The Apothecary Diaries Episode 2: Chilly Apothecary

Such a fun and entertaining episode. Although they introduced more side characters, it wasn’t the main plot of it and they continued off what they left us with. I enjoyed the fact that Jinshi’s charms ain’t working for the goat MaoMao. The animation is so nice to look at, the character interactions were fun, the fact that they mixed in both stories regarding the poisoning and aphrodisiac in one episode really shocked since it all seems fitting, like one puzzle is able to fit one another and not jumbled up. The fact that they were able to do that shows how much dedication is put into this episode.

8.4/10

Maomao and Jinshi are such a funny duo. I can already this is gonna be a long slow burn. All the while learning the enviroment and the characters we'll be investing for a while

This episode is more engaging than the first 😊 Maomao shows her skills clearly The mystery gets deeper and more interesting It is still slow but feels smart and satisfying to watch

With a good promotion, Maomao is now lady-in-waiting for Gyokuyou, but her new job might not be as simple as she could think. With a “terrible job” waiting for her and a suspicious eunuch having weird demands for her, what type of life awaits Maomao in the Jade Pavillion?

This episode manages to show…JUST HOW MUCH OF A MEDICINE NERD MAOMAO IS LMAO😂😂😂 I already like her so much. Also, WHAT THE HECK IS THAT AT THE ENDING?! 😱

Episode 2 shows Maomao working as Gyokuyou’s food tester. Her kind fellow servants try to protect her from extra work. Jinshi ask to prepare a stimulant related to soldiers who got sick outside the palace, pulling her into another small medical mystery.

A world building episode that sets up the dynamics of each character. I love the smooth pacing and animation that lets you immerse with Maomao. The music was spot on and the deduction of the camping scene was very detailed and short yet satisfying. It has great humor overall.

Maomao is so funny when she geeks out over her scientific interests. Jinshi is a bit creepy, but I'm excited to learn more about him since I can tell he has a lot of depth. This episode's pacing is much better since each moment moves the story along. I'm excited for more!

I like how Maomao notices things others miss- it makes even small moments interesting. Jinshi’s growing curiosity about her adds a fun dynamic. It’s light at times, but there’s still a sense that something deeper is going on.

Now this shows more clearly which field the female lead excels in something she truly enjoys experimenting. Her knowledge is highlighted here, which makes me even more excited to see what might happen in the next episodes

This episode really lets Maomao shine in her element, and I’m not even mad about it. The way she notices details that others completely miss is honestly addictive to watch. I really love the early interaction between her and Jinshi—there’s already this playful tension, like he’s intrigued and she’s just… trying to survive her day. It’s subtle, but you can feel something forming there. The pacing is still very steady, and I appreciate that it doesn’t rush to impress. It’s slowly pulling you in, and I’m already invested.

It is still early for the whole batch but this episode showcases already the FL strenghts. Solving not just one but two task for Master Jinshi. Though the cases were not very elaborative.

Didn't expect Maomao to experiment with poisons on herself making her immune to most of it! Although, the premise of the episode showing the soldiers being poisoned only for Maomao to be only one to solve it. Quite disappointing it was only glossed over.

Maomao finally gets that dream job: official poison tester. Watching her genuinely enjoy eating soup that’s supposed to kill her while everyone else is terrified is absolute chaos. Jinshi really thought he could just charm her into it. But no she is our crazy lady.

Maomao settling into palace life and lol Jinshi really thought his charm would work on her. the aphrodisiac assignment has her in full nerd mode and it's so fun to watch. slower ep but Maomao being Maomao is enough

Finally our girl got promoted from laundry to 'lady-in-waiting' of cocubine Gyokyu. The animation, viuaIs,background music are top notch. Full score to TOHO animation studio. Ilove how Maomao treats poison like a delicacy🥣. Her obsession with testing toxins on herself is both hilarious and scary. And her expression are weird and cute(looks like cat when excited). Overall, the episode was joy to watch. Jinshiis trying hard to impress Maomao, but she doesn't even bother! 😐

Surely got much more humor on this eps rather than the first one. The way this episode highlighted Maomao's skill and her love towards toxic is very much entertaining. I also sense a little bit of... Political hint, eh? This might be the beginning of something much more bigger

I love how wholesome the other maids are, they're so sweet for trying to include Maomao! To be fair, it's rare for a poison tester to be treated as kindly as that historically, but I love how the anime gave subtle dynamics about the palace dynamics too via the maids.

This episode highlighted the obsession of Maomao in toxins. The mysterious poisoned soldiers case that was effortlessly solved by Maomao and the way Jinshi used to charm Maomao with Bishie sparkle that only leads to her reaction of disgust. The visual never fails, kind of comedic

It’s fun watching maomao geeking out over medicines, poisons and potions.