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How many times did I watch Jinshi’s dance in the latestThe Apothecary Diariesepisode? Yes.
Jinshi’s dance as the Moon Fairy has been something worth the wait, the animation completely capturing just how dangerous beauty can be and how well it can be used to rule nations in your own favor. If history has taught us anything, it is that beauty is never to be underestimated because more often than naught, wars are started over it. Maomao seems to understand that just the same as Jinshi does, using the hidden prince’s looks to fool the foreign envoys.
Although a lot of things happened in the episode, the highlight remains the dance itself. The anime is very good at planting seeds, sometimes making it obvious and other times letting it slide as if no one would pay heed to it. If I were to name a few examples, it would be Concubine Lihua’s Head Lady-in-Waiting, and even the sudden appearance of Shisui, who seems to be too friendly for a series that has taught us well.
The Apothecary Diaries’ strong sense of gender roles
From the very beginning ofThe Apothecary Diaries,there has been a proposed challenge of gender norms and gender roles. The most evident of this was Maomao’s pragmatism and Jinshi’s beauty. It was as if a reverse switch was activated and somehow it worked in perfect unison for the show. There is an understanding that despite their switched gender roles, it doesn’t take away from their characters and who they are as those people – a prince and an apothecary.
Maomao, through Shisui’s help, discovers that the glowing light that enamored the Madam of the Verdigris House was just a bunch of moths. Using that to her own advantage, Jinshi becomes the Moon Fairy, Diana, who was forever embued into the mind of the two envoys’ grandfather. To make things worse, the dance was hidden from the eyes of everyone else not because it would put Jinshi in a bad light but because his beauty would start a war between nations.
How ‘The Apothecary Diaries’ Is an Open Challenge to Gender Roles in Classic Romance Anime
Even in the first season, it was shown that despite being the prince, Jinshi was never one to like that his face was more valued than his intellect ever was. It irked him and thus it made sense for him to hide the noble lineage he resides from. It gave power to his intellect because, for the longest time, no one sees the face of the prince or believes it to be severely spoiled. In a way, Jinshi is living in anonymity, as is the Moon Fairy Diana.
Maomao is too humble to deny that she was able to put together the entire ruse because of her own wits, giving both Xiaolan and Shisui deserving credit. Moreover, the apothecary seems to have bigger problems at hand; such as the mysterious person trying to poison the two pregnant Concubines. There are far too many suspects and she cannot help but ponder despite being advised to stay out of it.
Maomao doesn’t understand the advantage she has
As the episode continues, one thing becomes clear, the problems will never come to an end and Maomao’s jokes about Jinshi being a eunuch will jump back at her like a frog on a rainy day. The apothecary, buried in her head of conjecture and speculation, doesn’t realize that her passion comes with a risk. As an apothecary performing the arts of medicine so freely may not be that big of a deal but only when a man is the one to hold that title. As a woman, things take a different turn.
In the era that the anime is based on, it wouldn’t be surprising to see that gender norms play such a strong role in society, which is exactly why Jinshi and Maomao’s contradictions stand out so profoundly. However, the protagonist cannot seem to understand that the only reason she gets so much leeway is because of the enormous amount of power Jinshi holds.
The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao Is Fooling Herself by Denying Her Feelings for Jinshi and the Moon Fairy Proves It
It is obvious that things will start tumbling down as the former Emperor’s ghastly antics start surfacing. The anime has been peppering hints of what is to come and I am looking forward to the Shrine of Choosing. Currently, there are too many mysteries for Maomao to unravel and she may not have enough time to unravel them all. Would it be too late for her or would it be just the time to understand not only the politics of the inner court but also of her own conflicting feelings?
For someone who pretends to be averted by Jinshi so much, all she can do is think about his beauty and how much of it is wasted in genes that supposedly cannot be passed down. Her wish to create a medicine to “get rich,” comes surprisingly with the motivation of giving Jinshi his lost manhood back. First, it was Okarun and Momo, now it’s Jinshi and Maomao. I see a pattern forming. Is this truly the new formula for falling in love?
Rating: 9/10
The Apothecary Diariesis available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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Adya Godboley
Anime Content Manager
Articles Published :1879
Adya Godboley is the Anime Content Lead at FandomWire with over 1800 published articles. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-certified critic with a background in literature. From The Case Study of Vanitas to Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, her anime knowledge is one she’s gathered with years of experience. She also enjoys Marvel, DC and Superhero media with her works having been recognized by prominent figures such as Dwayne Johnson, Abby Trott and the Blood of Zeus creators.
