The Apothecary Diaries has offered us one of the best heroines we've seen in recent anime. But do Maomao and Jinshi get together in the series?
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Does Maomao like Jinshi in The Apothecary Diaries?
From a purely aesthetic viewpoint, Maomao appreciates Jinshi's extraordinary beauty.
However, she remains apathetic to his charming manners that enchant every other girl in the imperial court.
The two of them work well as colleagues, and seeing a female lead who doesn't fall in love with the main male character is far from a problem.
In later episodes, Maomao's attitude towards Jinshi slowly mellows, and some tension is present, although poisons remain the heroine's true love.
Future chapters and episodes could change Maomao's mind, as she has at least come to appreciate Jinshi as a person.
It's impossible to tell with 100% certainty that she will never fall in love, although many fans would hope that she doesn't, as she does great on her own.
What Are Jinshi's Feelings for Maomao?
Jinshi often acts flirty towards Maomao, but this seems to be his usual demeanor around girls.
However, he soon develops a romantic interest in Maomao and acts jealous when she gets help from other men such as Lihaku. During the imperial festival, he gives her a hairpin to bestow his favor.
In the light novel of The Apothecary Diaries, Jinshi also develops feelings for Maomao, but their differences in social stature would prevent them from being together even if she were interested.
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Will Jinshi and Maomao End up Together? Our Predictions
So far, Maomao and Jinshi have not ended up together, though they work increasingly well as colleagues.
Strictly speaking, The Apothecary Diaries isn't a romance anime, although its court setting is often considered a good setting for romantic intrigue.
So far, Maomao hasn't ended up with anyone in The Apothecary Diaries anime, manga, and light novel.
The adorably quirky and pragmatic heroine is more interested in crafting medicines than romance.
Even when she appreciates someone's appearance, she displays no romantic or sexual interest in men — or in many of the things other girls in court are interested in.
But this isn't a "not like other girls" story, as Maomao is often supportive and helpful to other women. She has a few enemies but also plenty of female friends.
She's simply single-mindedly devoted to what is interesting to her, and to her own goal of being free when her servitude is over.
That being said, we could see them ending up together in future seasons if the creators decide to take that direction.
Is Maomao Asexual or Aromantic?
Several fans have interpreted Maomao as asexual and/or aromantic since she's never shown attraction to another character. Given what we know about her, it seems pretty accurate.
Such terms may not be available in the place and historical period of The Apothecary Diaries, but this doesn't prevent fans on the spectrum from feeling represented, even if they still like Maomao and Jinshi's dynamic.
Maomao's appreciation of aesthetic beauty paired with her complete lack of interest in romance or sex perfectly fit the description of an aroace character.
In the second episode of the anime adaptation, Maomao is also shown to be immune to aphrodisiacs, although this is probably part of her overall immunity to poisons rather than resistance to the specific drug's effect.
Her popularity with the aroace community means that many fans would rather not see her end up with Jinshi.
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Can You Match This Image to the Right Anime Classic?
Can You Match This Image to the Right Anime Classic?
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