Story
Maomao is a girl who lives an ordinary life. She lives with her father, a pharmacist, and spends her days gathering medicinal herbs and learning about them. One day, while out collecting plants, she is kidnapped by slave traders and sold to the lowest ranks of the imperial palace. Here, she is forced to continue her life as an ordinary maid. Initially, Maomao chooses to hide her extensive knowledge of medicine and pharmacy to avoid the palace intrigues and not draw attention, becoming accustomed to her new ordinary life. However, shortly after Maomao's arrival, the emperor's young children fall ill with an unexplained disease and begin showing serious symptoms. Although the doctors cannot understand the situation, our heroine easily solves the mystery. While trying to secretly convey the cause of the illness to the children's mothers—the emperor's concubines—without revealing herself, the handsome and intelligent eunuch palace official Jinshi notices her ability and exposes her. Due to her talent, Maomao is promoted to be the attendant of Gyokuyou, the emperor's favorite concubine. As Maomao continues to treat the numerous ailments affecting the imperial palace, her expertise in medicine quickly becomes indispensable. Our heroine struggles with the palace intrigues on one hand while attempting to overcome various problems with her deep knowledge of drugs and medicine on the other. Will our heroine be able to cope with all these issues?
Production
The anime is directed by Norihiro Naganuma, who has also directed series such as Mahoutsukai no Yome and Hiyokoi. You can access the introduction to the Hiyokoi anime here. Mao Mao, one of the main characters of the series, is voiced by Aoi Yuki, who also voices Tatsumaki in One Punch Man and Tsuyu Asui in Boku No Hero. If you would like to read them, you can access the introduction to the One Punch Man anime here and the introduction to the Boku No Hero Academia anime here. Our other main character, Jinshi, is voiced by Takeo Ootsuka, who is also known from the Beastars and Trillion Games anime. The anime was produced jointly by OLM and TOHO animation STUDIO, and the first season consists of 24 episodes. It was released on Blu-ray in four volumes between January 24, 2024, and July 17, 2024. Additionally, there is a second season of the anime, which will be introduced on our site soon.
Review
My review of this anime is that it is truly worth watching; you are not just watching another anime. Because while the anime might seem like a simple mystery-solving or mind-game story at first glance, the depth of the subject matter increases as the episodes progress. Although each topic appears independent at the beginning, the way the topics connect to one another and form a cohesive whole as the episodes advance is truly impressive. In this regard, the anime reminds me of Fringe, a series I watched years ago. You might wonder what connection there is, and yes, while the subject matter may not be related, watching the episodes where each one follows a separate topic, only for all the topics to suddenly link together in later episodes, reminded me of that show. Furthermore, the fact that the anime solves mysteries through pharmacology and medical knowledge is intriguing enough on its own to keep you engaged, but the story gains another dimension as it expands to cover life in the empire, political intrigues, the depth of Mao Mao and Jinshi's pasts, and their relationship. Alongside all of this, the characterization and the social messages conveyed through the characters make us realize how ruthless human relationships and class injustice can be. Additionally, occasional comedic elements and the quirks of certain characters add a pleasant atmosphere to the anime; at times, you cannot help but laugh. My favorite aspect of the anime is how it genuinely surprises me. As a good anime viewer, I can usually easily predict the endings and plot developments of the anime I watch, but with this one, especially towards the end, I found it difficult to make predictions and was quite wrong in several parts. Due to both the depth of the characters and the breadth of the plot, some questions remain unanswered, but I believe we will find answers to these uncertainties, particularly with the second season. I also believe a special mention should be made for the anime's opening and ending themes. Listening to the opening track for the first 12 episodes, Be a Flower, is quite enjoyable. You can access the music video for the song here.
Moreover, the increasing depth of the anime towards the end and the way it beautifully ties all the topics together truly impressed me. In addition to all this, the fact that the love, drama, and hardships experienced by people are effectively conveyed to the audience is one of the anime's most important strengths. In short, if you enjoy mind games, intrigue, and mystery, and also want character depth, drama, and romance alongside them, then this anime is perfect for you.
Characters
· 18 characters
She is the Emperor's childhood friend and one of his concubines. She holds great charisma and influence within the palace.
She is one of the Emperor's concubines. She came to the palace after Lady Ah-Duo left.
She is one of the main characters of the anime. She is highly knowledgeable in medicine and pharmacy. Although she has a calm and conflict-avoiding nature, she succumbs to her curiosity when it comes to diseases, medicine, pharmacy, and solving mysteries. She has a special interest in poisons and plants.
He is another main character of the anime. A handsome and intelligent palace official who takes responsibility for the inner palace, he appears to be a eunuch and frequently offers Mao Mao rare medicines in exchange for solving the palace's mysteries. He finds Mao Mao's indifference toward him refreshing and entertaining. His increasingly childlike curiosity turns into a one-sided romantic affection for Mao Mao.
She is the Emperor's favorite concubine. She harbors great respect and love for Mao Mao because of her saving Gyokuyou's child from illness.
She is one of the Emperor's concubines. Although she initially appears to have a bad image, she later comes to respect Mao Mao as well.
He is a strategist in the army and holds important positions in the empire. He draws attention with his strange behavior and past. He is very good at playing shogi and go.
She is one of the Emperor's concubines. Additionally, because she was also a concubine of the former emperor, she does not attract much attention from the current emperor.
She is one of the palace maids. She is Mao Mao's closest friend in the palace. She has a cute and calm demeanor.
He is the head of the country. He appears occasionally in the anime. He is generally expressionless. He has a cold personality. He is often seen in the residences of his concubines.
He is one of the palace officials. He has worked on missions with Mao Mao a few times.
He is Jinshi's assistant. He is responsible for various duties in both the inner and outer palaces to lighten his master's workload.
He is the palace physician. He is responsible for the health of the concubines and the palace officials.
He is the person Mao Mao considers her father. He is a very knowledgeable doctor and pharmacist.
She is one of the three princesses of Rokushoukan. Because she has known Mao Mao since childhood, she sees her as a little sister. She is the calmest and most rational of the three princesses.
She is one of the three princesses of Rokushoukan. Like Mei Mei, she also sees Mao Mao as a little sister. She is fond of muscular and strong men.
She is one of the three princesses of Rokushoukan. Like Mei Mei and Pairin, she also sees Mao Mao as a little sister.
She was the most famous geisha of Rokushoukan before the three princesses. She is quite talented in strategy games. The love story she will share with Lakan Kan will cause significant events.
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