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The Apothecary Diaries Director Opens Up About On Jinshi's Secret Appeal In The Story
The Apothecary Diaries' director opened up about the core of Maomao and Jinshi's dynamic. Find out what he said.
The Apothecary Diaries anime adaptation, based on Natsu Hyuga and Touko Shino's original light novels, is set to release a new season. The director has revealed the key element of Maomao and Jinshi's bond in the series, which has been a hidden gem of the year. The second half of the season gained attention due to the heightened connection between Maomao and Jinshi.
Their core dynamic presenting a one-way infatuation that may or may not develop further in the future was one of the big reasons that The Apothecary Diaries really took off with fans during the first season of the anime, and the director behind it all believes there's another key piece to how it all works. Their dynamic is further strengthened by Jinshi's needing to keep his double life a secret from her, and director Norihiro Naganuma believes this makes Jinshi more attractive to Maomao as a result.
Speaking to ComicBook during Anime Expo 2024 earlier this Summer, The Apothecary Diaries director Norihiro Naganuma stated the following about the connection between Jinshi and Maomao, "While Maomao is a character who is always very honest, I think Jinshi actually has a very strong duality as there's an exterior face masking his inner self that he shows everyone else. I think because Jinshi has that type of personality, it really attracts and compliments Maomao. I think this is key to their relationship."
Naganuma further explained, "I think what makes the Maomao really powerful is that her strength doesn't always come from a strength she was born with. She uses her knowledge and the experience that she's gained over time to face all kinds of situations. Plus, she has a very strong sense of justice, and she hates losing."
Set in a fictional country based on Imperial China during the Tang dynasty, The Apothecary Diaries follows Maomao, a young girl working as an apothecary in the red-light district, who was kidnapped and sold to the Imperial Palace as a servant. However, she still retains her curious and eccentric personality and plans to work there until her years of servitude are over, without drawing the attention of anyone.
One day, after hearing rumors that the emperor's newborns and concubines are critically ill, she begins to investigate the cause, using her experience as an apothecary she successfully solves the mystery of their illness. Even though she intends to remain anonymous, her actions eventually catch the attention of an influential eunuch, and soon she finds herself solving various mysteries for the royal court.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 is now in the works for a release sometime in 2025. If you wanted to catch up with the anime before the new episodes hit, you can now find the first season exclusively streaming with Crunchyroll.
The Apothecary Diaries was the sixth best-selling light novel series in 2019, with 461,024 copies sold. The fifth best-selling light novel series in 2020, with 527,950 copies sold, and the third best-selling light novel series in 2021, with 496,626 copies sold. By November 2023, the franchise, including the light novel and its two manga adaptations had over 27 million copies in circulation. By January 2024, the franchise had over 31 million copies in circulation.
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