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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.
Mar 15, 2025 • Subscribe
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Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) Episode 34 – Analysis + Important Details
This episode seems very different from that of what came before given Maomao indicated some things are simply beyond her understanding. The episode opens with Lady Hongniang introducing…
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) – 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) – 22
We're faced with a three-pronged fork of a question here.
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) – 23
You know Fengxian was pissed when she gave Lakan the finger.
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) – 24 (Season Finale)
Credit where it’s due - this is a really good adaptation of what’s clearly a good source material.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – 25 (Season Premiere)
Airing as it does in premiere week, it's easy to see that this show stands on a different level that most of the schedule.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto – Episode 34 Review
「怪談」 (Kaidan) "A Ghost Story" The broken telephone chain game nature of folklore is precisely why I find them fascinating.
Watching Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) instead of reading it
The books are more emphatic than the anime about Jinshi's unrealized potential to be the hottest chick in the palace.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
Plot: Maomao, an apothecary’s daughter, has been plucked from her peaceful life and sold to the lowest echelons of the imperial court. Now merely a maid, Maomao settles…
The Apothecary Diaries, episode 34
Rating: B+ To this point the series has studiously eschewed mystical explanations for anything, always going with the approach of the level-headed Maomao finding the practical explanation for…
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) – Episode 25 (Season 2 Ep. 1) Analysis + Important Details
It’s really nice to have The Apothecary Diaries back given how weak this season of anime looks. Jinshi and Gaoshun visit all the concubines, and one thing of…
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) Episode 32 (Season 2 Episode 8) – Analysis + Important Details
The episode leads with Maomao being assigned to the storage shed as punishment for scaring Yinghua with the salamander tail she caught. It flashes back to a hilarious…
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) Episode 31 (Season 2 Episode 7) – Analysis + Important Details
While this episode was less eventful than the previous ones, there are a number of interesting things introduced in it, and it retained the very high quality of…
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) Episode 30 (Season 2 Episode 6) – Analysis + Important Details
This episode leads with the woman from the clinic who showed Ailan a room she could stay in last episode, and we find out her name is Shenlü…
Kusuriya No Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) Episode 33 (Season 2 Episode 9) – Analysis + Important Details
Continuing from the previous episode, Maomao sees the urgency in the situation since the building the late Emperor stayed in was going to be demolished, which would mean…
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 – 01
「猫猫」 (Maomao) "Maomao" Maomao is a modern scientific mind in a pre-modern world.
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?