I’ve learned that with the anime version of Kusuriya no Hitorigoto at least, you never want to make assumptions about what sort of episode you’re looking at. Very often this show will start off with a lighter tone and lull you into complacency, then take a dark and serious turn on a dime. This was certainly an example. We were looking at what for all the world seemed like a pretty normal Nancy Drew subplot, when things got very heavy indeed. But then, those Nancy Drew incidents have a tendency to be more than they seem, generally speaking.
I want to qualify the following statement by noting that I thought this was a superb episode, in dramatic terms. The misdirection was well-played and the third act hit hard (no pun intended). I do think, if I’m honest, that Apothecary is too reliant on coincidence and that this ep was an example of it. Random encounters just happen to be with someone who has relevant information. Conclusions come at literally the last second possible to matter, after months of inaction. It’s somewhat ironic that Maomao was pondering (and explaining to Lihaku) coincidences here.
That aside, it was quite the twist. Lihaku tracks down Xiaomao to notify her that on the same day as the fire they investigated, there was a theft at another warehouse. Also, the pipe she found was never returned to its owner, because he refused to take it back. That looped in a court lady who was almost surely Suirei, who gave it to him. The warehouse manager is the gourmand who got sick from imported seaweed, and the previous one the guy who died from salt poisoning. And the metalwork artisan who died was the one responsible for a heavy pillar above the altar in an important ceremonial hall.
That last one is especially interesting, as it implies another reason why Lakan might have manoeuvred Xiaomao into that case. And just to be clear, when I say I have an issue with coincidences it’s not this I’m talking about – in fact her explanation about how an investigator has to try and differentiate coincidence from conspiracy made perfect sense. It’s more with the fact that the guy she was talking to at the archives just happened to have been a former worker at the ceremonial hall, and one who had expressed safety concerns about that pillar. But it is what it is.
Maomao is such a smart girl, but she definitely has blind spots. Obviously her lust for medical goods (that whole ox bezoar thing). Also with some people close to her – as witness her surprise at seeing Jinshi was the one whose ass she was saving at the ceremonial hall. That said, as she was flashing back to Oyaji telling her not to act based on conjecture, a situation was brewing that would necessitate her doing exactly that. If Maomao hadn’t acted on conjecture Jinshi would very likely be pillar food. Which I guess goes to show that a great detective sometimes has to trust their gut.
That incident outside the hall was ugly to say the least. Of course, no guard in his right mind would take her seriously in that situation. Deliberately provoking him to cause an incident and hopefully stop the ceremony in the process was a calculated move, though I’m certain Maomao didn’t expect the reaction to be that violent. Lakan showing up when he did is, like everything about the man, suspicious and fascinating. I think it’s pretty clear that he was genuinely aggrieved at what had happened to Xiaomao, as witness the perpetual smirk disappearing from his face. But the fact that he showed up when he did (which type of coincidence was that?) suggests he had foreknowledge of what was going to happen. My gut is telling me he wasn’t behind that incident either way, however.
The equation with Maomao and Jinshi has fundamentally changed now, that much is certain. She literally and indisputably saved his life, at great personal risk (and injury). He was already in love with her, but their professional relationship has to be altered as a result of that. The fact that she acted without knowing whose life she was saving is relevant, but in Jinshi’s mind I’m not sure it will matter. Xiaomao was never a simple servant girl, obviously, but whatever she was before, her stature levels up greatly as a result of her actions here.
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