Content Warning: discussion of fictional sexual assault

Good news! The Apothecary Diaries season 2 will definitely have another cour, for a total of 24 episodes, which means this isn’t the season finale. Yay! I’m excited to see more without a long delay. I will continue writing episode reviews for The Apothecary Diaries season 2 in Spring 2025. (Which is already starting! I feel so far behind!)

Now, episode 36 (AKA season 2 episode 12) was excellent in terms of writing and audio-visual quality, but it left me with mixed feelings. Obviously, it was uncomfortable to see Jinshi nearly sexually assault Maomao and not face any consequences. Worse, Maomao immediately held herself responsible for “provoking” the assailant, showing the strong cultural tendency of victim-blaming and internalized misogyny.

This is definitely worth discussing further, in addition to my more general frustration with the difficulties Mamao is repeatedly forced into. Let’s get into it!

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Episode 36: Ka Zuigetsu

Episode Rating: 8/10

Jinshi tried to tell Maomao the truth about who he was. Maomao didn’t want to hear it because she knew she would be getting herself involved in dangerous politics. One thing didn’t require explanation: the fact that Jinshi wasn’t a eunuch. Maomao accidentally touched his private parts through his kimono. She quickly withdrew and tried to deny her newfound knowledge, saying that she must have touched a frog.

Maomao kept refusing to hear Jinshi out and playfully insulting his “only somewhat large frog.” Jinshi lost patience and began to sexually assault Maomao, lying her down, lifting her leg, and leaning in for a forced kiss. Maomao hesistated, wondering what to do, and if it would work to kick him off. Just then, she heard the dog from earlier. She whistled for it, and the good puppy jumped down on Jinshi, saving Maoamo from his sexual aggression. The dog led Lihaku straight to the cave.

(Side Note: in the previous episode review, I made a mistake in confusing Basen and Lihaku. Basen is still at the banquet with Shishou at this point. It was Lihaku who was cheerfully petting the dog.)

Jinshi has always been creepy and entitled when it comes to interacting with Maomao, but this is a whole new level of unacceptable. Even if he wasn’t going to actually rape Maomao, he was still using sexual force to intimidate her. Jinshi is an interesting character, but he isn’t a good person most of the time. His character is interesting in part because of his entitled and childish nature makes for a good contrast with Maomao’s maturity and humility.

Importantly, I don’t think the narrative of Apothecary Diaries was condoning Jinshi’s actions, but reproducing a likely picture from history. What would a spoiled prince in the Ming Era do when alone and frustrated with a tiny servant girl? Well, probably take advantage of her. Women and servants had little in the way of rights. Though this isn’t strictly a historical anime, it takes its setting very seriously, often drawing from history. I enjoy the realism and dark undertones of this anime, but the historical injustice will always be difficult to stomach.

It’s also sometimes difficult to deal with the fact that the odds are so stacked against Maomao and that she has so little freedom. She is constantly being used to solve Jinshi’s problems. Even Gaoshun, at the end of the day, thinks of her as a pawn. The Apothecary Diaries is largely about Maomao finding ways to express herself despite the limitations and injustices of society. That’s a big part of why the show is appealing, but it also means we see a lot of innocent people like Maomao having their rights violated.

Back to the episode at hand, Maomao had the idea to use the dog to identify the person who brought guns (Feifa) to the hunt. Maomao, Jinshi, and Lihaku worked together to catch the culprit red-handed. The nobles who were responsible were captured. Publicly, they were said to have disappeared during the hunting trip.

Later, Jinshi skipped the dinner event and went to see Maomao. The two of them talked through the closed double-doors. Jinshi apologized for “startling” Maomao earlier – an interesting way to say attempted rape. Anyway, Maomao said that Jinshi would always be Jinshi to her, regardless of what she learned. Jinshi then gave Maomao her promised reward from an earlier mission: a bag of rare ox bezoar. Maomao was delighted.

Even after acquiring the reward, Maomao refused to listen to Jinshi further, which was warranted. It’s unclear if she knows the secret now because it’s so obvious or if she’s still in the dark about Jinshi’s identity. To not have it be clear what the protagonist knows is an interesting choice. It was a slightly strange way to end the first cour of the season.

On a final note, we learned that Jinshi’s real name is Ka Zuigetsu. The royal family name, held only by the emperor and his brother, is the “Ka” part. The “Zuigetsu” part is the given name, and it means Moon Prince. That’s fitting. Anyway, that’s all for today.

~Thanks for reading~

Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants

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