Jinshi
So like, Apothecary Diaries Jinshi. I need to talk about him.
I refrained from posting any mid-season 1-watch comments like I did with Frieren because I genuinely didnāt know if Iād finish it at first. I was a little skeptical about the story revolving around concubines and stuff, but I was absolutely hooked on the little mysteries and the characters!
Alrighty, so hereās my thoughts (I have only watched season 1 so far)
Jinshi:
He is SO GREAT. A character whoās aware of his beauty, and believes it to be his only strength! How tragic! Heās so complicated! He doesnāt want to be left out, but he canāt really participate⦠heās jealous, but he canāt get the girl because sheās immune to the one thing heās good at? Ouch! Heās got to hide his identity, and has to feel selfish for keeping Gaoshun from his family. On the contrary, heās selfless when it comes to making decisions, but then he canāt handle it when the decision makes him sad.
For instance, firing Maomao? The poor guy is on the ground and sulking. Heās made a hard decision, and he really struggles with the consequences. I mean, he completely hide the fact that heās just 19⦠š
Jinshi is shown as being a little overzealous when it comes to pranking/flirting, which demonstrates the fact that heās 19ā but one thing I love is when his faked cheery demeanor falters the closer he grows to Maomao. In the beginning, heās literally just playing with her, and as time goes on he drops that flirty act and you see him actually get desperate. As the season continues, heās genuinely trying to get her to like him by being more like himself. Maomao brings out Jinshiās true natureā and even Maomao herself notices his demeanor shift. He becomes less fake, less false joy, and becomes his genuining caring, kind, desperate self. Whatās funny is that his 25-year-old-eunuch disguise is more immature than his true 19 year old self in my opinion, LOL. But both personalities are childish in their own ways, I suppose.
Because the anime is being told from Maomaoās eyes, I find it a little unfortunate that a lot Jinshiās depth is lost to her disinterested view of him. I do wonder how much weād discover through the eyes of Gaoshunā who honestly seems mildly terrified of his masterās attachment to Maomao, LOLOL.
Anyways, Jinshi is just a masterfully written character who is obviously starved of his love language: yāknow, touch. Iām pretty sure itās touch. I think itās really really sweet how he puts his hand on Maomaoās shoulder 3 times as noted by her father during that āscaryā chess game. I know a lot of people with touch love language, and they do the exact same thing to me when Iām in a stressful situation.
Jinshi is so complex, but Iād say: he is a sad person who is desperate to feel loved whole heartedly and purely. Heās not after lust, but he pretends to be because of his position. He wants to feel included, but he struggles to participate effectively in things that pique his curiosity. He wants to make mature decisions, but heās kiiiiind of emotional. š Itās all about desire, and not quite making it all the way to achieving that desire. He shoves himself into so many situations so that he can be close to things that spice up his daily life, but he comes across as nosy (which he is) and often times a burden because he sort of just stands there and listens to what everyoneās saying and doesnāt have much to contribute.
Then thereās the topic of Maomao. Like I said before, she used to appear to him as an interesting person that he could tease and be flirty with. However, as he spent more time with her, he started to see something in her that he needed.
At one point, he has that internal monologue about how he doesnāt really feel smart or extremely gifted in combatā but that he does have a nice face.
In Maomao, he sees what he feels like he doesnāt have: Intelligence, steadiness, confidence, and talent. But not only that, the scene where he gets drunk shows us that he sees something else in her that he doesnāt have: stability.
Heās constantly running to her when heās stumped or worried. He asks her for help because he knows she will provide what he needs because sheās stable and consistent (unlike himself). When he gets drunk and Maomao falls on himā instead of just letting her go, he holds on to her. Itās because he feels safe with her around. Sheās where he runs to when heās confused and she always provides a solution. After each time he asked her for help before that moment, he felt a little more comforted, and now he straight up sees her as a pillar of safety in his sad life. In my opinion, that scene answers the question of why heād fall for such an āapatheticā young lady.
So yeah, the reason heās so jealous of men that Maomao hangs out with is not JUST because heās attracted to Maomao physically and mentally, but because he ALSO sees her as his comfort and is attached to her emotionally. Imagine seeing the threat of your consolation being stolen from your life by some random guy. Imagine dealing with the loss of your peace, the person you could go to ask questions, the person that complimented your weaknesses, and the one that (in the most desperate situations) you could hug to receive relief from stress.
Anyways, sorry for the super long analysis on Jinshi, I just find him really intriguing! And I could be wrong about the reason for his attachment to Maomao, lol! Iām just over here making crazy assumptions about this guy to try and explain his behaviors. Anyways, thanks for reading all the way through! Until next time! ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø














