cjrae

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Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 2nd Season (The Apothecary Diaries Season 2) - June Visual

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bro is it parasocial to experience art

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What are some traits/characteristics of Jinshi, that makes the relationship with him and maomao healthy— in a realistic sense?

where do i even begin :')

i'll try to make this solely about jinshi as much as i can (my interpretation of his character, at least), so here goes:

he puts others above himself. jinshi's #1 character trait is going above and beyond for people. it doesn't matter if they're doing him wrong or hate him; if he can find some way to help others, even at the cost of himself, he will. now, i know this isn't exactly healthy, but this guy is a people pleaser to his core </3

he listens. many times in the novels, we're shown how jinshi personally visits villages or people directly affected by taxes, laws, or whatever political movement the capital imposes to gauge the people's reactions. he takes note and does what he can to help them.

he's wise and intelligent. takes one to know one. that's literally how he met maomao. to give out his best work, he consults the opinions of those more knowledgeable than him (he's wise not to let something stupid like pride get in the way of his work). he takes their words to heart and takes them into consideration. oftentimes, he doesn't pursue a decision unless he's absolutely sure he's on the same page with trusted people.

he is kind and compassionate. he's been through shit since he was a child, but we don't see a vengeful streak once. this guy is so incredibly forgiving that he's willing to overlook any attempts made on his life (sexual and murderous). this trait also drives him to help people without asking for anything in return. it's why he helped lady fuyou be reunited with her lover and why, despite his status, he wrote 200 letters begging regional leaders and political big-shots to help the western capital. and most especially, it's why shisui/loulan, suirei, and the shi clan children are still alive.

he is patient and resilient. again, people have been doing him wrong his entire life, but he still puts up with them (ex, lakan & gyokou). he has a bad day almost every day and is stressed 24/7, but he tolerates that (despite complaining). still, he doesn't give up.

he has a strong work ethic. guy is a workaholic. if he's committed to doing something, he will do it full-force to the best of his abilities and see it through till the end.

he is logical. he doesn't let his emotions dictate all his actions. if he could go about things his way, he would. instead, he uses critical thinking skills. he analyzes different perspectives, breaks elements down, considers how his decisions will affect certain people, etc. after all his thinking, he comes up with logical conclusions on which to base his decisions.

okay, so combine all these traits together, and we see how it makes his relationship with maomao healthy:

he prioritizes maomao above all else. everything he does, he takes her into consideration. when he makes decisions, he always has her safety in mind. he's doing this solely because he cares for her and doesn't want to put her in harm's way. he protects her, ensures her needs are met before his, and goes to great lengths to keep her from getting hurt, physically and emotionally.

he listens and respects her boundaries. maomao is complicated. she has a skewed sense of value, self-worth, love, and all things emotional. she's also uncomfortable with grand gestures of affection, but that doesn't stop him from pursuing her. and he does so in a way that is convenient for her, even if he has to take so much shit in the process.

he is supportive of her dreams and ambitions. though he views their status difference as an obstacle, he wields it for her benefit (creating a new position just so maomao could practice medicine and open opportunities for her to become a surgeon). he doesn't think her obsessions are weird; instead, he sees value in their potential and encourages her to improve her skills. he also respects her expertise and doesn't order the people around her to notice it. he lets her competence speak for her as he stands on the side and watches her shine.

he's incredibly patient with her. do i even need to expound? with all his princely authority, he can easily order maomao to reciprocate his feelings. but because he loves her so much, he doesn't. he sees her as someone he wants to be equal with. however, because maomao is a different breed, he works for her affection and is patient despite her constant avoidance. thus, the push-and-pull for 12 volumes. he's careful not to push her buttons too much and quickly observes how she reciprocates his advances.

he values her intelligence and trusts her. he never mansplains or acts like he knows more than her. he holds her words with heavy weight and consults her with things he finds difficult. even for stuff he's already figured out, he still seeks out her opinion because what she says and does matters to him.

