【海外の反応】薬屋のひとりごと1期13話、「なんで受かると思ったんです？」

ニャンニャンは「娘娘」って書くんだよ
皇帝の妃や側室を指す呼び名
すごく可愛い名前だと思う。英語だと間抜けに聞こえるのはしょうがないけど

Nyan-nyan would be written as 娘娘
It's a name for the royal consort/concubine
It's a really cute name, obviously it sounds dumb in English

ああ、だから侍女たちにニャンニャンって呼ばれてたのか。最近あのアニメを見始めたんだけど、薬屋と用語がけっこう違うから混乱してたんだよな

>>1

Ah, so that's why her attendants call her Nyan-nyan. I started watching that anime recently. It kinda confused me how different some of the terms are compared to Kusuriya.

まあ中国も時代や王朝ごとに使う用語が違うし、正直こういう作品のほとんどは特定の王朝を元にしてるわけじゃなくて、中華っぽい雰囲気をざっくり借りてるだけだからな。中華モノがもっと見たいなら『十二国記』が鉄板だぞ

>>2

Well different chinese eras/dynasties have different terms being used as well, and let's face it most of these works just sort of used chinese themes in broad strokes rather than based them off specific dynasties. If you like more chinese themed stuff, 12 Kingdoms is a classic.

EDも新しくなった？

Is there a new ED?

壬氏のEDだよ

>>4

It's a Jinshi ED

面白いことに、アニメだと「ねこねこ」って一度も出てこないんだよな

interestingly enough, we never hear "nekoneko" in the anime

中国語だからだろ

>>6

Because it's Chinese

アニメで聞こえてくるのは日本語ばっかりなんだが、同じ番組見てるか？

>>7

all i hear is japanese talk in the anime, are we watching the same show, anon?

日本人は中国の名前をいつも音をそのまま写して読むんだよ
面白いことに中国人はその逆で、日本の名前を中国語読みにする。だから東京はドンジンになる

>>6

Japanese always transliterate Chinese names.
Curiously, Chinese do the opposite way and translate Japanese games, which means Tokyo becomes Dongjing.

>日本人は中国の名前をいつも音をそのまま写して読む
いや、そんなことないぞ

>>9

>Japanese always transliterate Chinese names
no, they don't

この作品って中国史の特定の時代がモデルなの？それとも合いそうなものを適当に寄せ集めてるだけ？

Is the series based on a specific part of Chinese history or just a grab bag of whatever fits?

明っぽいけど、けっこうぼかしてある感じ

>>11

It seems like the Ming dynasty, but it's kind of fudged.

なんで猫猫は馬と一緒に住みたがったんだ？

Why did she want to live with horses?

牛や馬の糞からは愉快なキノコが生えるからな

>>13

Because fun mushrooms grow in cow/horse s**t.

薬や材料や道具をしまっておける広い場所が要るんだよ。新しい部屋は後宮にいた頃の部屋と同じくらいの広さで、あっちでは物を詰め込みすぎて他の侍女たちに止められてた。だからもっと広さが要るって分かってるんだ。
植物を育てたり薬を作ったりするのに、近くに水も欲しいしな

>>13

She needs a vast place where she can store her medicines, materials, and tools. The new room is around as big as her old room in the rear palace, and the other attendants stopped her when she was overcrowding it with her things. So she knows that she needs more space.
She needs water nearby to grow plants / create potions.

猫猫はアヘン戦争の時代だったら生き延びられないだろうな。アヘン窟で死んでそう

Maomao wouldn't survive the opium wars. She would end up dead in an opium den.

猫猫がアヘンを認めるのは、あくまで薬として使うときだけだぞ

>>16

Maomao approves of opium only for pharmaceutical usage.

なんでクランチロールはOPの歌詞すら訳さないんだ？昔のファンサブみたいなちゃんとしたカラオケ字幕までは言わないけど、せめて1クールに1曲くらい訳してくれよ

Why doesn't CR even bother with translating the OP? I don't even mean a genuine karaoke like ye subs of olde but at least f*****g translate one song per season

曲の権利には金がかかるから、たいてい手を出さないんだよ

>>18

song licensing rights cost money so they usually don't bother

字幕を付けるには音楽会社から権利を取らないといけないからな

>>18

They need to get rights from the music company to put subs on it.

