Manga to Anime: The Apothecary Diaries

Typically, I am not a Day One anime fan, meaning someone that supports a show a few episodes into it’s first season. In fact, I’m more likely to watch an anime that has two fully dubbed seasons than starting a new series with subtitles. The Apothecary Diaries is an acception. I loved the anime so much, that I hunted the Manga down during the shows Season One Arc Break. Thanks to Libby, a digital library, I was able to read the remaining episodes and beyond. The story is so good that spoiling for myself only made me want to see it animated. Almost immediately after the season finale, Crunchyroll, an anime streaming service, announced The Apothecary Diaries Season Two! That’s why I wanted to talk to you about the show.

Beauty is a Blessing and a Curse

You see, Moa Moa lives on the outskirts of a local pleasure district. She and her father provide medical treatment to those that work within the district. They’re not exactly Good Samaritans, but Mao Mao’s adoptive father doesn’t always charge as much as he should. Regardless, he’s a much needed service for a workforce that puts themselves at risk to stay afloat. Hence the reason Moa Moa goes out of her way to conceal her beauty.

It’s not clear whether she malnourished her body on purpose, but natural facial features like freckles are frowned upon in this society. So, she gathers herbs to make freckles (Sorry for the spoiler, but this bit of info contributes to the plot early on). Apothecaries rely on nature for many of their medicinal needs. Searching for ingredients in secluded places is normal. That’s how our Female Lead ends up in the Emperor’s Rear Palace.

Synopsis

At first glance, Mao Mao’s kidnappers believed she was pretty enough to sell into servitude. Since Mao Mao didn’t meet the Emperor’s beauty preferences, she became a 2-year contracted servant. She wasn’t pleased that her kidnappers would earn additional funds from her labor. At least, she received her own cut of their profits for her servitude.

Regardless, the world of women within the Rear Palace is a dangerous place too. Mao Mao’d rather skate by undetected than get caught up in palace scandals. By nature, she’s is a curious little cat and has a difficult time ignoring the need to act. As a result, Mao Mao treats people and plays a key role in unraveling palace conspiracies. There’s unrequited love sprinkled in the story, but it takes a back seat to mysteries.

Let’s Back Up A Bit

Like many successful animes, it has popular source material. The Apothecary Diaries started off as a Novel that was turned into Light Novels. As the name implies, Light Novels break down the story and sprinkles illustrations throughout each volume. This gives manga illustrators a base to translate the story and get a feel for how the characters should look. Currently there are 15 Light Novels and 13 Mangas with no end in sight. There’s plenty of source material for Toho Animation Studio to get the ball rolling with Season Two.

So far, I’ve read Manga Volumes 1 thru 11. An English translation of Volume 12 isn’t available yet, but Volume 5 of the Light Novel is available on Libby. Since the series is so popular, I had to put a hold on the Light Novel. Aside from dedicated translation websites, it’s hard for me to find Light Novels. So I was surprised Libby had a few. I put a hold on the ones that my digital library had and look forward to reading them.

What Did I Like About It

I am glad that Mao Mao’s personality and interest aren’t easily seated by her surroundings. She doesn’t aspire to grasp for the Emperor’s love. She isn’t blindly loyal to her Consort. She helps those in need and doesn’t let politics sway her. That doesn’t mean she isn’t aware of her place. She fully understands where she falls on the food chain. More often than not, her help is sought after by others. So, she operates within the authority of the support she has for each mystery brought to her attention. Although she ends up becoming a Lady-in-waiting/Food Taster, she still found a way to use her Apothecary skills daily. I’d say the only issue with Mao Mao is how closed off her heart is. This stems from the environment she grew up in. That’s part of the reason romance takes a back seat to mystery and drama. Honestly, there’s plenty of romance anime out there. So I don’t mind the slow burn route Mao Mao is on.

Final Thoughts

Theoretically, I’ll have a well rounded idea of what to expect from Season Two of The Apothecary Diaries. I’m pleased by how close the animation studio(s) stick to the mangas illustrations and dialogue. The moment below was captured beautifully. I look forward to watching the next season of The Apothecary Diaries subbed and dubbed. If you haven’t watched it yet, I recommend making time to binge it this weekend. It definitely lives up to the hype.