he's loyal to her!!!! my guy is committed! he's thrown himself into this path ever since maomao said he'd always be jinshi to her, and he hasn't looked back or away since. he's determined to win her heart no matter how long it takes, and he will see it to the end.

i could go on and on and on about how self-sacrificial and beautiful jinshi's love for maomao is. the average guy would've given up on her, but he has wits and intelligence and uses them to match her pace. he's likely noticed how maomao treats him differently from the rest and picked up on her kindness and compassion. he held on to that and had faith. giving her the needed time to sort out her emotions and feelings, hoping his efforts would be rewarded someday.

now, i'm not saying jinshi is perfect. in fact, some of his character traits can be viewed as flaws. but when you really think about it, jinshi is PRINCE living in a patriarchal society where women had less to no rights. yet he's doing all this FOR MAOMAO, a woman and a "common apothecary." despite his nobility, he's intentionally making his life difficult in his pursuit of her, yet he doesn't give a rat's ass. he wants her with every fiber of his being, and he wants her to want him too. but he's doing that on her terms.

however, jinshi's traits alone aren't what makes their relationship healthy. jinshi loves maomao, but maomao values jinshi just as much. she cares for him, notices even the most little things about him, observes him and his moods, supports him in any way she can, gets mad on his behalf, gets worried and frustrated when he hurts himself for her or others, she feels comfortable when he's being his true self, and above all, she feels safe around him. there are so many more, and it's hidden in plain sight in the novels; you really just have to read between the lines.

maomao and jinshi are humans, navigating feelings and personal relationships for the first time. it's a delight to witness their growth and how they have come so far and positively impacted each other despite their personalities. now that they're technically dating as of LN 12, they still have a long way to go, especially in communication and maneuvering this unfamiliar territory together. their love is so wholesome, strong, beautiful, and healthy. they bring out the best in each other, and you can't help but root for these two freaks.

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I do not dislike Shisui, love her. But people, especially anime onlys, who have carved out a lot of unnecessary fuss out of their friendship, I wonder how would they react to MaoMao's later interactions with Lishu, that balcony scene Or that injury scene with Chue (if anime ever gets to that point). Or even her reaction to Yao's poisoning in front of Shrine Maiden (they were not even friends at that point)...

Last couple of interactions have been used to downgrade Jinshi's relationship with her (lol, y'all ain't ready for LN5 scene and onwards). For me though, MaoMao mirrored a very human reaction to Shisui's act. Mao² realised Shisui is walking essentially to her death, one of her closest people. Mao² who slapped across a lady's face for endangering a consort's life in a time when she had little to no regard for these high-status people, how did you expect her to react when she realised a friend of her is walking towards her end? This is where Loumen's upbringing makes a difference. Despite everything, and repressed emotions, Mao² is kind-hearted especially towards human suffering. And does whatever she can according to her station. She let her much hated father have a chance with his dying love. She saved Jinshi without even knowing it was him. Now Shisui is a close person walking towards her demise, she would have reacted more or less in the same way had it been Xiaolan. The way Mao² reacts to Jinshi's scars, and keeps on admonishing him from time to time, is another reflection of her with her close people. Yet people are hell-bent on making Shisui something she is not— a competition to Jinshi. She never was.

I do not care because I have read till LN-14, a lot has gone down since this arc, something lot serious and mind-altering for both of them.

However, I find it amusing when people say Jinshi and MaoMao did not have chemistry like Shisui and Mao² in last few episodes. Yeah, no shit Sherlock, it is because it is the END of a precious relationship while more serious phase of MaoMao and Jinshi's kind of BEGINS at this stage. How could the intensity of what has ended be compared to what has begun? Tho honestly I was more sad about the fact that Mao² never wanted this, and genuinely wanted her relationship with Shisui and Xiaolan to remain as it is.

