What if it was Murder Instead of a Double Suicide? The Deductions Made by Maomao from the Crime Scene in the Red-Light District in "The Apothecary Diaries"

The anime "The Apothecary Diaries" features the main character, Maomao (CV: Aoi Yuki), who uses her extensive knowledge as a pharmacist and deep insight to solve cases. One of the highlights of the series is episode 8, where she uses her analytical skills to deduce that a suicide disturbance at a brothel might actually be a murder, based on various items left at the scene.

"The Apothecary Diaries" is an anime work based on a light novel of the same name by Hyuganatsu. It has also been adapted into a manga in two monthly magazines, and the series has a total circulation of over 38 million copies. The TV anime was broadcast for two consecutive quarters from October 2023, and the detective plays and comical exchanges between Maomao and the handsome eunuch, Jinshi (CV: Takeo Otsuka), who works as a "taster" in the harem, have become popular and a major topic. The second season of the anime started airing from January 2025.

When Maomao returned home after a long time, a courtesan and a male customer at a certain brothel caused a poisoning incident. Maomao, who made the two people in a coma vomit the poison, felt a sense of discomfort from the way of suicide and the man's identity. In the room at the scene, there were scattered items such as straw, kiseru, tobacco leaves, two types of liquor of different kinds, and a broken glass container. From these physical evidences, Maomao arrived at a certain deduction.