この恋愛模様、作者の自己投影っぽく感じる。作者って女性？女性の恋愛小説家と同じ匂いがするんだよ

the romance between lishu and maomao feels self inserty. Is the author a woman? Because it gives off the same energy as female romance writers

原作の恋愛っぽいくだりは、俺にとっては間違いなく一番つまらない部分だわ。実際それのせいで壬氏が嫌いになった

>>21

the attemps of romance in the ln are easily the worst parts for me, in fact I ended up disliking jinshin because of it

俺はアニメ勢だけど、もう壬氏が好きじゃない。原作だとどんだけひどいのか想像もつかん

>>22

Im an anime only and I already dont like him. Cant imagine how bad it is in the LN

翻訳されてる分をほとんど読んでおいて、今さら気づいたのか？

>>21

You've read most of the translated material and only just noticed?

中国一の色男で、毎日山ほどの女が言い寄ってくるのに、惚れた相手が画像のこれ
壬氏の有様よ

imagine being the sexiest man in china, you have legions of hoes throwing themselves at you daily and pic related is what you fall in love with
the absolute STATE of jinshi

人間ってのは、持ってないものや手に入らないものを追いかける生き物なんだよ
最高の美女たちがこぞって言い寄ってくるんだから、自分にまるで興味が無さそうな地味な子に惹かれるのは自然なこと

>>25

it's human nature to chase after what you don't have or can't get

all the most beautiful women are throwing themselves at him, so it's natural that his interest would be captured by a plain girl who seems actively disinterested

[spoiler]she uses birth control because she's not willing to let a civil war happen[/spoiler]

>妃たちを毒から何人も救った
>今いる医者がまるで役立たずだから、すでに薬も作ってた
>ダメだ、お前は陰謀を企んでるかもしれない！！！
なんで後宮ってこうなの？

>literally saved a bunch or royals from poisoning
>was making them medicine already, since the doctor they already had is f*****g useless
>NOOO, YOU MIGHT BE PLOTTING AGAINST US!!!
Why is Inner Palace like this?

猫猫がそれを全部やってたなんて、誰も知らないんだよ

>>27

Nobody knows she does all that

猫猫は自分の腕を隠してたし、壬氏も事件のほとんどを猫猫が解いたことは伏せてた。それに別の名前で宮中に戻すわけだし

>>27

She kept her skills on the down low, and Jinshi likewise hid her involvement in solving most of the cases. Plus they're readmitting her to the palace under a different name.

>別の名前で
そんなのあったっけ？壬氏のとこの婆やが「小猫（シャオマオ）」って呼んでたのはそれでか？あと、宮中に戻ったんじゃなくて、外側の区画に移ったんだぞ

>>29

>under a different name
I dont remember that? Is that why Jinshi´s granny assistant calls her xiao mao? Also, she is not being readmitted in the palace, she is moved to the outer zone of it.

>今回は小蘭も里樹妃も出てこない
5/10

>no xiaolan nor lishu this episode
5/10

OPに新しい里樹妃がいただろ

>>31

You got new Lishu in the OP

この作品って男も見てるの？女性向けアニメに見えるけど

Do men watch this anime? This seems like an anime for women.

男だけど見てるぞ。
特定の性別しか見られないアニメなんて存在しない

>>33

I'm a man and I watch this.
There's no such thing as an anime that only specific genders can watch.

男女それぞれ違う理由で惹かれるアニメってのもあるんだよ。
人気の少年漫画だって女性ファンがめちゃくちゃ多いし
>呪術廻戦
>鬼滅の刃
>スポーツ系の少年漫画はだいたいそう。体育会系の男キャラが大勢出るからな。テニプリでも黒子のバスケでもハイキューでも
カテゴリーに縛られて決めつけるのは、視野が狭くて無知な証拠だ。面白けりゃ見る、読む。興味が無けりゃ見ない。それだけ

>>33

Some animes appeal to both genders for different reasons.
Like some of the most popular shounens have tons of female fans
>jujutsu kaisen
>demon slayer
>most sports shounens due to their huge cast of jock guys be it prince of tennis, kuroko basket, or haikyuu

Being caught up and defined by categories is a sign of being small brained and ignorant. If it's good then watch/read it. If it's not interesting then don't.

