Our favorite poison-loving apothecary is back! Episode 13 was a lot of fun, wasn’t it? Usually, episodes that establish a new setting and introduce new characters can be somewhat dull, but I didn’t feel that was the case at all.
Episode 13 adapts chapters 21-22 from the manga and the prologue and chapter 1 of volume 2 of the light novel. I think out of all 13 episodes of the series so far, this one features the highest number of new scenes that aren’t in the source material.
I kid you not: in the manga, the story jumps from Maomao spending her last night at home with her father (the end of manga volume 4) to Gaoshun showing her around the outer court. Every scene between those two points in the anime is brand spanking new. And surprisingly, I have no complaints about any of the new stuff.
Without a doubt, the most enjoyable moment for me was when Jinshi could barely hide his jealousy amidst all the attention Maomao was getting. He’s completely taken aback by Maomao’s beauty. Maomao’s so gorgeous; it’s a shame she doesn’t see it herself. The manga barely has any of this reaction. In a later chapter (chapter 24), Maomao thinks back to her and Jinshi’s conversation while’s she’s in the middle of talking to Lihaku. All we get is one panel with Jinshi’s reaction to Maomao’s look (above) and another panel of him telling her to wear her freckles (below). I love that they incorporated those scenes into the episode directly instead of making it an afterthought.
Another favorite of mine among the new scenes is Maomao’s introduction to Suiren. I briefly scanned the manga and light novel, and I can’t find even one time that Suiren addresses Maomao by “Xiaomao,” a nickname that only Gaoshun has called her so far. “Xiao” is similar to the “-chan” suffix in Japanese, so for Suiren to call her that right from the start speaks volumes of how she already feels about Maomao. I especially loved the look Maomao gives Gaoshun when Suiren calls her such a familiar nickname. Things like this make me imagine the types of conversations that Gaoshun or maybe even Jinshi have about Maomao when she’s not around.
(If you haven’t noticed by now, Gaoshun’s my favorite character in all of The Apothecary Diaries.)
One change they made from the source material, albeit a minor one, is what happens when Maomao is confronted by the five court ladies. In the manga, we actually see the arm that she shows to the ladies. In the anime, they only show her unwrapping her bandage and then playing coy. I’ve always found this scene to be a little frustrating in the source material because how could the court ladies not have seen Jinshi and Gaoshun off to the side? In the manga, at least they’re around the corner from where the group was. In the anime, they’re literally standing in front of the group, even if it’s slightly off to the side. And I doubt that Maomao could have shielded her arm in time either, so how do they not react to the sight of it? Jinshi doesn’t see it then, and in fact, I don’t think Jinshi nor Gaoshun canonically ever see Maomao’s “test” arm.
What wasn’t new material but taken from a future chapter was the introductory scene with Jinshi and the Emperor. That scene comes from the beginning of manga chapter 24. I find it interesting that they moved this scene around. I don’t think it really makes a difference in the grand scheme of things, but I just can’t help but wonder why they did it. Honestly, I was hoping they would expand upon it. This scene in the source material always seemed out of place in general. There’s no lead-up to it nor is there any explanation for it. It’s just the two of them drinking and talking about a bet.
Lastly, another addition they made is Lakan watching Maomao from a distance, after her run-in with Suirei. In the manga, Maomao only hints at not wanting to run into a questionable figure, with the art depicting a menacing-looking monocled person. Also, his apperance at the beginning of the episode where he’s playing Go in an office is also new. If I had to guess, it’ll take maybe another episode or two (I’m thinking episode 15) for him to make his official appearance.
I’ve been thinking… with all this emphasis on Jinshi and Maomao’s budding (and one-sided at this point) relationship, it makes me a little nervous. Those who have read The Apothecary Diaries for years know just how much of a slow-burn their romance is. I actually believe that their romance is THE definitive slow burn romance. Sure, in the light novel, the two have many moments together and their relationship, after nearly 14 light novels, does progress over time. However, the Jinshi-Maomao scenes make up maybe 15% of each novel, and that’s me being generous with my estimation.
Why does this matter? Well, my fear is that anime-only fans will get frustrated with the practically non-existent romance and lose interest. It just makes me sad to think about that possibility. Alas, no one can control what someone else thinks and feels so even if that’s the case, I can’t do anything about it. It would certainly be a damn shame.
Anyway, next episode is going to be a fun one, I can tell. From the the previews, we’ll get to meet even more new characters and see some old faces as well. See you next week!