Lol, what you think would be the situation, if it is Jinshi seperating from MaoMao. It will be at least 10 times worse, in terms of intensity and dramatics. The intense turning point for MaoMao and Chue in Bandits arc makes Shisui and MaoMao exchange look like a milder version. The point is how else would you expect a separation look like if not all sentimental and intense compared to two people who have just realised their relationship has entered into a new phase. In other words, no way were Shisui and Jinshi interacting with MaoMao in same capacity or at same level. It is after this arc actually that Mao² view of Jinshi goes a fundamental transformation. So, how are these two relationships comparable?

Please develop a reading comprehension, it was either no Jinshi or just Jinshi in the novels.... Don't turn something as incredibly sentimental as a loss of friend into an unnecessary ‘jumping the gun’ competition...

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congratulations to jinshi for being the first fictional man to get the female character treatment (overhated and misunderstood over mistakes that are in line with the themes of the story).

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Jinshi high ponytail gang rise up

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The specific ships come and go, but the ongoing battle remains the same. And it's extremely annoying to anyone who is reading and enjoying the story as written by the author. (Which is the majority of fans).

But some people are going to reinterpret the material in a way that best suits their personal narrative. Personally, I think that those who are being this militant about the Shinmao tag are revealing a very immature perspective.

First, there's the devaluation of friendship happening. Intimacy and connection are only permissible within a romantic context, which is a very typical, adolescent fixation on sex.

Second, there's shoehorning in the traditional coming of age that's conflated with coming out of the closet. I don't want to trivialize how important these stories are to young, queer people who are building and accepting their own identities, but there's a tendency to fixate on what is personally resonant for you and interpret the world around you to support your lived experience.

Third, I suspect that part of what's happening here is the fact that Shisui is doomed. Worse, she's doomed by factors completely outside her control. And part of Shisui's character is explicitly about how she's had to suppress her true self in order to survive and protect those she cares about (Shisui, the Shi children and even Maomao as she coldly suggests a more appropriate punishment to Shenmei). So, people who are insistent with this particular yuri ship are absolutely correct about some of these themes happening with her character.

But when you're in a stage of life when you desperately want romantic connection and don't yet really know how to go about it, a character whose themes are breaking a cycle of abuse and escaping the role her society wants her to play in favor of becoming her true self are so easy to write off as being done in favor of love.

But at the end of the day, love is what is tying Shisui down. Love of her sister, love of the children, even some remaining filial duty for her parents. And she abandons all of them in the end, including Maomao and Xiaolan. She explicitly chooses her freedom over love.

So much for romance.

Dumping my thoughts here about something I have noticed because why not (a few spoilers for anime-onlys):

Shipping / headcanons are not an issue, but it's not lost on me that some of the people who ship Shisui/Loulan with Maomao are always hoping Jinshi — who is clearly the deuteragonist — dies or is written out of the story in some other way because he is considered an "obstacle" for the ship. I am not claiming that it is all or even most, but it is enough to where it's noticeable imo. This is a bummer because I think he is an interesting and well-written character in general (not just for his devotion for Maomao) but he is often reduced to some one-dimensional evil. Also, any Jinmao fans hating unprovoked are wrong as well, but I have already seen posts about that side of things, so I don't need to say much else.

I have seen people insinuate that the author should "fix" her story (disrespectful) or that she intended to write yuri between them but was forced in the other direction (flat out misinformation).

I saw a take recently where someone said that "Shisui is the closest maomao has come to feel affection for someone" which is a poor analysis of Maomao's character (this person said they are on LN 7 btw; such a take makes no sense if you are an anime-only imo, but is much worse coming from a supposed LN reader). She cares deeply for Luomen, Xiaolan, her sisters, etc. so this take is odd. The attempts to downplay Maomao's care and romantic love for him in the story (the tired take of "Maomao clearly hates him") to make their ship appear more "legitimate" (???) are just unserious 😭 why can't people just enjoy something without spreading misinformation. I don't think anyone should feel the need to prove why their ship is more legitimate and / or minimize what is written to enjoy it.

