The slowest of the slow burns.
Summary:
- A lot of fans are interested in the romance between Maomao and Jinshi.
- Their relationship develops very slowly.
- This is exactly what makes their ship so unique.
Although romance isn’t what made fans fall in love with The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) in the first place, it’s hard to deny that they’re watching the relationship between Maomao and Jinshi develop with great interest.
Many anime-only viewers want to know if there’s any future for this couple, and readers have an encouraging answer for them: there is. But you’ll have to be more than patient if you want these two to finally be together.
It’s a Slow Burn
The relationship between Jinshi and Maomao is extremely slow. Like, really, really slow. Just think about the anime and remember how uninterested Maomao is about everything Jinshi-related.
It’s true that the romance is progressing at a very moderate pace with these two. Jinshi was the first one to start feeling something for Maomao, but she’s not that easy to pursue.
Sometimes it feels like she’s not even interested in any romantic relationships at all, but trust us, this is going to change.
This Is What Makes Them Unique
You may think that it’s a significant disadvantage of The Apothecary Diaries, but we’d disagree. It’s actually the reason why this couple is so great.
A lot of modern anime series (especially shoujo ones) rush their characters to their “happily ever after”. Love birds get together pretty early in a series and then face various challenges together. We’ve seen this trope of love at first sight hundreds of times, and it’s getting a bit boring.
But Maomao and Jinshi’s journey is a very long one. It’s a wild ride with a lot of ups and downs, full of endearing and controversial moments. If you’re an anime-only, you won’t even believe how many obstacles will be in Maomao and Jinshi’s way. And this is exactly why their bond is so special. It’s challenging to find a couple like them.
Both Maomao and Jinshi have a troubled past, and they have a lot of trauma and issues that stand in their way to happiness. They have to learn how to deal with that and how to be able to open their hearts to another person.
The story doesn’t ignore that, it bravely embraces all of the problems and makes sure that Maomao and Jinshi solve them before even considering becoming a unit. This is peak character development and one of the reasons why The Apothecary Diaries is so great when it comes to writing.