Highlights
- The Apothecary Diaries stands out with its impeccable art and animation, making it one of the best-looking shows this season.
- The unique historically-influenced setting, resembling ancient China, adds intrigue and allows for creative storytelling without being bound by historical events.
- With mysterious medical cases, tense political drama, and an amazing female lead in Maomao, the series offers a compelling storyline and captivating characters.
It's been about one month since the Fall 2023 anime season started, and most viewers have already decided what anime they'll be watching. There are a lot of potential hits this season, as well as a few shows that are guaranteed to be in the running for anime of the year.
With all these shows coming out, it's possible to overlook a show like The Apothecary Diaries, which is not as widely known and even starting airing later than the other shows. Nevertheless, The Apothecary Diaries is a great show that should not be missed. Here are a few reasons why anime fans should be watching this hidden gem.
5 Impeccable Art & Animation
The Apothecary Diaries may not be an action-heavy series, but that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve top-notch animation and artwork. While there are no exciting action scenes, there are plenty of opportunities for the show to brandish its luxurious animation. Along with its vibrant color palettes and striking character designs, The Apothecary Diaries is one of the best-looking shows this season, even amongst shows like Frieren and Jujutsu Kaisen.
Fall 2023 Preview: The Apothecary Diaries
Enter the secretive world of The Apothecary Diaries, where mysteries unravel amidst imperial intrigue and a brilliant apothecary.
The animation work is helmed by Toho Animation Studio and OLM. While Toho Animation Studio is a relative newcomer to animation, OLM has worked on several massive children's franchises like Cardfight! Vanguard, Inazuma Eleven, and Beyblade. While this pedigree might seem odd to put in charge of a series like The Apothecary Diaries, it's clear that both studios are doing their best to make this anime the best it can be.
4 Unique Historically-Influenced Setting
While the world and culture of The Apothecary Diaries is evocative of China, the setting is not exactly China itself. This might not be readily apparent, as many of the characters have Chinese names and much of the royal hierarchy and workings are based largely on how ancient Chinese royal palaces used to function.
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Still, even if the story is not necessarily set in historical China, it still benefits from being able to associate with that era while having the freedom to make liberal changes if needed. Ancient China is a fascinating and eventful historical time period, and The Apothecary Diaries emulates much of the drama that occurs in the era without having to make concessions for actual historical events.
3 Mysterious Medical Cases
The world of The Apothecary Diaries is incredibly primitive in its study of medical knowledge. The majority of the characters lack fundamental awareness of things like poisonous substances, and things that have a rather simple cause are sometimes blamed on curses and evil spirits. As the setting evokes ancient China, a period set hundreds of years before many medical and scientific revolutions, it's not surprising that this kind of thinking is common.
Maomao, the main character of The Apothecary Diaries, is one of the few characters to have any kind of scientific knowledge. Her levelheadedness allows her to notice things that most others would be unable to. The main premise of the series sees her come into contact with a slew of mysterious medical cases, each one testing her knowledge of her craft. Fans of medical dramas and mysteries should enjoy watching her deduce the true cause of a bizarre symptom, or the reason behind a patient's worsening condition.
2 Tense Political Drama
The story takes place in the royal palace, where the Emperor, his servants, and his concubines live. Knowing this, it's almost certain that some kind of political drama will occur at some point. The royal palace is one of the most important locations in the country, after all, and it's so protective that only men that have become eunuchs are allowed to enter.
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Naturally, there are a lot of important people in the palace, many of whom Maomao comes in contact with over the course of the series. Whether it be the administrating eunuch Jinshi or top concubines like Gyokuyou or Lihua, Maomao ends up meeting a lot of people that give her (and the viewers) more insight into the workings of the palace. While medical cases remain the main focus of The Apothecary Diaries, the setting of the story dictates that some form of political backdrop will be involved at some point.
1 An Amazing Female Lead
Good female leads in anime don't always come easily, but even among the better examples, Maomao blows most of them out of the water. Snarky, intelligent, and prudent, Maomao makes a big impression even in her first episode, and later episodes only do more to bring out the more compelling aspects of her character. Maomao is lots of fun, from her general dismissiveness towards the palace's daily affairs to her almost disturbing obsession with drugs.
That's not the only thing that makes Maomao work so well. There's also the characters around her that she interacts with frequently, such as the eunuch Jinshi and the other servants she works with. Her relationship with Jinshi is hilarious, due to her revulsion to Jinshi's charms. Despite this, her dislike of him only eggs him on more, and the two constantly butt heads. Yet, they work well together, especially when there's a medical mystery that Jinshi needs Maomao to solve.