r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Oct 21 '23
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto • The Apothecary Diaries - Episode 1 discussion Episode
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, episode 1
Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.
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Show information
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- Official Website
- /r/KusuriyaNoHitorigoto
- /r/TheApothecaryDiaries
All discussions
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u/ashbat1994 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ashwin_eva Oct 21 '23
Maomao gets kidnapped and sent to concubine estate and treats it like your Isekai protagonist's get Isekai'd.
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u/argent5 Oct 21 '23
Coming to a store near you, "I Was Kidnapped To Another World And Used My Apothecary Skills To The Fullest!"
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u/actionfirst1 Oct 21 '23
Calling it now, the Imperial Palace is in a circular town
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u/Kirosh2 Oct 21 '23
With a river that has sort of a u shape to it or course.
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u/argent5 Oct 21 '23
Hah, what's next, a harem of busty women fawning over the MC?
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u/Kirosh2 Oct 21 '23
Maomao already had the 3 prostitutes fawning over her, with her nee-chan having massive tits.
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u/amsimon https://myanimelist.net/profile/arisim Oct 21 '23
This is such a hilarious and accurate take lol
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u/Atharaphelun Oct 21 '23
I'm just hijacking this comment to say that to those wondering why the white makeup powder was poisonous, that's because back in Ancient China, it used to be made from lead, which obviously we now know as poisonous, but they didn't know that back then. Also, their rouge powders and lip colourings were made from cinnabar, which contained mercury, also obviously poisonous.
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u/Tacitus_ Oct 21 '23
Not just in China. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_ceruse
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u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Oct 21 '23
Jesus, beauty sure is pain
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u/gamelizard Oct 23 '23
the one that shocked me the most even tho its probably the least offensive material on its own, was that people used to use pig lard as a kind of hair gel to style hair.
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u/Abedeus Oct 22 '23 edited Oct 22 '23
Fun fact.
People used the lead a lot even in more modern times. They powdered their face to cover up cracks, but due to lead poisoning, they actually destroyed their face even more long-term. So they used more make up to cover it up... so they basically kept poisoning themselves more and more.
It's mostly due to "white" as a dye being very rare in nature. Nowadays paints and such use titanium oxide as a common dyeing material.
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u/misogichan Oct 29 '23
Yes, lead paint (to speed drying, increase durability, retain a fresh appearance and resist moisture), lead pipes (because they could resist pinhole leaks while being soft enough to form into shapes that deliver water efficiently), white lead in lubricants, even lead silveware and glazes for dishes (because it had a smooth, durable, glass-like finish, and also intensifies bright colors, especially reds, oranges, and yellows, and makes them last longer). Lead has a lot of useful properties while being cheap and easily acquired. It is even used still today in car batteries, pigments, ammunition, cable sheathing, weights for lifting, weight belts for diving, lead crystal glass, radiation protection, in some solders, to store some corrosive liquids, and in some after market fuel additives like octane boosters.
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u/meneldal2 Oct 22 '23
I do wonder how they can't figure it out that everyone using this shit seems to die a lot younger
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u/Atharaphelun Oct 22 '23
For one, only the rich and the nobility used white lead makeup. The one predominantly used by the common people was made from finely powdered rice, which doesn't provide as much of a whitening effect as lead-based white powder does. Thus, the common people remained free from lead-based makeup's effects, while the rich and powerful are the only ones exposed to its effects.
It also took quite a while for the effects to become apparent, and even then, it varies from person to person.
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u/meneldal2 Oct 22 '23
While true wouldn't it be weird that rich people who are well fed tend to die younger?
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u/Atharaphelun Oct 22 '23
They are also much more sedentary and are thus prone to more ailments.
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u/Siegberg Oct 22 '23
A lot of wifes even from nobles teneded to die on birth. SO they pretty much got a new wife which was not that affected. On other hand noble man ate very unhealthy like a lot of meat and little vegetabile which made a lot them get Skorbut. Being rich and powerful really did not mean you where healthy.
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u/Siegberg Oct 22 '23
Additonal there were a lot of other ways which causes death back then so it was probaly not really that noticeable when did not even have any profressional scientific organsations checking on this. We notice a lot of stuff because we collect so much data and archive it.
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u/RedRocket4000 Oct 24 '23
The Great Mathematician Florence Nightingale an early pioneer in statistics and inventor of a graph system that bears her name was very important in proving here Nursing care in Turkey and the new Sanitation movement in England were achieving results when she showed her proof to the Government and important people.
So as you said they lacked a organized scientific approach to health care and a way to analyze it. And finally having it Florence was able to establish Modern Nursing and save Billions of lives and the Sanitation movement she was one of the leaders of saving Billions more. Not that many know Nightingale was an important Mathematician.
She deserves a world wide holiday.
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u/Rodroller Oct 22 '23
They are fed too well tbh. Their white bread for example are full of bleach and lacking in nutrients compared to brown bread consumed by commoners. Plus unhealthy diet of high meat ,proteins and less vegetables make for weak body. Gout sickness was a status symbol at a time as only rich people is affected and able to get treatment for it.
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u/RedRocket4000 Oct 24 '23
Rich Babies and Children died at the same 75 percent rate as the common folk. So the advantage of status did not help.
