The Apothecary Diaries are really moving along. I didn’t realize this story would come so soon. It felt like a long time before we got any insinuations about Jinshi’s background in the manga but maybe that’s just because I was reading as they came out and they had long breaks between volumes. I’m actually going to put off reading the last volumes I got just so I can experience the anime with fresh eyes and I am really looking forward to it. We’re not quite there yet but it won’t be long!
I read that the Apothecary Diaries will not be taking a break over the holiday season so I hope I can keep up with the posts. I will be keeping up with the episodes though! Watching this show is like a little present to myself!
So here it all is. Obviously, I did know what the point of the honey would be in this story, I hope I didn’t ruin it for anyone. But believe it or not, I actually knew that you aren’t supposed to give honey to babies before I read the manga. I’m not quite sure where I learned it but I feel like I’ve always known that hiney before the age of 2 can cause botulism. Oh and take that with a huge grain of salt, I say “know” but it’s just some random info I seem to have collected through some form of cultural osmosis. It could be an old wive’s tale. However, it’s definitely not something that the Apothecary Diaries made up. And I thought that was fun.
In fact, most of what I have looked up that was said in this show turned out to have some kernel of truth at least. On the apothecary side, the historical accuracy side is a bit more hit or miss. Still, it seems to have taken more pains in that regard than most anime in the same setting so I can only applaud. Like a lot of shows that have landed in my favourites, the Apothecary Diaries was originally a self-published novel. On the web of course. I am loving how this digital age is giving so many great young authors a chance. Although I have heard there are a lot of downsides as well. I don’t feel like I know enough to debate that here but I would love to know your thoughts.
There has always been something a little brutal about this show. You figure that the story will find a way to avoid making Maomao directly responsible for another person’s death. Especially someone who has been presented as kind and likable and whose crime is really an innocent accident. Oh, I guess except for the attempted poisoning. But you know, who hasn’t tried to poison someone now and then. It’s practically a right of passage. You can’t make such a big deal about it.
I had to look it up to make sure but Maomao definitely doesn’t have such a borderline worrisome love for alcohol in the manga. She does mention enjoying it but it’s generally much more understated. Let me show you what I mean. This is the rooftop scene from the episode. You know, when she turns into her cat form and glows with joy at the sight of sake:
That gives you an idea. The adaptation is in general more comical and jubilant. I like that about it. I mean I already liked the manga a lot so I’m not going to go as far as to say it’s a clear improvement but for the anime medium, I think it adds in some nice levity and dynamic imagery that comes across very nicely onscreen. Once in a while, there are shows that really make you appreciate the subtleties of adaptation and this is one of them!
So here we are. Consort Aduo has left the inner palace. The attempted poisoning and drowning have both been solved. And we know that Maomao’s dad is a lot more than meets the eye. But in the end, things go back to how they were. As Maomao mentioned, the lives of servants aren’t worth much in these parts. Hopefully, things will be peaceful for some time.
I suppose you might know this better than I would, but did they just say that Maomao is related to Fengming? That might not be such a good thing for Maomao.
I am also wondering, if Fengming was using those sticks to communicate in some kind of code, then who was she talking to and what were they saying?
I actually thought that Maomao might be some hidden imperial princess or something like that, but the reality that Jinshi – he’s only seventeen? He doesn’t look it! – is apparently the incognito guise of the emperor’s little brother, but actually the emperor’s son, seems even more convoluted to me.
And how many times is this, now, where someone administered poison to someone without realizing it? There was the face powder which killed Lihua’s son and almost killed her as well. There’s the official who was killed because his drink was spiked with a toxic amount of salt. There’s the food-taster who switched Lishu’s food, not knowing about allergies. And now Fengming accidentally killed a baby boy by giving him honey. It really is easy to hurt people without intending to when you don’t know the difference between what is toxic and what is not.
I was kind of sad to see consort Ah-Dou leaving the rear palace. She seemed really cool. I definitely think that Jinshi and Ah-Dou are related! Hmm, I absolutely love that they added some cuteness to Maomao in the anime by making her a tiny bit of a lush! As for whether babies should have honey or not, I think I first heard it when I was a young teenager and I was helping take care of my toddler aged cousins. I was looking for a treat for them and I was warned not to give them anything with honey in it. No one ever mention Botulism, but I was just told honey could be poisonous for very young children. I remember being a little doubtful of my aunt who had warned me, because my mom had given me honey and peanut butter sandwiches and sweetened baby food with honey when I was very young and I was fine. I later found out that though my family might be a bit more resilient to honey, it really is better to wait before introducing honey to small children.