Maomao Brought to Tears by Xiaolan’s Letter… Viewers Teary-Eyed Too Over the Powerful, Tearless Depiction in The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Finale

In Episode 48 of the anime The Apothecary Diaries, which began airing sequentially from July 4, there is a scene where Maomao (voiced by Aoi Yūki) reads a letter from Xiaolan (voiced by Misaki Kuno) and sheds tears. Even without showing Maomao’s crying face, the scene conveys her sadness so deeply that many viewers commented online, “I cried too,” and “Bawled over the letter,” moved to tears by the moment alongside her.

With the Shi clan having been suppressed, Shisui—Loulan Consort (voiced by Asami Seto)—Maomao's close friend and former servant, is no longer around. In Episode 48, “Beginning,” which marks the season 2 finale, some time has passed since the suppression, and Maomao is shown having left the rear palace and returned to the flower district.

At one point, Sekiu (voiced by Miku Itō) pays Maomao a visit. She brings a letter entrusted to her by Xiaolan, a servant who often spent time together with Maomao and Shisui. The letter reads, “I hope someday I can meet Maomao and Shisui again. I want to eat ice cream together with everyone like before,” and so on. As Maomao recalls the happy days the three of them shared, tears stream down her cheeks, soaking the letter—a depiction that, even without showing her expression, communicates the depth of her sorrow.