The Apothecary Diaries is really good at keeping secrets. In fact, the series masterfully lays out all the clues required to figure out a certain mystery. However, the series seems to have underestimated its audience when it comes to Jinshi, one of the main characters of the series.
Jinshi, the eunuch, was introduced early on in The Apothecary Diaries, and the series didn’t even try to hide the fact that he wasn’t a eunuch. Even though hiding his reality would have had more impact on the final revelation, the series failed to
Only Maomao believed Jinshi to be a eunuch in The Apothecary Diaries
Ever since the beginning of The Apothecary Diaries, Jinshi’s position as a eunuch was questionable. He had way too much sway on those around him and even had his own guard in the form of Gaoshun. Surely, a lowly eunuch would not have a guard following him around since their origins are not from royal blood.
Jinshi was given too much importance in the story right from the beginning. It was clear that a character like this would not turn out to be a eunuch, especially since they were gearing up to be the love interest of Maomao. There was also a scene in which Gaoshun warned Jinshi about taking medicines that might permanently harm his physical features. Additionally, Jinshi is the one who conducts ceremonies, which gives away his position since a mere eunuch would not be the head of such ceremonies.
The only one who kept believing Jinshi’s scarcely hidden identity was probably Maomao, just because the plot could not allow it. After all, there needs to be a slight element of surprise maintained. Maomao also intentionally avoided knowing more about Jinshi due to her feelings for him.
Jinshi’s fake eunuch identity distracted fans from much bigger revelations
It was pretty clear right from the beginning that Jinshi was never a eunuch in The Apothecary Diaries. Fans figured it out and became pretty smug, never trying to dig deeper into the characters and the clues scattered all around him. This is because the eunuch identity was dangled in front of everyone like a red herring.
This was done to distract the audience from figuring out the darker secrets of Jinshi. Yes, Jinshi isn’t an eunuch, and it was pretty easy to guess that he is a member of royalty hiding in plain sight. But the real secret lay in what Jinshi himself didn’t know about himself.
Jinshi isn’t the brother of the Emperor, but his son, making him the eldest and the direct heir to the throne. However, due to a switch at birth, Jinshi was raised as the Imperial Brother. This huge secret was kept away from the audience, while they were satisfied with the small wins. All in all, Natsu Hyuga is a master strategist who should never be doubted.
The Apothecary Diaries anime is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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