynamic/injustices/unfairness; the point still gets across to us. I’m so glad the show so far doesn’t devolve into grim dark/torture porn sort of imagery to try to hammer these things home.
Exceedingly well presented.
this is what hollywood cannot do when they want to make a strong female MC