Apothecary Diaries Episodes 14-19

watching the start of the first ep after watching season 2 gave me chills

Cynical

2:02:33 lol Lukaku (football player) , Romelu Lukaku

kinetic98

Initially I wanted to wait until you guys had finished season 2 before resubscribing but I'm way too weak-willed to wait 😂

axilir21

can't wait for the react for the last few eps omg

Cat Huang

Omg I never noticed this before but at 1:40:35 because of the lighting Maomaos eyes change color from blue to RED

KeanuofRivia

im sure someone else pointed this out, but this reaction included ep 14, might want to change title :) Loving the Apothecary reactions!

Caden

More details from episode 18. No spoilers. The woman in the annex was drunkenly called "the woman without a nose" by Mao Mao because her nose had been destroyed by syphilis. However, in the anime, her hair was used to cover it to tone down the severity of the content

Narasa ja

It’s gonna be so sweet. And y’all know what I’m talking about

chefboyarkey

About the commoditization of courtesans, a modern example would be Host/Hostess clubs and Visual Kei artists. I would go into why, but it's a very long topic so I'll only go into it if someone asks, but you can also research the basics for yourself, but in short, my friend who was a host and vkei vocalist at the same time, used both jobs to market the other very intelligently (though he paid a heavy toll with his mental health) and while at both jobs it was taboo to sleep with clients/fans, you often see the lower ranking ones prosecuting themselves to hook sponsors/super fans called bangya (Biosphia-bangya or Zelktage-bangya. Bangya meaning band girl. Not all bangya purchased these services, it just means you're a super fan that goes to all the venues to see them often, give them a lot of gifts, and often forming personal friendships and relationships with the members) Anyway, Japan has "sex sells" down to an art form and those 2 careers rely on that, so you want to be desirable. Often, the best way was to be unattainable (so dating had to be done in secret or not at all) but you do fanservice to make people imagine being with you and such. But, if you're low ranking or niche like my friend, you have to use bigger bait. Make people fall in love with you. My friend did this and eventually it was used to bully and harass him and really messed up his view of himself because he'd be blasted all over a vkei version of reddit/4chan where the most heinous degenerate fans go to gossip about different bands. People would post inappropriate photos of him or "fish" him and bully, make fun, and sex shame him and he'd read it.. gross. Gross behavior. Anyway, he expressed that as both a host and vocalist, he is a product, and he has to increase his value. Because he isn't very smart, or has a lot of skills, the best way for him to make a living was utilize his very charming personality and handsome face. Anyway, hosts are very much like courtesans in their culture and hierarchy. The more skills you have and the more entertaining you are, the more likely you are to succeed no matter if you're not the most attractive, or if your personality sucks. Actually, a funny aside about my friend is he looks hot but also very scary to Japanese girls cuz he's covered in tattoos and piercings, and has a mean looking face, so he attracts people who WANT to be mistreated, but the poor dude can't be cool and aloof or mean to save his life. 😂 he's very playful, always bright and laughing, super mega ADHD and hyper, and a sweetheart, so these girls would go to him and expect him to be all gangster and he's just like "OMG! You're so cute! Let's play a drinking game! Do you love puppies? Let me show you my puppies! This is my baby Lovely-chan, and this is Rico.." lmao but then you go listen to his music and it's heavy metal with him roaring like he hates the world and his face painted in horror type makeup.. 😅 (oh, he is absolutely obsessed with chucky and horror in general so he wanted to look scary, but the face and personality don't match, so you'd straight up just have Jason Vorhees or chucky, or some demon doing caramel dansen or something weird and silly lol) Oh so I just realized it seems weird for me to share my friends situation like this so I only do so because he is retired and better mental state about it, and he also told me I could use his story to share examples about the underground parts of host clubs and indie vkei and male prostitution in Japan. I did a Anthropology assignment on the topic and interviewed him and he said if I wanted, I could share his story whenever, as long as I don't reveal who he is, because while he wasn't famous, he was known enough in Japan at one point, that he could be looked up online and due to his photos and personal information being on tanuki, he is concerned about his privacy. So because he is my main resource, I tend to bring up his story a lot when discussing these types of topics 😅 or most Japanese related topics besides my family, because he has a pretty unique perspective. Anyway, just thought I should explain that before anyone thinks I'm oversharing maliciously