>/a/の住人が古代の「中国ではない国」に異世界転生
>神様はチートを何もくれない
>でもお前を愛して助けてくれる女性4人のハーレムはくれる
>妃から1人
>妓女から1人
>あと2人は好きに選べ
さあ誰を選ぶ？

>/a/non gets isekai'd to ancient non-China
>god doesn't give you any hacks
>but he'll give you a harem of 4 women who love you to help you
>1 of the consorts
>1 of the courtesans
>2 of your choice
So which ones you pick?

猫猫ってレズビアンなの？

Is Maomao a lesbian?

アニメは見たことないけど、その子って妓女じゃないの？

>>37

Never seen the show but isn't she a prostitute?

客を取り始める前に身請けされた妓女だよ

>>38

She's a prostitute who was bought out before starting getting clients.

この作品、何か見落としてるのかな？絶賛されてるのを見るけど、最初の3話を見た限りじゃ引き込まれなかったし、むしろ平板で味気なく感じた。
今のところキャラの掘り下げもろくに無いし、どの回もちゃんとした話が無くて、事件は見返りも緊張感も無いまま、見る側が考える余地も無く片付く。笑いも少ないし、たいして面白くもない。何もかも単純すぎて、事務的なんだよ

Am I missing something with this show? I see it get high praise but after watching the first 3 episodes it didn't really grab my attention, I'd even say that it feels flat and bland.
There's no real characterization thus far, each episode has lacked any kind of real story, with situations resolving with no payoff, stakes, or thought required by the viewer, and comedy has been minimal and often not particularly funny. Everything feels too basic and clinical.

少年漫画は見ないし、俺の書き込みの他の部分をきれいに読み飛ばしてるな。
緊張感が必須なわけじゃない。今のところ、何もかもがどこにも行かないうちに片付いてる感じなんだよ。何か出てきたと思ったらすぐ解決して、謎も無い、考える必要も無い、何も無い。窮屈すぎる

I don't watch shonen but way to miss all other aspects of my post.
I don't need there to be stakes but everything thus far has felt like it's resolved before even going anywhere, with something presented then immediately solved, no mystery, no thought required, nothing. The show feels way too constrained.

>今のところキャラの掘り下げもろくに無い
は？猫猫は最初から掘り下げだらけだろ。とはいえ、猫猫がキャラとして刺さらないなら、確かに何かを見落としてるし、この作品はお前向きじゃないんだろうな。ただ、原作1巻＝1クール目は、キャラと舞台を紹介する小さな話の積み重ねだってのはその通り

>>40

>There's no real characterization thus far
Huh? Maomao has a ton of characterization from the get go. That said, if she doesn't work for you as a character then yes, you are missing something and the show probably isn't for you. But you are correct in that the first LN/cour is just a bunch of smaller vignettes introducing the characters and setting.

>原作1巻＝1クール目は、キャラと舞台を紹介する小さな話の積み重ね
それは納得。それ自体は悪くないけど、1話ごとにもっといろいろ起きると期待してたんだと思う。あと何話か見て、どう感じるか確かめてみるわ

>>42

>the first LN/cour is just a bunch of smaller vignettes introducing the characters and setting
That's fair, nothing really wrong with that but I guess I expected there to be more going on per episode, I might check out a couple more and see how I feel after those.

そう、どれも大した謎じゃない。3話目まではただの日常回で、猫猫の後宮暮らしのリズムを見せてるんだ。長いシリーズだし、国を揺るがすような騒動はもっと後に来る。猫猫と壬氏の過去がはっきりしてくるにつれて、今のクールはそういう要素が増えていくよ

>>41

Yes, none of them were big mysteries. Three episodes in the show is just doing Slice of Life to show you the rhythyms of Maomao's court liffe. This is a long series and the nation shaking conflict comes later. The current cour will have more of that as the backstories of Maomao and Jinshi become clearer.

