Content warning: This article touches on the topic of a fictional pedophile and instances of pedophilia in The Apothecary Diaries. Rape of adults is also mentioned.

Thanks for visiting Anime Rants. Today, we’re reviewing The Apothecary Diaries episode 33 (AKA season 2 episode 9.) Although it was a fascinating and well-written installment, I do have one major issue with it. We learned important information about the deceased emperor (who I call Emperor Pedo), but it was framed in such a way to make him seem sympathetic on some level.

Even in fiction, I have no capacity for sympathy toward those who engaged in pedophilia. I begrudgingly allow pity for pedophiles who don’t act on their urges, but Emperor Pedo did whatever he wanted, sleeping with several children. By framing him as sympathetic, the narrative took the risk of brushing pedophilia under the rug.

I think the anime was trying to be historically accurate by making pedophilia sound like nothing more than a slightly unusual sexual preference. That’s what most people would have thought in a culture that didn’t value consent. It’s unfortunate because this makes it look a bit like the series is saying pedophilia is no big deal. I will have a bit more to say on this later when we discuss Lady Anshi again; but first, let’s review some other notes from this episode.

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Episode 33: The Late Emperor

Episode Rating: 7/10

Maomao spent the night in Suiren’s room. While looking for a book, she found a box of children’s toys. Suiren told her it was full of Jinshi’s favorite toys from when he was a child. There was a rough golden rock in there as well. Maomao said it was poison, recognizing it as orpiment. Young Jinshi had somehow acquired a toxic mineral. The viewers know he got it from the late emperor, but why did that man have it?

The next day, the answers began coming clear. Maomao investigated the late emperor’s room and found that the wallpaper on the back wall was extra thick and soft. She asked the emperor’s former slave – a speech-impaired old man – if something was hidden behind the wallpaper. He only needed to nod or shake his head in reply. However, the old man refused to acknowledge Maomao’s questions. He wanted to keep the emperor’s secret. Thus, Maomao removed the wallpaper herself.

Underneath the thick paper, there was a painting that took up a large section of the wall. It was slightly faded but beautiful, showing several women in colorful kimono gathering under a magenta flowering tree. Apparently, Emperor Pedo had a secret talent for painting. He wouldn’t have been allowed to engage in such a frivilous activity as the leader of the country, so he had to hide it.

The woman in the center of the painting was probably supposed to be Emperor Pedo’s mother. She wore yellow clothes. Maomao knew immediately that the yellow kimono was colored with paint made from crushed orpiment. Emperor Pedo was in possession of the toxic material to use it for paint. People who suffer from long-term orpiment poisoning do not degrade as quickly once they are dead. The toxin slows decompisiton. The “curse” of the late emperor was therefore solved.

The episode changed gears a little at that point and focused on Lady Anshi as she relived her memories. Originally, she was a lady-in-waiting for her older sister, who was supposed to sleep with the emperor. However, Emperor Pedo reacted insanely to the woman, shrinking away and breaking into panicked tears after she touched him. This man was probably mentally ill in addition to being a pedophile. He didn’t just prefer young girls – he also had a phobia of grown women.

Little Anshi approached Emperor Pedo and was accepted in her sister’s place. She seemed to have sympathy for the handsome, sensitive emperor. It’s even possible that Anshi fell in love – a toxic and damaging love where she was the victim. She became pregnant while still very young and almost died in labor, saved by a primitive C-section. As the years passed, Anshi became an adult, and was no longer visited by Emperor Pedo. However, he continued messing around with other little girls.

Colored by the bitter jealousy of being forgotten by the man who destroyed her, Anshi did something drastic. She snuck into the emperor’s bedchambers, got on top of him, and tormented him. It was not stated if rape was committed, but I would assume so. Emperor Pedo locked himself into isolation after that point. His only company became his mute slave and his mother. Interestingly, Emperor Pedo did not order Anshi’s death, nor did he ever reveal her actions to anyone.

Was Anshi’s torment of the emperor justified? In one sense, certainly not. As a humanist who values consent, I do not accept that rape could ever be right. However, Anshi’s actions were 1) perfectly understandable (who doesn’t dream of harming their abuser?) and 2) helpful to everyone in the long term.

I definitely won’t throw shade at Anshi for getting revenge. Because of her actions, the emperor stopped being a threat to little girls in the palace. In addition, while sexual assault is always wrong, a predator should face the consequences of his actions. Even if others do wrong to him, that’s the just rewards of being an antisocial menace to society.

As Lady Anshi thought back, she recalled the one time Emperor Pedo painted her. She was still young at the time and her favorite color to wear was yellow. Anshi then realized that the woman in the wall painting might be herself rather than the former empress. After all, the woman was wearing a similar yellow kimono.

It’s possible that Emperor Pedo never forgot Anshi, but simply stopped seeing her as sexually attractive. That would explain why he never punished her and kept painting her in secret. Either way, I have no sympathy for him. His potential emotional attachment to Anshi does nothing to make him less disgusting.

In the last scene, Anshi talked to Jinshi in the light of the sunset. She knew he was the biological son of Emperor Pedo. During the talk, Anshi asked how Jinshi felt about Maomao. He said she was very useful, but Anshi could tell there was romantic attachment under the surface. She smiled and warned Jinshi to hide his favorites, lest they be stolen away from him. This hearkened back to the earlier discussion of Jinshi’s toys when he was a child.

I do have some more thoughts about Jinshi and Maomao, but that’s a topic to discuss another time. All in all, I appreciated this episode, though I wish the framing had been slightly different. To be clear, I don’t think The Apothecary Diaries tried to defend pedophilia. It’s just that the narrative tried a little too hard to be historical and steer away from moral commentary, making it look suspicious. That’s all for today.

~Thanks for reading~

Written by 7Mononoke

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