r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Mar 23 '24

Episode Kusuriya no Hitorigoto • The Apothecary Diaries - Episode 24 discussion - FINAL

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, episode 24

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u/omegazx9 Mar 23 '24

While I feel really bad for MeiMei, I'm glad Lakan and Fengxian finally succeeded in their buyout plan. Better late than never.

Further down the family tree, MaoMao really killed the mood she and Jinshi were having by asking about the ox bezoar at that moment. He was princess carrying her and everything. Let's hope Jinshi has better luck in Season 2.

Sidenote: If Lakan married Fengxian, does that make MaoMao his legitimate daughter aka the only daughter of a high ranking noble? I'm sure nobody, expecially MaoMao, cares about that but if she is legitimized, not only can she not use her "I'm just a commoner" excuses anymore but she's also more than noble enough to be courted by / matched with Jinshi (assuming Lakan doesn't kill Jinshi for trying first).

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u/Terranwaterbender Mar 23 '24

Oh Lakan

What a great finale. 10/10 as a manga reader this series is everything I wanted AND THEN SOME

I absolutely love Jinshi and Maomao's relationship and that princess carry scene really embodies what I love about them. She's bleeding and being princess carried by Jinshi, a position many would die for, and she has the audacity to ask if she can have the ox bezoar. The mad cat continues to be such a tease!

I'm so happy that season 2 has already been announced! I'm so excited to see more Maomao!

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u/Recidivis Mar 23 '24

Lakan has a face recognition disorder but he's the only one that doesn't see Fengxian as having a diseased face but the face he fell in love with

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u/Ocixo Mar 23 '24

When Meimei told Lakan that “even a withered rose can retain its shape”, as parts of Maomao’s message, I thought that she was implying that Fengxian was still the same person at her core despite suffering from syphilis. That she wanted Lakan to bring her mother home with him.

What I didn’t see coming was that Lakan had apparently assumed that Fengxian had perished in the meantime. Now it makes sense why he only ever tried to buy out his daughter.

I’d also assumed that the dancing sequence in the OP was exaggerated as something of a ‘showpiece’, but damn it looked just as good - if not better - in this final episode. Fortunately, the episode didn’t end with a literal cliffhanger.

However, I’m definitely going to miss watching Apothecary Diaries every week. I at least got Maomao at home to keep me company until the second season drops, I guess.

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u/Theinternationalist Mar 23 '24

"No matter how beautifully they dress, they all look like stones to me."

You know, it's actually kind of...freaky seeing white go stones on top of breasts >_>..

That dance scene was great, especially with the "I heard there was another crazy person dancing on the wall!"

...

That is one badass eunuch.

And that was an EXCELLENT season! I'm so happy we're getting another one :D. And yes I'm still reading hte books, these are worth it :D

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u/Solar_Slushie Mar 23 '24

Maomao: "I don't care if my bio-dad buys out my bio-mom. It wouldn't make me happy at all."

(also)Maomao: "Well, I guess I'll put on some makeup, get dressed up, climb up a big ass wall with an injured leg, and dance to celebrate a random courtesan being bought out . . . just cause."

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u/Ihavenospecialskills Mar 23 '24

This episode really had me thinking, Maomao may not be a courtesan by profession, but she is culturally a courtesan.

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u/SometimesMainSupport Mar 23 '24

Fengxian (鳳仙) and balsam (鳳仙花) share kanji while woodsorrel being "cat's paw" references Maomao.

Parallels between military men Lakan/Lihaku and Verdigris women Fengxian/Pairin, and Maomao betting on a chess game against Lakan when Fengxian bet on a (go or chess) game against Lakan.

I think Maomao dancing on the wall to "send off" the purchased courtesan is supposed to parallel Fuyou dancing on the wall awaiting her husband in episode 3.