Side note: Someone else was mad that Jinshi came to save her + stop the rebellion because he was putting Loulan in danger by doing so, and that he should have left Maomao with the Shi clan. Just ridiculous. 😵‍💫

Unfortunately, blocking and muting does not fully help when this kind of stuff is even under posts and in spaces that like Jinshi and / or Jinmao. Imagine trying to find a space to talk about your favorite character, and instead you find people constantly bashing them, primarily for romance that was set up early on in the LNs. I think most people would be annoyed after a while — especially considering the particularly visceral hatred for and rampant mischaracterization of Jinshi that seems to run deep in the western fandom. I know the hate for him won't change and that's fine, but I think it's weird to go into spaces where people like him just to argue.

The author decided that Jinshi was going to be the deuteragonist very early on in the development of this story because he was already inseparable from the plot by LN 2 at latest.

She didn't have to (and no, she was not forced to) but she did.

Shisui was introduced for the Shi clan plotline and her character arc concluded nicely with its end (even died in the web novel). Definitely an important character for various reasons (the Shi clan rebellion and her actions lead to events that mark a key turning point in the series, an important role in Maomao making friends / opening up, etc.). However, based on the writing, there were likely no plans to make her role much different from what it was.

The author recently stated that she rarely makes big changes to the plot, so making Jinshi integral to the story as a whole (as in the plot would be completely different without him) and making their romance integral to the plot was a very deliberate decision on her part.

You definitely don't have to like him or their romance at all, we all have our personal tastes, but the story isn't bad for not going in a direction that it never intended to go in (or for taking a direction that you don't like).

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There's a lot of parallels between Lakan and Jinshi, but this is one I hadn't actually thought much about. Kudos to OP for pointing it out so eloquently.

It's nice to see someone finally take Jinshi to task over abdicating his position and undermining the kingdom/endangering Maomao as a result. Pure poetry for that takedown to be coming from Lakan, who essentially went through the same experience when he was younger.

Jinshi is trying to engineer deliberately what happened to Lakan as a result of his disability and carelessness: putting himself out of the running for the crown by promoting the top consorts, Gyokuyou and Lihua, so their sons can be named crown princes in his stead. Even though he hasn't gained the prize, he's paid the price: he gave up the power to really do anything to prevent the crisis the kingdom faces.

From an outsider's perspective, both of these young men are essentially doing the same thing: coasting on their natural abilities (beauty and brains respectively) without doing the real work to live up to their potential, all at the cost of people who rely on them. We don't get a look in Fengxian's head, tragically, but after years of Lakan just visiting her to play games she finally got desperate enough to bet her whole future on him catching her if she fell. Unfortunately for her, he didn't have the people around him back then that Jinshi does now, giving hope that this crisis will have a happier ending.

Gaoshun's gotten really good at this "I'm going to stay quiet as an endorsement of this behavior" business. He knows this is what Jinshi needs to hear, even if he can't or won't say it himself. Luomen, too, talks down Lakan without actually refuting anything he said about Jinshi, just deflecting it onto himself as a tirade against eunuchs generally.

And Maomao, well, she's still desperate not to lose The Game. We can forgive her that because she's been carrying the whole cast on her back for two seasons. It feels like Maomao has been pushing Jinshi to be better and more proactive in a hundred ways from the very first episode when he had to catch her out as literate from among all the other maids. Because what he really needs at the end of the day is to be more like her: someone who can see all of this suffering, overcome her own doubts that she has the power to help, and do something about it.

