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The Apothecary Diarieshas won over the hearts of its audience not because of over-the-top action scenes or muscle-bulging characters but because of its unique protagonists and intrinsic plot. Of course, the protagonist, Maomao, has to be given foremost credit in this regard.
Despite being dropped in the middle of the Emperor’s consorts, Maomao isn’t interested in the inner palace’s glamour. What interests her are the weird and often poisonous herbs that she uses to create various medicines.
The Apothecary Diaries‘ Audio Drama Gave the Anime Director His Vision
Norihiro Naganuma is the director ofseason 1 ofThe Apothecary Diaries.He is also the director ofAncient Magnus’ Bride, Yowamushi Pedalmovie, and more.In an interview, Naganuma had a discussion about Maomao since she is a morally upstanding character but with nuance and depth which makes her compelling to watch. The director was asked what was the key to makingMaomao so interesting.
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In his answer, Naganuma first and foremost thanked Natsu Hyuga, the author ofThe Apothecary Diaries, for creating the original characters. Then, he went on to admit that he knew what he didn’t want from Maomao in the anime due to a particular installment of the franchise.
But there’s this audio drama where Maomao is a little bit more emotionless. In that, her feelings are much more hidden, but in animation, I pay attention to how we can make her more expressive and be more willing to show emotion.
The Apothecary Diariesreceived an audio drama whose first CD was bundled with volume 9 of the light novel. The subsequent CDs were released were released with volumes 11 and 12. According to Naganuma, Maomao is more emotionless than usual in this drama, which convinced him to bring out her feelings in the anime adaptation.
The director admitted that in the anime, he wanted to bring out moments in which Maomao expresses her emotions more. If she loves something, she ought to express it. That’s why the anime staff worked hard to bring the otherwise emotionless Maomao to life and emphasize the rare moments in which she lets her feelings slip. Maomao might be a stoic character, but she has feelings like any other human, except she chooses to hide them. However, leaving her as is would have made her boring in the anime, thus, the change was necessary.
The Apothecary Diaries‘ Director’s Favorite Character isn’t Maomao or Jinshi
Norigiro Naganuma was also asked which character fromThe Apothecary Diariesis his favorite. The director replied that not as a director, but on a personal level, he prefers Gaoshun. He further explains that because Gaoshun can step back and see things more objectively, he is in the best position to observe Maomao and Jinshi’s progression.
Gaoshun is the attendant of Jinshi, so he is always present with him. He is a calm and aloof character and also very capable in his duties. But he isn’t a subservient guy who lets Jinshi run free as he often shows his responsible side towards Jinshi. Unlike other officials, he is quick on the uptake and often observes the scheming ofJinshi and Maomaowith fair scepticism.
Two of the Most Hated Characters of The Apothecary Diaries are the Biggest Reason Why Season 1 was So Good
Both Jinshi and Maomao can be extremely reckless despite their outward appearance, and Gaoshun always appears to discipline them. He also keeps his eyes and ears open in the palace, which has helped the protagonists in the long run. Most importantly, since he is always at Jinshi’s side, he is in the perfect position to see Jinshi’s feelings towards Maomao grow.
The Apothecary Diariesanime is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
Aaheli Pradhan
Anime Content Writer
Articles Published :1558
Aaheli is an Anime Content Writer at FandomWire with 1300+ published articles. With five years of experience under her belt, she is a living, breathing encyclopedia for anime and manga. From Shonen and Shojo to the most niche anime, nothing escapes her radar. Her poisons of choice are Assassination Classroom, Gintama, Ouran High School Host Club and every Ghibli movie ever. She believes in living a slow life, surrounded by incomplete art projects and her beloved cats.
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The Apothecary Diaries