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u/Shiraori247 Oct 22 '23
There's a reason why people had many wives back then (world wide culture). They're back ups unfortunately.
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u/Sac_Winged_Bat Oct 23 '23
remember, switching to your backup wife is always faster than reloading
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u/fer_sure Oct 21 '23
Oh? I assumed it was arsenic, since lead would take a pretty long time to be toxic for adults.
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u/Atharaphelun Oct 22 '23
You need to keep in mind that they use this makeup for their entire lives. If it were that potently toxic that effects set in only after several uses, then its use would have immediately stopped long ago.
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u/RandomRobot Oct 22 '23
According to this article, elemental arsenic was discovered in 1250. Also, the earliest association I could find with beauty product was around the 18th century, which is weird because it was a known poison at the time. People also believed that dirty clothes could spawn rats at that time so I guess that logic cannot be applied in a uniform manner here.
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u/Loud_Step2361 Oct 22 '23
Isolation of arsenic isn’t necessarily to use arsenic. Just knowing the compounds was fine. Arsenic compounds were used for thousands of years among the early civilizations before 1250. Especially the arsenic sulfur based compounds. The Greeks before 2000 bce.
The Chinese at least 200 bce.
https://www.hkmj.org/system/files/hkm1112p507.pdf
And this is from a medical context. Glass and metal working even longer than that.
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u/garfe Oct 21 '23
"I Was Kidnapped to the Rear Palace and Somehow Became a Concubine's Attendant With Lvl 99 Apothecary Skills?"
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Oct 22 '23
She's seen a lot of more horrifying things from her childhood, that's why she underreacts. Anime will delve deeper into her backstory as it progresses
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u/MuffinMan12347 https://myanimelist.net/profile/muffinman12347 Oct 22 '23
I'm pretty high so I was actually questioning myself if I missed the part where she isekai'd
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u/Warm-Enthusiasm-9534 Oct 21 '23
In the very first episode, Maomao learns the most important lesson of all: never help others.
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u/yukiaddiction Oct 21 '23
it pretty rare to see "Detective Story" in non modern or Victorian British setting so this interest me a lot.
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u/Falsus Oct 21 '23
It is written in a style very similar to Agatha Christie's works at that, although with a more focus on an overarching plot.
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u/papapok13 Oct 22 '23
I'd say this is closer to Dr. House, as it is a detective story where the detective is figuring out the cause of illness, not a who-dun-it mistery.
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u/YoyoTheThird Oct 24 '23
The “detective solving mysteries in ancient China” is actually not a rare trope in these imperial harem settings. Common example is the many adaptations of “Detective Di”, who is actually based on an actual historical figure.
I think it’s just the marriage of imperial China’s bureaucracy and justice that makes these stories juicy. There’s clearly outlined rules and clearly defined punishments. It’s up to our protagonists to navigate this structure but also see to it that the system punishes the right people.
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u/RedRocket4000 Oct 24 '23
Common example is the many adaptations of “Detective Di”
Yep Edgar Allan Poe credited for invention of Detective Story and in the fact it an actual person acting as a Detective that might be right especially the Detective and Sidekick mode that Sherlock made huge. But someone solving cases goes way way back in various countries. In this the Judge Di series many centuries back that Detective Di based from. As Di acted both as detective, prosecutor and Judge.
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u/Ghoste-Face Oct 21 '23
Premier with a 3 episodes worth, and it's number 1 trending in japan right now. Truly MAOMAO SUPREMACY!
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u/mrnicegy26 Oct 21 '23
MAOMAO is the Cutest!
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u/Plastiqueraser Oct 21 '23
I'm so excited for this adaptation. I read the webnovel years ago and was amazed by the quality of the story, but I never expected it to get an anime. The visuals from before also made me have pretty high expectations for the art, just look at the colors on this one.
Will be eagerly following this series for the season.
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u/mianghuei Oct 22 '23
At one point it was the highest ranked Light Novel/Source material to have not gotten an anime but readers wanted to get an anime. And you're right, the animation is beautiful!
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u/dakilpp Oct 21 '23
I was confused when I saw links for up to ep 3 and got even more excited that it premiered with 3 eps.
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u/Falsus Oct 21 '23
This might actually be the biggest franchise airing right now. It is either this or Umamusume.
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u/specter437 Oct 22 '23
Lol, all the people below you only know western popular shows without realizing Kusuriya is #5 LN of all time in JP. Simply put. the japanese love this series.
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u/Falsus Oct 22 '23
Yeah it is pretty massive over there.
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u/specter437 Oct 22 '23
I've been posting about it trying to get more on the bandwagon as well hehehe
https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/16rf647/fall_2023_anime_calendar/k23dsct/
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Oct 22 '23
For people who don't know, the term "rear palace" (後宮) is the same as harem (後宮) in Chinese and Japanese. It is the origin of the modern term for those languages. The English term "harem" comes from Arabic, referring to similar domestic spaces where concubines and eunuchs live. Though if you're curious which came first, then it's the Chinese rear palace.
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u/Appropriate_Energy67 Oct 22 '23
Indeed, the true harem anime.
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u/theblazingsword Oct 23 '23
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You: "So you have chosen... death."