毎回その型ってわけじゃなくて、そこから積み上がっていくなら、ハマれるかもしれない。かなり独特な舞台だし、間違いなく伸びしろはある。
別の書き込みでも言ったけど、あと何話か見てから決めるわ。ありがとな

>>44

So long as that wasn't the formula for every episode and it builds from there then I could see myself getting into it, it's quite a unique setting and definitely has potential.
As I said in my other post, I'll give it a couple more and go from there, thanks anon.

どういたしまして。そう、全体を貫く筋はちゃんとある。ただ猫猫の視点にすごく寄ってるから、猫猫自身がまだ気づいてない大きな話には、見てる側も気づかないんだよ。とはいえ、猫猫が猫猫らしいことをしてるのを楽しめないなら、この作品が刺さるとは思えないな。悠木碧の演技がかなりいいから、「原作のほうがいい」って話でもない。結局、猫猫ってキャラを好きになれるかどうかなんだよ

>>45

Cheers. Yeah, there is overarching plot. But things are so focused on Maomao's point of view that viewers aren't aware of any broader stakes because she isn't aware of them yet. That said, if you don't eventually enjoy watching Maomao do Maomao things I can't see how the show would stick for you. Aoi Yuuki's performance is quite good, so it's not even a "the source material is better" type thing. You really have to just like her as a character.

>国を揺るがすような騒動はもっと後に来る
だから/a/には来られないんだよ。ネタバレを書くくせに誰もネタバレ隠しを使わない。どうも

>>44

>the nation shaking conflict comes later
This is why I can't visit /a/. Nobody spoilers anything when they post spoilers. Thanks.

どういたしまして。でも、あれがそこまでネタバレかね。新しいOPのほうがよっぽど本物のネタバレだらけだぞ。それとも、これも伏せて書いたほうがよかった？

>>47

You're welcome, but I'm not sure how that's a much of a spoiler exactly. The new f*****g OP is vastly more full of actual spoilers. Or, should I have spoiler'd saying that too?

女性向け作品で貧乳ネタをやるのは珍しいパターンだな

This is one of the few cases of the boob envy gag in a female-aimed work

CLAMPもやってた気がするぞ

>>49

Pretty sure CLAMP does it as well.

CLAMPってまだあるの？

>>50

CLAMP still exists?

OPがほぼこのクールのあらすじになってる

In the OP there's basically the summary of this cour

もうちょい詳しく教えてくれない？

>>52

Can you please describe this in more detail?

これからも殺人ミステリーっぽい話はあるの？それともこの先は宮廷劇ばっかり？

Is there going to be more murder mystery stuff or is all court drama from here on out?

偽中国には、毒を大量に持ち込むイギリス人がいないからな

>>54

There are no brits in notchina to bring their poison in large quantities.

ケシはもともと地中海の東あたりが原産らしいけど、中国まで割とすんなり広まったとしてもおかしくはない

>>55

The Opium Poppy is supposedly native around east of the Mediterranean but it wouldn't be far fetched that it spread relatively easily to China.

たまにはある。でもこれからは減っていく

>>54

Occasional stuff. But it will be less frequent from now on.

ここまでの盤上遊戯のシーンを見る限り、また例のミステリーアニメが来る気がする。被害者が死に際に、ゾディアック事件ばりにめちゃくちゃ細かい暗号を盤の駒だけで残すやつ。まあ日本語だから俺にはどうせ分からんけど

Going by the board game scenes shown so far. My brain is ready for another mystery anime with the victim leaving an insanely detailed zodiac killer level of secret code with just pieces of a board game in their dying moments which I won't be able to understand anyway cz Japanese.

この回より前に、碁盤と碁石って出てきたっけ？外廷に移ったから、これから何度も出てくるモチーフになるのかな？一方で、次回のタイトルを見ると後宮を完全に離れたわけでもなさそう……

Did we ever see go boards and stones in this series before this episode? I wonder whether this will become a recurring motif now that we have moved to the outer court? On the other hand, the next chapter title suggests we have not totally abandoned the inner court.....

