Apothecary Diaries Episode 3 (EARLY UNCUT ACCESS)
Added 2025-01-14 13:00:14 +0000 UTCEpisode 3 | The Unsettling Matter of the Spirit
Comments
What also amazes me in this episode is the parallel between concubine Fuyou and Gyokuyou. They both are princesses from foreign lands who got sent into the emperor’s rear palace and the fact that Gyokuyou asked Maomao whether if she would be considered a terrible woman if she envies Fuyou confirms she didn’t come to the rear palace based on her own will. And maybe, Gyokuyou also had someone she has romantic feelings towards back in her hometown but her story’s ending is different from Fuyou’s, hence she stares out the window at the end of the episode as if a bird that’s caged but wanting to escape.
Mel
2025-01-30 07:21:19 +0000 UTC"Ancient China" - eh not exactly. It's sort of "Ming B" type of world. Honestly it looks a bit like 17th Century or something.
Jan Negrey
2025-01-28 12:23:54 +0000 UTCI am amazed how they were able to sneak an entire fairy tale love story into a single episode.
Vik Persson
2025-01-19 06:01:54 +0000 UTCThis is the episode that got me officially hooked from here on.
Kythar
2025-01-17 03:21:32 +0000 UTCIt may not be very noticeable in the anime but in the manga Maomao's pinky is a bit crooked.
Omokage23
2025-01-16 19:54:57 +0000 UTCI love this episode. It feels so beautiful and pure but it's all on a backdrop of a world in which a woman can be given away as a reward for a job well done. It's beautiful flowers painted on a horrific background. It's something that really fascinates me, and has for years: There's a song with a chorus like, "Because you're gorgeous I'd do anything for you." I don't like the song really but it fascinates me in the same way as this episode. The songwriter (I think he is called, Baby Bird?) was asked about it in an interview and he explained that it's a horrible song about how bad men manipulate vulnerable, insecure women and get them to do things they don't want to do through the use of flattery ("You're gorgeous"), seduction and so on. Each verse is some horrid situation like a guy trying to talk a girl into car sex and a guy trying to talk a girl into letting him take nude pictures of her, etc. The chorus swirls and rises and floats like an angel and the flattery makes the girl forget the horridness of the situation and just focus on the, "You're gorgeous," bit. He said he was completely shocked when it turned out to be the number one wedding song that year, but it just proves the song's point: however awful the situation, something that seems sweet and romantic can totally blind you to that part and make you only focus on the sweet bit. Can you imagine finding out years later, as many of those married couples probably did, that their romantic wedding song was about abusive relationships? It's baffling! That's how I feel about this episode. It is so beautiful and so romantic but it's about a woman being given away to a man as a prize, essentially. I'm not trying to ruin it for anyone lol, I've just always found that sort of thing intriguing. Theres a human truth poking right out of that one! Still, it really is beautiful and romantic.
Caradoc Elmet
2025-01-15 02:51:12 +0000 UTC25 mins ago I knew nothing about Fuyou, now I want nothing more than for her to live out the rest of her days in happiness
Timbeaux
2025-01-15 02:00:58 +0000 UTCIf I remember correctly it's set I think in a land called Li or something like that, which is akin to real world China but not at the same time. Like it has a mix of 500AD Chinese culture but set in like 1600AD China with some historical events of that nature. It's confusing when trying to lay it out, obviously not the most important to the story, especially if you're not pertinent to Chinese history
jastop94
2025-01-15 01:49:18 +0000 UTCWell the LN does talk about certain I call the objects but they could be everything even living things but because of spoilers I certainly won't talk about them. But they do give an idea in which time frame the story takes plays. But after season 2 it should already be easy to guess.
RiShinMarco
2025-01-14 23:28:14 +0000 UTCI think it is a time-agnostic fictional China. The political landscape seems to resemble that of the Song dynasty which ruled between 10th-13th century AD, but the palace seems modelled after the Forbidden City which was built by Ming dynasty in 15th century AD. Some of the beliefs and inventions are all over the place too, stretching from antiquity to almost modern era. In other words, you could say the show is set in the General Classical China Vibes period :D
Milosz Skowronski
2025-01-14 22:05:44 +0000 UTCreally enjoying these holmesian style mysteries and the show continues to twist and turn in ways i don't expect in such a short time. also loving trying to catch the vibe between maomao and jinshi. right now it's very much these two highly intelligent, extremely guarded people dealing with the fact that each sees the other more clearly than most can.
Cornelius Ukena
2025-01-14 19:12:18 +0000 UTC“If love makes a woman beautiful, what kind of medicine would it make?” Wow what a line. This episode made me really fall in love with the show 💕
Gabriella Pinkoski
2025-01-14 18:47:41 +0000 UTCyeah, i’ve gotten the impression that this show isn’t even meant to be set in our real world, but is only based on a roughly 500-1000ce china.
Cornelius Ukena
2025-01-14 18:40:13 +0000 UTCCalling it ancient history is just not true :D It might be to say it isn't a new setting but for it to be ancient history it has to be between 3000 BC – AD 500. And neither the cloth worn nor certain inventions make it possible to be in that time frame. Sorry that just me trying to be as historical accurate as possible.
RiShinMarco
2025-01-14 16:47:00 +0000 UTCWhen Gaoshun took the honorifics off and called her "Xiao Mao", "Xiao" means "Little" in Chinese and is equivalent to giving the suffix "-chan" in Japanese.
Tabo51
2025-01-14 15:49:59 +0000 UTCI don't think the quack doctor has a crush on Mao Mao...it's on Jinshi. Next episode is a real banger!
Nadj
2025-01-14 14:54:55 +0000 UTCIt's maybe worth noting that the show isn't strictly inspired by any specific time period but rather an alternate world that picks and mixes from hundreds of years of chinese imperial history with japanese flavoring on top, so there might be things that seem out of place/time at certain points depending on how well you know history, but it's all really well meshed regardless ^^
Mikael Hultman
2025-01-14 14:37:51 +0000 UTCStill one of my favorite episodes ever.
Wherry
2025-01-14 14:18:46 +0000 UTCIf you love how heartfelt and beautiful this episode was AND you want a good cry, maybe one day you could react to Violet Evergarden! It is absolutely stunning, story and animation style, and in my top 5 anime of all time :)
Kaylee
2025-01-14 13:53:33 +0000 UTCBeautiful episode, beautiful insert song, the whole story about concubine Fuyou is well writen and stunning, always emotional. Can't wait for your reaction of the next episode!
Valentin Sauvestre
2025-01-14 13:52:26 +0000 UTCI am a believer that Maomao helped the soldier way more than she thinks. She told Jinshi in ep2 that the soldier did a good job at saving an entire village from being slaughtered. She played a part in their love story she just doesn't realize it.
AttackRunRepeat
2025-01-14 13:41:00 +0000 UTCI always love this episode. It never ceases to bring tears to my ears of just how beautiful that moment is where we get to see them be happy together.
Seal Oppa
2025-01-14 13:39:02 +0000 UTCDon't worry about not knowing flowers and their signification, the show will tell you what you need. It's easier to predict themes and plots but not necessary. Great reaction as usual
Yoann Bigor
2025-01-14 13:27:51 +0000 UTCThat's EP 3
Yoann Bigor
2025-01-14 13:07:58 +0000 UTC