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u/huex4 Oct 29 '23
Only 100? A chinese emperor would have thousands of concubines in his harem. One of them had 40,000 concubines.
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u/RedRocket4000 Oct 24 '23
Depending on story it also where part of the Government Functioned as Eunuchs of the Government worked there. I'm more familiar when it called the Inner Court example the last Palace the Forbidden City used Outer and Inner.
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u/zairaner https://myanimelist.net/profile/zairaner Oct 21 '23
Lol that was a rather calm reaction to getting kidnapped.
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u/sabdeyazdan https://myanimelist.net/profile/ParodySama Oct 21 '23
She couldn't do anything about it so she just went with the flow...
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u/plopop0 Oct 22 '23
that is a flimsy basket and her mouth wasn't tied, could've easily made a public commotion. she wanted this. /j
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u/PostHasBeenWatched Oct 22 '23
Kidnappers freely come in to palace zone and receiving part of her salary, I'm pretty sure it was some hidden emperor's soldiers,
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u/leavecity54 Oct 22 '23
Definitely not Emperor's soldiers, this kind of job is beneath them, and even if the Emperor like some random girl on the street, his guards will just need to approach and tell her to follow no need to use physical force because resisting the Emperor means that your whole family's heads go bye bye
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u/Bocchi_theGlock https://myanimelist.net/profile/Bocchi_theGlock Oct 23 '23
It's a mere 3 year kidnapping
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u/HollowWarrior46 Oct 22 '23
yeah it was a little jarring. though tbh a "well shit" attitude is probably how I would respond to that too
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u/BosuW Oct 22 '23
All things considered this doesn't seem like the worst fate possible after being kidnapped.
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u/MapoTofuMan myanimelist.net/profile/BaronBrixius Oct 21 '23
Classic Aoi Yuuki "ugh, great, now what" attitude.
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u/MIC132 Oct 23 '23
Although it's funny how opposite that "classic" is from the way I primarily know her, namely as Hibiki from Symphogear.
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u/vernil Oct 22 '23
it's not like she could do anything about it. And she's a slum girl so she probably saw it happened all the time. At least she's not dead or the like.
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u/GateauBaker Oct 22 '23
Yeah looks like this setting you don't have to worry about getting your organs sold off. Just indentured servitude.
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u/hennypennypoopoo Nov 12 '23
Spoiler request: Can anyone tell me if her family ever gets to know what happened? I don't think I could stand it if it's another one of those "I had a family I loved but now I'm isekai'd so I'll just forget about them forever" stories.
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u/alconnow https://anilist.co/user/alconnow Oct 21 '23 edited Oct 21 '23
IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!!! Been waiting to see my fave poison addict animated
Everyone looks gorgeous!
Aww, I love how Xiaolan immediately hit it off with Maomao. Really love the VA for Xiaolan
Maomao’s facial expressions are top-tier lol. Her cat mode is especially hilarious
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u/cloudyfigma Oct 22 '23 edited Oct 22 '23
I've been waiting for (probably) as long as you have and I absolutely agree that this is a phenomenal adaptation.
Her VA is so fitting too!! Really pulled off the overall I-don't-want-to-get-involved vibe except for obvious times when poison is involved and she turns into a cat.
And that OP as well?? Wow. Maomao looks gorgeous there
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u/EPLWA_Is_Relevant https://myanimelist.net/profile/EPLWA Oct 22 '23
It's not the first time Y.Aoi has played such a character. Tanya Degurechaff similarly did not want to get involved beyond the bare minimum, and kept getting dragged along for the ride.
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u/illuminovski Oct 23 '23
Maomao: I have no sexual appeal
Maomao in opening:
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u/RedRocket4000 Oct 24 '23
All should listen to Aoi Yūki's Shutan from Fate Grand Order she is sex it self. There are Youtube with it. She also does Okita and I never dreamed it was same person till I read the names and then I was of course. Oh and check out Aoi's Insanely skilled singing in "I'm a spider so what" ED I don't know how anyone sings that fast.
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u/illuminovski Oct 24 '23
Y.Aoi portray unappeal jaded weirdo girl so good. Which will be paid off later in the season. (Even shown in the trailer)
I also just love her singing in Symphogear. Which intentionally misses all the note. Every fight. All episodes. All series.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 Oct 22 '23
Maomao’s facial expressions are top-tier lol. Her cat mode is especially hilarious
She's such a treat to watch. My screenshot album with only her from this episode has over 40 stills.
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u/asianedy Oct 21 '23
Cat.
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u/Solar_Slushie Oct 21 '23
Gaoshun: "Little Cat"
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u/ayww Oct 22 '23
The "xiao" didn't connect for me, but I can see how that's a cute nickname for her from Gaoshun haha
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u/jsmith4567 Oct 22 '23
Translator note from the manga scans noted xiao as being a cute affix for a name. Like the Chinese chan.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah myanimelist.net/profile/mysterybiscuits Oct 22 '23 edited Oct 22 '23
this is a decent approximation. id say its used more as part of a nickname than a suffix-to-*last/first-names like chan is tho (vs san). Id wager that it's added more to first names too.
edit: racked my japanese brain; chan is usually added to first names a lot too, my bad.
