It's Like a Mismatched Comedy Sketch! The Misunderstanding-Filled Conversations Between Maomao and Jinshi in "The Apothecary Diaries" Are Hilariously Entertaining

One of the popular elements of the anime "The Apothecary Diaries" is the frustratingly slow relationship between Jinshi (voiced by Takeo Otsuka) and Maomao (voiced by Aoi Yūki). Many viewers couldn’t stop grinning at the exchange between the two, as they continued to misunderstand each other regarding the hairpin at the garden party.

In episode 8, Maomao used the hairpin she received from the military officer Lihaku (voiced by Kenji Akabane) at the garden party to return home. The hairpins handed out at the garden party carry meanings of expressing one's favoritism or courtship. Although the hairpin Lihaku gave was more of a "courtesy," Jinshi mistakenly believed that Maomao had been courted by Lihaku.

Jinshi called Maomao back to the inner palace and started the conversation with an irritated tone, asking, "What kind of man is this Lihaku?" and "I thought I gave you a hairpin too, but I never heard anything about it." Meanwhile, Maomao interpreted this with a malicious twist, thinking, "So, he's upset that he didn't hear anything about it?" and "Is he just looking for trouble because he's bored?"

Maomao had arranged for a courtesan to accompany Lihaku as a form of compensation for acting as her guarantor for returning home. She explained it as "He was delighted with the night's dream," and "He seemed to be very satisfied, so it was worth the effort on our part." However, these words were enough to make Jinshi mistakenly believe that Maomao had spent a night with Lihaku, leaving him stunned in shock.