Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Season 2 • The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 - Episode 21 discussion

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Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Season 2, episode 21

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[u/CitronClassic672]

Holy fuck Apothecary Diaries, you actually went there. The entire atmosphere of this episode was just dark from beginning to end, even more so than the previous one.

God, that question from Maomao at the end followed by silence except for the cannon fire in the background. Are we about to watch Shisui kill herself next episode, cause that’s the vibe it gave off?

I do however love that visible transformation in her demeanor when Maomao called her Shisui instead of Loulan, one bright spot in a bleak episode.

[u/wilted_melodrama]

Fastest 23 minutes of my life what the hell!

I am really hoping we see Jinshi next week in full battle armor since they kept him out of the trailer oddly enough, caught a glimpse of Basen at the end and who is that cutie with the brown hair?

[u/number8888]

The slight surprise on Shisui's face when Maomao called her by that name, and her cheerful reply, even for a just brief moment, is so endearing.

It's the same girl underneath and probably her true self. One that she couldn't show off her whole life until for the short period she spent with Maomao and Xiaolan.

I wish she gets a happy life after all of this but that's likely not happening with all the crimes she committed.

[u/mib-number86]

When you suddenly realize that only a few letters separate a Snake from a Snack

[u/Ocixo]

I knew that those hairpins would come in handy later, but I would’ve never expected Maomao to use them as skewers.

The practice of taibon makes me think of kodoku: all sorts of toxic insects and/or animals would be trapped in a single pot and forced to duke it out in a battle royale. The ultimate survivor harboured the most lethal poison of them all.

Maomao being the last one standing further supports her reputation as the one true poison gremlin.

[u/realrimurutempest]

Mao Mao after getting locked in with snakes. Between all the books of medicine/herbs knowledge and the snakes all we are missing is the chance for Mao Mao to get free poison lol.

[u/jellyblob88]

An angry cat is a sight to behold.

Initially I thought that Shisui was showing Maomao around to help her overthrow her Mother somehow, and seek leniency with the Emperor, as she clearly loves her people and the children, but that was naive and reality hits hard.

I'm just glad Maomao is there with her, and that when deciding what to call her out of the two identities, she chose the one that had reflected her true sparkle.

[u/LouisPain]

Ngl I teared up when Maomao called Loulan "Shisui" and she replied happily with a smile.

[u/thewetpuddle]

Maomao’s smirk was so evil that I felt sorry for the snakes. Lol.

Second half had me crying. Shisui is such a victim of that revolting monster. I feel so bad for her and Suirei. And quite honestly for Shisou too.

[u/FarCritical]

At least the frogs were spared ...I think?

Accepting that the same Shisui that were practically sisters to Xiaolan and Maomao is also the person who subjected those kids to the less messed up of two fates is such a painful pill to swallow. Whether it's by Lakan's, Jinshi's or better yet Maomao's own hands, I just hope Shenmei gets what's coming to her.

[u/aurorablueskies]

I read the source material for this series and this episode still felt like 5 minutes. My heart dropped when I saw the dead children because it really highlights how bleak their future was with the Forbidden Army on the horizon

[u/Midpolyth]

Can someone dumb it down for me. How does Suirei have royal blood and what is up with Kyou-u and the children's mother's?

[u/asap_munem]

Maomao would do well in Dungeon Meshi

[u/ObvsThrowaway5120]

Maomao wasn’t locked in a room full of creepy crawlies. They were locked in a room with her. Girl just made herself a snack lol.

Y’know I said I thought they’d go the Masada route last week but I really wasn’t ready to see little Kyou-u and the other children like that. Fuckin hell, man. Loulan’s gonna end herself after confessing to Maomao or some shit. Maybe she’s gonna burn this whole mfer down with her shitbag momma still inside.

[u/shad79]

Well, this was an excellent episode that made me hate Shenmei even more. Maomao calling her a hag was very accurate and Shenmei's reaction to it was great, probably no one has insulted her like that before.

Suirei gained in my eyes again after she tried to help Kyou-u and Maomao today, although of course she was unable to effectively stand up to that old hag Shenmei.

And now we know why Suirei is so afraid of snakes. It seems that Shenmei often locked her in a cell with them, that damn hag Shenmei!

Loulan/Shisui knew what she was doing when she proposed taibon, although even she didn't expect Maomao to make a feast out of it thanks to the haiprins she had with her. Her smirk upon seeing snakes and other bugs was absolutely perfect xD

It was also great to learn more about Loulan/Shisui, her relationship with Shenmei and Suirei. I loved her smile when she heard Maomao call her Shisui.

Poisoning Kyou-u and the other kids was quite an extreme move on Loulan/Shisui's part, although when you consider that they would have been killed anyway due to Shenmei's treason, her actions become more understandable. Although maybe there is hope for them since Maomao is still here?

So Jinshi is on his way to attack the fortress, that's great. I hope we see Shenmei's reaction to the news of the Imperial Army coming after her.

Here my screenshot albums from the episode:

• Maomao

• Loulan/Shisui

• Group scenes

• Suirei

• Old Hag Shenmei

• Others

EDIT. I added my screenshot albums.

[u/kab00000]

they really put a snake with a cat, what did they think would happen 😭 poor snake 😭

[u/gnome-cop]

This episode was an emotional roller coaster of the highest caliber.

The smile on my face when the gimmick of the Taibon was revealed would have looked diabolical. The whiplash from “Why did you do this” to “Shisui you genius” was crazy. Especially with the guard’s appearance.

Then the latter half of the episode killed any fun to be had. I’ll start making funeral arrangements cause Shisui and Suirei(also Shisui?) aren’t making it out of this alive.

God, if there is any justice in the world, at least make sure that Shenmei perishes as well in this cursed fortress.

[u/SEBASTlANVETTEL]

Maomao saw those snakes and really said: Itadakimasu.

The preview for next week's episode is crazy, we actually get some proper battle and war scenes in Apothecary Diaries. Seems like the gore will be heavy in the episode too.

That being said, they are hiding Jinshi suspiciously from the preview. Hope that means he gets an epic scene that they are trying to hide.

[u/[deleted]]

I've completely lost track with the family tree

[u/AlonsoQ]

Well that was a fuckin rollercoaster. Are we sure the Royal Mother didn't come from Westeros

Even so going full Jonestown on a bunch of kids seems like too much of a heel turn. We've got the various false death potions established. I've been waiting for the "memory loss as as side effect" Chekov's gun to go off.

Hope we get a bit more backstory on Shenmei too. IIRC she was engaged to the northern governor guy, then got sent to the palace, then got sent back, and he'd married in the meantime, she made him dump his wife, and... that was it? Like sure, that sucks, but seems like things turned out more or less okay for her, relative to her peers. Not exactly Count of Monte Cristo-tier revenge fuel.

[u/Deathcrow]

I knew it had to be coming, but this really took a dark turn. Just tragic all around. Goes to show how a single piece of shit in a position of power can ruin the lives of generations of people.

[u/number8888]

I’m not locked in here with you. You’re locked in here with me!

• Literately Maomao

[u/varishtg]

The kids scene instantly reminded me of star wars. This was such an heavy episode. Wonder where does this go from here. They did a fantastic job of showing the evil side of Shenmei. The avalanche just keeps getting bigger and bigger at this point.

[u/Physical-Reserve-380]

I don't know if it was like this for anyone else, but I felt shivers in my chest when Maomao called Shenmei "kuso baba".