Maomao would gladly spend the rest of her days in her simplest apothecary robes if it meant being left alone with her poisons. Unfortunately for her, but fortunately for the viewers, the Rear Palace has other plans. Throughout Apothecary Diaries, the snarky taster is constantly forced out of her comfort zone and into an array of gorgeous designs that span the spectrum from understated servant wear to breathtaking imperial elegance.
Behind her gorgeous silk gowns and every carefully placed hairpin is a hilarious or sad story, a court function, or a dangerous investigation. Maomao uses her appearance as both a shield and a tool, which means her fashion evolution is also linked to her survival in the dangerous political web of the inner court. She might treat these stunning looks like a chore, but for the fans, they are unforgettable visual scenes.
The Stunning Opening Sequence Unveils Maomao In Celestial Elegance
Nobody who has only seen Maomao scrubbing medicine jars would recognize her here. The anime’s stunning opening sequence dresses her in deep blue fabric that catches light like a night sky. The look paired with bold pink lipstick offers a combination that has no business working on someone who considers poison-tasting a leisure activity, and yet it works flawlessly.
The animators place her purple eyes and flowy, luscious hair against a black background. Magenta petals and gold light swirl around her as she throws a sharp glance. This is truly one of the most unique Maomao looks out there and, as such, it’s widely loved by fans.
The Forest Backdrop Coordinates With Maomao’s Standard Look
Maomao manages to look great even in her standard green robes, with a basket strapped to her back. The outfit is straightforward with a sage green robe, burgundy skirt, and twin plaits with small beads at the ends.
This is exactly what Maomao actually looks like day-to-day when she’s unadorned and unbothered. She is just a girl with a basket, extremely excited about medicinal mushrooms, and somehow still the most interesting person in the entire series.
Verdigris House Sent Maomao Off In Style
The courtesans of Verdigris House try their absolute best to put this look together. The hairstyle is held together by two massive red roses and heavy gold hairpins complimenting Maomao’s face.
This red and green outfit marks Maomao’s transition from low-ranking palace servant to working directly within Jinshi’s inner circle. Maomao is visibly suffering from the look, but the hairpins give her a headache and the silk layers restrict movement.
The Most Beautiful Scene In The First Season Ends In Blood
Unable to say goodbye to Meimei in person as she leaves the Verdigris House, Maomao climbs to the top of the boundary wall and does a farewell dance under the starlight instead. The outfit she chooses for this dance is a midriff-baring red top with purple ruffles, inspired by Dunhuang mural aesthetics; loose, lightweight, and built for easy movement.
Her hair flows free for once with a single large blue flower resting at the side. Silently, Jinshi watches someone who looks like a celestial figure dissolving into the night air. However, in the end, the sheer intensity of her dancing tears her leg wound open, a reminder of what it took to get to this point.
Verdigris House Strikes Again And Puts Maomao In a Sleeveless Dress
The courtesan sisters of Verdigris House don’t ask for permission. In one of the best moments from The Apothecary Diaries Season 1, they scrub away Maomao’s fake freckles, swap her out of plain robes, and present her in a yellow strapless ensemble with soft pink blush, red eyeshadow at the outer corners, and a thick side ponytail resting over her shoulder. Dark teal earrings hang from her ears, while her left shoulder and collarbone sit completely bare.
By every visual metric, Maomao in this scene looks like someone who truly belongs in the Verdigris House. The wide purple-blue eyes fixed in a vacant stare is Maomao running through an internal monologue of deadpan exasperation while her sisters giggle. However, she sits through every bit of it without complaint, because if it helps her sisters land a high-ranking client, the inconvenience is worth tolerating.
Maomao Plays the Perfect Noble Lady In Her Disguise
While undercover among commoners, Maomao dresses in a traditional ruqun. A coral-pink shawl drapes loosely around her upper arms, broad white sleeves folded neatly at the cuffs. Her teal hair is symmetrically pinned with clusters of pink and dark-red floral clips behind both ears, beaded strings dangling near her jawline.
She looks exactly like a well-respected noble with no freckles, soft blush, and pink eyeshadow swept out toward her temples. Maomao looks wonderful as she closes her eyes with a serene expression, quietly instructing Jinshi to fall back and walk behind her like a proper servant, and stick to their cover story.
Maomao’s Pink Robes And Gold Ornaments Stopped Jinshi Mid-Sentence
The ladies-in-waiting of the Jade Pavilion put Maomao in pink-magenta robes, golden rose hair ornaments, earrings, a floral necklace, and enough eyeshadow to be visible from across a courtyard. This scene is more than a standard makeover moment due to what Maomao reveals underneath it. The freckles are gone because they were never real.
The Apothecary Diaries anime essentially presents this as a fairy-tale transformation, and succeeds at it. Jinshi goes speechless when he looks at her, while Maomao looks mildly inconvenienced. To her, wiping away the freckles means lowering a defense she has maintained for years; the jewelry is a hazard, and the heavy powder feels like a nuisance.
Maomao Looks Mesmerizing With a Wide-Eyed Look And Burgundy Robes
The Emperor’s request gets Maomao back inside the Crystal Pavilion, and her returns means time for another makeover with soft pink eyeshadow, a subtle lip tint, and gold floral pins holding her hair partially down. The close-up lingers on her face for good reason. Without the freckles and with the cosmetics applied cleanly, it’s hard not to focus on her large, glassy, bluish purple eyes.
The burgundy and pink tones of her outfit sit perfectly against her dark hair. This scene makes her look like an elegant lady and then puts that slight smirk on her face that makes it clear she is already three steps into diagnosing Lady Lihua before she has crossed the threshold.
Maomao Planned a Whole Performance And Still Stole The Show With Her Appearance
When two Western Envoys arrive at the palace requesting to see the legendary Moon Fairy, Maomao identifies the most efficient solution and executes it. She drafts Jinshi into playing the mythical figure, dresses him up accordingly, and steps into her own role as well for the performance. As the occasion demands her cooperation, she tries her absolute best.
Maomao wears a light purple hanfu with long sleeves, a soft purple scarf wrapped around her. Her hair is pinned into two neat buns bordered by light blue pearl strands, and a delicate blue gemstone ornament sits gently between her brows. A small pink floral earring and a ceremonial fan complete the look.
One of Maomao’s Most Simple Dresses is One of Her Most Memorable
The hunt episode from Apothecary Diaries’ second season didn’t ask for court elegance, and Maomao dresses up accordingly. Compared to the heavy silk layers, restrictive hairpins, and elaborate ornamentation that other occasions force on her, this outfit leans more toward something she actually tolerates: a light, functional, and easy to move-in dress.
In this scene, she wears a soft ice-blue outer robe with flowing sleeves. Her twin plaits fall forward over her shoulders, secured at the ends with small white bands, and two six-petaled blue flower pins present neatly in her hair at the base of the small buns at the sides of her head. There aren’t any heavy gold hairpins, dangling jewelry, or forehead pieces. For a character who mentally thinks of every court outfit as an inconvenience, this one probably comes closest to something she would choose for herself.
- Release Date
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2023 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Nippon TV, RAB, TVI, YBC, JRT
- Directors
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Jun Owada, Akira Koremoto, Erkin Kawabata, Shintaro Itoga, Kentaro Fujita, Yukihiko Asaki, Tsuyoshi Nakano, Masahiro Matsunaga, Akira Shimizu, Yuushi Ibe, Yuu Kinome, Kyohei Yamamoto, Takanori Yano, Tadao Okubo, Misu Yamaneko
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Takeo Otsuka
Jinshi (voice)