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It’s time to discuss the late but interesting arrival of Kusuriya no Hitorigoto / The Apothecary Diaries—with a focus on its well-fitting creative team, but
Oct 28, 2023 • Subscribe
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Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
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Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 05
The Apothecary Diaries is a bit of an unorthodox series to me in general, and not in an unappealing way
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 16
I must say, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto has an easy charm about it that I find very winning.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 18
There was a veritable tidal wave of new information here, though much of it came as confirmation rather than revelation.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 08
「麦稈」 (Mugiwara) "Wheat Stalks" Even on vacation, Mao Mao doesn't get a break
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 08
It's not as though I can point to any single extraordinary element of that episode, but it was one of my favorites so far.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 17
One way or another I think the dynamic of things has changed, and Lakan is surely at the heart of it.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 06
Palace politics are a bitch, no question about it. It seems to transcend time and place.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 07
Considering Maomao openly suspected her father of selling her off, she too is very nonchalant about this reunion.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 12
「宦官と妓女」 (Kangan to Gijo) "The Eunuch and the Courtesan" I think one of recurring themes is that there is no such thing as freedom- you’re ultimately always bound by something…
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 02
「無愛想な薬師」 (Buaisō na Kusushi) "Chilly Apothecary" Mao Mao's new job is a bizarre, yet fabulous example of the intersection between one’s skills and interests and societal needs.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 11
「二つを一つに」 (Futatsu o Hitotsu ni) "Reducing Two to One" The tangled thread of fate slowly becomes untangled centimeter by centimeter.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 10
Maomao is definitely wading into extremely shark-infested waters by looking into all this baby stuff with Ah-Duo.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 12
My track record with LN adaptations is checkered to say the least, but it's obvious that Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is no mass-produced model.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 13
As I speculated two Sundays ago, it would be impossible for Maomao to simply return to her old position as a lady-in-waiting.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 11
I thought I had this puzzle more or less figured out, but my theory is wrong on at least one part - we're one baby short.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 04
I must say, visually speaking this all worked far better for me, though I'm resigned to a return to the premiere's style.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 07
「里帰り」 (Satogaeri) "Homecoming" Shouldn't Mao Mao's family have been more worried about her?
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 14
I suppose there's a certain irony in a virgin being the one to instruct imperial consorts in the ways of seducing and pleasing men.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 09
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto has a pretty flexible moral compass, which the protagonist personifies.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 13
「外廷勤務」 (Gaitei Kinmu) "Serving in the Outer Court" Welcome back Mao Mao (or rather, Xiao Mao)
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 01
「猫猫」 (Maomao) "Maomao" Maomao is a modern scientific mind in a pre-modern world.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – 15
Lakan is a tough one to puzzle out.
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Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 32
The big question is, how much has Anshi been driving events all along?
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 38
One of the strengths of The Apothecary Diaries is that it doesn't seem to have extended troughs.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 34
If I've learned anything after 34 eps of this show it's that the more "one-off" something seems, the more you should be paying attention.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 21
If I've learned anything in following Kuuriya no Hitorigoto for five months, it's not let its moods deceive me.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 33
Much will be made of this story, surely.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 19
I've learned that with the anime version of Kusuriya at least, you never make assumptions about what sort of episode you're looking at.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 35
We passed the point a while ago where Xiaomao's cluelessness about all this stretches my credulity.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 20
Once more the theme this week is coincidence and conspiracy, and a detective's ability to spot the difference.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 29
Not for the first time, I'm struck by how unconventional this show is structurally.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 30
I would say it was pretty atypical episode in a number of ways.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 39
This has to be complicated for Loumen (though not only Loumen).
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 40
This show is usually better when the stuff that's happening matters.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 28
I've found that "there are no coincidences" is a pretty good working assumption where Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is concerned.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 41
When it comes to The Apothecary Diaries, Chekov's gun is an entire artillery brigade.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 37
A new season, a new OP and ED for Kusuriya no Hitorigoto.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 36
He's just glad to see you.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 31
When Maomao figured this out, it was such an aha moment that I actually shouted "Aha!".
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 26
If I chose one word to describe this series' narrative style it would be "languid".
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 27
Again, it's Jinshi and Xiamao manoeuvring each other like chess pieces that provides the real interest.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 23
You know Fengxian was pissed when she gave Lakan the finger.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 22
We're faced with a three-pronged fork of a question here.
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