Maomao is not your average protagonist

Comments · 725

• NE

  @NEETByNature · 2 years ago · pinned

  Just fyi, I changed this video's title.  It was initially "Maomao is not like the other girls" which I intended jokingly but I think was tactless.  Some comments were made with that title in mind though so I've pinned this for context.

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• L.

  @l.c.8475 · 2 years ago

  Maomao is exactly like the other girls, not all of them are obsessed with poison, but the series manages to make all of them feel like interesting people with their own interests and motivations

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• IC

  @icedcxffee2159 · 2 years ago

  i absolutely ADOREEEEE the way MaoMao and all the other women characters are written in the show, with little to no "anime-typical fan service", which is refreshing to see given that there are scenes with brothel girls and other concubines of the palace. this show handles all of that with such? respect? i wasn't mentally prepared to see a show that has nuanced characters, where even though the main female character has her quirks, she still has empathy and cares about those close to her. what i genuinely loved is that MaoMao never gave up on her quest of going back to meet her father during the first half of the show; she went to town the first chance she got with the soldier man (i forgot his name im so sorry). she never lost focus from her father because she was helping the pretty purple haired man or the other people around the palace <3<3<3<3<3

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• KI

  @kino9643 · 2 years ago

  In relation to aphrodisiacs, we need to consider how rare chocolate and coffee were in China (and even in much of Europe) during the Tang Dynasty. Even in the manga it's not only the chocolate, but a /boozy/ chocolate mixture soaked bread that makes the maids (who would have never tasted chocolate before) feel strange. Add in the herbs that cause a raise in temperature and bam! what could very well be considered an aphrodisiac at the time.

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• TO

  @tomatosoup1304 · 2 years ago

  Maomao is very similar to many girls in REAL LIFE as opposed to the kinda cliched versions mostly (not always) seen in anime.

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• MA

  @matthieusaade3616 · 2 years ago

  The strong female character made perfect. &nbsp;<br>She&apos;s not going to knock you out. <br>But she&apos;s SMART, DRIVEN, &nbsp;KNOWLEDGEABLE and BRAVE.

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• EM

  @emn2375 · 1 year ago

  what really captivates me about this show is how humanly it treats its women. Even the morally bad characters are elaborated on, and there are many more complicated characters that are a product of the situation they were forced to survive in. No type of woman is shamed for their harmless characteristics, there is no notion that Maomao is inferior or superior to other women, and the same can be said about the other women. I also love her Sherlock Holmes style deductions.

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• CA

  @caseygray2328 · 2 years ago

  I personally see Maomao as &apos;the genius who cares&apos; cause while other anime characters are known as geniuses and doing good, doing the latter is often not really the reason said smart people actually do it and unlike the former she still has things to learn. She isn&apos;t all knowing in her subject matter and she isn&apos;t the greatest at her craft. She has room to grow. All the while she isn&apos;t trying to upend society to fix its problems, she is just doing good where she can and it feels all the more genuine for it.

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• NE

  @nekimi__ · 1 year ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-sUAsWF0N0&amp;t=47">0:47</a> this is what Jinshi asks himself every day

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• -B

  @-Bill. · 2 years ago

  Aphrodisiacs aren&apos;t really real nowadays, but a person who has lived on rice and fish their entire life would be very sensitive to stimulants, even simple ones like sugar and caffeine. It wouldn&apos;t lead to sexual feelings directly, but combined with the right atmosphere it could easily lead things that way. I wonder how addictive something like Coca-Cola would be to someone from the ancient past. The only way they could normally even taste &quot;sweet&quot; would be from honey.

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• CG

  @CGReacts-fx4oi · 2 years ago

  Anime only viewer. Two things:<br><br>The fact that apothecary diaries explicitly states that it&apos;s a strictly fictional world with fictional characters, sets itself apart from other K or C imperial court dramas. It gives the author more agency to explore aspects without strictly adhering to historical accuracy, like aphrodisiacs and chocolate being available. <br>It also gives the viewers more excitement, theres more unknowns, anyone could do anything or die at any moment<br><br>Second, I feel the show&apos;s brilliancy is the clear resolution of suspense and intrigue that gets built up within each arc. The audience get their questions answered, both plot and character developement feel natural and satisfying. We aren&apos;t dangled with a carrot promising shocking plot twists, or leave feeling empty with more questions than answers (like most drama series). In short, we feel our time investment into what we watched was worth it. It&apos;s brilliantly written, and I can&apos;t wait to see what&apos;s on offer in future seasons

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• ZO

  @zomfgroflmao1337 · 2 years ago (edited)

  For me, what make this series so much better than others that handle similar topics, is the character designs. Through body language and appearance alone, you can understand who is in charge in a room. Especially showcased when Maomao disguises Jinshi. The amount it takes to make him look more like a commoner and his noble being still shining through when he gets careless in the city is extremely well done. The only exception to this is, funnily enough, the emperor himself, but once you learn who he is you know he doesn&apos;t exude nobility as much for the simple fact that he doesn&apos;t need to. He is the Emperor, his status alone turns everyone else common, he does not need to behave a certain way, he just is that important.<br>Too many other shows of that genre fall into the trap of making every character too beautiful and similar, to the point that you can&apos;t even tell people apart.<br>My favorites are the concubines, you can clearly see their appeal, but they are also unique in their beauty. You won&apos;t mistake Gyokuyou or Lihua and Ah-Duo is something completely different, but they are all without a question beautiful by all standards.

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