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also the delicious parallels and subversions in this arc, of Maomao getting into serious political and physical danger because of a scheming-secret-noble-in-disguise, but it ending up not being Jinshi but Loulan.

both Maomao's canonical fear of consequences of getting noticed, and fandom's shrill handwringing ab "buh-but!! if he ever changed up on her!! she could get beaten and killed and worked to the bone and thrown in a dungeon!! power imbalance!!!!!" actually came true. yet Maomao is fearing not for herself, but for the children who are caught up in the villains' and the scheming-secret-noble-in-disguise's plans. yet she is beaten and forced to work and thrown in a snake pit bc a person who changed up on her and revealed to have a lot of power over her is endangering her, but it's not the one whom all the handwringing was about.

this is exactly why, aside from all that clunky exposition monologue, Jinshi and Loulan had to talk eye to eye at the end of the arc. Loulan is a sort of cautionary tale for him, a dark mirror image of Jinshi who had worn the mask too long and too well, and didn't have anyone to rely on or anyone to push him, someone who took the mask off too late. And it's fitting where they both end the arc, Jinshi finally stepping into the limelight which will make his life infinitely harder, but will allow for more honesty between him and Maomao. and Loulan disappearing into the shadows, the comatose children remaining behind as a last trick she played on Maomao, her last puzzle for this girl whom nobody's ever fooled, except for her.

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I have finished reading LN 14.

I now feel qualified to take a stab at writing carriage smut (of sorts).

Heaven help me.

[cjrae]

No, it's not ignored.

But nor is it an incident that Maomao finds traumatizing.

Jinshi learns an important lesson about abuse of power and Maomao learns that there is only so far she can take her avoidant behavior before they cross the line. Both characters learn and grow and I personally commend the author for allowing them to f*ck up so monumentally, subverting what is an all-too-common East Asian romance trope in it's consequences while playing the trope fairly straight in the actual scene.

Does it get Jinshi what he wants? No.

Will it happen again? No.

Will they both apologize in ways consistent with their characters (i.e. with actions rather than words). Yes.

My advice would be to read LN 6 and see if you feel like it's an acceptable resolution. If so, keep going, because the character payoff from LN 5's epilogue starts to really hit in LN 12's epilogue and is fairly stunning in LN 15.

But you know yourself best, so do what's right for you.

Question for Apothecary Diaries LN readers, if y’all would be kind enough to help me out?

I was caught really off guard by the end of LN5–I’m fairly sensitive with material of that severity and was hoping if y’all could tell me if the story addresses what happened in a way that doesn’t ignore how severe it was?

I really like the series, but I know my own sensitivities and am hoping for some feedback from other readers to know if it’s for me or not moving forward.

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No need to apologize! Brain dumps like this are part of what's been keeping me sane in my little corner of this fandom lately. I basically have to hold myself down every time I see people going off about what a slut Jinshi is because, well, Look At Him! Look how pretty he is! He must be a slut!

Y'know. Our canonical virgin. The man who COULD have had his pick of any woman in that entire harem, as long as it wasn't one of the four high consorts. Who has been encouraged to do exactly that, in fact.

Instead, we watch Jinshi pull back and correct himself whenever he loses control, or does something that appears to be sleazy - and how we see him apologize and check in with Maomao when he does cross the line. How he learns from his mistakes and tries not to repeat them.

But he flirts! He charms people, deliberately! Clearly, he wants it!

And here I am, thinking about how we see a good number of people in the larger imperial court treating Jinshi exactly like that when he's masquerading as a eunuch.

I'm just like...hey, folk, do you realize the audience has a self-insert here?

I'm not sure some of these "fans" could actually handle having the mirror held up to their own behavior.

The problem with people who vehemently hate Jinshi and Jinmao is that they desperately want the author, story, and other people to view him and the ship like they do. This is why they spread misinformation about the story, precisely because the story never treats Jinshi as a villain or a monster for any of his mistakes or blunders, even when he is shown to be in the wrong. There is a clear line the series draws regarding actions like r@pe, child abuse, pedophilia, assault, etc. (compare how the previous emperor is depicted, the question of how to lower a courtesan’s value, or Lakan’s initial appearance to how Jinshi is treated).

