MeinMMO editor Marie Friske celebrated the BBC series Sherlock as well as the two films with Robert Downey Jr. as the legendary detective. Now she is captivated by an exciting anime on Crunchyroll that features an equally brilliant investigator.
What is The Pharmacist’s Diaries
about? The anime is set in ancient China. At its center is Maomao, a pharmacist from the red-light district who was kidnapped and sold as a simple servant to the imperial court.
Here, she tries not to stand out. But soon the eunuch Jinshi notices the intelligent young woman and promotes her to the direct maid and taster of a concubine.
In her new role, Maomao repeatedly has to get to the bottom of puzzling occurrences when mysterious events disrupt daily life at court or strange illnesses arise.
The anime thus provides you with an exciting detective story, where the young woman is thrown into the world of the imperial court full of secrets and intrigue and must solve mysterious cases with the help of her extensive knowledge about diseases and herbs.
Here you can see a trailer for the anime:
Strong protagonist who rivals Sherlock Holmes
With Maomao, The Pharmacist’s Diaries has a strong, somewhat quirky main character who is so passionate about her work as a pharmacist that she knows no boundaries.
As a child, she tinkered with her own arm and tested different remedies, which is why she always wears a bandage on one side to hide the burns and scars.
Additionally, she has a strange fondness for poisons and sometimes turns into a little joyful gremlin whenever she spots special healing herbs.
During her investigative work, Maomao does not mince words and comments dryly on what she thinks. She can also be quite stubborn – sometimes to the dismay of those around her.
Using tiny clues, she manages to reconstruct events and delve sharply into the matters at hand.
Jinshi and Maomao as a grand duo
In addition to the gripping detective story, the anime also offers many humorous moments, often depicted in cute chibi style.
Funny interactions occur especially between Maomao and Jinshi, who is so attractive that all women swoon at his sight – except for the pharmacist, who only looks at him in confusion. After that, Jinshi just becomes more annoying to her, trying to charm her with his good looks.
At the same time, Maomao manages to drive the eunuch to the brink of madness with her dry demeanor.
Some misunderstandings internally cause him great distress, for instance, when Maomao proudly tells him that she gifted another man “a night full of blissful dreams” – without mentioning that she arranged free access to a brothel for him.
Little magical moments that melt my heart
Not only are the characters in The Pharmacist’s Diaries versatile and lovable, but the anime also provides small special moments that deeply touch me.
One particularly beautiful moment is when the protagonist falls asleep exhausted after selflessly caring for a patient. The woman comes closer, sits next to the completely exhausted pharmacist, and shows her gratitude by gently stroking her hair.
There is also an incredibly sweet moment between Jinshi and Maomao, in which the otherwise confident eunuch reveals his vulnerable side while drunk.
Gripping anime full of puzzles, humor, and a lot of heart
The Pharmacist’s Diaries delivers an exciting story with a unique investigator. At the same time, the cases are repeatedly lightened with humor.
With lovable characters and beautiful moments, the anime also shines with a lot of heart and gives even initially cold-looking characters a soul.
And Maomao is an investigator who can keep up with the legendary detective in her own unique way, while still being different enough to be unique.
During lunch breaks with MeinMMO demon Cortyn, I watched another anime whose humor is also great: With Kaguya-Sama: Love is War you charm everyone into anime
