The Apothecary Diaries: Episode 23 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2024-12-18 14:00:02 +0000 UTC*BACKSTORY REVEALING HEADPHONE WARNINGS*
Okay, so alongside Episode 19, this is my top two of the season - LAKAN!? SO many things fall into place around his character, his "relations" with others and the circumstances of MaoMao's existence.
There's still the question of how much MaoMao knows about her father's past and what will happen in the season finale, but HOLY SMOKES. This episode had my jaw on the floor!
LINK TO REACTION: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/kBJNrvoU4jPo9T4sVzsysA?
Thank you for watching with me and for all the support!
Comments
I really felt for Sun YaoTing as he got older – I really love that at least it seems he was well-loved by his closer family and friends! I love Lakan giving Jinshi SUCH a hard time, especially now that he knows she’s not Jinshi’s concubine, but just his employee. I feel so much for Jinshi in this series and his future having to deal with both MaoMao and now potentially Lakan. Yes, the “don’t judge a book by its cover” is such a strong message in this series. The reveal with Lakan and FengXian’s love is just heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time! The feeling when you talk yourself out of a theory you made…just to have that theory be confirmed in the show, hahaha!! But love that Loumen took on the role as her dad and is related to her in the end. <3 Yessss, the knife scene! Ahhh, that makes more sense now! And all those moments with it!! WILD! And yessss, I can totally see the connection to Twittering Birds! XD And ooohhhh, the bloom and rose scene between them! Yesss, that cliffhanger, though! Hahaha!! I love all we’ve gotten with Lakan and the reveals with him! Thank you so much for the comment and kind words - I can’t believe we’re at the end of the season but so happy that we have a new season coming so soon!!
Romaniablack
2024-12-27 18:37:26 +0000 UTCThere's a difference between being curious and straight up asking/demanding someone who has experienced such a thing to tell you their personal experience, and then harass them when you don't get the answers you're looking for. Poor Sun Yaoting getting treated like this towards the end of his life 🥺 His outlook on life definitely helps put into perspective people's lives nowadays, and I wholly agree with his words on the secret behind living a long life. So glad that Sun Yaoting was able to have his own little family even with all that he went through. Lakan questioning on if Maomao is actually employed may be down to him knowing she's the one he bought from the Verdigris House. Maomao telling him this tells Lakan that she's not Jinshi's concubine, but simply his employee (hence his smug fox grin at Jinshi). Maomao had a plan all along: take advantage of Lakan's weakness when it comes to alcohol 🤣 As much as Maomao is like her birth father in some regards, at least she didn't take after him when it comes to imbibing in alcohol 😂 Lakan's enjoyment at being thrashed in Go by Fengxian is very similar to Jinshi first being intrigued by Maomao when she treated him with disgust. Apothecary Diaries really does an excellent job of constantly reminding you not to judge people without knowing them, whilst at the same time making it almost impossible to not judge certain characters in a negative light. The reveal of Maomao's conception and truth surrounding Lakan, Fengxian and Maomao is one of my favourite parts of this anime. To me, they do it in a way that makes you understand that it was Fengxian's choice and plan to have Maomao and be with Lakan, but that life and others around them got in the way. And because he was too late in meeting Fengxian again, Lakan holds himself to blame for Fengxian falling from grace. And his words "It was all my fault for being short-sighted" explain, to me at least, why he strategizes and plays the long game so much. He's learned from his past and, whilst he can't fix the mistakes he made, he does all he can to stay at least one step ahead. Loved your reaction to the reveal of Luomen being Lakan's uncle. You did theorise that they were related a while back, but also talked yourself out of the theory a couple of times too 😆 I can now share that the memory of the knife back in Episode 9 isn't from the young girl in the brothel, but from when Maomao's mother cut off part of her finger (we saw in the flashback in Episode 18 Fengxian doing this whilst baby Maomao was crying) 🥺 There are several instances throughout this season that has Maomao look to her finger, but there isn't a lot of emphasis placed on what exactly she's looking at [Episode 3 she looks at it twice; she glimpses at it in Episode 11; get a close-up of her hands in Episode 21 when she thinks of Lakan; and Episode 22 with her nails painted she also focuses on her pinky]. Also the whole finger severing thing does make me think of Twittering Birds and Doumeki cutting off his finger/performing yubitsume 😢 Though for Doumeki it was a punishment/way to atone. Lakan says "yubikiri" (when the subtitles translate it to finger-severing) which is a way to say a "pinky promise" in Japanese. Traditionally making such a promise signified the person can break the finger of the one who broke the promise. The withered blue rose is given to Lakan, whilst Maomao keeps the bud that has yet to bloom 🥺 Evil place to end, right?? Your frustrated groan of "Why??" was definitely felt. They're just being mean before the end of the season. I completely understand how hard it is to wait. I'd read the manga past this point and I still found it hard to wait the week for the final episode to air 😂 Lakan choosing to lose, both in choosing Go when playing against Fengxian and