These last three episodes of The Apothecary Diaries are going to be a doozy, and I’m so excited to see it all unfold. This episode was a great start, covering most of manga chapter 36 or light novel chapter 18, and it didn’t deviate much from the source material. Nevertheless, it was a great episode and so much fun to watch.
Lakan’s conversation with Jinshi in his office is new to the anime. In the manga, Jinshi appears in front of Maomao one day, asking after blue roses. Of course, he admits who told him about them when Maomao asks, but we never see the actual conversation between Jinshi and Lakan as we do in the show.
Nor do we see Gaoshun going around the city asking florists about the flowers. I really liked this small addition, not because it included more Gaoshun screentime, but because it shows that Jinshi and Gaoshun don’t always go straight to Maomao to solve their problems. Yes, Maomao’s the main character, but there’s something about seeing them try to resolve issues on their own before seeking her out that’s a nice touch.
Did you know the sauna isn’t built until this chapter in the manga? Lihua originally didn’t have the steam room to help with her rehabilitation like she does in the anime. I also liked how the animators added Lihua, albeit briefly, into the episode. Having her appear makes sense when you think about it. Maomao is using the sauna located on the grounds of the Crystal Pavilion, so she must ask Lihua for permission, even if it’s just a formality. I love that they even adapted the little chibi version of Maomao giving Lihua one of those books.
And I have to say that this little moment of Jinshi freaking out about Maomao re-opening her wound is amazing. It’s not in the source material, and I adore the fact that they added this scene. I mean, Jinshi grabs Maomao’s foot like, “LOOK AT THIS GAOSHUN! IT’S BLEEDING!”
The process of growing the roses wasn’t nearly as detailed in the source material, but I liked the addition. Seeing all the steps Maomao took really emphasized just how hard she worked all month long to get those flowers to bloom! Staying up all night to control the temperature, moving all the plants outside to get some sun, and rushing to quickly place them back in the sauna if it started raining—I can’t believe she worked nearly around the clock. It’s no wonder she was so exhausted.
This episode further emphasized how adorable Xiaolan is. She’s such a bubbly and adorable friend for Maomao. I loved that she “saved” those eunuchs from the caterpillar, but tossing the thing out the door was hilarious. I expected her to run to the closest tree and gently place the caterpillar on it, but ain’t no body got time for that!
What I did miss seeing from the manga was Maomao and Xiaolan’s excited reaction to seeing the first rosebud. However, when I think about it, Maomao’s subdued reaction makes more sense given the situation. After all, she’s been working nearly non-stop to get those roses to bloom. She is exhausted. Like, really, really exhausted. That one shot of Maomao at the beginning of the garden party and the way they framed how haggard and exhausted she looked was the perfect way to display just how much work she put into those flowers.
However, I just don’t know how I feel about including non-blue flowers in the bouquet. I can see why they did it: it emphasizes the beauty of the blue ones to see them displayed against the others in the same vase. But I can’t help but think about the OP scene in Lakan’s office, where there’s a full vase of blue roses on the table in front of him. I know, I know. That’s different from the scene we’re talking about, but I guess seeing that set the expectation for me.
And then of course, Lakan at the garden party and his sticky fingers. Literally. In the source material, he actually plucks off the futou of the officer in front of him out of pure boredom. He doesn’t do it to wipe his hands, but it’s such a Lakan thing to do. Also, in the source material, Jinshi’s internal monologue about being unable to read Shishou’s expression is interrupted by seeing Lakan’s antics. Jinshi actually has to work really hard to hold himself back from laughing aloud.
I’ve been wondering all this time how they would handle Lakan’s Prospagnosia, and I thought they did a great job. Seeing Lakan walking among a group of people with Go pieces for heads was *chef’s kiss,* but my favorite part was seeing him move people-shaped shogi pieces around a board. He’s a military strategist, after all.
The ending shot of Maomao’s eyes perfectly matches the last panel of the chapter. It is also a great juxtaposition to how she looked a few hours ago when she first presented the blue roses to Jinshi. Not only that but seeing how Maomao is the only one in the crowd whose face Lakan can see just hits home when you see everyone else as Go or Shogi pieces.
This was such a great episode. The small changes and additions the animators made really helped flesh out the story in the best ways. While I didn’t really agree with the addition of non-blue roses, I don’t think that ruined the scene at all for me. I can’t wait to see what they do next week!
–Minor Series Spoilers Below—
I wanted to discuss a couple more things, but because they’re slightly spoiler-ish, I thought placing them under a spoiler warning would be best.
It was not until this episode that I realized that Jinshi really doesn’t refer to Maomao by her name. Much later in the story, Gyokuyou and Jinshi have an argument over Maomao, and Gyokuyou provokes Jinshi by asking him directly in front of the group what he calls Maomao. Maomao, witnessing the conversation, notices that Jinshi looks uncomfortable by the question. She doesn’t give it much thought other than that (since, you know, it has nothing to do with medicine or poison).
It wasn’t until this series that I realized how true it is that Jinshi doesn’t call Maomao by her name. This is such a stark contrast to Gaoshun and Suiren, who adoringly call our apothecary ‘Xiaomao.’
Another thing that came to mind while I watched the garden party scene in this episode is I wondered where Lakan was during the previous garden party that Maomao attended. Knowing what I know about him, he wouldn’t have missed the chance to see his daughter. Certainly, with how attuned he is to anything dealing with Maomao, he would have known that Maomao was in the rear palace. The best reason I can think of is… that’s just how the story was written. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise.
