When it comes to anime that are on-going, every anime fan must be familiar with the love-hate relationship with cliffhangers. Every week, a new episode drops, and it ends at a point where something massive is about to happen. The same is the case with The Apothecary Diaries.
All the fans desperately wish for time to tick faster, just so they can see what happens in the next episode. The cliffhanger moments have always been a tool to compel the spectators or readers to stick with the work, but there are two ways to go about it.
The Apothecary Diaries manages to give the fans a few crumbs of the story while making them wait; on the other hand, anime like Solo Leveling focus more on the hype and force the fans to wait without any indication of what might happen next.
The Apothecary Diaries breaks the curse of the annoying cliffhangers
The Apothecary Diaries is an intense story of growth, discovery, identity, and a woman making a name for herself in an antiquated society. The Apothecary Diaries follows Maomao, who is a brilliant physician with a deep knowledge of herbs and illnesses.
Maomao has a traumatic past and identity, being the illegitimate daughter of the La clan and being kidnapped and sold by bandits, finding herself as a servant in the imperial palace.
Maomao’s attempts at experimentation, the way she resolves the mysteries in the Imperial Palace of Li, and navigates the dark political undercurrents make the story extremely gripping. Add to that the dynamic between Maomao and Jinshi adds another layer to the story.
Waiting a week for every episode hurts
byu/A_Suicidal_Pig inKusuriyaNoHitorigoto
Due to the nature of the series (being rooted in many thrilling moments and mysteries), it naturally utilizes the cliffhanger technique. Making the audience curious and enthralling them in a complex plot, the cliffhangers in The Apothecary Diaries feel natural and not forced.
Solo Leveling’s cliffhangers are a hyping mechanism.
Unlike The Apothecary Diaries, Solo Leveling has a different method of utilizing cliffhangers. Instead of giving out crumbs of the upcoming episode or pointing towards a change in the story, the cliffhangers in Solo Leveling are all focused on hype.
The moment that the episode ends in will be a precursor to an anticipated fight, a moment where Jinwoo will show off, or a tough situation that he is about to get into (and out of).
While doing this is not detrimental if done occasionally, the method of keeping the fans on their toes for an extremely prolonged duration leaves them losing their wonder and interest in the story.
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byu/A_Suicidal_Pig from discussion
inKusuriyaNoHitorigoto
Solo Leveling itself seems to admit that it is about all those hyped fights and aura farming moments, rather than the journey or narrative. The way cliffhangers are used by The Apothecary Diaries seems more organic in comparison. There is no one way to use a narrative technique, and the comparison between these two anime depicts that very truth.
Comment
byu/A_Suicidal_Pig from discussion
inKusuriyaNoHitorigoto
The Apothecary Diaries focuses on the narrative, making the story halt and the fans eagerly wait. At the same time, Solo Leveling gives temporary highs by halting moments that could’ve been showcased, leaving them for another episode.
You can currently stream Solo Leveling and The Apothecary Diaries on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