letting Maomao win their game of xiangqi, is the main aspect of his character that made me forgive and like him. It's unlikely he'd give the same chance to anyone else, so to me it shows that he does genuinely care for both of them. The vial Maomao poured into the cups just contained alcohol. That's what she meant when she tells Jinshi "It *is* medicine". Alcohol can be used for medicinal purposes but too much can have a damaging effect on a person. The stuff in the cups was an already strong liquor, but the stuff Maomao added to three of the cups was another spirit. And Maomao has already proved her alcohol tolerance in previous episodes 🤣 Handholding like that always gets me. But again Apothecary Diaries is showing how something romantic and sensual can be done in an understated and non-explicit manner 🥰 For Fengxian being able to get pregnant after that one time, I believe when she asked Lakan when he can next visit her she was trying to organise his visit during a time in her cycle when she'd be her most fertile. And/or so that she could possibly take some kind of medicine that would boost her chances of getting pregnant. Pairin, meanwhile, likely practises safe sex and possibly uses contraceptives available during that time period to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Also, courtesans of the time would have had methods to abort an unwanted pregnancy. Neurodivergent, deadbeat, doting dad is such an apt description for Lakan 🤣
Anime Annie
2024-12-23 23:52:35 +0000 UTCAhhhh, I love that so much! <3 Thank you for the comment and that matches this episode's stand off to a "t!"
Romaniablack
2024-12-23 05:02:20 +0000 UTCwhere is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink and find out who is right, and who is dead. -Dread Pirate Roberts
Zeekutar The Immortal
2024-12-19 15:45:48 +0000 UTCOne of the things I love about this episode is the subtle reinfocement of Luomen's admonition that we should make decisions based on facts not speculation or assumptions. All this time I had supposed the worst about Lakan and the facts now establish something different. Love this series and your reactions to it!
4Paz
2024-12-19 15:21:25 +0000 UTCI loved your analysis for this one! You drew some parallels I had never really thought of before, so now I have more to think about. The similarities between Lakan and Jinshi hadn’t occurred to me before. MaoMao echoing her mother’s words is really interesting too. It makes me feel like her getting out of the brothel and making a career for herself in the palace is her breaking a cycle her family may have been in for generations. The whole back story of Lakan and Fengxin coming out though! Oof! After seeing this episode the first time I remember thinking “wow, this backstory somehow ended up being more wholesome AND more messed up than I was expecting. Excellently done!” :P To think, this whole tragedy could have been averted if they just had a mail forwarding system for soldiers Now I really wanna read an AU story about how things may have been different if Lakan hadn’t been away for three years and MaoMao was actually raised by both her bio parents. How might she and Jinshi have met each other in that case? Would she still be so into medicine and poisons? What would her childhood have been like and how would that affect her? So much to think about! But i can’t look for that until I know the whole story or I’ll get spoiled! 😩 Thanks for the video and discussion! Hope your holidays go well!
Amalia Jungclaus
2024-12-19 09:12:18 +0000 UTCI’ve now added a disclaimer and spoiler alert
Icy
2024-12-19 05:52:00 +0000 UTCI want you to know I mean no offense… My questions were rhetorical and were set up for the rest of the “essay”. You are the second person I’ve had to explain this to, so I am clearly not communicating my thoughts in a manner where people understand I am not genuinely asking. I know Feng Xian kept Mao Mao because she wanted her, I think I address that in my second comment (the part about Nao Mao being born out of love). I know it wasn’t an accident because courtesans and prostitutes had many methods of birth control and getting rid of pregnancies. Plus her frequently singing about babies. I know Lakan did not buy her out because he could not afford her, this is rhetorical again. He went on and on about devaluing courtesans (this is hyperbole/exaggeration). Yet he did not buy the courtesan he devalued?(rhetorical) That was suspicious to me when Lakan first came onto the scene and it made me question if what he was saying was true. Feng Xian was on sell she had potential buyers, it only fell through because she got pregnant. We learn this when she asks him when he’s coming back. Romania talks about this in the discussion. Again I was talking about the initial holes in Lakans story when they were trying to present him as a villain and why I didn’t buy it initially. Reading your comment it feels like you think I didn’t watch the reaction/episode. I know Lakan could only afford to see her once every three months when he came from the military back her value was nothing, Lakan in present day talks about the way to bring the price of a courtesan down in to get them pregnant. So in present day when he first brought that up, before this episode aired back in April I was suspicious. My comment is not about the madam I feel nothing for her as of now. My essay was about Lakans role in the story and how I initially reacted to him. He and the story were pushing the narrative that he was the villain and I had (rhetorical) questions that I was able to answer through my own logic and previous knowledge from other series Romania has reacted to. Namely MDZS/The untamed. I wanted to compare him and Mao mao to characters in a similar situation.
