Natsu Hyuuga is the author of the light novels for The Pharmacist’s Diaries. The corresponding anime is particularly popular among fans because it features two charismatic characters. However, it actually wouldn’t have existed in that form.
Which anime is it about? The Pharmacist’s Diaries is one of the best anime of recent years. The success of the series is so great that it was nominated as the best anime of 2024 for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Unfortunately, the award was snatched by another anime.
The story takes place in a fictional country of the Ming era in China. Viewers follow the adventures of the young pharmacist Maomao, who became a slave in the imperial court. There, she solves several cases with her knowledge that resemble situations from Detective Conan.
She is watched by the eunuch Jinshi, who drives the ladies of the court mad with his beauty. The anime is so popular partly because of its two main characters, but they were originally supposed to be very different.
The pharmacist was supposed to be a mother of three
What was supposed to happen to Maomao and Jinshi? The author Hyuuga reveals in an interview that Maomao was actually supposed to live in a mining town. The pharmacist would have originally been the mother of three children and would have worked for a wealthy family whose children died from toxic gases from the mine.
Maomao was then supposed to continue solving cases related to poisons as a mother and housewife, just in the small town.
Additionally, Jinshi, the eunuch, was originally not supposed to live that long. He was supposed to be killed by his servant Gaoshun after he received the order to kill Jinshi.
Why did the author change her plans? Hyuuga thought that a big city full of poison accidents would be more terrifying. Moreover, Maomao was made into a teenager to better match the target audience.
Another significant influence were the readers themselves. In web novels, readers can write directly to the author and share their opinions, which is said to have led to the changes.
Thus, it came to pass that Jinshi didn’t have to die after all. The readers found the character and the relationship between Maomao and him so great that the author chose to show mercy and keep him alive.
A particularly popular scene between Maomao and Jinshi is the one with the frog. In this scene, a major secret of one of the two characters is revealed. Fans who already know the story from the manga have been eagerly awaiting the moment: One of the best anime from 2023 will soon show an intimate scene with a frog
