A lot has happened in The Apothecary Diaries, but episode 23 finally gave us our long-awaited confrontation and Maomao’s full backstory. It looks like she does have a lot of reasons to resent Lakan, even if the issue has been entirely circumstantial.
I know this anime takes place during a time when phones didn’t exist, but couldn’t Lakan have visited the Verdigris House to visit Fengxian before he left for war? Alas, it looks like the miscommunication trope has won again. Is there at least some hope for a reunion between Fengxian and Lakan?
We’ll find out in The Apothecary Diaries episode 24, which will premiere on March 23, 2024 on Crunchyroll. It is the last episode of the season. There are still mysteries lurking around, but the 24th episode is most likely going to focus on wrapping up Maomao’s backstory.
It’s endearing that Fengxian and Maomao are the only faces that Lakan can remember. Lakan only sees others as Go tiles, but this doesn’t apply to the love of his life and his daughter. It’s too bad that Maomao hates him, but that probably has to do with how he left her and her mother, albeit unknowingly. This caused Fengxian to contract a flesh-eating disease during “night walks.” Nobody would buy out a courtesan with a child, and she had to work to feed herself.
Again, the least Lakan could’ve done was to stop by or send a letter to Fengxian about his leave. Provide a new address, and maybe you wouldn’t be surprised to have a three-year-old daughter waiting for you. What would I know? I’m a modern woman with a phone.
Maomao chose to confront Lakan with a game of Go, and she was able to beat him with an unusual strategy. Forget eating the tiles. Getting your opponent drunk is far more effective. Because of this, Lakan must follow his agreement with Maomao to buy out a courtesan from the Verdigris House. Gee, I wonder who that might be.
(featured image: ntv/Crunchyroll)