そう簡単に後宮は忘れられないってことだな……

We just can't forget the inner court that easily...

梅梅の魅力は歌や将棋、囲碁の腕だけじゃないって、誰か猫猫に教えてやってくれ。白鈴や女華と並ぶ人気なのには、大きな理由が2つあるからな笑 冗談はさておき、猫猫の「家族」はほんとにいい人たちだ。姐さんたちがみんな猫猫を気にかけてる。あそこまで綺麗に仕上げたもんだから、壬氏まで動揺してた。いつも口説いてばかりのあの男が平静を失うのを見るのは、いつだって楽しい。
壬氏の匂いを集めて瓶詰めにして売れないかと考えてる猫猫には笑った。とんだおバカさんだ。冬虫夏草の箱を前に、自分の部屋でひとり狂ったように笑ってるのも最高だった笑
どうやら猫猫は怪しい人物を何人か引き寄せたみたいだ。あの官女はどういうつもりなんだろう？片眼鏡は間違いなくヤバいやつ。あの男を見てみろよ！

Someone should tell Maomao Meimei’s charms aren’t just her skills in song, chess, and Go. There’s two big reasons she’s as popular as Pairin and Joka lol. Jokes aside, Maomao’s got a pretty great “family.” The girls all really look out for her. They got her lookin so good, even Jinshi was flustered. It’s always fun to watch that guy lose his composure especially because he’s always such a flirt.

Maomao wondering if she could collect Jinshi’s scent to bottle and sell was hilarious. What a little goof. I loved how she was just laughing to herself in her room over a box of catepillar fungus like a madwoman lol.

Looks like the girl’s attracted the attention of a couple suspicious people. I wonder what that court lady’s deal is? Eyepatches is definitely bad news. Just look at the guy!

>いつも口説いてばかりのあの男が平静を失うのを見るのは、いつだって楽しい。
その点で言うと、今回の冒頭の壬氏の掘り下げは嬉しい驚きだった。
口説く姿にすっかり慣れてて、壬氏自身もかなりの切れ者だってことを忘れかけてた。自分では特に賢いとは思ってないかもしれないけど、手持ちの武器、つまりずば抜けた美貌を使って目的を果たす術はよく分かってる。
残念なのは、猫猫が顔だけでは落ちないこと。冬虫夏草みたいな寄生キノコや珍しい材料なら一発なんだけどな

> It’s always fun to watch that guy lose his composure especially because he’s always such a flirt.

Jinshi character development in the opening of today’s episode was actually a welcome surprise in this regard.

I’d gotten so used to his flirting that I’d almost forgotten that Jinshi’s rather cunning in his own right. He might not think of himself as particularly clever, but he sure knows how to wield the tools at his disposal, his outstanding beauty, to achieve his goals.

It’s only unfortunate that Mao Mao can’t be bought by looks alone - a parasitic fungus or other exotic ingredients will do the job however.

姉妹の中で猫猫だけ平らだけど、それでも壬氏を虜にしてる。着飾ったときは特にな。でも一番綺麗なときに口説けなくなるってのは本物の恋だよ笑
壬氏が必死に口説いてるのに、猫猫の壬氏への興味は薬師としての純粋に技術的なものだけ笑
どう見ても怪しい男は、やっぱり怪しく見える……

Maomao the only flat one of her sisters, but she's charmed Jinshi all the same. Especially when she gets dolled up. But it's real love when you can't flirt with her when she's looking her best lol.

Maomao's only interest in Jinshi is purely technical as an apothecary even though he's trying so hard to woo her lol.

Obviously shady guy looks shady...

見知らぬ普通の女の子が、怪しい男の職場の兵舎の近くにいきなり現れたんだぞ。それじゃ、あの男を怪しいとは言えないだろ

When a unknown average girl suddenly appeared near the shady guy workplace, barracks. That guy couldn't be called shady.

