Let’s get one thing straight: The Apothecary Diaries is meant to be a drama. You know, palace politics, slow-burning intrigue, quiet betrayals. But this anime takes that genre tag and absolutely runs wild with it. Instead of teacup etiquette and crying concubines, we have poisonous insects, corrupt nobles, and one chaotic gremlin of a protagonist: Maomao.
And somehow, between all the poison and palace power plays, it turns into the most entertaining rollercoaster of the year. Need proof? Just see Season 2, Episode 21 of The Apothecary Diaries, ‘Taibon’. It’s dark, devastating, and believe it or not, laugh-out-loud ridiculous in a good way.
The Apothecary Diaries episode 21: The drama is better with snakes and snacks
Here’s the thing: The Apothecary Diaries doesn’t just understand drama, it messes with it like a cat knocking things off a shelf. It knows exactly when to build tension, when to flip expectations around, and when to hit you right in the feels when you least expect it.
It teases you with horror. And then gives you comedy. And then sucker-punches you with emotional devastation. And it’s all centered around Maomao, our deadpan, poison-loving heroine, who can very literally turn a death sentence into a barbecue. What other anime is doing it like this?
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So Maomao’s been kidnapped by Lady Shenmei, the scariest woman in the series, and dragged to a stronghold straight out of a horror novel. Shenmei wants an immortality potion, and Maomao is being forced to cook one up. So, following a botched escape attempt, Maomao is sent to the ‘taibon’, basically a death dungeon filled with poisonous snakes and bugs.
The audience braces for terror. Maomao? She grills the snakes and has herself a hot meal. We are not kidding. She removes a pin from her hair, kills the creepy crawlies, lights a torch, and cooks her dinner. It’s like one of the most anticlimactic torture scenes ever, but it totally works because that is just what Maomao does. She’s so used to dealing with chaos that she makes it work for her.
Drama that knows when to twist, and when to snap
So, just when you’re thinking this is all just dark comedy, boom, the show hits you with pain. Enter Loulan, a.k.a. Shisui, who turns out to be way more than just a typical palace courtesan. She’s been playing a long game of rebellion and manipulation against her mother, Shenmei.
And, yes, she did throw Maomao into the taibon, but that was to save her from what was to come. So, Loulan had this idea to burn down the entire stronghold, and she thought Maomao would manage the taibon better than anything. And guess what? She was right.
But then she takes Maomao to a quiet room where Kyou-u and the other children and lying lifeless. Poisoned, along with the other kids. Loulan had granted them a quiet death before the Imperial troops could burst in and do worse. It was mercy, sure. But it shattered Maomao and us.
This is why The Apothecary Diaries is so good. It doesn’t simply follow dramatic beats, it bends them. What starts as a survival story becomes a dark comedy. Then it shifts again, into something truly tragic. It plays with expectations, repeatedly turning the script on its head. Maomao isn’t just surviving, she’s outsmarting everyone. But even she can’t science her way out of grief.
So, now, with the Imperial army closing in, and only three episodes remaining this season, things are going to blow, literally and emotionally. But you know what? We will never forget this: Maomao, locked in a dungeon, surrounded by snakes, smiling as she makes her lunch. And that’s peak The Apothecary Diaries for you.
The Apothecary Diaries is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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