The first thing I noticed with this week’s episode (yes, just a single) of The Apothecary Diaries was how different it looked. I mean like, totally. Most striking was that the colors were much more saturated and less cartoon-bright, giving the palette a much more natural look that suited the setting far better. There were lots of other differences too, enough to make me think that (even with this being an OLM-Toho co-production) this ep must have been fully outsourced. But no, turns out it was because it was put in the hands of episode director China (the animator, not the country) and key animator Moaang. They have very distinctive styles and were clearly allowed to express them unfettered here.
I must say, visually speaking this all worked far better for me, though I’m resigned to a return to the premiere’s style. Story-wise we were right in the same ballpark. Maomao is a really engaging protagonist, and the scenarios are quite interesting. I don’t see anything brilliant here but there’s an attention to detail that serves the material well, and with a lead with as much presence as Maomao that seems to be enough to keep things ticking along nicely.
This week’s serial finds Maomao assigned to the Crystal Palace, home of the ailing Lady Lihua, at the behest of the Emperor (Endou Daichi). Lihua made a far less favorable first impression than Gyokuyou, and while she’s basically comatose for most of the episode her ladies in waiting are certainly a pill. They reject every attempt by Maomao to treat or even examine Lihua, which strikes me as being pretty foolhardy considering she’s there on imperial order. If nothing else Maomao prepares her healthy and easy to digest meals, which the LiW reject in favor of the usual gout-bombs they feed her. None of which she can consume in her current condition.
I don’t blame the retainers, per se – in their situation they’d likely be pretty ignorant, and Maomao is a member of the enemy camp. It’s not until Jinshi intervenes on her behalf that Maomao gets a foot in the door (which has to gall her). But once she does, she uses it to stomp right on the throat of the LiW. Especially the one who hid a supply of the poison face power to use on Lihua. I don’t think it’s unrealistic that a lady in waiting would do something that stupid, but I do think it’s unrealistic that she would keep her head once it was discovered. In any event once the poison is taken out of the equation and Maomao has fully stamped her authority on the situation, Lihua begins a slow recovery.
Seeing Maomao really get nasty like that was an interesting turn. She’s no shrinking violet, that’s for sure. As for Lihua, the element that’s only hinted at here is that she may just have been ready to die after having lost her son – though Maomao opines that her willingness to eat indicates she still had the will to go on. She even gets some advice from Maomao – who has a background in such matters – on how she can win back the favor of the Emperor, a trick based on her sizable natural assets. And it clearly gets his attention, judging by the fact that Gyokurou is finally able to get some sleep.
In practical terms, having done the Emperor’s bidding and not only saved Lihua but rehabilitated her as a sexual partner (he won’t know the specifics, but they’re irrelevant) will surely raise Maomao’s standing in court tremendously. From a relatively obscure apothecary she’s now officially a rising star. In this setting that’s certainly a mixed blessing – being the center of attention in this cutthroat world means you have a target on your back. Maomao is probably street smart enough to realize that and act accordingly, and I think that’s where a lot of the natural drama in the premise will flow from.
SeijiSensei
October 29, 2023 at 8:44 pmI was pretty shocked Maomao could slap an LiW and suffer no consequences. Yes, she has the emperor’s blessing, but that didn’t help her until Jinshi appeared.
Guardian Enzo
October 29, 2023 at 9:56 pmBy that time I think Jinshi had tacitly endorsed her, and the lady in waiting’s crime had been exposed. I was less surprised by that then the fact that the lady wasn’t summarily executed.
Redice
October 30, 2023 at 9:39 amThe servant was dismissed in the manga adaptation. I’m not sure if that was the same in the original light novel.
Nicc
October 30, 2023 at 2:21 pmRegarding this episode, what stood out to me that the animation looked more loosey-goosey. We also seem to have to lost the cat expressions, but maybe that’ll come back later.
The Emperor is paying a visit to the Jade Pavillion and she’s doing her normal poison taste testing. No problems here and she’s about to head out when the Emperor calls out to her. She already knows that it’s not going to be pleasant. The Emperor “requests” that she go to the Crystal Pavillion to “take care” of Lady Lihua. Maomao reads between the lines and knows that she’s being ordered to cure Lady Lihua of whatever is ailing here… or else. The Emperor knows what he’s doing, making that order right in front of Lady Gyokuyou. There’s no room for any argument.
The plan is to help take care of Lady Lihua’s health, but her ladies-in-waiting have other ideas and don’t let Maomao near her. Indeed, it is rather stupid to stonewall her like that as she’s there on imperial order, but it’s also makes sense that they wouldn’t want to trust somebody who is from a rival consort. This leads her to getting bounced out several times. Much to her annoyance, it takes the help of Jinshi for her to finally get close to the ailing Lihua. It seems that she’s been like this since the death of her son. She hasn’t been eating and her health is getting worse. Her attendants keep giving her rich meals that she’s not capable of digesting and Maomao has been insisting on porridge instead. It’s more than just the food as Maomao discovers the whitening powder on Lady Lihua. It has already been banned from the palace, but somebody there kept a secret stash to keep using on Lady Lihua.
Maomao just mentioned earlier how women can change on a dime like that and she flips out when she finds the powder. I agree that the court went easy on both the lady-in-waiting and the accomplice eunuch. Considering what they pulled towards one of the Emperor’s favored consorts, they both should be dead. Still, getting rid of the powder solves that problem and now Lady Lihua can be on the road to recovery. It certainly helps that the other ladies-in-waiting are now giving Maomao a large berth. It is revealed that Lady Lihua may have wanted to die, but Maomao is correct that she wouldn’t have tried to eat if that was the case.
Lady Lihua eventually recovers enough that Maomao can return to the Jade Pavillion, but not before leaving her with some advice she learned from the brothel that she was a regular at. Whatever it was seemed to work as Lady Gyokuyou can finally get some sleep at night. We get a preview of the next case that Maomao will be investigating, but it’s doubtful that it’s actually anything that’s supernatural. The preview also shows two more consorts for her to eventually get involved with. Indeed, she’s getting attention, whether she wants it or not. I do like how she still spends time with Xiaolan, who is really the only friend that Maomao has. She happens to be a good source of information too as Xiaolan picks up a lot of useful gossip.