Female-led narratives are finally taking over the anime world, and The Apothecary Diaries proves just why. The series has been reigning supreme in the anime industry since it started airing in 2023. The ongoing Season 2 has only taken that craze to another level.
Although I admittedly was late to join the party, I wasn’t prepared for the way it would surprise me when I did finally get around to it. The main reason behind that is, at first glance, The Apothecary Diaries seems like a leisure watch with very simplistic themes and a subtle narrative that would put your heart at ease.
So then, how did I end up not only binge-watching Season 1 but also immediately rushing to binge-read the manga and the light novels in one go? What makes Natsu Hyuga’s series so unputdownable? The answer to that lies in the very first thing that lures fans in, that is, structuring the right female narrative.
The Apothecary Diaries is a prime example of how the right female narratives can transform an anime
First things first, The Apothecary Diaries is a series by the woman, for the women, to the…well, to everyone out there, as it is officially classified as seinen (Screen Rant). Regardless, the central focus of Natsu Hyuga’s series is its female characters from all walks of life.
It focuses equally on the powerful female standing at the top as the mother of the nation as much as it focuses on the maids who can lose their heads for daring to look into her eyes.
Strangely, while the series primarily takes place in the pleasure district, a place that specifically caters to men, and the Emperor’s harem, the all-powerful Emperor becomes an almost inconsequential character.
What’s interesting here is that the series establishes early on the skewed social norms of that time, which implicates the female characters as glorified slaves. Even so, the series utilizing that very patriarchal system and the men in power as mere plot devices, for the most part, is interesting to witness.
The only proper time the story focuses on a man is when the perspective very rarely changes to the Emperor’s son, I mean, brother, Ka Zuigetsu, aka Jinshi the false (gasp) eunuch. One would think that after growing up in such an environment, the literal Crown Prince would find posing as a eunuch, well, emasculating, not to mention, far beneath his station.
However, this innovative approach to the hero-in-disguise trope gives way to exploring his very real fears, insecurities, and vulnerabilities that he would never be able to express otherwise. Jinshi is, as they say, a man written by a woman in all senses of the phrase.
It is Maomao’s world and we are all just living in it
At last comes the protagonist, Maomao, who is possibly the most intriguing yet confusing element of The Apothecary Diaries. The tiny, quirky girl dominates the series through not only her perspective but also her genius mind and single-minded drive to taste poisons, make medicines, and help as many people as she can.
Maomao is a study in paradox, as she goes out of her way to stay aloof and detached while also inadvertently showing just how kind she is. Moreover, her narration of the situation, albeit unreliable when it comes to her own emotions, does something unprecedented for the plot.
That is, it takes a look at the female characters, no matter their station, whether concubines or imperial consorts, friend or foe, through a lens of sympathy. Interestingly, Maomao thinks of women as people who do whatever they can in a society structured to crucify them at every turn.
As such, she does her best to overlook the mistakes of the female characters if she can afford to do so. That doesn’t mean that she won’t go beyond her limits to ensure the survival of herself and her loved ones. However, she values life and tries to preserve as many as she can if given the chance. This is also what makes her blooming romance with Jinshi so alluring.
The times I see her aloof mask slipping to expose the emotions she isn’t even aware she is feeling toward Jinshi make their love story realistic, genuine, and a breath of fresh air in the overcrowded romance genre. As a result, I, at least, more than understand the increasing hype around the show.
In the shonen-dominated anime industry, The Apothecary Diaries has taken the reins and flipped the script on what anime could be and made space for character-driven, female-led narratives that fans, including me, just cannot get enough of.
The Apothecary Diaries is streaming on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
