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| Love how intense this was. My heart hurt when Maomao thought Jinshi was upset with her for asking to be killed with poison in favor of beheading or something instead of him just caring about her. Anyways, Maomao trying to raid graves is a funny image. |
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| Dude that sunset had such a feeling of melancholy to it. Even before the flashbacks, really did add to the overall heavy vibe of this episode |
Undefeated  Bahamut |
| i was gonna say this was the weakest episode but it probably gave us some important information for what's to come. it's just a but difficult to get that feeling watching this weekly. sometimes i regret picking this up now instead of waiting it to finish airing to watch it all in one go. |
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| That "Memento mori" scene just came out of nowhere without much of an emotional build-up paving the way for it. I get the sentiment and the reason for Maomao getting overwhelmed with it, but the execusion was a bit lacking, forced as if the episode director couldn't find the correct tone to convey it. I like it more when they deal with these things with more subtlety as the japanese usually do. The other thing that made me wonder was the red berry that got central place during that scene. Because they really went out of their way to use it as a smybol, then, going with the theme, it should have been something that had both medical and highly toxic properties. At first I thought it was japanese yew but the leaves of that plant have different shapes. I know anime girls being eager for drinking alcohol and getting a bit tipsy is a returning joke in this medium that can be used in funny and cute scenes (like in the case of Holo in Spice and Wolf or like in the anime The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today in the previous season) but I think it doesn't fit Mamao's character very well. But that is just me, if I stretch my image of her maybe I could fit it in her more playful "cat" personality. |
IshitatesoDec 2, 2023 10:40 PM
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| another amazing episode these episodes fly by honestly, it felt like 2 minutes can't wait for next week's episode |
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| When they did that flashback scene I was thinking man MaoMao has gone through some nasty investigations without PTSD, recalling that shit made me feel for MaoMao as her own life is on the line each time. |
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| I love that Maomao and Jinshi know each other well enough to know exactly what buttons to press. Their interactions are gold. What Maomao says is unfortunately very true. The life of a commoner is valueless to the nobility. The slightest slip up could have her head on a pike, especially as she serves directly under one of the high consorts. It's awful that she just has to accept that as reality |
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| Sad that Maomao has become accustomed to death, part of it potentially being due to what seems to be her Mother's near death. |
| Mao Mao talking calmly about her own death is really something. |
| Oh damn, that last half took a turn. Love the colours used there, very melancholic vibes The "burns" on Maomao's arms will definitely come up with this case and they falsely blame her. That poison thing was a great initial setup for it too. Maomao is "caught", and Jinshi has to order the execution, what better drama could there be |
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| Wasn't exactly expecting to end this episode contemplating mortality. Maomao straight up telling Jinshi her preferred execution method for a death that she's a little too prepared for had quite the impact. |
| This life for the people of that time was very hard. |
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| The beginning of this episode was alright... Nothing special but fine. And at least the misunderstanding was resolved quickly, I guess? Still Jinshi kept pouting :D The latter part of this episode was more interesting. I also really liked the atmosphere when Maomao had this flashback of her mother (at least I assume it must have been her?). Even though it was difficult to understand anything I'm sure it was made like this on purpose. I really wonder about the context of this. I also loved the song playing during these little scenes. It's understandable why Jinshi wouldn't want Maomao to say something like this... That she would choose poison as her death is rather obvious. Still sad to see how low she regards her life (which is of course not her fault but because of the era and that it depicts this rather realistically even if this setting is fictional. It's at least somehow close to reality). But now to the two "cases" in this episode. That's where I have to criticise this anime a little bit because while I feel like the overall narrative is doing an amazing job, when it comes to these "cases" and mysteries they could be presented in a better way in my opinion. I'm well aware that the poisoning during the garden party isn't supposed to be resolved just yet but for the other incidents I get the feeling it's treated rather casually. Also I know this isn't supposed to be a detective series but then it shouldn't dismiss any more explanations either. This way it feels rather unsettling for me and as someone who loves mysteries and detective/crime shows I keep wondering if there is a connection (maybe even between Kounen's death... But at least the maid's demise seems to be connected to the case at the garden party). And maybe they are but the timing and pacing for them seems so random when the overall pacing is perfectly fine. I also feel like having the doctor being afraid of touching a dead body wasn't necessary. I know they played it for laughs and it proved he's nothing but a quack but I'm pretty sure they could have chosen someone who is at least better at pretending so maybe only those who are really intelligent (like Maomao and Jinshi) would be able to see through him instead of making it so obvious you wonder why he even works at the palace. These are just minor details, just my personal opinion and nobody needs to agree with them. There are certain things you can turn a blind eye on in a story and others that simply throw an unnecessary shadow on them. But I still love this anime and the characters <3. Although I keep wondering why so many female protagonists just have to love alcohol so much (I mean I understand Maomao has a thing for herbs and I'd like to think it's a similar reason for alcohol but really? Are we keep doing this with every series regardless of what kind of characters the protagonist has?). I can't wait to learn more about Maomao and her background as well as the poison incident and how it's connected to Lady Ah Duo (or rather one of her ladies-in-waiting). I don't think she's personally involved in this but I can't exclude it either. |