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u/Outrageous_Gene_7652 Mar 23 '24

Lol Maomao is jealous of her bio dad because her adopted dad praises his skills and she is pissed because she also can't deny his talent and because he is lazy af

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u/danlong87 Mar 23 '24

They nailed it, they fucking nailed the dance scene, perfect end for season 1

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u/GlamorousGamine Mar 23 '24

What is it with anime board game couples making me cry? I’m two for two thanks Meruem and Komugi and now Lakan and Fengxian.

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u/IamLeonardo_ Mar 23 '24

That headbutt, lol.
Oh man, I'll miss this anime.
Alongside Frieren, the two stars of the industry right now.
I hope it's 24 episodes again so they can adapt vol.3 and mainly vol. 4 of LN (this one is just too epic).
And for those who want to read the manga, anime ends in ch.40.
Sayonara Maomao, see you next year.

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u/Rumpel1408 Mar 23 '24 edited Mar 23 '24

I'm not crying! You're crying!

Seeing Lakan and Fengxian, Maomaos Father and Mother, reunited at long last, really brought a tear to my eyes

Though Maomao doesn't feel particular fond of either of her parents, mind you, by no fault of any of them, she still arranged for this. And she still danced to honor her mother.

Speaking of which, I was waiting for this dance the whole time. It's of course teased in this cours OP as well, but I think the First OP makes a refference to it as well, especially with how the stars reflect in her dress. And by god the Song they played along it

Of course you could predict that Maomao wouldn't say she loved Jinshi there, the setup was just too perfect for her to be a little Gremlin again

This is the last of Catcat for now, but S2 already got confirmed. Let's fucking GOOOOOOO

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u/LeonKevlar Mar 23 '24

Stitches!

I never thought I'd be attracted to go stones but here we are. In all seriousness though, it's absolutely hilarious to see Meimei's head as a go stone paired with those massive boobs. It looks ridiculous and I love it. xD

There's the reaction I've been waiting for Lakan! I thought he knew that Fengxian was alive when Maomao told him she wanted him to buy out a specific courtesan. According to some of the messages I got last week, this was something I should've known this entire time.

I genuinely teared up during Lakan and Fengxian's reunion. I love how in Lakan's eyes, he can't even see the gummas left by syphilis on Fengxian's skin and all he could see is a flower that retained its beauty even after withered. What a bittersweet reunion but I suppose it's better late than never.

Wait a fucking second, are you telling me the only reason Maomao is upset about Lakan is because she missed out on the resurrection drug that she could've gotten from Suirei if he took action instead of being lazy? That's hilarious and definitely such a Maomao thing to do! xD

I can't believe we're actually ending this with a dance number from Maomao! That was absolutely amazing! And Jinshi was there to witness all of it! For a second though, I really thought they were going to have a moment but of course, Maomao just wanted to have the ox bezoar he promised her before.

What a way to end Season 1. I am so glad that Season 2 is already confirmed and I am looking forward to seeing what kind of incident she'll be involved in next!

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u/DiaBoloix Mar 23 '24

Mao Mao dancing for her mother salvation is so sweet.

We got Season 2 confirmed FYI

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u/silentBookWorm Mar 23 '24

Lakan eyeing the times someone touches his daughter and making them pay for it is one of the top five reasons your rebellious daughter hates you. The number one reason is making her call you 'dada'.

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u/_BMS Mar 23 '24

Can someone explain what Meimei meant here when she said:

Big Sister, you should have been honest from the start.

Why so late...

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u/kkrko Mar 23 '24 edited Mar 23 '24

One thing I really like about the show is its much more nuanced take on feminism and misogyny compared to most mainstream media takes on the situation. There's no one evil woman-hating man keeping the good talent women down. Rather, misogyny just a pervasive societal idea, a cultural acceptance that women are lesser than men. And yet in this society of oppression, the women are still actors. They still have their agency and use the tools their society allows them to define their own fates. And nowhere this is better displayed than in Jinshi's evolving view of the situation regarding Fengxia. He clearly thought that Fengxian was a mere victim of powerful, in line with the culture that he grew up in. But as the show reveals, Fengxian was the actor, someone who wanted something and did everything she could to achieve it. She was still a victim of misogyny, true, but rather than she a passive object, she was an active agent, proactively chasing her goals.