皇帝と壬氏、明らかに仲良しだな。こういう関係性と壬氏の内心がちょっと見られたのはよかった。OPはもう好きになってきてる。少なくとも映像は気に入ってるし、曲もいい。OPには全員向けのサービスカットもある！へへ。猫猫と姐さん、やっぱりこの関係が大好き。いいお姉さんタイプなんだよな。猫猫と梅梅、いい時間だった。それと、お約束の振り返りパート。今回はそんなに間が空いてないから個人的には要らなかったけど、まあ悪くはなかった。
へへ、かわいそうな猫猫。材料を持ち込んだら悪だくみしてると思われかねないって気づいてない。猫猫のかわいいリアクション画像もまた量産されるな！！売り飛ばされて宮仕えするんじゃなくて、ちゃんとした仕事に就けたのはよかった。それとおやじはいい父親だ。うわ、着飾った猫猫。妓女たちがいい仕事をしたな。壬氏も固まってた。ほら壬氏、最後まで言えよ。猫猫は本当にみんなを見とれさせてて、嫉妬する壬氏が面白い。
やるな壬氏、自分の家に連れて帰るとは笑 まあ、壬氏の家と外廷で働くわけだけど。玉葉妃は絶対に猫猫を返してって頼むよな？水蓮は優しいおばあちゃん。へへ、小猫（シャオマオ）。官女の試験って聞いて身震いしてたのには笑った、あれはもっともだ。壬氏の侍女ってこんなに少ないのか。前にいた女の子たちは大胆で気味が悪いな。こういうことに対する猫猫の心の声が大好き。どうやって儲けられるかも考えてて、どこまでも抜け目ない。
そう、壬氏はかなり身分が高い。うわ、職場に嫉妬する侍女がいっぱい。ははは、猫猫、目線がちょっと上に戻った。失礼な女だな、あんなにあっさり叩くなんて。でも猫猫はうまくかわしてた。言い回しも面白い。自分の体で試してきた経験をうまく使ってるな笑 本当に猫猫が大好き。ギャグで絵柄が変わるのも大好き。猫猫は試験に落ちたけど、わざとかな？興味が無いことは覚えられないって言ってたし。おっと、また材料に夢中。うわ、あの男は怪しい！へへ。EDもかなりいい。
次回も面白そう

Emperor and Jinshi clearly such good pals. But, yea, neat to see a bit of this dynamic and Jinshi's inner thoughts. OP definitely already growing on me. I definitely at least like its visuals and music is good. And fanservice for everyone in the OP! heh. Maomao ❤️ and her big sis, do still love their dynamic. She is a good big sis type. Maomao and Meimei, good times. Ah yes, obligatory summary. Not personally a fan of it in this case cause not like been a long delay, but whatever, it's done fine.

Hehe, poor Maomao, not realizing can't take those ingredients in cause might seem like she has nefarious intentions. Moar cute maomao reaction gifs to be had too!! Nice that Maomao finally has a proper job instead of sold off to palace job. Also, her dad is good daddo. Wew Maomao all dolled up. The courtesans sure did their work. Jinshi too stunned. Come on, Jinshi, finish that sentence. She really is stunning everyone, jealous Jinshi is fun.

Smooth, Jinshi, taking her to your home 😉 haha. But, hey, gonna be working at his place and in the outer court at least. Gyoukuyou gonna totally request her back right? Suiren is a nice old lady. Heh Xiaomao. Haha court lady exam, that shiver was worthy of being had. So few attendants for Jinshi. Those are some bold and creepy girls who used to work there. I do so love Maomao's inner thoughts on all this. And how she can possibly make profit, ever the opportunist.

Yes, Jinshi quite high class. Oh my, so many jealous attendants in the office. Hahaha Maomao, her eyes are up a bit more. Rude, lady, hitting so easily. She sure deflects the situation well though. Fun way to word things too. Making good use of her self experimenting lol. I do so love Maomao. I also really love the art style change for comedic affect. Maomao failed, but was it intentional? She did say she doesn't learn well when not interested. Oh there she goes again with ingredients. Oh my, that man is sus! Heh. ED is pretty good.

Next episode seems fun

なるほど。
漫画で（やっと追いついた。みんなが原作小説を読めってしつこく言う理由が分かった）一番左の子は前にも見てたけど、壬氏みたいに中性的な人だと本気で思ってて、男性声優が当てると予想してた。でもここだと女性の声なんだな。これって合ってる？原作勢の人

Okay.

