naivette

The Apothecary Diaries Volumes 5 and 6 by Natsu Hyuuga, Illustrations by Touko Shino. Published by J-Novel Club.

I initially thought I would include 7 here as well since it contains some of the falling action from these two volumes, but I figured I would wait since there’s way too much that happens in that one that’s hard to explain without knowing about these ones first lol. Beware spoilers below!

These two volumes comprise what I think most fans are calling the “Western Capital” Arc? After the stunning events of the last volume, Maomao is forced into going west with Jinshi to clear up some diplomatic issues and mysteries. As you can see from Lishu being on the cover of the 6th volume, she also plays quite a big role in this arc.

The journey to the western capital contains a fun side quest regarding the “Quack Doctor”’s family business problems. I really enjoyed how Maomao talked her way through contract negotiation and drunk the other party under the table, to hilarious effect.
Volume 5 also contains what I would probably call the most problematic scene of the entire series between Jinshi and Maomao, and to be honest, it doesn’t even really make sense with Jinshi’s character other than to just be shocking to the reader (He ends up choking her, not in a fun way). It may be triggering to some people, so just be advised. This immediately gets subverted by Maomao turning the tables on him in a different way, so really it’s just a weird scene.

There’s increasing political pressure for Maomao to fully acknowledge her true parentage, which she continues to deftly ignore. We get the sense that although she does have an burgeoning interest in Jinshi, she constantly reminds herself of her “low” station in life. Others try to convince her otherwise, and it does seem to be moving the needle just a little.

Volume 6 contains some of the fallout of the intricate mysteries starting to be woven in 5, but really it shows how quickly one’s standing in the Rear Palace fall apart just by a couple clever setups. Lishu ends up suffering the most, and I honestly feel bad for her. Clearly, she’s better off not being in the Rear Palace, as she’s not cut out for it. She does get some solace in the end though, and a cute romance starts to bloom.

Volume 6 also contains further complications of the diplomatic situation, which I’ll try and cover more in the next post about 7 and 8 (beware of spoilers!).

I’m always shocked out how easily this series is willing to change the status quo on certain characters, but I think it’s one of its strengths.