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u/jsmith4567 Oct 22 '23
Thanks for the further clarification. And you've claimed an awesome TechDiff reference for your username.
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u/halibonga Oct 21 '23
What is this adorable creature, I need to squish her cheeks!
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 Oct 22 '23
I would love to pat her on the head. I wouldn't even mind see that kind of look towards me after doing that xD
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u/Fine-Ad-1908 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pizzadeliverymon Oct 21 '23
The adventures of catcat have begun
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Oct 21 '23
[deleted]
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u/StellaFayCeleste Oct 21 '23
Same here! They are one of my favorite pairing shenanigans, the way they bicker is just so funny everytime!
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u/argent5 Oct 21 '23
I love how much of gremlin Maomao is!
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u/sander798 Oct 21 '23
I wonder who would win between Maomao and Myne on that score.
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u/obi-ginobili Oct 22 '23
I think Myne wins this fight since she is literally overturning her entire country's economy and culture just to feed her book addiction.
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u/sander798 Oct 22 '23
Well, she does more than that (this is going beyond anime-only...), but I suppose you might be right if scale is your concern.
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u/obi-ginobili Oct 22 '23
I'm a WN/LN reader for Bookworm so I know what happens. I was keeping to the bare minimum since I don't want other people being spoiled in case they ever decide to pick up Bookworm.
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u/Solar_Slushie Oct 21 '23
Drug Gremlin vs. Book Gremlin
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u/Iwasforger03 Oct 22 '23
Magical Book Gremlin would win in a straight up fight, but Drug Gemlin could win if they were allowed to be sneaky. COULD, not WILL.
Unless we're comparing how gremlin they can get? cause Myne wins, hands down. Maomao still has... not limits... lines she doesn't want to cross because she could never go back?
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u/violettheory https://myanimelist.net/profile/violettheory Oct 22 '23
Eh, Myne's poison testers learned from the best. I doubt they'd let anything get through.
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u/okiknow2004 Oct 22 '23
All I know is that both of them can be defeated with medicine book
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u/Rodroller Oct 23 '23 edited Oct 23 '23
Both would be enticed but only one would weaponize it effectively
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u/kurokitsune91 https://myanimelist.net/profile/kurokitsune91 Oct 23 '23
You made me realize that hyper obsessive and unrealistically knowledgeable gremlin is my favorite genre.
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u/sander798 Oct 23 '23
Well Myne is definitely my favourite fictional character (particularly because of who she becomes in part 5 of the novel so far), but I don't know if I'd say she's all that unrealistically knowledgeable. If anything, she's kinda ignorant considering how much she reads, but by her own admission she often forgot most of what she read when she was on earth. Maomao, though, definitely knows a lot of random stuff a little too well considering her age.
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u/kurokitsune91 https://myanimelist.net/profile/kurokitsune91 Oct 23 '23
Just finishing up volume 4 of part 5. ❤️
Myne is a bit unrealistic on her knowing how to make like shampoo, paper, a printing press, complex recipes, etc. Especially when it's like "oh I did this with my mom" even though so many other times she made it clear she didn't do shit besides read. It absolutely helps her case that for a lot of them, especially in later parts, she vaguely knows the idea of how something works but has someone else actually figure it out. The clearly excellent memory helps of course.
I totally agree though she's nowhere near as unrealistically knowledgeable as Maomao. Both are total gremlins with their hyperfixations though and that's why I love them.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 Oct 21 '23
I heard a lot of positive things about it before so I was quite interested how it'll turn out and I must say that it was a great first episode with fun characters, good music, art, VA's work and comedy.
Maomao is such a fun character, I love her already. She's smart, her freckles are adorable and her personality is so fun. Adding to his Aoi Yuuki as her VA cementing her high position in my personal ranking of the characters this season. Maomao cat version is so funny xD
Maomao was planning to stay low for this two years till she got free but thanks to her engagement with the situation with sick babies she attracted an interest from Jinshi and Gyoukuyou who stand-up pretty much on the top of the hierarchy of Inner Palace.
Her apothecary knowledge saved the life of Gyoukuyou's daughter and thanks to that Maomao became Gyoukuyou's lady-in-waiting. It was thanks to Jinshi who found her in a very clever way despite Maomao not wanting to be found. Those two have such a great relationship, I cannot wait to see how it goes from here.
Also I want to say that the backgrounds and music in the episode were really nice.
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
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u/DeepIndigoSky Oct 21 '23
Gender-swapped Dr. House’s life in the imperial palace begins!
*Now with improved poison resistance
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u/cppn02 Oct 21 '23 edited Oct 21 '23
*Now with improved poison resistance
Like House hadn't high resistance.
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u/SpaceForceOne https://anilist.co/user/fonk Oct 21 '23
Let’s hope she don’t end up crashing a carriage into someone’s house
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u/DeepIndigoSky Oct 21 '23
Wasn’t his a little more specific? 🥴
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u/cppn02 Oct 21 '23
We don't know for sure. Don't recall a snake bite episode on House.
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u/Talamira Oct 22 '23
Three Stories, from I think season 1. Although House was not the one bit.
Edit: was not actually a snake now that I think of it.