Chels

😂 "why are you risking your life for pufferfish?" Funny story, my Japanese friend is OBSESSED with pufferfish sashimi. It is absurdly expensive because people train half their lives to be able to make and sell it, and my friend isn't that well off. So, working as a host (retired now) he would have it as one of his main gift requests from clients, making them take him to eat it any chance he got. He also manipulated his boss and his other boss (a production company that his band was labeled under) to take him often as well lol so seeing all this fugu on his Twitter and stuff, I'm like dude.. why are you so obsessed? Aren't you increasing the chances it could kill you by 80%? Apparently, it has the most unique texture and flavor in the world that he thinks is almost drug-like. He absolutely loves it the way I love creme brule 😅 soooo.. now I want to try it~ but I have a theory that maybe it really is drug-like if a safe amount of the poison seeps into the meat? Lol but it's super thin, so they are very careful to remove all the meat without getting the toxins. The same for umi (sea urchin) it's dangerous, but made safe by how it's prepared and eaten. Oh but you should look up images how fugu looks. It is unreal and often very beautifully plated

Chels

My opinion is that Lakan was very shocked at the same time to see Maomao passed out and Jinshi carrying her out and blowing his cover.

Adel

The new season is on a break for a week so you guys have extra time to catch up :)

Barry

Luckily its spoilers by people who seem to be decent folk who made a mistake since they have either deleted or edited to make it harder to see.

Barry

Worse, he definitely doesn't want any photos given hes hiding his identity. Its right on the line between cool and stupid for me.

Barry

On the part about decreasing the value of a courtesan and how the show revealed that the not so pretty ones immediately sell their bodies while the really good looking and talented ones are kept - as Wes said, more like luxury goods. That's quite a good analogy I think. Just think Kpop and Japanese idols. It's a big scandal in their countries if people find out that they're in a relationship with someone. It applies to male idols as well. It really decreases their "value". Whereas in the Western world, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian can have sex videos leaked on the internet and their fame barely gets affected, may have even made them more famous. In Asia, even today, that's gonna be the death of your career. Imagine a famous courtesan in ancient China getting pregnant, that effect will prolly be 10x.

Astor Lefflinker

Well… If the leceration was the only injury, I’d say Jinshi walking slowly and steadily is the smart thing to do. The bleeding seemed relatively in control. You shouldn’t risk any rapid movement that may disturb clots that have already formed or tear the wound even more. BUT, what should be the real worry here is the fact that she was conscious and alert right after a blunt head trauma, and only lost consciousness minutes after. This is a hallmark of intracranial hemorrhage. She could die from brain herniation within minutes if that’s the case and she’s not treated. This IS a true emergency. This should override any concern related to the minor leg bleeding. With that said, I doubt they know how to diagnose/treat intracranial hemorrhage anyway, so it wouldn’t matter. (Maomao may know how to drill a burr hole but she’s the one unconscious…) Plus the fact that this is a fiction, of course, lol

Yorutia

Yeah, that scene carrying Maomao out is cinema and all but man Jinshi your girl is bleeding out pick up the pace lol. Guy is just doing it for the nonexistent photo ops even after he's away from anyone who might judge him for demeaning himself by carrying a commoner

Billbob

I love when you update Apothecary diaries! It makes me want to watch them over and over again now that the only Jiao Jiao content i have left is the novel. (I can't get enough of the ship name btw! it's so cute.)