In the manga (I finally caught up, no wonder y'all keep stressing on reading the LN) I've seen leftmost girl before but seriously thought she androgynous like Jinshi and predicted that she'd be voiced with a male seiyuu, but she's got a girl voice here. Is that accurate, LN readers?

声については何も書かれてなくて、描写は「比較的落ち着いた女が言った。三人の中で一番背が高く、涼しげで落ち着いた顔立ちだった」って感じ

Nothing gets said about her voice and she gets described as "the comparatively calm woman said. She was the tallest of them, her face cool and composed." [Later LN2]>!Is a woman.!<

新年、新クール、新OP・ED、そして猫猫をめぐる宮中の陰謀がさらに。
壬氏と皇帝！壬氏はずっと自分を皇帝と比べて、必死に頑張ってきたみたいだ。一番抜きん出てるのが美貌だとしても……後宮で結果を出すことになろうと、何かを自分のものにするためならやる。兄から離れて自分の道を切り開こうとする弟としてか、父の期待に応えるだけの生き方から抜け出そうとする息子としてか。
新OPは、宮中での猫猫の日常や、これからの陰謀と新キャラ、ついでに筋肉と胸もあって、猫猫と壬氏のカットもある！
壬氏に身請けされた今、姐さんたちが猫猫にちゃんと働かせようとしてるのがいい。猫猫のためでもあるし、金払いのいい客を回してもらって店に恩を返させるためでもある……白鈴にはもちろん精力的な客をな。
またおやじと離れるのは寂しいけど、少なくとも今度はもっと会いに来られる！父と娘の間に言葉にしてないことがあるみたいだけど、出ていく前に猫猫がおやじのそばで寝たがったのがかわいい……猫猫は本当におやじを大事にしてるし、おやじも猫猫を溺愛してる。他の家族も同じだ。
着飾った猫猫と迎える朝、壬氏はいい思いをしてるな！ただ綺麗すぎてみんなの注目を集めちゃう。誰にも取られないように、そばかす姿に戻ってほしいと壬氏が思うほどに。
そうそう、宦官が外廷に立派な屋敷を持ってて、「若様」と呼ぶ忠実な侍女までいるなんて、まったく普通のことだよな。怪しいところなんて何もない。猫猫ですら、宦官でさえなけりゃかなりの優良物件だと思ってる……実際の宦官ならまず夢見るような体つきをしてるのにな。
水蓮は優しそう。壬氏が子どもの頃から母親代わりだったんじゃないかって気がする。猫猫のことも気に入ってるみたいだ。
猫猫はいつもの薬師の仕事どころか、使用人をしに来たわけでもない！官女になるための勉強をするんだ！壬氏が口説くのにも都合がいいんだろうな。本人はそんなの一切ごめんだし、外廷で働くための勉強なんてしたくもないけど。
でも外廷でも後宮でも、猫猫を嫌ってケンカを売ってくる高慢な女はいるもんだ……猫猫がやり返さなかったのは残念。理由は分かるけどな。自分を下げつつ壬氏の美点を「褒める」ってのは、あの場を切り抜けるひとつの手だ。
まあ、猫猫は試験に落ちたから下働きってことに！たぶんそっちのほうが合ってるだろ。
名塚佳織さんが演じてる子はどこか怪しい。他の子たちとは違う感じがする。それに、あの片眼鏡の男が猫猫に目をつけてる。
壬氏が主役のED！大勢の女に見つめられてるけど、壬氏が見てるのは猫猫だけで、二人で過ごす時間が何より楽しい！それと、壬氏好きのみなさんには、窓辺で剣を手にした上半身裸の壬氏もあるぞ！

A New Year, a new cour, a new OP/ED, and more palace intrigue for Maomao.

Jinshi and the Emperor! Seems like Jinshi has always compared himself to the Emperor and tried so hard, even if the most exceptional thing about him is his beauty...but even if it means excelling in the Inner Palace, he'll do it to make something his own. Whether it be as a younger brother trying to carve his own path from his older brother, or a son trying to move past living up to his father.

