Rating: A- The point that many fans have been awaiting for ages has finally arrived, the point where Maomao can no longer continue to deny what she’s been trying to keep herself from figuring out: that Jinshi is the Emperor’s (official) brother and thus the Crown Prince. (Or at least he was the latter untilContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 46”
Category Archives: Episode Reviews
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 45
Rating: A The screen shot I’m using here is a bit misleading, as it represents the one humorous part of what is otherwise a very dark episode. However, in some senses it’s also the perfect shot to use, since it reflects the sensibilities of the series as a whole: even in the midst of trulyContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 45”
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 44
Rating: A- Before I get into the review, a bit of news. According to a report first posted on ScreenRant, episodes 45 and 46 will air as normal over the next two Fridays, but episode 47 will be delayed by a week, thus airing on June 27th instead of June 20th. In its place aContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 44”
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 43
Rating: A- No matter her situation, Maomao can’t stop being Maomao. The narrator spoke to this at the end of episode 1, and we’ve seen countless examples of it over the course of the series, but nowhere is that statement more true than in this episode. Though not treated as a hostage, that’s what MaomaoContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 43”
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 42
Rating: A- On a couple of occasions in this series’ run, we’ve had episodes where Jinshi was either functionally or completely absent. However, this episode is, I believe, the first one where Maomao has nothing more than a cameo appearance. Remarkably, that doesn’t weaken the series one bit because it still has Jinshi, and he’sContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 42”
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 39
Rating: B+ (first part), A (second part) More so than most episodes of this series, this one is a composition of two completely different parts, one which has its serious aspects but is lighter in general and one which is almost completely serious and introduces a potentially major development for the setting’s status quo. TheContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 39”
Review: I May Be a Guild Receptionist,but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time
In Alina Clover’s fantasy world, adventuring is a real (if dangerous) profession and an Adventurers Guild exists to manage job requests and dungeons left behind by a lost, more powerful predecessor civilization. Alina isn’t an adventurer, though, or at least not officially; she opted instead to become a guild receptionist, partly on the recommendation ofContinue reading “Review: I May Be a Guild Receptionist,but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time”
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 38
Rating: A- One of the neatest aspects of this series is the depth of its cast. Maomao and (to a lesser extent) Jinshi are clearly the stars, but all four of the high-level concubines also have their strong appeals: Gyokuyou is the clever and mischievous one (as we see again in this episode), Lihua isContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 38”
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 34
Rating: B+ To this point the series has studiously eschewed mystical explanations for anything, always going with the approach of the level-headed Maomao finding the practical explanation for events that may seem supernatural to the uninformed. You’d expected that to continue to be the case with a night where Yinghua drags Maomao to a nightContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 34”
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 33
Rating: A Many fans of the novels and manga are eagerly anticipating the upcoming episode explaining why a frog is featured in the OP. For me, though, the most anticipated episode of this cour of the series is this one, the one which dealt most squarely with Empress Dowager Anshi and the previous Emperor. DespiteContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 33”
USA Anime 