There hasn’t been a single instance where Maomao faces danger and doesn’t turn it into her own amusement park. So what if she’s facing a pit of snakes? That’s just a hearty meal for her anyway. The Apothecary Diaries has a way to make you care for certain characters and have them do something extremely bizarre. This episode in particular felt like a slap in the face to me. I love Shisui/Loulan, and so her actions gave me Anakin Skywalker flashbacks.
To make matters worse, none of that made her a villain or even remotely as hateable a character as the previous emperor or Lady Shenmei. The anime has always been great with its storytelling, but where it lacked was its pacing. Ironically so, these last few episodes have been paced with such speed that you would almost forget how slow the others have been so far.
The main story isn’t The Apothecary Diaries’ strongest suit
There is no doubt that the story presented by The Apothecary Diaries is one that could get you hooked in a second. The plot drives you because of the various genres it blends together. However, it doesn’t negate character growth. Characters can grow both positively and negatively, and the anime isn’t afraid to embrace just how bad humans can be. It isn’t just about stakes; you can make your characters bad and good, but to make them so hated without knowing anything about their surrounding characters is a skill on its own.
No, I don’t know the name of every victim of the previous emperor, and no, I have never before seen a single character whom Lady Shenmei harmed. So why do I hate them so much? They have hurt a few characters we’ve learned to grow with, but that’s it. For Shenmei, her sadistic streak is so loathsome that even if her face weren’t so punchable, I would surely hope she was in the room where the gunpowder was being made when Shisui burned it down.
Everything she does is made to hurt people for her own enjoyment. She cannot even recognize her own daughter, and so it makes sense why it would be easy for Loulan and Shisui to coexist. The Forbidden Army is already on its way, so things are about to change drastically within The Apothecary Diaries.
Complexity can change perceptions
It hurts when your favorite characters do something so unforgivable that your entire world shifts from beneath your feet. You’ve learned to care for them in ways that make them more than just fictional characters, and so when you’re rooting for them, it takes a conflicting turn when you cannot anymore. What Shisui just did in this episode still had me stunned.
Maomao was able to acknowledge her friend from the girl who was left as just a puppet for her mother. This helped differentiate the actions that Shisui makes from those that Loulan makes. It doesn’t justify it, though. Shisui poisoned children, even if it was some form of mercy from Shenmei’s tainted soul.
I want to support her still, and that’s where I find myself at these crossroads. Can I still care for someone who has taken such drastic measures? This kind of duality is exactly why I love The Apothecary Diaries so much. The villains are clearly horrible people, and you loathe them, but then there are also these morally grey characters who are doing everything in their power to survive and help those around them.
Shisui and Suirei should have been problematic characters, controversial because of their actions. Instead, you feel for them and in the end, you want them to win. Maomao is just as divided as we are. She may love poison, but even she has lines she cannot cross.
Rating: 9/10
The Apothecary Diaries is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
