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The Apothecary Diaries: New Mini-Anime Has Maomao Trying to Monetize Jinshi
薬屋のひとりごと、ミニアニメで猫猫が壬氏を金づるにしようとして海外ファン爆笑
Source: YouTube10 of 122 comments translatedOriginal text alongsideJapan Reacts editors
The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 put out a new "Maomao's Monologue" mini-anime short this week, and Maomao's latest scheme has her trying to charge admission to watch her personally feed Jinshi -- the emperor's brother, living under a disguised identity -- as part of the season's ongoing famine storyline.
Across 122 comments, the top reply (297 likes) got straight to the point: Maomao hasn't changed a bit, she's still looking to turn royalty into a paycheck. From there the thread settled into its favorite running joke -- Maomao and Jinshi talking in completely different directions without either one noticing.
It even produced an unexpected history lesson by the end.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 dropped a new entry in its "Maomao's Monologue" mini-anime line this week -- the bite-sized side-story format that's run alongside the main series since Season 1, now up to its 52nd short. This time Maomao comes up with a new way to make money: charge people admission to watch her personally feed locusts to Jinshi, the emperor's brother currently living under a disguised identity, as part of the season's ongoing famine-and-locust-plague storyline. Jinshi, for his part, has no idea what he's actually agreed to -- and based on how pleased he looks throughout the short, he hasn't caught on yet.
Trying to turn the emperor's own brother into a cash cow -- Maomao really never changes, lol.
皇弟を金蔓に使おうとするのホント猫猫ブレねぇなww
What kept the 122-comment thread going wasn't really the locusts, though -- it was how badly Maomao and Jinshi were talking past each other the entire short, a dynamic Japanese viewers kept calling out by name rather than just laughing along with it.
These two are back at their "Anjash" bit again, lol.
まーたアンジャッシュしてるよこの2人w
Anjash is a Japanese comedy duo known for sketches built entirely around two people having completely different conversations without realizing it, and by the end of the short several more commenters were describing Maomao and Jinshi's exchange the exact same way -- the joke lands precisely because neither character ever seems to notice.
These two's conversation isn't playing catch at all, lol.
会話がキャッチボールしてない二人w
Jinshi has no idea he's literally the business plan here and he's just cheering himself on -- go get 'em, Jinshi, lol.
まさか自分がもうけるネタにされてるなんて思ってもなく応援してる壬氏がんばれw
Jinshi-sama looks so happy, grinning the whole time 😂
壬氏様、ニコニコで楽しそう😂
Too cute 😂😂😂 -- Maomao gets an idea, then Jinshi reacts in his head -- I love that rhythm 😂
かわいすぎる😂😂😂 猫が閃く▶︎壬が心の中でリアクションする のテンポ良くて好き😂
A few commenters zoomed out to point out just how modest Maomao's scheme actually is, next to what else she has access to -- and how little it would take for things to go badly for everyone involved.
If you actually use Jinshi-sama for a business like that, even Gaoshun's going to snap, Maomao, lol.
壬氏様をそんな商売に使ったら、さすがの高順もキレるぞ猫猫ｗ
If you've already got the emperor's own brother right there, seducing him would get you a hundred times more money and power than this...
目の前の皇弟使うなら、たぶらかした方がその１００倍以上の金と権力が手に入りそうですが…
Like grandmother, like granddaughter.
あの婆にしてこの孫あり。
By the end, someone even went looking for historical precedent for Maomao's pitch -- and found one.
Apparently somewhere in medieval Europe, nobles' meals were actually put on public display as a form of entertainment -- so Jinshi's dinner show idea isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. His head, though... 😫
実際中世ヨーロッパのどこかの国では 貴族の食事する光景を公開して見せていたそうだから 壬氏のお食事ショーはあり……でも首が 😫
Which, in the end, is the appeal of these mini-anime shorts in the first place: they take one small, ridiculous idea, run it entirely through Maomao and Jinshi's mismatched wavelengths, and still manage to end on a comment section digging up actual medieval court customs to defend it. It's a two-minute detour from the main season's heavier famine arc, and judging by this thread, that's exactly why people keep showing up for it every time a new one drops.
The Apothecary Diaries Movie Drops a New Character PV Ahead of Its Dec. 11 Release
If Jinshi just says "Maomao, want to go on a trip?" they can make one of these every single year — that's an unbeatable formula.
Read this roundupFAQ
- What happens in the new Apothecary Diaries mini-anime that got fans talking?
- Maomao tries to charge admission for people to watch her hand-feed Jinshi -- the disguised emperor's brother -- as part of the season's famine storyline, and a 122-comment thread reacted mainly to how badly the two keep misreading each other.
- What does "Anjash" mean in the comments?
- Anjash is a real Japanese comedy duo famous for sketches where two people have entirely different conversations without noticing -- commenters used the name as shorthand for Maomao and Jinshi's constant miscommunication.
This is one of 6 Japanese-reaction roundups for The Apothecary Diaries. See them all
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