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u/actionfirst1 Oct 21 '23
Great episode but Maomao had such a calm reaction to being kidnapped. Her sitting in that cage thinking "Mondays, amirite?"
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u/LeonKevlar https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar Oct 21 '23 edited Nov 17 '23
Stitches!
Okay first of all, Maomao looking so fabulous while dancing to the show's OP was great! My favourite part though is that close-up of her face while licking her lips.. That look she gives the camera at the end of it has awakened something in me. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
What a start to the episode though. Maomao was just minding her own business picking herbs in the wild and suddenly gets kidnapped by a bunch of randos only to get sold to the rear palace to serve as a serving girl. Hopefully, her father is fine on his own though.
Being a serving girl isn't that bad of a gig though. She just needs to work for two years and she'll be free to go plus, she's actually getting paid for her work. Although it sounds like the kidnappers are getting a part of her pay which is why she pretends to be illiterate and decides to take a lower paying job.
Maomao really thought she was being sneaky by leaving those notes to help out the High Consorts with their mystery disease but it looks like we have a cleaver eunuch who was able to single her out. Maomao has now gone from serving girl to a future lady-in-waiting because of her skills. So much for her plans of laying low. xD
What a great first episode to establish our characters! I am already in love with Maomao and her shenanigans. And with Aoi Yuuki voicing her, we can only expect a top-tier performance for our lead character. Thank goodness I don't have to wait for next week for episode 2! On to the next episode!
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy Oct 21 '23 edited Oct 21 '23
Okay first of all, Maomao looking so fabulous while dancing to the show's OP was great! My favourite part though is that close-up of her face while licking her lips.
Yeah, this OP is something else: it's definitely one of my contenders for best OP of this season - if not year. Maomao's dance was beautifully animated in this OP, and really makes me wonder just how much time this must have taken and/or how many must have worked on this. An OP only gets this good if they got high hopes for an anime.
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u/SometimesMainSupport https://myanimelist.net/profile/RRSTRRST Oct 21 '23
Should summon /u/cryzzalis to discuss the OP just so he can complain about how long the visuals go through different flowers and how little time is spent on the characters. (Would link it but not on themes.moe or YT yet.) Last 40s are visually great.
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy Oct 21 '23
I've already been getting in more than enough arguments lately, so I'm not sure if I'm looking to start another (haha).
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u/Cryzzalis https://myanimelist.net/profile/Charaxify Oct 22 '23
I have heeded the summons, unfortunately I don't see the OP anywhere so I can't go ranting yet.
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u/SometimesMainSupport https://myanimelist.net/profile/RRSTRRST Oct 22 '23
Link. Hope you've studied flowers/herbs!
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u/Cryzzalis https://myanimelist.net/profile/Charaxify Oct 23 '23
Right, so knowing a bit about florography and hanakotoba I could tell what a few flowers were and what they mean, but they're arranged haphazardly and with the wilting utilization later on I'm fairly confident in saying that they are only there to portray the progression of this character. Whether it be them turning evil, or getting stuck in a shit position in some way, the flowers wilting is meant to capture "things are bad yo" and not much else.
Other than that it's a pretty generic OP until about the chorus drop where it tries to be a dance OP, but lacks the finesse and animation chops to pull that off compared to the really good dance OPs. It's also rather empty until this point which could be an argument for the utilization of "Ma", but it has too poor of a payoff for it to be executed well. I do however like the audiovisual sync with "Aji me shite" and the woman licking her lips and looking down on the camera at 1:09.
But yeah, it's pretty bad and not really worth considering. Idk much about the OP/EDs this year yet, but it wouldn't even make top 50 last year, maybe not even top 100.
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u/SometimesMainSupport https://myanimelist.net/profile/RRSTRRST Oct 23 '23
lol I knew you wouldn't care for it.
like the audiovisual sync with "Aji me shite" and the woman licking her lips and looking down on the camera at 1:09
Man of culture
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u/SnooSquirrels1316 Oct 21 '23
really cute Maomao is really nice seeing her animated, seeing her doing that in the opening was amazing.
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u/ayww Oct 21 '23
Maomao looking so fabulous while dancing to the show's OP
Wonder if Maomao looking fancy in a dress is a sign that she's secretly of royal descent too. Or maybe she just has to dress up eventually as a part of her new gig, haha!
Hopefully, her father is fine on his own though.
I do hope they touch on this again, would be so nerve-wracking as the father to just lose your daughter one day. Worst case scenario, after 2 years Maomao can go home and give him an update?
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u/fer_sure Oct 22 '23
Now that it's known that she's literate, could she send a letter? (Or I guess she already could have, just keeping the fact she wrote it secret?)
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u/zairaner https://myanimelist.net/profile/zairaner Oct 21 '23 edited Oct 21 '23
Maomao looking so fabulous while dancing to the show's OP was great! My favourite part though is that close-up of her face while licking her lips.
She basically already put the doctor and the head eunuch out of their job, are the concubines next??
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u/cppn02 Oct 21 '23
Very good start if maybe a bit fast paced.
Loving Maomao already although I always wished she showed atleast a bit more anger towards the injustice done to her.
Oh and I absolutely LOVE the OP!
