Welcome back to Anime Rants with 7Mononoke. Besides restating that The Apothecary Diaries is the most visually pleasing anime of the season, I don’t have an interesting introduction. So, we’ll just dive right into the reviews for episodes 7, 8, and 9. Please note that these reviews do not contain detailed episode recaps, but only my thoughts on certain events and elements that struck me as interesting.
Episode 7: Homecoming
Maomao never ceases to impress me with her knowledge. It was a smart trick to use powder to show the fingerprints on the silver soup dish. People of that time wouldn’t have known that each human has a completely unique fingerprint (except genetic twins), so they wouldn’t know how to use the prints to identify the culprit. Nevertheless, it was an important clue because was Maomao was able to tell that four different people touched the bowl. One of them touched it near the rim, which is suspicious.
We got an explanation from Maomao’s adorable friend Xiaolan about the hairpins. According to Xiaolan, a hairpin from a man equals a free ticket out of the rear palace for a few days. But Lady Gyokuyo’s reaction suggested that this meaning was incorrect. There was another reason behind Jinshi giving the hairpin to Maomao. Gyokuyo decided not to say anything to Maomao for now, but hopefully, we’ll soon find out the real meaning of the hairpins.
In the meantime, Maomao forged ahead and asked Lihaku to take her out of the palace for three days. To make the deal more enticing, she offered “tickets” to the fancy brothel where she used to frequent. Lihaku wasn’t nearly as nice as I initially assumed he would be. I thought he was the charming, slightly bumbling young gentleman type. In reality, he’s impatient, critical, and rather conscious of his “superior” class. Nevertheless, Lihaku agreed to Maomao’s deal, unable to resist the promise of the brothel.
It was heartwarming to see Maomao’s reunion with her father. I expected an emotional reunion with stirring music, but what we actually saw was so much more fitting for Maomao’s personality. She just walked in, smiled, and said, “I’m home.” Her father immediately and calmly accepted her, saying without any judgement, “You were gone for quite a while this time.” Maomao and her father have a great vibe. They are both super chill. I’m so glad they got to see each other again.
Episode 8: Wheat Stalks
Episode 8 followed Maomao as she saved a courtesan and a man from a supposed attempted suicide. Both of their lives were saved. But Maomao eventually found out the incident was not a double suicide, but an attempted murder. The man was a scumbag who tricked and betrayed women for fun. He was spoiled and rich. So the courtesan came up with a clever way to make it look like a double suicide when she was actually poisoning him. It would have worked if Maomao had been slightly less competent.
The courtesan was certainly intelligent and resourceful. The little girl servant was also quite brave. Both of them were impressive, but was it right to try killing the man? Strictly speaking, I don’t think it was ethical nor a smart move to attempt that murder. However, I have a great amount of sympathy for the courtesan, and I would not be able to look her in the eye and tell her she was doing wrong. After all, she tried to rid the world of some lying psycho who would never have otherwise been punished.
Moving on to lighter topics, I love the personality of Maomao’s father. He gives strong vibes of INFJ. Like Maomao, he is intelligent, insightful, and passionate about his interests. But compared to his daughter, he is a bit softer, sweeter, more understanding, and patient. I hope he continues to live a happy life growing herbs and making medicines for the neighborhood.
The misunderstanding at the end of episode was downright hilarious. I love miscommunications involving sex. So much good anime humor comes from that. Jinshi was in a bad enough mood because he was jealous and wanted to be the one to take Maomao out. But when Maomao stated that she repaid Lihaku with “a night of bliss,” the eunuch effectively went into shock. Poor fellow.
Episode 9: Suicide or Murder?
Death was a major theme in this episode. First, we had Kounen, the old man who died from too much alcohol and sodium. Next, we saw the girl who drowned in the river. But before I go on any rambles about death, I just want to say I’m surprised there is salty sake. I clearly know nothing about sake. I’ve had a very strong sake once that just tasted like vodka, and a weak sake that was fruit-flavored and sweet. I never would have thought salty alcohol was a thing. I’ll have to try it sometime.
I don’t really have much to say about the girl who killed herself or the old man who was poisoned by too much salt. I also don’t have any particular thoughts about the end of the episode, where we learned that Concubine Ah-Duo’s head lady-in-waiting was involved in a past poisoning. In my opinion, this wasn’t a great episode, other than seeing Maomao enjoy some booze. But it could also be that I’m tired and sick, so I can’t think of any worthwhile discussions or responses. Sorry about that.
There was a scene in the sunset where Maomao stands by the potted plant and contemplates death. You never know when you’re going to die. This is certainly an interesting and sobering topic. But I have nothing to add that Maomao didn’t say or think. I guess, on a final note, I thought it was cute that Jinshi was worried about Maomao brooding over such a dark subject. Anyway, that’s all for today. Hoepfully, the next episode will be a bit more entertaining for me.
Thanks for reading~
Anime Rants 
It was absolutely hilarious, the way Maomao so thoroughly broke Jinshi by accident with nothing more than a poor choice of phrasing. 🙂
I, for one, could very much look the courtesan in the eye and tell her that what she was doing was both wrong and stupidly dangerous both for her and those around her. I mean, the man might have been toying with people’s hearts, but he wasn’t endangering their lives (not the I remember, at least), so taking his life was simply too much. Even worse, however, they live in a world where their lives can be taken by nobles at any time and for any reason. If, in the best-case scenario, she succeeded in both killing a rich man’s son and surviving the experience, her life could well be forfeit anyway and everyone in the brothel could end up on the chopping block with her. She endangered them just as much she endangered herself. Not cool.
I also very much appreciate the distinction Maomao made clear to Jinshi about her request. This is, again, a world where any commoner anywhere can have their life taken by any noble at any time for any reason. There’s a reason Maomao wanted so badly to keep her head down and avoid notice, even avoiding credit for saving the life of a princess. It really is about the can or cannot, not the would or would not. This is the real gulf that stands between Jinshi and Maomao.
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