A few days ago, I read a news report about Aoi Yuki, the voice actress for the protagonist of The Apothecary Diaries, visiting Taiwan.
Glancing through the article, I saw a few keywords: Maomao, rear palace, detective. Hey! Right on target! This was exactly my cup of tea.
I asked Sam if he’d heard of this anime. He said it had great reviews, though he hadn’t seen it himself. So, the two of us, both feeling under the weather, binged the entire first season over a single weekend.
There are several points about this anime that really drew me in:
- The female lead isn’t a high-born lady; she was raised in a brothel. You might think it’s a typical “rags-to-riches” inspirational story, but it’s not. She often thinks about how to navigate danger and solve problems without standing out. Beyond that, she’s adaptable, dedicated to her work, and kind to those around her.
- She has zero interest in handsome men, yet her eyes light up whenever she sees the medicinal herbs she’s passionate about.
- Her appearance is (deliberately) unremarkable, but she possesses profound pharmacological knowledge and exceptional deductive reasoning skills.
- Unlike Detective Conan, where the protagonist’s background is clearly laid out in the first episode, The Apothecary Diaries slowly scatters clues throughout the episodes, letting viewers piece together the origins of the male and female leads themselves.
- Also unlike Conan, where most cases are wrapped up within a single episode, The Apothecary Diaries resolves the immediate issue while often leaving one or two lingering mysteries that aren’t unraveled until much later.
The storytelling method helps spark the reader’s engagement, but why do the protagonist’s traits resonate with me so much? I think it’s because she reminds me of my friends.
I had a few friends in university who were the “hidden gem” the kind of person. They had excellent grades but weren’t interested in being top-of-the-class. They were walking encyclopedias regarding the things they loved. For instance, one friend loved the Grave Robbers’ Chronicles audiobooks. Several times while we were working part-time for a professor, she would narrate the story from the very first chapter until our shift ended, leaving me with a cliffhanger for the next time we worked together (we did still work hard!). Another friend was obsessed with the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and could identify every supermodel. They seemed ordinary on the surface, but they all shared these traits: they were incredibly loyal, respected their friends’ choices, and offered support at just the right moments. They were indifferent to fame or fortune and never sought the spotlight, yet they were the most sincere friends one could ask for. Looking back, I feel truly grateful for their companionship during my university years.
I hope the author maintains this level of quality in the writing. I also hope my friends—those people who, like Maomao, possess a quiet, brilliant inner light—are all doing well.
NB: This article was first published in Chinese. It was later translated with assistance from AI tools, edited by me, and published in English.