Apothecary Diaries 1x5 Reaction Extended (YT link below)
Added 2025-08-06 01:00:04 +0000 UTCIn Apothecary Diaries 1x5, Covert Operations, bring your iron bladders and pocket warmers to biggest event of the fall season: A garden part
In Apothecary Diaries 1x5, Covert Operations, bring your iron bladders and pocket warmers to biggest event of the fall season: A garden party with everyone's favorite festivities such as sitting, looking, having people touch your head without permission, and competitive jealousy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YouTube Link:
Comments
That was simply the beauty standard of the time and place, likely stemming from the same reason they valued pale skin: tanned, freckled skin was associated with manual labor and thus low social status.
Starcadian
2025-08-17 06:27:39 +0000 UTCThe Palace has to be a hotbed of intrigue and factions. Each of the four main concubines will have their own faction/supporters, as well as the many nobles and bureaucrats and Jinshi himself. Lady Gyokuoro reminds Maomao that she is part of Gyokuoro's entourage but clearly, the hairpin means she's also now connected to Jinshi in some way, which could be a warning or signal for those in the know to treat her right (or to be jealous of her, or it makes her a target). Whatever the possible meanings of it, he's put a mark on her. He clearly meant it in a protective way or to show his gratitude (and guilt?) for what she's gone through and done for him. Time to meet some more characters! But which one likes rhododendrons?
Serralinda
2025-08-13 07:34:56 +0000 UTCI love girls with freckles. Why are they treating it like it's ugly.
Perchiq
2025-08-12 14:44:19 +0000 UTCI really like the detail of MaoMao saying that she feels angry about being kidnapped. Considering how much she tries to avoid gaining any attention or political power, she's found her own way of maintaining some of her autonomy but because of her lack of power as a servant and her own desire to help she stills ends up in other's schemes. But her talent makes her such a wild card in the palace setting so it doesn't feel like she's getting pushed around by the narrative. I also thought it was interesting that Jinshi apologizes for being unable to police people like the ones that kidnapped MaoMao (despite the way the rear palace functions seeming like prime grounds for that type of exploitation in the first place) because I do wonder if sending more men with authority they might abuse to the brothel district wouldn't inadvertently cause more harm. The system set up within the rear palace and the brothels seems to be really deliberate on the show's part. MaoMao's relationships with the other serving ladies and Xiaolan are also heartwarming and their support is so sweet, it was one of my favorite parts of the episode!
Dio
2025-08-06 18:48:53 +0000 UTCOoh. The discussion in this now wants me to see you react to - The Summer Hikaru Died
finomenal
2025-08-06 16:29:14 +0000 UTCThat explains the 4 consorts! Also reading some of these other titles is great. I like "9 ladies of handsome fairness"
Alex G
2025-08-06 06:17:13 +0000 UTCIf you ever want a terrible rabbit hole to go down, just check out the Imperial Chinese harem system wiki, haha! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Chinese_harem_system) During the Tang Dynasty (which is referenced a lot in Apothecary Diaries such as in the clothing style), there were indeed 4 top consorts ranked just beneath the Empress with the same names as in the show, each with their own palaces within the capitol. Hand-warmers or in general warming devices from around the Tang Dynasty were basically made by taking a piece of smoldering charcoal and putting it in a kind of hockey-puck-shaped container of metal called an "iron bladder." It would give off consistent, moderate amounts of heat for a few hours. They were often placed in cribs, and they were especially convenient because you could have the fire in one central location under watch and then distribute the heat in different rooms without bringing around any smoke. 14:40 "Once again, exhaustion." --> It's really amazing how much time the sewing machine saved people and society. It's a very undervalued invention in my opinion. I haven't seen Episode 6 yet, but I'm assuming that the hairpin was to prevent Maomao from being hit on during the party. If she's claimed by a high-ranking person, then no one touches her.
Ryan
2025-08-06 03:17:09 +0000 UTCAlso, they'll gradually explain more about the hairpin's significance, but there's multiple meanings and part of it is just implied rather than explicitly stated.
Starcadian
2025-08-06 02:42:39 +0000 UTCThe anime tends to make Jinshi appear more suave and less awkward in certain moments than he is in the light novel (or at least, it's much more subtle about the awkward parts), so the hairpin scene was a little confusing. Just for clarity: when he touches Maomao's head it's to put the pin in her hair, but he ends up kind of fumbling it (I'll leave the reason for you to interpret) and poking her head with it. That's why Maomao responded with "that hurts" and he apologized blushing.
Starcadian
2025-08-06 02:35:05 +0000 UTCThe doctor seems to lose his mind when Jinshi shows up! In the opening I just assumed that that was makeup. I wouldn't have guess that it was make...down?
Alex G
2025-08-06 02:20:27 +0000 UTCThis episode is much slower paced compared to the previous ones, but that's not a negative in my eyes. Jinshi asking if Maomao had gained weight was definitely strangely worded in the subtitles, but more or less he was asking if she had been eating well because she had worked herself so hard and lost weight over 2 months of her being with Lihua at the Crystal Pavilion. This episode is definitely more of a setup episode because now we have Jinshi and Gaoshun looking for individuals with burns on their arms to decipher the mystery with fire and wooden writing tablets, and we also have this garden party that is happening with the possibility that something unexpected may happen. And we also get to see Maomao without her freckles. If you watch the opening closely, you can see that when she's in that Blue Dress dancing her face doesn't have any freckles. A very subtle detail that you're not really expected to notice unless you already knew that her freckles weren't real. And about the quack doctor, in the whole of the series that I've read or seen, they don't state anything, but the implication is that he has feelings for Jinshi based off his reactions whenever he sees him. Just a random musing from my interpretation of that relationship between those two, nothing actually important there. Not too much to really dissect or dive into in this episode alone, but like I said it's giving us really good setup for what is to come.
TrueAuraGuardian
2025-08-06 01:55:28 +0000 UTCOne of the fun things about Jinshi so far is that the weird mask he usually wears makes it a lot more interesting when he lets it drop here and there
Alex G
2025-08-06 01:51:24 +0000 UTCI'd like to find meaning and also crush my enemies β Btw Pantheon will be in a couple days. I have another episode of this ready π
Alex G
2025-08-06 01:50:01 +0000 UTCGuess that would depend, am I satisfied with my life and what I have or am I like those who are after the emperor in the first place, always wanting more and coveting power for whatever benevolent or depraved motivation? For me personally though probably yes, though that's more for the former in the pursuit of finding something meaningful rather then just living day to day without any strict feeling of purpose or goal, rather then any objective desire to inflict harm or benefit for others. That's why sign me up to laser my brain when the first uploads from Pantheon happen, and can't wat for that episode 5 reaction next after this one ;)
KrimzonHawka
2025-08-06 01:35:25 +0000 UTCI like the moment where Jinshi showed that he really did care once he heard that Maomao got kidnapped, when i was first watching i thought they enabled that type of stuff because who cares you know but glad this ep proved that wasnt the case its jus hard to tell. Uve probably already seen the next ep right? Im excited to see your reaction to it i remember the episode being pretty hype at least at the start of it.
Snor
2025-08-06 01:30:14 +0000 UTC
