It’s been a busy couple of weeks for me, so not surprisingly, I almost missed writing about another episode of The Apothecary Diaries. But since I have a few moments before I watch the newest release, I thought I’d write some quick thoughts on the last episode. The last thing I want is another gap in my Apothecary reactions. But since I’m pushing this through, that means no manga and screenshot comparisons. Womp womp.
Episode 21 covers manga chapter 35, and just as I had anticipated in my last reaction, they didn’t skip a thing. Although I have to say that they made Guen and the glue mystery a lot more interesting than I thought it was. Or maybe I never gave that mystery the chance it deserved in the first place because they didn’t change or add anything. The only difference in the mystery itself is that in the anime, Guen says that he went to the palace to become a eunuch in place of his little sister, but in actuality, all three of them (older sister, younger sister, and Guen) went.
My favorite thing about this episode (not counting the Rikuson appearance) is how they expanded upon Lihaku’s pursuit of Pairin. In particular, I like that they made it a two-way romance. It’s not purely about Lihaku’s pursuit of Pairin; Pairin’s feelings and opinions also factor into Lihaku’s actions.
Within the context of the series’ setting, focusing only on Lihaku’s desires makes sense since women didn’t have any agency. It’s kind of similar to how, in the third (or was it the second?) episode, the mid-ranked concubine is given as a gift to the military officer. The princess had no say in the transaction… although, yeah, it worked out in the end since that’s exactly what she and the soldier wanted anyway. It also speaks to the kind of man Lihaku is that he is taking Pairin’s wishes into consideration.
They also made it clearer in the anime that Pairin likes Lihaku, too. When I first read the novel, I was unsure whether or not her comment to Maomao about waiting for her prince to come was about Lihaku. But with how the anime emphasized Lihaku writing to her and giving her gifts and Pairin’s reaction to seeing him visit and reading his letters, it’s clear that she is waiting for him. Which then makes Maomao’s comment of not needing 10,000 silver fit the scene better.
You’re surprised I didn’t mention Lihaku’s naked scene, eh? Well, it’s because they didn’t deviate from the source material. Almost panel-for-panel, from the time Maomao shows up to when Jinshi scolds Maomao, it’s the same as the manga.
One thing I have always wondered about is why Jinshi had that meeting with Lihaku. It just didn’t make any sense to me when I initially read the series. Why would Jinshi offer to give Lihaku the cash if the conversation was purely to gauge the true relationship between Lihaku and Maomao? Then I read a comment somewhere on YouTube that suggested Jinshi was testing Lihaku’s character and whether he was someone who could be bought off. I like that explanation because it also explains why Jinshi ends their conversation by saying he might call upon Lihaku again. Jinshi has judged Lihaku to be a good person, so he’ll be a good asset to have around.
Anyway, the newest episode was released just a couple of hours ago, so I should have that up soon! Stay tuned.