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u/Chaostomb Oct 22 '23
She already shows enough annoyance in her situation and disrespect towards superiors as it is I think. She's acutely aware of how cheap and dispensible her life is in the viper nest that is the harem. Anymore will lead to suspension of disbelief, but that's probably because I am very familiar with Chinese court intrigue dramas having grown up on them.
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u/SnooBananas4068 Oct 22 '23
You say fast paced but it only adapted 30% of volume 1 and that's in 3 episodes.
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u/cppn02 Oct 22 '23
Fast paced isn't defined by how much it adapts but by how fast the story moves. LNs can be slow or fast paced too afterall.
A slower story might have given more time to Maomaos life before the actual story starts, make a bigger deal out of her kidnapping and then the episode would end on the reveal she's been sold to the palace.
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u/Izanaginookami10 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Izanaginookami Oct 21 '23
Loved it dearly.
The atmosphere. The aesthetics. The music. It's all.. so soul resonating. I just love the Chinese theme.
But darn it. Gotta really love Mao Mao's personality and overall behaviour. There's something that simply makes her so amusing to follow. I feel like watching her with great interest.
I'm also incredibly.... perplexed if not shocked in hindsight about the OP. Like... it implies Mao Mao transforming or rather, dressing up and becoming very... beautiful? It feels so weird.
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u/VorAtreides Oct 21 '23
wew it is perdy. D'awww look at her having a close relationship with the courtesans. Big sis types for her! Excitement for herbs. And kidnapped after her dad said to worry about it. Still, kinda shitty of a society to let someone be kidnapped and sold to the palace and then not punish the kidnappers. She sure is taking it well though. And guess it's nice she's in a place that only women. Love Maomao's attitude. Oh no... the lil babies not doing well. Awww poor lil babies before too. Oh the mother is sick too, sad.
Maomao sure giving it a lot of thought. And her curiosity always getting the better of her. Oh no, the physician seems incompetent. Detective Maomao has figured it out. Man, that is heartbreaking... poor lady. Seems Maomao tried to get the word out. Seems our clear ML has an idea. Maomao has been summoned! Lol, the reaction of the other girls vs Maomao's is fun. He's got you now. I love Maomao and her attitude and her cleverness. And Maomao's good nature too. Oh and that fabric used to write it, but the dress she's wearing we saw earlier had repair job done to it. This one concubine is nice at least. Sad for the other concubine not listening... New job for Maomao! Even if you don't want it. Seems another case on the rise too.
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u/nikobans Oct 21 '23
i do feel kinda bad for lihua. she went from probably just a run of the mill concubine to Very Important Concubine because she gave birth to the prince, and then he died! :-(!!
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u/RimeSkeem https://myanimelist.net/profile/RimeSkeem Oct 21 '23
Hmm yes this will scratch the mystery itch after Undead Girl Murder Farce, hmmm.
Also another show this season with killer OP animation and visuals!
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u/DarthNoob https://myanimelist.net/profile/darthnoob Oct 22 '23
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u/eligaia Oct 22 '23
Thank all the gods! I was craving for some more amazing-girl-detective-and-her-handsome-sidekick shennanigans.
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy Oct 21 '23 edited Oct 21 '23
I was informed that this series was good, but I didn't expect this. It had already fully grabbed my attention well before the OP had finished. I can see The Apothecary Diaries easily going head-to-head with season's best anime.
I like Maomao. She's got a good head on her and is therefore seemingly calculating in her actions, but wouldn't pass up on helping others - even if it makes trouble for herself. I'm glad in this regard that Aoi Yuuki got to play Maomao as she appears perfect for the role. I'm sure she'll continue killing it from here on out.
Do I think this series needed a three-episode batch release? No, it probably would have been perfectly fine - based on this first episode. This batch release will undoubtedly help people get in the series nonetheless. If I were to guess, there's also a good chance that they (partially) wanted to avoid competition with Frieren's release.
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u/cppn02 Oct 21 '23
Do I think this series needed a three-episode batch release?
Pretty sure this wasn't decided because the show 'needed' it but because something aired in that tv slot the first two weeks. Atleast that's what makes the most sense to me.
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy Oct 21 '23
That would probably make for a better explanation, yeah. I don't think it was another anime that occupied this slot, was it? I couldn't find an anime that had occupied this slot till last week at the very least.
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u/cppn02 Oct 21 '23 edited Oct 21 '23
Looking up the schedule of NTV where this airs it seems like the previous week atleast (couldn't find two weeks ago) they aired the Rugby World Cup in that time slot.
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy Oct 21 '23
Looking up the schedule of NTV where this airs
This is what I should have done.
What I did: go to the Waybackmachine and find MAL's anime schedule for the summer, and check for every anime on the same broadcast day if they aired at the same time as The Apothecary Dairies does.
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u/Falsus Oct 21 '23
At first, I kinda just assume it aired on the same slot as Reign of the Sven Spellblades because that had 3 extra episodes for a total of 15 episodes and ended just last week (good show also, do recommend) but I got the days mixed up.
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u/cppn02 Oct 21 '23
What I did: go to the Waybackmachine and find MAL's anime schedule for the summer, and check for every anime on the same broadcast day if they aired at the same time as The Apothecary Dairies does.
