One of the things that makes The Apothecary Diaries riveting is the characters. You know the story is cooked when there’s an assemblage of interesting side cast. Be that as it may, this also holds for the antagonists.
Shenmei is a perfect example of that. Right from the get-go, she is positioned as a ruthless, cruel, and merciless noble lady. That evil smirk is something that completely gets on my nerves, but not more than this unsettling event.
The anime removed one of the most disturbing moments in the novel. This has to do with the Devil Incarnate, herself. Interestingly, it solidifies her as the most hateful character. But what is it exactly? Let’s find out!
The Apothecary Diaries masked this disturbing event
The Apothecary Diaries is anything but a regular seinen series. No, it is more than that, especially with how it sensitively and sensibly portrays perturbing moments. To some extent, the moments are rooted in reality, but there’s more.
We all started flipping tables when the anime covered the Former Emperor’s story. It was disturbing and deeply unsettling, and we were glad Lishu escaped that fate. But the same cannot be said for other women who succumbed to it.
It was one of the darkest periods in the Imperial Court’s history. So much so that the future generation had to put an end to it. And just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, we were introduced to Shenmei.
In my opinion, she deserves all the hate for being a despicable woman. She tortured Shisui, and clearly, it did not end there. There’s a horrifying detail that the anime left out, which made me throw up, and fans would agree on that!
Kyou-u / Chou-u’s mother:
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The anime does, however, give a subtle hint of what was going on in Episode 20. I could only guess it was hinting at this moment from the novel, but I’m glad it wasn’t all too explicit. This is one of the reasons why I love the anime.
But to think a woman of that stature engaging in debauchery has me divided. Not because of the act itself, mainly because we never got to know if it was consensual. All the more reason why this character is a true devil’s incarnate.
Shenmei is the devil incarnate
Evil takes a human form in Shenmei. This woman has all my hate. Not just me, at this point, but the whole fandom hates her for what she did to Kyo-u and Suirei and to many others.
From sending Shisui to Taibon to physically abusing her, this character is evil incarnate. Her hatred for low-born people makes her all the more disdainful. But what gets on my nerves is her impunity.
For years, she got away with her wrongdoings. Her treatment of Shisui and her mother is nothing short of gut-wrenching. Heck, she wouldn’t even spare Kyou-u if she could. But her blatant disrespect for others gets on my nerves!
It would be safe to say that she is a loathsome character who didn’t even spare Loulan from her vices. My heart goes out to her mainly because she had to reparent herself. To witness a child give up their authenticity is saddening.
She was reduced to a doll, a pawn merely used by her mother. The monologue itself explained her complex thoughts brilliantly. Yet, she is forced to bear witness to her mother’s cruelty. This also applies to other children.
Loulan eventually had to poison all of them to ensure they did not suffer a cruel fate. That they are exempt from her mother’s cruelty. In all seriousness, I believe that Shenmei deserves no salvation, respite, let alone a redemption arc!
The Apothecary Diaries is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