You're the light shining over The black and gloomy nights So long I've been waiting To run into your arms Oh, my only one desire You're the one I need Through the thousand years ~ Evermore "Midnight Sun" by AleXa |
| Now that I think about it, could the drowned servant girl be the one who poisoned the soup at the garden party? Her death might not have been suicide but instead, someone silenced her. |
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| Salt poisoning causes death by brain swelling. I've personally experienced altered taste before in past from something so I know how odd an experience it is. I wasnt sure what medical condition Maomao was talking about that caused Koumen because it's not described with much detail nor is it certain to be a modern classification. Loss of sense of taste or altering of sense of taste is in many conditions. Crohn's disease can be brought on by stress and cause that but I could't find info on malnutrition causing it. Diabetes mellitus can cause that which can be brought on by diet including lots of alcohol and sugar, but not by stress as far as I'm aware. Yeast infection is another that could make sense maybe but doesn't quite fit either. Oh well.... The knotted tassel with the obsidian Jinshi wore at his hip as suggested is something used for mourning. Obsidian to Chinese culture is thought to bring out negative emotions to the surface from what I can find. Maomao thinking about death and mortality. sanalai said: As someone who sees death often, it’s not surprising that MaoMao is thinking of stuff like this. I find it interesting that she entrusted Jinshi with choosing her method of executions, praying it’s not foreshadowing, but it’s possible. Question is what poison they use? She’s gained immunity for quite a few no? Sounds tough. Poison tolerance is likely nothing fixed. It is like when you drink alcohol and build a tolerance but if you go without drinking long enough then drink again it hits you like it did before the tolerance where the amount consumed before during tolerance is now too much. Plus tolerance isnt invulnerability it just means a higher dose required to be fatal because the immune system and liver enzymes cant handle it fast enough at some point. Ishitateso said: The other thing that made me wonder was the red berry that got central place during that scene. Because they really went out of their way to use it as a smybol, then, going with the theme, it should have been something that had both medical and highly toxic properties. At first I thought it was japanese yew but the leaves of that plant have different shapes. It's difficult to identify plants from stylized art. I think it might be pyracantha/firethorn but the berries arent considered poisonous despite minuscule cyanide content so the amount to be deadly I assume is quite high. I thought maybe cotoneaster which is "moderately" poisonous and in high doses deadly but the leaves of that are smooth not jagged like what we were shown which is a trait pyracantha has. Regardless it likely is in this same family of plants if not one of those, both are very bright and grow in parts of China so i could see them likely used as a decorative item. Ishitateso said: I know anime girls being eager for drinking alcohol and getting a bit tipsy is a returning joke in this medium that can be used in funny and cute scenes (like in the case of Holo in Spice and Wolf or like in the anime The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today in the previous season) but I think it doesn't fit Mamao's character very well. But that is just me, if I stretch my image of her maybe I could fit it in her more playful "cat" personality. She enjoys feeling the effects of poisons and medicines / drugs and is a glutton. Alcohol is a drug / poison / beverage so it fits all these traits. I imagine she can still keep some whits while drunk and has decent tolerance buildup so she doesnt likely get drunk easily. 30-50% of East Asians have a genetic trait causing them to not handle alcohol as well as others and their face turns red as can be. So i imagine that is why it's a common trope it reflects a common trait among East Asians to not handle alcohol well though they also tend to be less likely to develop alcoholism from alcohol more unpleasant in effect making them less likely to drink. |
| It's really sad to see how MaoMao normalised seeing death and corpses around her and the fact that her as commoner at any given mistake she can die..it's just deppressing to think about this episode was a lot a lot to take in tbh it was hard to hear that if she we're to die she asked it to be by poison. |
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| tfw the insert song is fire, but it's not out yet T-T also art direction picked up towards the end of the episode, really liked the colour palette during the scene and backgrounds that follow after it ends |
| Kusuriya so far. I'm in love guys, on this Anime. This show really shows their greatness once again. I don't have anything for this show. I hope is to continue to see this anime of long time. It's too good for me so far. |
RafaBryanDec 3, 2023 8:50 AM
Reply to uncleqrow
Holy sh*t! I wouldn't be surprised if it's turned out that this EP was outsourced to Wit.... OLM destroying anime quality standards since 2023....