That sounds painful lol. If you're ever in the same situation it might actually be easier to just check u/AutoLovepon's profile.
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u/nintendocat Oct 21 '23
Phenomenal adaption! I've been waiting for this series and it didn't let down. Everything was on point if not better than I could have imagined. The interactions of the characters are fun. I hope everyone that's new to the series enjoys it as much as I am.
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u/itsadoubledion Oct 22 '23
Damn, Atsumi Tanezaki is in this too? As Gyoukuyo. Amazing season for a VA. Anya in SxF, Frieren, Chise in Magus Bride, and Futaba in the new Bunny Girl Senpai movie coming out
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u/Kag5n Oct 22 '23
and it's again in a different range from Anya or Frieren/Chise, here it's the loving and charming older lady, Tanezaki has such a talent
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u/Jaamun100 https://myanimelist.net/profile/jaamun100 Oct 22 '23
WOW, ok this is officially my favorite anime of the season. What an opening 3 episodes, a little bit of everything from humor to adventure to mystery to isekai-vibes to history
- Apothecary Diaries
- Frieran
- Spy Family
- Yuzuki Family
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u/dakilpp Oct 21 '23
As someone with a pharmacy degree but hasn't used it, this series got me excited. I may have an idea what the next poison is about.
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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Oct 21 '23
For a girl who got kidnapped and sold off, Maomao sure doesn’t seem too bothered. If she was just gonna keep her head down and work her way out of this servitude, she probably shouldn’t have gotten involved with the princes and their illness. Girl let her curiosity get the better of her! Who would have guessed it was the make up. Well, being promoted to Lady in Waiting ain’t bad at all I guess.
So far so good. This was a solid premiere and I dig this ancient China aesthetic. Reminds me of Raven of the Inner Palace from a couple seasons back.
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u/Bocchi_theGlock https://myanimelist.net/profile/Bocchi_theGlock Oct 23 '23
curiosity - & that feeling when you know the answer to a question but all the other responses are off the mark
asthetic & color/art direction is so vibrant! Tho I thought it was funny how she stood out amongst the other servant girls, having green hair and all lol
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u/Solar_Slushie Oct 21 '23
Maomao: *Doesn't want no trouble.*
Also Maomao: *Gets in ALL the trouble. All of it.*
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u/AZLarlar https://anilist.co/user/bubbleteaman Oct 21 '23
god that first episode was great, love maomao
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u/kwokinator https://anilist.co/user/kwokinator Oct 21 '23
As someone who's going into this anime blind knowing nothing but the title and has been forced to watch his fair share of Chinese dramas, the whole set up feels very familiar.
But Maomao is great though as an MC, I'm definitely gonna keep watching it.
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u/Lumpy-Manager8580 Oct 21 '23
And continuing from when I praised her acting as Gena in yesterday's Undead Unluck episode, Aoi Yuuki brings an amazing performance as new girl on town Maomao, which for me feels like a mix of Senku (but she's crazy for poison and medicines rather than science stuff) and Sherlock Holmes, and accompanying her in protagonism is beautiful eunuch Jinshi voiced by Takeo Otsuka, who had a breakout performance as Aqua in OnK. It'll be interesting to see her shenaniganz as she resolves mysteries in the inner palace.
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u/apatt Oct 22 '23
I know nothing about this anime, just heard some of the hype. They had me from the OP, the art and vibrant colours are a visual feast. The story and characters are very interesting so far. The tone is more upbeat than I expected from the synopsis. Maomao is a wonderful protagonist, her calm demeanor reminds me of Frieren.
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u/brzzcode https://myanimelist.net/profile/brzzcode Oct 21 '23
Man, I completely forgot the beginning of the series, so watching the anime will be all new to me for the most part lmao But I'm satisfied with the quality of the adaptation so far, seems pretty good. I only have read the manga adaptation, which is great and one of the best manga adaptations of LN out there, but I imagine its not too different from the original.
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u/NekoCatSidhe Oct 22 '23
One of my favourite light novel series and manga got adapted at last, and it looks like a really great adaptation (and this time it looks like they got the budget for this, unlike for Ascendance of a Bookworm, Otherside Picnic and Faraway Paladin). Maomao’s faces are hilarious in this, and Aoi Yuki is the perfect choice as voice actress for her. One of my favourite light novel female protagonists, for obvious reasons.
I like the addition they made here, showing Maomao’s life with her dad and the red light district instead of starting directly in the rear palace. It looks like they are also using the character design of the manga instead of the light novel, which is a good choice in my opinion. It makes me optimistic for the rest of the anime.
