Welcome back to Anime Rants! Today, we’re reviewing The Apothecary Diaries episode 35 – AKA season 2 episode 11. In my opinion, this was the best installment of season 2 yet, which is appropriate, since it’s basically the climax of the season in combination with the final episode next week. The moments of action, humor, and sexual tension between Jinshi and Maomao were all great. A general episode recap is below.
Episode 35: The Hunt
Episode Rating: 10/10
Maomao was summoned to accompany Jinshi on a hunting trip in the north region. It was funny how Gyokuyo considered Maomao “hers” and was so reluctant to let her go. She also teased Jinshi about how he never called the apothecary by name. Speaking of Jinshi, he planned to tell Maomao the truth about his status during the trip. Gaoshun and Basen were also there. They were surprised that Maomao didn’t know about Jinshi yet.
Once they were in the northern region, Maomao tasted a meal for Jinshi. It wasn’t poisoned, but he still wouldn’t eat it. Maomao and Basen both ate some of it. Humorously, the wine made Basen hopelessly drunk, but didn’t effect Maomao more than making her smile. When video essayists say that Maomao is built different as a protagonist, I’m not sure if this was what they had in mind. Still, it was amusing.
While the hunt was happening, Maomao went wandering in the woods for a bit. She stumbled upon Basen, who was petting a cute dog. It was a hunting god that the other guards left in his care. The dog was smart enough to answer to whistles. It was nice seeing Basen happy and smiling for once. He’s usually so stern and irritable.
Throughout the day of the hunt, Jinshi wore a black cloth mask that covered his whole face except his eyes. He also refused to eat or drink at the meal later. Clearly, he was starting to feel bad. When he excused himself from the meal, Maomao followed him with a jug of water and some salty herbs to help with hydration. Jinshi still didn’t want to remove his mask, so Maomao suggested they go somewhere more remote where others were unlikely to wander.
The perfect location was the huge waterfall in the forest. Maomao and Jinshi went there, only to be targeted by assassins. They used handguns (which Jinshi called “Feifa”) and tried twice to hit Jinshi. Thinking quickly, Jinshi grabbed Maomao and jumped off the waterfall. It was the quickest way to avoid the enemies, but it was dangerous. Maomao nearly drowned.
(Side Note: Jinshi gave CPR to Maomao to revive her. According to a quick google search, CPR was invented in 1960, with more primitive forms of chest compressions being used since the late 1800s. The fictional country of Li in The Apothecary Diaries is loosely based on the Ming Dynasty of China, which was long before the 19th Century. Realistically, there’s very little chance that Jinshi could have saved Maomao. But you know, it’s anime.)
In a cave under the waterfall, Jinshi and Maomao undressed down to their undergarments to wring out their wet clothes. Jinshi told Maomao that they had nearly been killed by a Feifa, an early form of firearm. The sexual tension was strong, but mostly one-sided, as Maomao still seemed completely uninterested in Jinshi. I do think that she cares about him and enjoys his company sometimes despite her complaints.
After their clothes were dry, Maomao and Jinshi went deeper into the cave to find an exit that Jinshi knew about. Once they reached the place, however, they found that the exit was high off the ground. Maomao whistled for the dog on the off-chance that it was close. In the meantime, Jinshi told Maomao to stand on his shoulders and climb out. Maomao reluctantly tried to do so, but lost her grip and fell. Jinshi cushioned her fall with his own body. When she tried to get off him, he held her in place, staring at her intently.
The episode ends there. I think Jinshi is going to finally tell Maomao the truth about his identity, but it would be cool if he also revealed that he was in love with Maomao. If he does, I wonder how Maomao will respond? Will she ever return his feelings, and even if she does, can they be together with such a huge gap in status? I’m excited to see more next week.
~Thanks for reading~
Written by 7Mononoke
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