The Apothecary Diaries, episode 13

Rating: B+

After a week off, the second half of the series begins, shifting the adaptation into the territory of the second light novel and the 5th manga volume. This also marks a significant change in the setting: instead of being in the Rear/Inner Palace, Maomao is now working in the Outer Palace, directly under Jinshi. (Fear not about the Rear Palace being left behind, however; as the Next Episode preview hints, she’ll be back there for a visit shortly.) While that makes this effectively a set-up episode for the second half of the series, there’s still a lot going on here, and especially a lot of little hints about future directions.

One of those details is the little drinking session Jinshi has with the Emperor. It’s placed significantly earlier here than it was in the manga version, but I think the scene fits better at the beginning, as a precursor to everything, as it gives a better sense of where Jinshi is coming from and draws an interesting comparison/contrast between him and Maomao. That scene, and other snippets throughout the series to date, suggest that Jinshi feels like he’s only being appreciated for his looks when he’d rather be appreciated for his work, but he doesn’t have the option to disguise his natural beauty. Maomao does – except when others get in their heads to use her as a living dress-up doll, of course – and so she is getting appreciated for her efforts first and (when she reveals it) her looks second. Jinshi is clearly taken by her appearance when she dolls up, but that’s not what first drew him to her. That she’s able to do what he cannot could be a big part of his interest.

Of course, nothing that happens with Jinshi is without complications. He can’t keep servant help beyond the old woman who’s been seen wiping him down before because everyone falls for him, which makes Maomao the ideal attendant, even though Jinshi has higher aims for her. Naturally other court lady admirers are going to get jealous and catty, and naturally the prodigious skill and practical knowledge that Maomao has shown so far causes him to overestimate her ability to pass the test to become a court lady (essentially a court secretary); for all her practical knowledge, Maomao just doesn’t have the educational background for that.

But planted amongst all these scenes and a fair amount of humor are the seeds of this cour’s major plot lines. The tall, thin court lady is going to be a major player in one of them, and every detail shown about her so far is significant towards that end. The man wearing the monocle is also going to become a major player in another storyline, and the smoking pipe shown in the last scene will come into play either next episode or in episode 15, depending on the pacing. There may not have been more than hints of upcoming mysteries this episode, but expect plenty going forward.

Oh, and this episode introduces a new OP and ED. The OP gives a good sampling of the events that can be expected to come up in this cour (especially in closely-upcoming episodes), while the new, Jinshi-focused ED is a nice complement to the Maomao-focused first ED.

The second half is just getting started, so come back for more!