The anime community has been blessed with some fantastic anime as of late, two of which being particular standouts.
The first of which is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, the greatest anime adaption of all time, in my opinion.
The second of these is The Apothecary Diaries, an amazing anime in its own right.
Based off the light novel by Natsu Hyūga, the story is set in a country resembling Imperial China.
Our main character is Maomao (Aoi Yuki), an apothecary who is kidnapped to sell as a servant for the Imperial Palace.
Recognizing an illness that is affecting the concubines and children of the Emperor, Maomao anonymously writes a letter to stop the unintentional poisonings.
This catches the attention of the important eunuch Jinshi (Takahiro Sakurai), who sets about using Maomao to solve other mysterious poisonings and illnesses within the palace.
And so, the story follows the friendships and rivalries Maomao forms as she investigates case after case, while she and Jinshi grow closer.
Maomao, herself, is an excellent character, as her obsession with poisons often drives her to humorous, cat-like behavior.
However, this behavior can often flip to being more like a tiger, as Maomao’s anger is pretty fearsome to behold.
Just ask Jinshi.
Speaking of the supposed eunuch, he is also a great character with a lot of mystery to him.
He has great chemistry with Maomao as well, often finding himself exasperated by her antics.
The cases these two end up investigating creates what feels like a Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson dynamic, only with a more humorous spin on the relationship.
Like Sherlock Holmes though, the story often gets dark, with many working behind the shadows in the Imperial Palace.
This leads to explorations of many shady characters, like Lakan (Takuya Kirimoto), the spy master with an interest in Maomao.
The ending revelations about these mysterious characters and the events around them are always satisfying, with some of these mysteries even being currently unsolved, leading into Season Two, which has thankfully been confirmed.
I look forward to seeing the resolution to these mysteries, just as much as I look forward to seeing Maomao and Jinshi’s relationship progress, alongside the inevitable comedy that will result from this.
The Apothecary Diaries is an excellent anime, which will often have you laughing at its characters’ antics, while also being intrigued by the many questions the show raises.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 
This is a great summary of the series! You’re right, what makes this series so much fun to watch is the characters that really bring the mystery cases to life. Though the mysteries are interesting, I don’t think this series would be nearly as good without the dynamic between Maomao and Jinshi. Even the side characters are fun to see. Lihaku and Meimei are two of the side characters that I like the most.
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