Apothecary Diaries: A Convention Fit for Jinshi & Maomao

Apothecary Diaries is a series that caught me by surprise because it wasn't what I expected — in the best way possible. Based on promotional materials I'd seen, it looked like a standard romance series. That's just not my usual cup of tea, so I paid it no mind initially.

Eventually, I would see Jinshi and Maomao memes on my timeline that would make me laugh without fully knowing the characters. That was my first clue that maybe I had misjudged it. My overseas friend Sarah started watching the anime and proceeded to tell me how I should cosplay Jinshi because not only do I share part of his name, but he's also my type of character. That intrigued me because Sarah does know my biases, and so I gave the series a chance.

I was pleasantly surprised to have my initial impression proven wrong, because it wasn't a standard shoujo series at all! To classify it as that would even feel kind of wrong, as it felt more like a loosely historical drama with mysteries that kept me on my toes. While there is a hint of romance, at the start it's more of a comedic hook and it doesn't focus on that aspect too much. I loved it and immediately devoured the two available seasons!

So the next opportunity I had to go to the US as a convention guest of honor, Sarah and I agreed to cosplay Jinshi and Maomao together. She said it would be funny because she'd be working as my assistant during the con, and it would be very character-appropriate for both of us, hahah! Being dressed as Jinshi and Maomao made our convention work extra funny, and after the con we got to do this photo set before I flew back home!