Icy
2024-12-19 05:34:46 +0000 UTCSPOILERS I'm going to tag this with spoilers even though they're very minor at worst, just to be safe! I'm not familiar with the series you're comparing it too unfortunately, but I believe Fengxian kept MaoMao because she wanted to keep her - same reason why she had a child in the first place, it was not by accident, especially not for someone working as a courtesan. Lakan did not buy her out because he could not buy her out - I imagine she was not for sale earlier, they mention in the episode "when one gains popularity, the brothel is reluctant to sell them" and the price to visit Fengxian had been raised so high that Lakan's visits to the Verdigris House had become only once every three months - which doesn't sound like someone with disposable income. When he is forced to leave, maybe the Madam realizes Fengxian's prospects are no longer on the up and allows a buyout - to which Fengxian does not want, so she causes it to fall through. The Madam is the one really making bank I think, I would not be surprised if she is wealthier than all of her paying customers, haha! Reminds me a little bit of Lady Gin's Tea House in Shogun, at least their roles in running establishments, though Lady Gin takes it much further.
L Freya
2024-12-19 01:32:47 +0000 UTCWhat a show and what an episode, they do cliffhangers with the best of them. I couldn't remember the extent of what episode 23 covered, it sure does leave us hanging! Great job breaking down the episode in the discussion, soon we'll see if your newly crowned second favorite episode of the season is going to survive beyond the finale! Can't wait for your reaction, and thanks for the comment highlight, I had fun with that one. This is pretty far out there, I can't help but to think about how indirectly, Luomen is responsible for Lakan's misfortune with Fengxian, sending Lakan away at the worse time possible, and also Lakan's lack of a relationship with MaoMao, which he so greatly desires. Crazy! The father who MaoMao loves and respects so much, is responsible for the distain and divide of the father MaoMao hates even more. What's incredible is it is written in a way it really feels true to life - like a universe meant to be sort of way - turning a bad situation for Luomen (getting fired from the palace and physically punished) into something he didn't realize just how much he truly wanted - passing on his trade and raising a daughter! It just feels so true to life, like losing a job only to double down on your true passion or reconnect with those you haven't seen and any number of awful situations leading into blessings down the road from some misfortune. Lakin having to grow up as a child with that rare disorder always tugs on my heartstrings a bit - life's not fair and it can hurt, but it is nice he turns it from a weakness to a strength, becoming a brilliant-but-belligerent tactician, and the way they reveal Fengxian is the first face he ever is able to clearly see was such a beautiful moment, along with seeing their romance develop. Lastly, I loved how even though Lakan thinks he is so smart, Maomao really shows off this episode by picking a game to play against him she can't win at and adding rules to make it so she can't lose haha!!! And, on top of that - a mere coincidence, the rules just so happen to allow her to consume her favorite poisons - all the while tormenting Jinshi to make that priceless look of revulsion on his face. MaoMao proved once again she is not someone you underestimate. Love it!
L Freya
2024-12-19 00:58:59 +0000 UTCLakan is a weirdo he’s my favorite weirdo! I definitely got Ace vibes from the mother but Demisexual from Lakan. Lakan has an actual disability Prosopagnosia (Face Blindness). So glad he a doctor family member to tell him how to handle it. Also him naming Luoman the chariot is adorable, it the most powerful piece. It’s interesting to think Lakan’s father is being caring I just thought we was being a jerk. There’s wine usually not grape but plum wine is popular I never even noticed the fact that Lakan chooses Go which Feng Xian has historically been better at than him. Nice attention to detail. I can see Mao Mao getting her bluntness/matter of fact natural from her mother. I find it sad, I’m not sure how aware of what happen she is but she seems to think she wasn’t born out of love. When her mother frequently sings of having a big family even now. Mao Mao often looks at her pinky. It looks like it may have grown back. The act of taking Mao Mao’s pinky is probably what caused them to take Mao Mao out of her care. There is some truth to what Granny said while Feng Xian is physically alive syphilis eats at the brain and can drive you mad. We don’t know how fully conscious she is anymore. Feng Xian may be essentially gone.
