The Apothecary Diaries season 2 wrap-up: Secrets, schemes, and what comes next

Season 2 of the Apothecary Diaries has recently concluded, and fans of the show agree that it has one of the most intense plots since its debut. It began with building suspense and introducing us to the street-smart Maomao, and then, out of the blue, she was kidnapped and taken away. We saw other characters take the spotlight and give their best to save her.

The climax of the season was drastically shifted from being intense to wholesome as Jinshi and Maomao finally opened up about their feelings. Although this does not confirm that they will start dating, fans were happy to see them being affectionate without Maomao pushing Jinshi away.

The final episode of the latest season in Apothecary Diaries showed Jinshi, who is emotionally drained and just wants to finish the task of taking care of the Shi-Clan and check up on Maomao. He arrives at the tent where she is and is shocked to see her lying down with the dead children they had carried to give a proper burial.

And then comes the moment that truly shook long-time fans: Maomao, for the first time in the entire series, openly admits that Jinshi looks beautiful as she reassures him that the scar is not the worst thing that has happened to him. She continues her point by also stating that now people can take him seriously and look past his beauty.

Jinshi is visibly shocked because it is the first time she has given him an honest compliment. He is encouraged by this breakthrough and leans in for a kiss, hoping to close the distance that has long existed between them.

Although the assumed dead kids come back to life, her focus shifts to taking care of them. Once the revival mystery is solved and the chaos subsides, the emotional high cools down into something quieter but no less meaningful.

He returns to his palace, gets busy with taking care of all the paperwork, and does not have time to take a break. Meanwhile, Maomao returns to her roots in the red-light district, where her adoptive father has taken up the role of apothecary once more.

Fate has other plans for these two characters. Jinshi visits her new apothecary shop in one of the episode’s most intimate scenes. This scene is huge, not because it’s loud or dramatic, but because it’s quiet.

The hairpin and Shishui’s bittersweet farewell in the Apothecary Diaries

In the final moments of the episode, we see a mysterious lady trading the hairpin that belonged to Maomao for a jade trinket. It turns out this lady was none other than Shishui, the Apothecary Diaries shows us that she somehow managed to stay alive even after being shot.

Now she has assumed a new identity and plans to wander around and explore the world. Before she left for her journey, she traded the hairpin, knowing that it would make the way back to Maomao because she had promised to return it.

What comes next for the Apothecary Diaries?

Fans can expect season 3 of Apothecary Diaries to be more intense than the previous two installments. If the anime follows the structure of the light novel, Season 3 will adapt Volumes 5 and 6, which mark a major turning point in the story.

Finally, her relationship with Jinshi is also set to evolve. Stripped of palace protocols and titles, they might finally face each other as equals, or be torn apart by circumstances beyond their control.

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In conclusion, the ending of Season 2 gave fans closure about Shishui. Additionally, fans were really happy to see the actual development between Maomao and Jinshi in Apothecary Diaries. Although there is time for them to figure out their true feelings, just looking at them hug felt like a win. With new content confirmed, we can expect more complex plots to come that will challenge our protagonist.

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