REVIEW: ‘The Apothecary Diaries’ Episodes 1-4 Are A Solid Start

Maomao (Aoi Yûki, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) was content living her life with her father as a simple apothecary. But when she is kidnapped on her way home and sold to the Imperial Palace to work, her life takes a turn she never expected. While she initially tries to lay low and serve out her two-year term without being noticed, she ultimately ends up using her knowledge as an apothecary to save an ailing prince and his mother. This act catches the eyes of Jinshi (Takeo Otsuka, Oshi No Ko), who oversees the servants within the inner palace, and Gyokuyô (Atsumi Tanezaki, Nier Automata Ver 1.1a), the high-ranking concubine whose child she saved. The pair make Maomao a lady-in-waiting to Gyokuyô, putting her in a position to help with countless problems around the inner palace in The Apothecary Diaries Episode 1-4 from TOHO Animation Studio and OLM.

Maomao’s adventures as first a standard servant and then a lady-in-waiting have thus far delivered a fair amount of fun and intrigue through the series’ first four outings. Each episode focuses on largely self-contained stories, though side characters do make repeat appearances and there is a strong possibility that a more cohesive narrative may yet form from the solidifying cast that makes up the inner palace.

Always standing at the center of that cast is Maomao. Her personality is entertaining thanks to her often lacking impulse control. She frequently knows what the smart move to make in a given situation is, but due to her moral code or her undying thirst for knowledge, she can’t help but take the less fortuitous route for herself. While this gives her ample opportunities to help others and better herself, it puts her in the limelight in a place where being there can get her poisoned, stabbed, or worse. This compulsion to do things makes the character likable, as well as a solid comedic presence as she scolds herself for being too seen far too much of the time.

While Maomao shines as the star of The Apothecary Diaries, her character is greatly improved through her interactions with Jinshi. Viewed as a beautiful man by all the ladies of the inner palace, Jinshi is used to getting his way with an easy smile and the gentle stroke of a lady’s cheek. Maomao, however, is immune to JInshi’s charms, as she finds these rehearsed acts to be creepy and gross. Rather than cause Jinshi to be discouraged by his inability to woo Maomao, he finds her intriguing. This back and-forth between the pair creates lots of interpersonal humor, as well as visually comedic interactions, as the series leans into the visual side of its comedy heavily. 

The comedy throughout the opening episodes of this series is fun and goofy, while always being well timed and reasonably handled. With snappy one-liners and plenty of chibi-style visual transformations, The Apothecary Diaries always manages to know the right time and place to deliver a quirky moment, without ever having it interfere with the more serious elements of each episode. 

The animation does a great job of delivering both sides of the narrative as well. The fun elements are brought to life with all the energy anime fans would expect, while the lighting and camera work employed during the more dramatic moments do a great job of shifting the tone of each episode back to where it needs to be to let the important elements land properly.

The Apothecary Diaries gets its narrative off to a solid start. While it lacks the stellar highs that have marked some of the best series anime has put out this season, it has yet to stumble in any significant ways either. 

The Apothecary Diaries Season 1 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.