Kasturi

We've been feasting with these multi episode reactions, thank you guys so much! The Maomao/Jinshi moments were so cute, especially their little undercover rendezvous, I thoroughly enjoyed that! And it was really fun to watch you connect the dots on Maomao's supposed family tree! On a serious matter though, I don't really think Lakan gave that courtesan syphilis. He told Jinshi to ask someone familiar with the pleasure district, implying Maomao, how to decrease the value of a courtesan. Maomao's response was: "take her purity, or even make her pregnant". So my assumption here is that's exactly what Lakan did, which Maomao is most likely aware of, and that would be the reason why she gave that answer while making sure to keep a straight face, because it brought up some painful memories. That still sounds all kinds of creepy, and what's even worse, it looked like Lakan was threatening Jinshi between the lines to do the same to Maomao. AND he might still be connected to the whole syphilis thing somehow. Just what a nutcase. But that expression on his face in the last scene got me curious. What's even happening in his head? Was he just upset in his own twisted way that Maomao had lost her "value" because of those injuries, or did he genuinely think that he might've gone too far with his schemes? Looking forward to see some elaboration on that in future episodes!

Allie

I love how you are all over the place with your theories, bouncing from one extreme to another. Although it seems like you are misremembering things, which will make it difficult to put stuff together. Anyway, regarding your reaction to Suiren, it seems like you misinterpreted her behavior, because she does like Maomao. She has been hinting at it (with her choice of words) since the first time they met, when she was showing Maomao around Jinshi's place. At 32:51 Suiren wasn't trying to get between Jinshi and Maomao. Jinshi was about to eat something like a snack, and Suiren was just telling (or scolding?) him not to eat too much or he won't be able to eat a proper meal. As for what you said at around 7:00 regarding Lihua's lady-in-waiting not being punished too severely, a servant would get a much harsher punishment because they are far below ladies-in-waiting in the hierarchy. Simply put, the former are commoners and the latter are nobles (with exceptions like Maomao, who was a lady-in-waiting for Gyokuyou because of her skills even though she is a commoner; or others who could come from rich merchant families trying to gain favor with the nobles). Basically, noble families would send their daughters to serve someone from a noble family of a much higher standing for political reasons. So what Maomao said in episode 1 is true, servant's lives are expendable. Had it been an ordinary servant, worst case they might even have been executed. But since it was someone from a noble family it was just confinement. Even the eunuch who was supposed to take away the face-powder got a much harsher punishment, despite it not being his fault (he couldn't have known that someone hid some of the face-powder).

Pebble

[DO NOT READ COMMENTS] [SPOILERS GALOUR] I repeat do not read comments as people are going crazy giving out information that you havent been told yet. This is not a drill

Kai Kage

People can't help themselves with spoilers, huh? It is better for you guys to stay away from comments until the end of the season.

Sam

lol The ship name of Lihaku and Lakan

kinetic98

omg we are getting closer to the frog

kinetic98

My favorite part of these reactions are the new names that are being made up. So we have the correct names for clarity: Lihaku- The big dumb dog of the military Lakan- The strategist Basen- Lihaku's accidental twin even though he looks like Gaoshun Suirei- Tall medicine lady Suiren- Jinshi's servant Incorrect Names: seinen- A demographic target audience for some manga Likaku- The ship name of Lihaku and Lakan perhaps? XD

AttackRunRepeat

You're suspect number 1 now. lmao

AttackRunRepeat

I have blue eyes, but no one tell Wesley. 😂

The Anime Dude

Avoid comments, they’re full of spoilers

Whammadoodoo

Something I see people comment on with this episode is 'why didn’t Jinshi just run?' and I always facepalm. That would’ve made things worse. You only run in a true emergency, like a fire. The best thing to do is keep the injured person as stable as possible while walking. Plus, the way it played out in the show was way more suspenseful and emotionally powerful, especially with that song playing in the background.

Saekoa

Back then, anyone of royal blood was basically treated like a god. Just looking at them directly could be seen as extremely disrespectful. So even though something horrific was happening, like what happened to Jinshi here, people wouldn’t just rush in to help. They were frozen, not just from shock, but also because they didn’t know how to react without overstepping. Showing respect was everything, even in a moment like that.

