so when i started watching the apothecary diaries i thought oh. it's just a misogynistic anime with a stupid male mc, who's obsessed with female mc who's too smart for this thing. they are a parody of shonen jenre, where the male mc is minding his business and his future romantic partner is always around, loves him so much, and waiting for him to give her his attention. but they are changed places, which is cool, and maomao is so smart, and she doesn't give a fuck about jinshi, which is very funny, but... uh the imperial china setting? the emperor's harem? the legalised prostituton? ew misogyny. i watched at jinmao and thought "oh. they are nice, sure, but they are too far, too unequal, she's literally his subordinate, his property now, since jinshi bought her out of the brothel.
it was like. December 2024.
but maomao refused to leave my head. so i read the manga. i read the light novel. i scrolled through author's social media. god i spend almost two weeks reading light novels and oh god that was a journey. this might be the best thing i ever read, comparable to the blue period and dungeon meshi. there's also Bjƶrnstad but hey... let's say that's the best manga, the best fandom. so this is a masterpiece that exceeded my expectations and got even more far to the problems of the women of that time. harem, prostituton, gender and class inequality, depicted in so many forms, the pedophilia, the bandaged legs, the highest consort, who was making an abortion pills for herself, a woman who lost her womb, a woman pretending to be a man. so many different women, that are fighting for their fates. that is so cool. the question of consent. in the main pair. wow. the contraception theme. oh god. condoms. in imperial china. and the medical part? the accuracy of it? the drugs problem? the epidemia? ooohh. I'm totally normal about this.
and maomao, being the perfect main hero? her perception of the world? her perception of herself? kind, but not heroic. funny, but not dumb. her understanding that her desire for justice is less valuable than a life of some human. the law, that's blind. the bloodthirsty masses. she is formed by her roots, like any other of many different characters of this awesome novel, and theis lives intertwine and create a beautiful story.
I can't kms until the anime is finished so i have to live another 10 years. uhh. keep going shun the 3rd season is going to be out soon... this summer is going to be long... ohhh...
my English is very bad there so feel free to correct me in the comments or in my dm. I'm pretty sure I used the wrong word at least twice but I'm too sleepy for this.
that's all!! thank you for reading!!
