Anime Spotlight #25: The Apothecary Diaries

Article by Sean Wilkinson,

a.k.a. the Animeister,

Wishing you a healthy Valentine's Day!

The "month of love" officially began last week with my Ticket Stubs review of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and in addition to the new reviews of One Night At McCool's (a Just the Ticket List Lookback) and The Incredibles 2, which will drop later this month, I am also going to be reviewing four anime in February that deal with romantic tension, love, familial bonds, and the power of the heart. And it all begins today with a series that (so far, because none of the Anime I will Spotlight this month are finished airing yet) has plenty of propriety-based romantic tension but no actual romance. However, my introduction to today's series, much like love, was unexpected and blind.

Please share the love this month by remembering to Become A Ticketholder if you haven't already, comment your true feelings at the bottom of this post, help out my ad revenue as you read, and choo-choo-choose me on Tumblr, Reddit, Facebook, and LinkedIn to like what you see and receive the latest heart-shaped boxes of news on my content.

I had no idea what I was in for when I began watching The Apothecary Diaries. I didn't look it up on MyAnimeList or Anime News Network, and I found it by the "any way you can" route, so I didn't have the poster to go by, either. I went in totally blind.

And I'm glad I did.

The Apothecary Diaries follows Maomao, the mostly stoic but inquisitive daughter of a red-light district apothecary, who is kidnapped and sold into servitude at the palace of her fictionalized, imperial China-like home country. Though she intends at first to keep her head down and follow orders until her indenture contract is paid off, Maomao is soon swept up in the palace rumor mill, and can't help but stealthily apply her knowledge of medicinal herbs, poisons, and homeopathic treatments when one of the Emperor's children falls ill.

Despite her stealth and discretion, Maomao is discovered by a shrewd, influential (and anime sparkles-handsome) eunuch named Master Jinshi, who takes a liking to her (the definition of that changes as the series goes on, and although Maomao hasn't reacted to...feeling anything down there, some early dialogue suggests that Jinshi might not be a eunuch, after all).

What fills the next twelve-and-counting episodes is, pun intended, my cup of tea: a medical crime drama with occasional faux-supernatural elements, intriguing cliffhangers, subtle romantic beats, sparks of comedy, beautiful background work and animation (the intro, though I don't like the OP music quite enough to view it often, is floral and gives me strong Hell's Paradise intro vibes--remind me to review that in October--despite the two series being tonal opposites), and strongly written characters.

It's almost enough to make one forget that this is a world where young girls get kidnapped and sold into slavery, rich people have servants to eat poison for them, male servants are castrated to prevent sexual assault (but mostly so the Emperor can have all the women to himself and the servants can keep cleaning his giant house and catering to his harem all day without the need for fuck breaks or maternity leave), and almost any mistake, failure, or act of dissent can be punishable by death.

But, yeah; the harsh reality of its setting aside (which, The Apothecary Diaries reminds us on a nigh-episodic basis, bears no resemblance to any actual historical people, places, or events so that TOHO Animation and series author Natsu Hyūga don't piss off China), is a gripping watch if your anime vitamins aren't packed with Zanpakuto Sharingans and Gum Gum Kamehamehas.

Did I mention the novels, light novels, and the manga are still ongoing concurrently after five-to-thirteen years? I'm the complete opposite of the target audience (read: not a young girl), and I realize how loaded my compliments have been up to this point, but I am (again, pun intended) addicted to The Apothecary Diaries.

Your follow-up appointment on Thursday is a double-dose of nostalgia, as Ticket Stubs looks back at the remade crime comedy, Fun With Dick & Jane, and the Burn Notice movie gets a TBT Anniversary push. I really should have swapped the first two Ticket Stubs of February so this week could have a "Spy Day," but like love, not everything needs to make sense, right?

I mean, it's not like I'm lazy or anything....

Anyway, please share the love once again by remembering to Become A Ticketholder if you haven't already, comment your true feelings at the bottom of this post, help out my ad revenue as you read, and choo-choo-choose me on Tumblr, Reddit, Facebook, and LinkedIn to like what you see and receive the latest heart-shaped boxes of news on my content.

Animeister,

Out.