Apothecary’s Diary episode 19 is amazing, it’s unbelievable. The entire build-up sequence to the finale was perfect. All of the mysterious cases are finally solved and we find ourselves diving into a brutal and emotional episode that highlights Maomao’s selfless act of bravery, as well as the reactions of Jinshi and Lakan before that action. Where do I even start my review? I can’t believe how powerful an episode can be in 23 minutes, but The Apothecary Diaries, with its impressive script and direction, turns out to be a masterpiece in its own right. We find ourselves with successive periods of chaos, last week with a series of wild and scary revelations, and this week with simple but heavy emotions. Episode 19 is perhaps the most impactful episode of the second season because of the quiet intensity it leaves us with.
To start, one thing I loved about this episode was that the pacing was perfect. Everything flows easily from scene to scene, never dull. Therefore, it seems that script writing, directing, visuals, voice acting and music were able to develop and achieve the highest efficiency. From start to finish, it was so well done that I found myself very invested in celebrating this episode, so if it sounds like I’m fangirling it’s because I am! I could go on and on about the artistry of it, Lakan’s anger or Jinshi’s determination, but what I want to emphasize most is how brave Maomao was. Before things got scary, the episode actually started off interestingly with Lihaku, speculations, Jinshi’s jealousy, and even Maomao’s medical excitement. All of that faded as the apothecary ran to the Temple.
In short, Apothecary’s Diary volume 19 gets to the point where we finally understand that these strange coincidences are actually small parts of a larger plan – to create some “accident”. that for someone. Our little Maomao, extremely clever, has found a connection between Lord Kounen’s death, the food poisoning, the warehouse fire, and the mysterious Suirei. Although she was initially strongly motivated by the idea of receiving the Ox Bezoar, she later mindlessly rushed to save the nobleman’s life. As it turns out, this noble person is none other than her Master Jinshi.
My heart ached seeing Maomao this way. Witnessed her being scolded, brutally beaten, her weak body thrown down the stairs, and even then, she still kept her bold posture with her swollen face and voice spoke tremblingly, barely able to maintain consciousness. And when she jumped in to push Jinshi away, her leg was bloody injured – ah, this was so sudden! When Jinshi’s gentle voice, filled with sadness and worry for her, came to ask how this happened, it really hurt. This is not the Jinshi we know, it’s as if his mask has been stripped off.
Jinshi’s image is perfect, not in the sparkling eunuch beauty but in showing him as just a young man, desperate and desperate. scared. I believe that voice actor Takeo Otsuka’s incredible performance fully conveyed Jinshi’s pain at seeing Maomao so hurt. It was another emotional shock when Maomao weakly asked why Jinshi was there, and just when I had completely broken down emotionally, Maomao still had the intention of stitching his own wound and asking for Ox Bezoar.
Now for my favorite part of the episode: Jinshi carries the unconscious and injured Maomao. The insert song titled “Soukuu no Honoo” by Daichi Takenaka, brought quite an emotional impact to the scene finale. For me, this was the absolute highlight of The Apothecary Diaries episode 19. All the elements here created an extremely creepy scene.
There’s a lot to unpack in these two minutes, but the main takeaway is that Jinshi, a man to whom everyone bows in respect, is holding a lowly maid—whom he’s determined to take care of. at that time. The fact that he left the holy ritual to someone of the lower class is a big deal, but here we have Jinshi boldly defying the rules, honorably calm, and even with no one there criticize him. It also says a lot about his feelings for Maomao. (I’m curious about the lyrics, roughly translated along the lines of a fire burning to protect the strong hearts of others.) My heart was moved by this scene, but at the same time, my heart was also very sore , so many. Finally, this ending scene is a big hint as to Jinshi’s true standing in court. After all, no one dared to act recklessly in the presence of royalty.
Lakan’s anger and shock also add layers of emotion to this scene. Seeing his daughter like that and in Jinshi’s arms – it was basically a slap in Lakan’s face when Jinshi was truly his true self (and on a personal level, a statement that Maomao is his.) It must have taken Lakan a lot of effort not to get angry or rush to take care of his daughter. That said, I would like to add that Lakan’s perfect timing, or rather his foresight, is a major factor in this plot. The eccentric genius’s part in all of this is that he noticed a number of suspicious coincidences and brought them to Jinshi as a means of (personally) pressuring him, which he himself His girlfriend finally solved it one by one. If she doesn’t go to the temple, Maomao won’t be able to enter and Jinshi will die.
Let us not forget that this eccentric was a famous and powerful military strategist. Despite his personality, I think he truly cares about his daughter’s happiness. The guard knew fear when Lakan appeared, especially when he mentioned how hurt Maomao was. That means, The original author posted a post in 2021 saying that the guard who hurt Maomao was beaten by Lakan.
Trailer vs Episode 19
It’s also interesting to note that the scenes shown in the first trailer are different from what we saw in Apothecary’s Diary volume 19. I think both are great (like how manga readers are lucky to get two different versions), especially because I love how this week’s episode turned out to be a masterpiece. I can’t stress enough how wonderful and emotionally heartfelt the final scene is, not to mention what an original animated film this is. If you don’t know, Jinshi carrying Maomao is only mentioned briefly in the novel and manga. However, the anime adaptation of The Apothecary Diaries took it to a completely different level, adding more depth to the story and the character of Jinshi. Really, thank you episode director Wataru Nakagawa for such a great episode!
That said, the anime currently only has five episodes left in the season. Some things were resolved in this episode, while others remained in the dark. the preview for the next episode seems to follow the real mastermind, Suirei. We may get a clearer answer as to why Jinshi was targeted, but I think we all already know why. I’m excited to see how the anime continues with its romance and mystery.
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The Apothecary’s Diary is streaming on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
© Naruto Hyuga/Imagika Foss/”The Apothecary Diaries” Production committee