In the last episode, foreign envoys arrive with lots of priceless gifts forthe Emperor and his consorts.So now it’s time for the Imperial Palace to return their kindness. As it turned out, the envoys asked to see the legendary dance performance that their grandfather saw decades ago when he visited the palace.
Unfortunately for Jinshi, as the man who is largely responsible for what’s going on inside the Imperial Palace, especially the Inner Court, the impossible task of recreating this performance has fallen onto his soldier. Thanks to Maomao, he managed to gather some incredibly helpful clues about this performance. Episode 5 is all about recreating that masterful yet forgotten performance.
An Accidental Masterpiece
After talking to the person who performed that legendary dance decades ago, who turned out to be the old lady from the brothel, Maomao deduced that there were actually quite a few decisions and accidents that nobody realized would eventually contribute to that amazing performance.
Blessings in Disguise
To avoid spoilers, this review won’t go into the details of every accident and decision behind this accidental masterpiece. But we will touch on the marvelous idea that something beautiful can happen due to accidents. After all, there are times when what we thought was a hindrance turns out to be the very thing that makes our work shine. What we thought was a work that we made simply by powering through so many obstaclesturned out to be one of the best thingsthat we ever made. What we thought of as problems, turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Powering Through Difficulties
In real life, this sort of thing happens more often than you might expect. The horror legend Junji Ito worked on his first manga,Tomie,in his spare time as a dental technician while having to deal with so many obstacles in his life. Now,Tomieis considered one of the best horror manga ever made.
Katsuhiro Otomo faced a major difficulty when working onAkirabecause the movie production had begun before he could finish the original manga.Hayao Miyazaki also faced the same problemwhen he worked onNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.This issue forced them to tinker with the story to make it as coherent and interesting as possible despite taking a different route than the manga. Now, both are known as some of the best and most influential films in the history of anime.
Endearing and Relatable
The Apothecary Diariescan easily make that performance so perfect because the planning and preparation behind it were also perfect. However, by making it into a performance of a skilled dancer who powered through despite many challenges,the story becomes much more endearing and relatable.By making it an accidental masterpiece, the legendary performance feels even more special to the viewers.
“Even after all that work, there were idiots who tampered with my costume that night. They rubbed insect carcasses on it. But I was too tough for them. I used my outfit skillfully to hide it. The audience ate it up, and the idiots seemed so angry.”
—Old Lady, Episode 4
A Realistic Depiction of a Detective
One of my biggest gripes with detective stories—whether in anime, manga, live TV, or films—is that the detective often has deep knowledge of a wide range of topics.From Sherlock Holmes,who can identify different types of soil at a glance, to Detective Conan, who has a vast knowledge of marine animals, these fictional detectives seem to know about almost everything.
It’s Impossible to Know Everything
Don’t get me wrong, I like watching Sherlock Holmes,Detective Conan, and other fictional detectives.Their immaculate deduction ability, which uses their extensive knowledge of different topics, is one of the things that makes them so entertaining. However, it is still hard to believe that one person can retain such a vast amount of knowledge from so many different fields.
Most people in the real world have deep knowledge of one or two areas and limited information in other areas. That’s why we consult and collaborate with experts in the relevant field to develop the best solution to the issue at hand.
Maomao the Apothecary
This episode proves that Maomao is different from most other fictional detectives. Maomao has two main areas of expertise: plants and medicine. That’s why Jinshi called her the “Apothecary.” The mystery in episode 5 has a lot to do with animals, particularly insects, which Maomao knows little about.
So, she asks forthe help of her friend Shishui,who is much more knowledgeable about this subject than Maomao. Her decision to seek help in things that she doesn’t understand is one of the reasons why Maomao is so believable and relatable as a character.
“I have to thank Shisui and Xiaolan for their help.”
—Maomao, episode 5
Should’ve Milked the Moment
The Best Moments End Too Soon
Episode 5 presents a great climax to the foreign envoy storyline. The climactic scene is not only breathtaking, but it is also quite hilarious in its own way. However, it’d be great if that particular moment were to be a tad longer.
After all, when you have successfully led the audience through a long setup, it’ll be more satisfying if the punchline doesn’t feel too rushed. We have followed this storyline for two episodes with the arrival of the envoys themselves have already beenhyped up since the start of the season.Yet the peak moment of this storyline only lasts for about one minute or so. It’s far from a dealbreaker, but it still deserves to be mentioned. Anyway, looking forward to the next episode.