Icy
2024-12-18 20:52:02 +0000 UTCDisclaimer: This a post made in a short essay format. The questions ask in this comment are rhetorical(!!!!!!!) please don’t answer them, I assure you I’ve watched this episode many times and I’ve even picked up the books. The questions are a summarization of my thoughts before the big reveal and how I begun to question what Lakan was telling us and the narrative the story was pushing. This essay also contains spoilers for the series MDZS/The Untamed which Romania has previously watched on this channel I strongly recommend checking in out its a amazing story and there’s a set of characters I believe make great foils for Mao Mao and Lakan. Reposting this from discord Lakans story kinda fell apart for me once I gained knowledge that Lakan got a courtesan pregnant and they kept it. I am a long time Jin Guangyao fan which means I’ve done some research on prostitution in ancient China. I knew there were ways to prevent pregnancy and get rid of pregnancy. So Why on earth would Feng Xian keep a baby from the man that implies he “defiled/SA’d” her? (Rhetorical) Why would he get her pregnant to devalue her then not buy her? (Rhetorical) Why would he be hanging around his child and trying to get her attention? (Rhetorical) Being the child of a prostitute or having a child by a prostitute is a big scandal if we go by mdzs. Lakan hypes himself up to be a character like Jin Guangshan (For those that ignored the spoiler warning this man is a serial rpist and is on par with Zeus for levels of horny) but his actions are the opposite. Jin Guangshan convinces JGY’s mother (a courtesan known for her skills and ability to read) to get pregnant, he promises to buy her out and tells her that he loves her. She gets pregnant, and just like Feng Xian her reputation is ruined yet there’s no remorse from JGS over this. JGY (the son of the prostitute) grows up begging for his father’s attention and love (the last wish of his mother was to be legitimatized by this man) but he treats JGY as an eyesore/embarrassment and doesn’t acknowledge him. It’s not till JGY proves himself useful during war that he’s claimed, and JGS still talks badly about him and his mother behind closed doors. WHILE Lakan does the literal opposite of JGS he meets Feng Xian and adores how intelligent she is (JGS admonishes JGY’s mother for that). After the War/military campaign when he comes back and learns what happened he goes to look for her and Mao Mao, he’s extremely remorseful. He goes to the brothel just to be near MaoMao (speculation) heck he offers to buy her out (JGS the richest man in the world of MDZS would never). We see a complete role reversal where the father desperately wants the child’s approval, but the child wants nothing to do with the parent. Mao Mao would need to do anything to earn Lakan’s love, but JGY did everything possible to earn his fathers love. Mao Mao and Jin Guangyao are basically foils for each other. End of essay
Icy
2024-12-18 20:40:42 +0000 UTCI love that this anime and author handles neurodivergent people. Laken is a character I can never hate. The whole family is unique. I seriously think he got to the guard 1st after that episode for hurting MaoMao. Jinshi isn going to have two heck of a father in laws to deal with. I absolutely cannot wait for Loman to meet Jinishi. I am hoping that happens soon. It gets discussed in the light novel, but I believe his father purposely prevented Fengxin letters from getting to him. MaoMao mentioned two episodes ago the tip of your pinky and nail can grow back.
LoreleiS
2024-12-18 19:28:20 +0000 UTCThis series did such a great job surprising me, which rarely happens. The story does a great job of setting Lakan up as a villain until this episode. As you said, you see him as a sleaze and manipulator, a creepy man that you want to be nowhere near Mao Mao. Then Episode 23 happens, and everything about Lakan changes. He is not a villain but a flawed human like everyone else. He had lived a hard life and managed to rise to great success despite having to overcome many obstacles. He loved Mao Mao's mother, and loves Mao Mao. It was such a surprise that the series cloaked so well with great writing. My brother and I were both surprised when this episode hit and we are not surprised easily in what we watch or read. I really enjoyed rewatching this episode with you and hearing your thoughts on this episode and the story so far. You helped see a different view on certain events and helped enjoy watching it through a second time. I, like you, I am looking forward to season two and am glad it is close at hand. I look forward to hearing your thoughts next week on the final episode!
C. Davis
2024-12-18 14:45:20 +0000 UTC