I always see the mentions of “Maomao is forced to oblige because of status” and that “she could get her head cut off if she refuses him.” There is commentary about power imbalances throughout the story, and their relationship is no exception. However, that is not to say that these comments are accurate.

People always say that Maomao cannot refuse Jinshi, and sure, in theory that is true — someone of her status cannot refuse someone of his, or *shouldn’t* be able to. As she gets to know him throughout the series, it becomes increasingly clear to her that he would not harm her, rejection or not. Take the honey scene for example: it’s very early on in their relationship, and Maomao here has reason to believe she would face punishment for refusal. Even with that in mind, she still makes it very clear that she was uncomfortable with his advancements. The author makes it easy for the audience to understand when Maomao does not approve of something (honey scene, Lakan, etc.), so we have all the reason to believe that if Maomao felt the same way about Jinshi’s other advances (frog scene, LN 5 epilogue, etc.) that the author would make it known in some way or another. Instead, there are often conflicting feelings present when it comes to his serious advancements.

Maomao fears deepening her connection with Jinshi because of all the trouble it could bring her way. She also fears abandonment and worries that, if she makes the decision to be vulnerable and honest, that she will suffer the same fate as her mother and many other women did; she feels that she cannot let herself love or be loved (both romantically and platonically). She does not truly operate as someone who fears or detests him.

This becomes especially evident when you compare Maomao’s interactions with other people of higher status to those with Jinshi. Even with those who favor her, she maintains a polite and professional atmosphere, yet treats him with what would be taken as disrespect by anyone else in his position.

The refusal to accept that the romance subplot — something decided upon years ago that has unequivocal development on both sides of the relationship — is very much there and crucial to the story colors takes on the author’s intent with their scenes.

Natsu Hyuuga has said that her favourite scene to write was the frog scene. If it was meant to depict assault, and not to show two individuals pushing each other's buttons, then would we say that she was happy to write about a man assaulting a woman? Nothing about her clear depictions of assault and its effects within the story vs. how Maomao and Jinshi moments are depicted suggests that they are remotely the same or should be taken as such.

While the frog scene drives the plot forward (Maomao gets full confirmation that Jinshi is not a real eunuch) it also has romantic and comedic undertones that cannot be divorced from it (regardless of how the scene made some feel on a personal level). Just because the writing for a romance does not cater to one's personal tastes does not mean that the romance in these scenes are not present.

It's also a show of vulnerability (romance aside) on Jinshi’s part in wanting to share his secret with Maomao. She expresses worry, not in fear that he would harm her, but rather because she does not want to deal with the baggage that comes with being privy to what she perceived to be a crime in that moment (uncastrated man in the rear palace).

This is not to say his behavior in the scene was okay, and the series acknowledges this by having him apologize. Maomao also apologized as she was also not entirely innocent either.

Disliking him and the scene is fine, but the story not once paints him as the evil r@pist people try to make him out to be, and they must accept that. Don’t expect the story or author to validate such claims / feelings.

He is a multifaceted character, much like Maomao. You are not meant to agree with his every action, but he is painted as a genuinely good person overall. Their emphasis placed on him being too kind and caring to be emperor (a sentiment Maomao holds) suggests as much.

Also, those who say that the author actually wanted to write romance between Maomao and any other character in the story tend to use the author not initially planning a romantic subplot as justification for why the main ship of the series is bad or “forced”. If she wasn’t planning on making Maomao fall in love with anyone, how can one say that she actually wanted to make her fall in love with xyz? It would be one thing if the logic used was consistent. I promise that it's okay to hate things because you don’t vibe with it.

Genreally speaking, the lack of reading between the lines in this fandom gets rather annoying and does a disservice to both the author and her work.

[cjrae]

As the KnH fandom gets bigger and these takes inevitably flow in, I think it's important to remember that you don't actually have to engage in larger fandom. I wrote a post about not feeding the trolls before and it holds. Whether or not people are deliberately trolling or just caught up a fandom circle jerk of people repeating opinions for validation is irrelevant.