Saekoa

Suiren, the old lady servant to Jinshi, isn’t cockblocking guys 😭 she was admonishing Jinshi for basically eating candy right before dinner which is why Maomao calls him childish

bizarre☆azar

Purity has always held a lot of weight in many Asian cultures. For example, during World War II in China, many women who were raped never came forward and even raised children from those assaults because they didn’t want their purity questioned. So of course, a gorgeous virgin courtesan who was well-educated and skilled in things like singing, dance, calligraphy, and intellectual games would end up costing a small fortune. It makes perfect sense in the world of Apothecary Diaries. Still, behind all the elegance and artistry is a harsh truth. These women were part of a system that commodified them, even if the top courtesans held influence and had some control over their lives. The show does a great job of capturing both sides of that world. It highlights the beauty on the surface, while also showing the darker realities that exist underneath.

Saekoa

Bruh, don't read the comments on this one, what is wrong with some people

Infinite Winds

Maybe W&S can consider designating some moderators to filter spoilers. (Patreon has the teammate system for this.)

Yorutia

I think you guys should avoid comments for apothecary until finale

Jefferson

Don't you think that comment is saying too much at this point ? I hope they won't read this.

Fabien

I hate to be that guy (I really do), but I think your comment is a bit of a spoiler, since you say you already watched the show. It's really not clear at this point that the viewer has been mislead regarding Lakan, it will be explicit in the next few episodes but it'd be a shame if they discover it with that post. From the second paragraph on I think you should put a spoiler tag. edit: thank you a lot.

Fabien

I think details like that the show goes out of its way to tell viewers through internal monologue via a character. If it was so, I could see Gaoshun's voice saying that during the walk-out scene. Not doubting it though because I clearly don't know myself.

able16

I've rewatched several times but have never read any big-brained theories from r/anime or other YouTube comments. So I never really understood Lakan's character and just kind of went along with it. >> edit, community advised spoiler below. I think Lakan's portrayal up to this point was just intentional misdirection for viewers. As a character viewed as smart, ambiguous and slightly malicious -- but that front was torn down with the scene showing him wide-eyed completely shocked of what took place. Which makes me think that he wasn't behind any of this. That wasn't the look of someone who knew the amount of destruction about to take place. Re-evaluating him as a character puts him as some kind of "detective" but I don't know why he was doing it in such a round-about way through Maomao [as I'm typing this I think I understand why now, but at this point of the show is not appropriate for me to make this revalation].

able16

But the anime adaptation is pretty disappointing imo. There are many things they could have done better. Hyouka was much better adapted.

Yorutia

The best explanation I've heard for Lakan's expression when he saw Jinshi carrying Maomao is that for someone in his position, carrying a servant in his arms like that is kind of a huge breech of noble etiquette. Rather than order someone to carry her, he did it himself. Lakan was surprised to see that Jinshi would go that far, or so the explanation goes. I don't know if it's true, but I could see it as a possibility. On a side note, Wes's theories never fail to amuse me.

Ryne

Hayate

I wanna jump in time to next week ><

Rimyuruu Senpaii

Man if only Shoushimin were popular outside Japan :sob: wish more people would watch that gem. Great mystery show

ElijahLew

I'm relieved you didn't miss the 14th episode and it was just a title problem lol. For the pufferfish, you'd be surprised but even nowadays a lot of people eat it (partly for the thrill), and some (rare) people actually die from it. Edgy stuff attract people. It's mostly ok if well-prepared tho.

Fabien

oooooweee i cant wait for next week

Kai Kage

I think this should be 14-19?

Divine Simp

The binge continues! :)

Wonka

Fun fact : the red spider Lily that Maomao found in the outer palace is actually related to the blue spider Lily Muzan was looking for and it's always in the demons slayer season 1 ending. Crazy to think that Muzan would really need Maomao especially considering her knowledge in medicinal herbs

Adel

9:35 Remember, she ordered them from the brothel

Æsir

Hehe, thanks guys <3 looking forward to this reaction! ^-^

Jeremy The KitKat

One of my favorite new anime in the last decade. I can't wait for you guys to start season 2!

Saekoa