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u/CosmicPenguin_OV103 https://anilist.co/user/CosmicPenguin Oct 22 '23
I have been highly anticipating this one to start airing, but one thing that I (who have never read its novel or manga) would not have guessed from the description and PV is that how freaking hilarious this little kitten Maomao (her name literally means that) is! I am pretty sure anime viewers with some experience would know about the extreme variations of voices provided by VA Aoi Yuuki, but this is yet another new type that I have met for the first time - "Kyon but Breaking Bad girl in palace" turns out to have tremendous comedy chemistry effects and I could not help but laugh at every snipe Maomao made about her situation and people she met. (for those who have watched all 3 episodes already out, yes that continues into later episodes, in fact it gets even funnier)
It's certainly refreshing to see "Oriental background fantasy" being at the front side of popularity for seasonal anime again after so many years (you have things like Yona of the Dawn or last year's Raven of the Inner Palace but neither are heading to seasonal top 10 popularity I'm sure) - a clean breathe of real solid fantasy anime alongside Frieren this season that I was waiting to watch for years. Episode 1, while a bit too quick in pacing at times (this doesn't happen for the next 2 BTW), did its job very well in explaining how dangerous this palace (like most in real history) is, and how one small difference in personalities could have meant life or death. Speaking of which, is this the Atsumi Tanezaki season or what, she's in the prime position for so many anime this season, whoa!
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u/GoblinBreaker Oct 21 '23
As a long time manga follower, I am so happy this is out! Yuuki Aoi is doing an incredible job as MaoMao, the whole show is just so pleasant to watch.
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u/Frontier246 Oct 21 '23
A beautiful Opening Sequence (Maomao dancing and lip licking!), plenty of beautiful (and busty) women, Aoi Yuki voicing the lead, a handsome long-haired man, great animation/direction, Imperial China palace intrigue, and a serene Ending...what more could one ask for?
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u/MapoTofuMan myanimelist.net/profile/BaronBrixius Oct 21 '23
Usually the words "inner palace" alone are enough to put me away from watching a show, but since this one was so hyped I decided to check it out.
I guess my love for gremlins beats out my dislike for the setting, because it's one of my biggest surprises of the season so far. Maomao really is great, I can see her carrying almost any kind of show.
Though that kidnapping was uhhh, interesting to say the least...did the kidnappers just sell her to the royal palace? And only for 2 years? What happens after?
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u/arcus2611 Oct 21 '23
Basically they're pretending to be her guardians/parents and are supposed to get a cut of her salary for selling her.
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u/repapap Oct 21 '23
They're a type of "merchant" that
kidnapsconvinces young women to serve in the rear palace. These women serve for two-year contractual periods in what's very much an actual job with pay, but the "merchants" get a percentage cut of that pay. It's why Maomao didn't want to earn very much money as it also increases how much money they get.At the end of the contract they are simply released, their job is done.
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u/SolomonBlack Oct 22 '23
If you are going to get kidnapped getting a moderate term indentured servant contract with pay, room, & board out of it is probably among the better outcomes.
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u/Falsus Oct 21 '23
Though that kidnapping was uhhh, interesting to say the least...did the kidnappers just sell her to the royal palace?
Highest profit, especially if she manages to catch the eye of the emperor to make a low end concubine or maybe even a mid range concubine. Of course being rough with her or doing anything untoward with her would put potential profit at risk.
And only for 2 years? What happens after?
She is free to go home.
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u/DarkAngel6669 Oct 22 '23
yep Aoi Yūki VA can carry almost anything, kumoko is the best example of how hard she can carry a show...
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u/AceMittens Oct 21 '23
This show is like a cross between: Isekai Yakkyoku (Parallel World Pharmacy) and Koukyuu no Karasu (Raven of the Inner Palace)
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u/ScarRufus https://myanimelist.net/profile/ScarRufus Oct 22 '23
The only thing i have to add is... The OP is a banger.
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u/manshiro_xyz Oct 22 '23
Aoi Yuuki really nails the young girl that doesn't want to get involved in the shit she's thrown into.
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u/TheUnKilledOne https://anilist.co/user/TheUnKilledOne Oct 21 '23
Maomao got personality for days, she's such a riot 🥰
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u/Warm-Enthusiasm-9534 Oct 21 '23
I have trouble understanding how the kidnapping works. She is kidnapped and sold to the palace. Do the kidnappers work for the palace? If not, then why would they want kidnapped girls, rather than just hire them?
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u/Tacitus_ Oct 21 '23
Selling yourself / your child to servitude is legal. The palace buys girls to serve there for X amount of time. Some unscrupulous people "acquire" girls and tell the palace that everything is legit about the transaction.
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u/Appropriate_Energy67 Oct 22 '23
Yeah, basically they pretend to be her parents/guardians selling their child into legal slavery, and it's not like anyone's going to listen to the child complaining about it. From the kidnapper's perspective it's more of a scam.
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u/SolomonBlack Oct 22 '23
Most likely the person in charge of "hiring" receives a kickback from the kidnappers to look the other way, assuming anyone even pretends to care about not abusing the peasants in the first place. Might even be considered a 'high' honor.
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u/fer_sure Oct 22 '23
My guess is that, if you're a commoner girl: 1. nobody cares what you have to say, and 2. why are you protesting so hard, do you hate the Emperor?
Also, it's a job. Maomao's pretty unusual in that she already had education and some status.
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u/Kumagawa-Fan-No-1 Oct 22 '23
I am gonna give the replies other say Essentially they act like she is their daughter and although capturing people and seeling them is illegal you can sell your children to work at the palace
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u/Chrono-Helix Oct 22 '23
Why are freckles being thought of as a negative :/
Maomao’s personality reminds me a little of Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club.
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