Block and move on to engage with the parts of the fandom that you enjoy. "Jinshi Is The Worst and Maomao Is A Saint" are shallow takes that reveal more about their own biases and internalized misogyny than anything about the characters themselves.

And remember - Natsu Hyuuga is not writing for these trolls. While I'm sure the author appreciate the foreign audiences, KnH is a Japanese story and it's going to reflect Japanese tastes. And I haven't heard anything about Japanese audiences having a problem with the story in general, including the romantic subplot.

The problem with people who vehemently hate Jinshi and Jinmao is that they desperately want the author, story, and other people to view him and the ship like they do. This is why they spread misinformation about the story, precisely because the story never treats Jinshi as a villain or a monster for any of his mistakes or blunders, even when he is shown to be in the wrong. There is a clear line the series draws regarding actions like r@pe, child abuse, pedophilia, assault, etc. (compare how the previous emperor is depicted, the question of how to lower a courtesan’s value, or Lakan’s initial appearance to how Jinshi is treated).

I always see the mentions of “Maomao is forced to oblige because of status” and that “she could get her head cut off if she refuses him.” There is commentary about power imbalances throughout the story, and their relationship is no exception. However, that is not to say that these comments are accurate.

People always say that Maomao cannot refuse Jinshi, and sure, in theory that is true — someone of her status cannot refuse someone of his, or *shouldn’t* be able to. As she gets to know him throughout the series, it becomes increasingly clear to her that he would not harm her, rejection or not. Take the honey scene for example: it’s very early on in their relationship, and Maomao here has reason to believe she would face punishment for refusal. Even with that in mind, she still makes it very clear that she was uncomfortable with his advancements. The author makes it easy for the audience to understand when Maomao does not approve of something (honey scene, Lakan, etc.), so we have all the reason to believe that if Maomao felt the same way about Jinshi’s other advances (frog scene, LN 5 epilogue, etc.) that the author would make it known in some way or another. Instead, there are often conflicting feelings present when it comes to his serious advancements.

Maomao fears deepening her connection with Jinshi because of all the trouble it could bring her way. She also fears abandonment and worries that, if she makes the decision to be vulnerable and honest, that she will suffer the same fate as her mother and many other women did; she feels that she cannot let herself love or be loved (both romantically and platonically). She does not truly operate as someone who fears or detests him.

This becomes especially evident when you compare Maomao’s interactions with other people of higher status to those with Jinshi. Even with those who favor her, she maintains a polite and professional atmosphere, yet treats him with what would be taken as disrespect by anyone else in his position.

The refusal to accept that the romance subplot — something decided upon years ago that has unequivocal development on both sides of the relationship — is very much there and crucial to the story colors takes on the author’s intent with their scenes.

Natsu Hyuuga has said that her favourite scene to write was the frog scene. If it was meant to depict assault, and not to show two individuals pushing each other's buttons, then would we say that she was happy to write about a man assaulting a woman? Nothing about her clear depictions of assault and its effects within the story vs. how Maomao and Jinshi moments are depicted suggests that they are remotely the same or should be taken as such.

While the frog scene drives the plot forward (Maomao gets full confirmation that Jinshi is not a real eunuch) it also has romantic and comedic undertones that cannot be divorced from it (regardless of how the scene made some feel on a personal level). Just because the writing for a romance does not cater to one's personal tastes does not mean that the romance in these scenes are not present.

It's also a show of vulnerability (romance aside) on Jinshi’s part in wanting to share his secret with Maomao. She expresses worry, not in fear that he would harm her, but rather because she does not want to deal with the baggage that comes with being privy to what she perceived to be a crime in that moment (uncastrated man in the rear palace).

This is not to say his behavior in the scene was okay, and the series acknowledges this by having him apologize. Maomao also apologized as she was also not entirely innocent either.

