Rating: B+ Both the OP for this season and various advertising blurbs have clearly indicated that Maomao would be leaving the capital again to travel (this time without being kidnapped) at some point this season, and this episode looks like the beginning of that arc. (Or perhaps the first of the arcs?) Interestingly, the immediateContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries episode 54”
Tag Archives: The Apothecary Diaries
The Apothecary Diaries episodes 52-23
Rating: Doing these two episodes together was not originally planned, and while episode 52 does, to a degree, set up episode 53, the focus of each is distinctly different, so hardly anything is gained by looking at them together. Hence I will mostly be covering them separately here. Episode 52 One thing I’ve always appreciatedContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries episodes 52-23”
The Apothecary Diaries episode 51
Episode Rating: A Looking good at being convincingly ugly is, in my opinion, one of the hardest artistic feats for an anime title to pull off, and in that realm, this series has few equals. That this episode pulls that off well without making a spectacle of it is far from the only reason I’mContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries episode 51”
The Apothecary Diaries episode 50
Episode Rating: A- Maomao has a well-earned reputation for being very selective in what details she chooses to pay attention to; she’ll often ignore (whether consciously or not) things she’d rather not dwell on, such as Jinshi’s clear-to-others romantic interest in her. Nowhere in this series is that more in play than in the secondContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries episode 50”
The Apothecary Diaries episode 49
Episode Rating: A- The whole plot of the Shi family may be over but the consequences of it aren’t, a fact which hangs over the story as it progresses into its post-Inner Palace era with the beginning of season 3. Little reminders of it are everywhere in this episode even as it starts to setContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries episode 49”
2025 in Review: The Best and Strangest of the Year
As we say good-bye to 2025, it’s time to take a look at the year as a whole rather than just the highlights of individual seasons. 2025 may have broken the record set in 2024 for anime titles either debuting or airing new seasons, as by my count over 210 non-kiddie titles made the schedule.Continue reading “2025 in Review: The Best and Strangest of the Year”
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 47
Rating: A For the Shi clan, there is no possible happy – or even neutral – ending. At least two of its principle members knew that, accepted it, and so left the stage on their own terms. Meanwhile, the one who didn’t – and couldn’t – accept that falls in disgrace. In many ways it’sContinue reading “The Apothecary Diaries, episode 47”
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 46
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”
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”
