REVIEW: ‘The Apothecary Diaries’ Season 1 Is A Charm Series

Maomao (Aoi Yûki, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) was living a peaceful life as an apothecary. Until she’s kidnapped and sold into servitude at the Royal Palace. She is initially put to work doing menial tasks. When she helps discover the cause of a mysterious illness, she draws the attention of Jinshi (Takeo Otsuka, Synduality Noir). Soon, Maomao finds herself as a lady in waiting and food taster for Lady Gyokuyô (Atsumi Tanezaki). While Maomao wishes to keep a low profile till her contract expires, she can’t help but stick her nose in when an intriguing mystery is around. This is a good thing because there is plenty for the astute apothecary to solve in The Apothecary Diaries Season 1 from TOHO Animation Studio and OLM.

At the center of all the best elements of The Apothecary Diaries is Maomao. She’s so charming. You could make an episode that’s just her talking about daily life and people would still love it. Maomao projects a forceful personality that is as sharp as it is fun through her quick wits and quick temper. She knows when she’s right and she won’t back down from doing the right thing. Despite how much she doesn’t want to be noticed, she has a propensity for causing problems. It is her reluctance as a protagonist that makes her so endearing. She just wants to live a happy life. The world, however, is always conspiring to pull her into its mess.

Going along for the ride with its charming star is a supporting cast that largely works to complement its lead. From mysterious figures like the antagonist Lakan (Takuya Kirimoto) to friendly companions like fellow servant Xiaolan (Misaki Kuno, Summer Time Rendering), the cast delivers tons of memorable interactions. Sadly, the only character that sometimes fails hard is The Apothecary Diaries Season 1‘s second most important personality, Jinshi.

The bulk of the mysteries that land at Maomao’s feet come to her through Jinshi. While The Apothecary Diaries Season 1 is very coy about who Jinshi is exactly, he is an important person around the palace. Seeing that all of its functions run smoothly is important to him. So when he discovers Maomao’s keen mind, he immediately moves to utilize it.

In the moment-to-moment, Jinshi provides a fun comic foil for Maomao. He is frequently shocked at her daring and amazed by her cunning. He shows her support when someone tries to cause her trouble making him a trusted ally and even a friend. Usually. However, there are several key moments where the character completely fails in his role.

Multiple times during the season’s 24 episodes, Jinshi shows an upsetting disregard for Maomao’s feelings, as well as her bodily autonomy. While some of these moments are intended to be jokes, they don’t land well. Leaving the character looking far too questionable.

The worst of these moments come during a mystery involving honey. During the final scene of the episode, Jinshi dips his fingers in some of the honey and approaches Maomao, intending to feed her the honey from his fingers directly. This action is met with pure panic from Maomao. She tries to back away but is soon trapped between a wall and Jinshi. Even Jinshi’s servant doesn’t like what’s happening. He casually turns away, whistling trying to ignore his master’s bad behavior. Only the surprising arrival of Lady Gyokuyô fends Jinshi off.

As mentioned previously, this moment feels like it’s intended to be silly. But it doesn’t work. On its own, it would feel ill-conceived at best. However, not too long ago Maomao confided in Jinshi about things she’s had to do in her life to avoid the mistreatment of males. That Jinshi would behave the way he does here, knowing the trauma she carries, kills the moment entirely. To say nothing of how it reflects on his general character.

While characters are important in The Apothecary Diaries Season 1, the mysteries it presents are nearly as critical. The show’s writing does a great job of balancing creativity and intricacy with believability. The vast majority of Maomao’s deductions are brilliant but rarely involve leaps of logic that seem impossible. She utilizes a wide array of knowledge, most of which feels like things she could pick up through conversations and basic research. Maomao knows a lot because she pays attention. Only in her primary passion of being an apothecary does her knowledge feel truly deep.

The visual presentation that brings all these elements to life never fails to leave an impression. The animation is always smooth. Particular moments of dance in the show are especially eye-catching. The fluid movements are combined with gorgeous lighting to bring drama to the performative moments.

Along with the animation, The Apothecary Diaries Season 1‘s visuals leave a lasting impression thanks to its use of color. There is little subdued about palace life, and the colors that fill its world mirror that reality. Bright, vibrant reds, blues, and gold lead the way in making every costume and court look dazzling. There is never any doubt that wealth and power reside here.

With a wonderful main character, excellent narratives that hook the attention, and an impressive visual design, The Apothecary Diaries Season 1 gets a lot right. With only one major stumbling block in its cast, the show leaves the viewer with far more good memories than bad as the final credits roll.

The Apothecary Diaries Season 1 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.