Disliking him and the scene is fine, but the story not once paints him as the evil r@pist people try to make him out to be, and they must accept that. Don’t expect the story or author to validate such claims / feelings.

He is a multifaceted character, much like Maomao. You are not meant to agree with his every action, but he is painted as a genuinely good person overall. Their emphasis placed on him being too kind and caring to be emperor (a sentiment Maomao holds) suggests as much.

Also, those who say that the author actually wanted to write romance between Maomao and any other character in the story tend to use the author not initially planning a romantic subplot as justification for why the main ship of the series is bad or “forced”. If she wasn’t planning on making Maomao fall in love with anyone, how can one say that she actually wanted to make her fall in love with xyz? It would be one thing if the logic used was consistent. I promise that it's okay to hate things because you don’t vibe with it.

Genreally speaking, the lack of reading between the lines in this fandom gets rather annoying and does a disservice to both the author and her work.

[cjrae]

I'd disagree with the use of the term "broken" to describe both Maomao and Shisui. They're scarred, certainly, but I'm struck by this particular image from OP 1

We rarely see Maomao's left forearm uncovered, but here her scars are rendered almost like pink flowers blooming along her arm, and the message is clear that they are part of what makes Maomao beautiful.

As we learn more about Suirei's story, I think she might have the strongest claim to being "broken," but she is crucially someone that Shisui believes is deserving of protection and salvation.

For the anime-onlys, I will now shut up and wait to see what ya'll think.

Maomao and Shisui are not romantic, they’re abused and traumatized young women who’ve never had the opportunity to have real friendships with women their own age. Shisui taking care of Maomao and fussing over her has more to do with the lack of care she received as a child and wanting to give that to someone for the time she can vs anything romantic. She treats Maomao like a doting mother would a daughter, she helps her eat, dresses her, does her hair, tries to protect her, all the things she wished her own mother would’ve done. It’s heartbreaking but gives us the picture of two broken young girls trying to navigate this small bit of connection in a decidedly twisted environment. Especially given Maomao is meant to be a captive of sorts and completely unaware for awhile of all the machinations going on around her.

[cjrae]

Maomao reading. WIP

[cjrae]

"This is lowkey giving internalized misogyny to me."

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!

Maomao and Jinshi mirror each other. It's one of the main narrative devices Hyuuga Natsu uses to advance the story. They're not the only characters who do this, but they're certainly the most important. Two people who could not be more different on the surface are actually very similar, different in just enough ways to push each other to grow larger than the cages they've grown up inside.

And, a reminder. Rejecting the very concept of romance doesn't make you a feminist. The idea that love is something that would diminish either Maomao or Jinshi is deeply misogynistic, feeding into the narrative that love, family and connection are somehow lesser, feminine feelings that corrupt Maomao's masculine "main character" qualities.

There's absolutely essays to write about how Maomao and Jinshi do not conform to traditional Confucian gender roles, but stepping all over Jinshi's character in the name of emphasizing how Maomao straddles gender roles is not one of them.

Maomao may be the main character of Apothecary Diaries but she wouldn’t be who she is without Jinshi. People who wanna be mad at fans for liking his character, enjoying the romance between him and Maomao and what their dynamic brings to the novels and anime don’t get that this series likely wouldn’t be what it is without his character. Maomao would still be an emotionally stunted apothecary with absolutely no power, stuck in a no-nothing existence in the pleasure district having changed nothing and no one’s lives at all without Jinshi’s influence and help. He does matter to the story as a whole and growth of Maomao as a character. So let’s not disparage people who like his plotline and don’t see Apothecary Diaries as just a single woman’s mystery novel series because that’s being too reductionist.

[cjrae]

Sorry, ladies. He's taken.

why is gaoshun so hot? maomao is right when she keeps mentioning how good of a husband he would be. and his voice? his voice actor is certainly doing something right