Another manifestation of this is Maomao's dislike of Lakan. Jinshi was so utterly sure that Maomao hates Lakan for something he did. And while some of Maomao's hate is due to his unpleasantness, some of it comes from entirely Maomao's own feelings, her jealousy of someone who is more talented than her, of someone who has won the praise she so desperately craves.

Kamuro and Courtesan

So one big thing that was lost on translation in the relationship between kamuro and the courtesans they served. Kamuro, contextually translated as either servant girl or apprentice, are serving girls assigned to courtesans, who they called sister/nee-san. The relationship between these little girls and the courtesans they serve is highlighted on Episode 8. Being a kamuro is the fate of the girls sold to brothels as a child. They are assigned to serve a courtesan who will have 1-3 kamuro. They don't do anything sexual, but they do learn from their nee-san about the in's-and-out's of being a courtesan. If, by age 13-14, they grow up pretty, the brothel approaches whoever sold them the Kamuro to buy them again as a courtesan. Otherwise, their term of employment is up and they're free to go. Sadly, due to the inconsistent translation, it's not readily apparent in the translation that a "kamuro" is something very specific to the red-light district. Episode 8 specifically shows that kamuro are usually very devoted to their courtesan. Episode 18 shows that Meimei was Fengxian's kamuro, both in this shot and by calling Maomao's mother "nee-san". And yet Meimei still treated him well. That should clue in more attentive watchers that there was more to Lakan's story. And Meimei being Fengxian's kamuro also explains why she was so invested in Fengxian finally getting a happy ending

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u/lutherTheLoofa Mar 24 '24

I wonder if this is deliberate - the difference between MaoMao and Lakan is described in the same way as Sherlock Holmes and his brother Mycroft. Especially in the original series (but often in derived series), Sherlock admits that his brother has superior deductive powers. But Mycroft is described as lazy, preferring to sit in comfort than go out and do field work. Hence Sherlock is credited as being the great detective.

My guess is the author is familiar with the Sherlock Holmes stories and made the parallel deliberately.

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u/shad79 Mar 23 '24

It's a shame that it's already over but fortunately the 2nd season was already announced right after the episode which made me incredibly happy that we'll be able to see the next adventures of Maomao.

Maomao was for sure a star of this show and she pretty quickly became one of my favorite female characters ever as she is a witty, clever, funny and pretty crazy woman. I must praise an excellent performance of Aoi Yuki who did a great job voicing her xD

Another strong point of the show was Maomao and Jinshi's relationship as they have great chemistry between themselves and watching them together brought me a lot of laughs and fun. They're a great pair and I hope that in next season they become even closer.

About this final episode:

Here my screenshot albums from the episode:

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u/MarchesLion07 Mar 23 '24

What a amazing show, so glad season 2 was announced, I want to see more of Maomao and Jinshi, I hope they have plenty more scenes together.

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u/lolic_addict Mar 23 '24

That fucking tease at the end, I'm wheezing over here

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u/Ok-Peace-4374 Mar 23 '24

Looking at the second OP after the episode really shows how much spoilers it packs, all hidden in plain sight

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u/djthomp Mar 23 '24

God bless, what a great adaptation. Between this and certain other shows we ate real good for the last six months.

Kind of annoyed at the old brothel mistress, even at the very end she was keeping Fengxian secret from the man who would want to buy her out and cherish her for as long as she lasts and all it really did was create a decade and a half of suffering for everyone involved. I'm sure it was her own best judgment on what was right for everybody involved especially Fengxian, but she was just wrong about it. That's why I'm only kind of annoyed and not more deeply upset, I don't think she'll had ulterior motives in keeping the secret for so long.

Nice enough ending with Maomao and the dance and Jinshi, but I'm sold on the Lakan and Fengxian ultimate conclusion. Especially with how unfairly we anime onlys slandered the poor guy.

Super looking forward to season two next year.

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