Next EP: Ah Duo!!!
Next EP: Ah Duo!!!
| @uncleqrow yeah animation was amazing throughout the episode. Hopefully quality remains consistent. |
| so much death and attempted murders around poor Maomao which has her thinking about her death and how she wants to die. I just hope its not foreshadowing because I can't imagine what Maomao could do to get a punishment like death. This was definitely my least favorite episode because there was no resolution and no one was punished. These episodes feel so short!! Its so annoying, I wish they were longer. Sucks that we still won't know what is going on with her dad because he seemed so chill about her returning hope and wasn't shocked or anything. I have a feeling he is behind it all because she could become something greater in the palace than in the red district |
 This never updates so that's cool |
| The relationship between Maomao and Jinshi is interesting in that she doesn't hesitate to speak plainly and bluntly to him, even be rude, show her real side or "true" personality by being mildly catty or dismissive and blowing off his attention-seeking, but that's all when the conversation drifts toward the personal and the relations between just the two of them. When it's about official business or matters which could have some legal implication or political sensitivity, she is instead respecting the rank or hierarchy and his title and position, being very cognizant of her place and giving deference to the office and his authority, not wanting to step on any toes. |
| AH DUO NEXT EPISODEEEEEEEE |
"......If I told you that I was a real witch, would you believe it?"  |
| This one got kinda heavy |
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| I wasn't expecting the melancholy. But I like it a lot. There's a very nostalgic feeling to it Enjoying the breadcrumbs that we got from Jinshi being worried and protective over Maomao \o/ |
| I'll make it with the power of cute I'm unstoppable |
| this episode left a lot of ominous feelings...two deaths that were murder but she couldn't finger the murderer and the last was chalked up to a suicide. bad things to come for sure. |
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| I found the episode's progression odd. It may lay the groundwork for the next ones but the characters that died were kinda glossed over by Maomao reminiscing what we just saw happening in the previous episode and equally recently in their timeline. The music was beautiful, but it felt like Maomao just had to have an introspection, so it took precedence over the story. It could have been better written. |
| Jinshi looking more handsome every passing episode. And Maomao being the coolest anime female character ever... |
Reply to Tobimaroo
KoSparrows said:
It may lay the groundwork for the next ones but the characters that died were kinda glossed over by Maomao reminiscing what we just saw happening in the previous episode and equally recently in their timeline
It may lay the groundwork for the next ones but the characters that died were kinda glossed over by Maomao reminiscing what we just saw happening in the previous episode and equally recently in their timeline
All the characters shown are related to each other. Some are victims, some are failed killers. Some are poisoned by agonizing doubts and hopelessness. The writers did a great job writing Mao's character, I didn't expect such a profound moment, and so soon.
Tobimaroo said: All the characters shown are related to each other I didn't say they weren't, through close relationship or theme, I said I found them to be glossed over, blatantly serving Maomao having that "profound" moment which I found forced, the writers willing the protagonist to show "growth". The way it was shown didn't feel organic for me and that's why I would have liked it, the episode, the story of it to be written differently. |
| yeah drink more alcohol :D Maomao best girl of the season. |
| “Do what feels right in your heart. You will be criticized either way.” (Eleanor Roosevelt) |
| I failed to catch what those memories shown during the song were about. Anyone have a theory? Also, what song was that? It was beautiful. The voice sounded like Aimer. I'm guessing it really was Aimer. |
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Tobimaroo said: traed said: It's difficult to identify plants from stylized art. I think it might be pyracantha/firethorn The special anime clarifies that Nandina domestica was meant. Oh i see. That does have red berries with pretty small amounts of cyanide in them so it would take a good number to be deadly to a human but still potentially deadly. Leaves are smooth edged though from pics i can see unless they are very small jagged edges so how it was drawn was a little misleading. |
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