The new OP features plenty of good Maomao content with her daily life in the palace, all the intrigue and new characters to come, some muscles and boobs for good measure, and Maomao and Jinshi shots!

I love how Maomao's big sis' are making sure she's putting the work in now that Jinshi has bought her out, not only for her sake but also so that she can pay the house back with some paying clients...vigorous clients for Pairin, of course.

It's sad that Maomao will leave her dad again, but at least she can visit more now! It seems there's some things unsaid between father and daughter, but it's cute how Maomao wanted to sleep closer to him before she left...she truly cherishes her father, just as he dotes on her. Same with the rest of her family.

Jinshi eating good that morning with dolled up Maomao! Too bad she's so stunning she draws the attention of everybody. It's enough to make Jinshi want her back in freckle form so nobody steals her away from him.

Oh yeah, I'm sure it's totally normal for an eunuch to have a swanky place in the outer palace complete with a personal and loyal attendant who calls him "young master." Definitely nothing suspicious there. Maomao even thinks he'd be quite the catch if he wasn't dickless...even though he has a physique that most actual eunuch's would probably dream of.

Suiren seems nice. I get the sense she might be a mother-like figure to Jinshi ever since he was a child. Seems like she approves of Maomao too.

Maomao isn't there to do her typical apothecary work or even be a servant! She's going to train to be a court lady! All the better for Jinshi to woo, I imagine. Not that she wants any part of it or learning to work in the Outer Palace.

Though Outer or Inner Palace there's always going to be uppity ladies who don't like Maomao and pick a fight...I'm just disappointed Maomao didn't slap back, even if I get why she didn't. Though putting herself down while "praising" Jinshi's virtues is one way to get out of that situation.

Welp, Maomao didn't pass the test so servant girl it is! It probably suits her better that way anyways.

Something seems fishy about that Kaori Nazuka girl. She seems different from the rest. Also that monocle guy has his eye on Maomao.

A Jinshi-focused ED! Jinshi has the eye of so many women, but the only girl he has eyes on is Maomao and he enjoys nothing more than the time they share together! Also here's shirtless Jinshi holding a sword by a windowsill for all you Jinshi lovers!

原作2巻のプロローグと第1章、漫画だと21〜22話（4巻の終わりから5巻）にあたる。原作2巻は全22章とプロローグ・エピローグだから、1話あたり2章のペースだろうな。
猫猫が試験に落ちるまで掃除を始めないように、出来事の順番を入れ替えてる。
>「なぜ落ちたんだ！？」なぜ受かると思ったんだろう。壬氏も高順も唖然としていた。
壬氏は毒のご褒美を用意し忘れたな

Covers LN2 prologue and chapter 1, or manga chapters 21-22 (finish volume 4, in volume 5). LN is 22 chapters plus a prologue/epilogue, so expecting 2 chapters per episode.

Flipped the order of events as Maomao doesn't start cleaning until failing the exam.

> “How could you have failed?!” *Why should I have passed?* Jinshi and Gaoshun had both been stunned.

Jinshi forgot to provide a poisonous reward.

> [LN2]>!The government had ceased to own slaves during the time of the former Emperor!<

[LN2-3]>!Could still be mentioned next episode with "slavery had been abolished upon the accession of the current emperor, no doubt depriving more than a few merchants of their source of income" but doesn't matter until next volume!<

入れ替えたのはちょっとした改善だと思う。勉強する時間があったのにしなかったから落ちた、ってほうが猫猫のキャラが立つ。前の順番だと、ただ教養が足りないだけに見えてた

I think reversing it is a slight improvement. Her failing because she had time to study and just didn't study adds to her character. Before it just came across as a gap in her education.

原作の理由づけとは逆だけどな。
>実のところ、猫猫は勉強が嫌いで、興味の無いことを覚えるのはたぶん人並み以下だった。薬や草や薬品ならともかく、歴史なんて誰が覚えるのか。何の役に立つのか。法律にしたって、しょっちゅう変わる。覚えて何になる？残念ながら、猫猫はその方面にはまるで力を注げなかった。試験に落ちるのは当然だった。
>一応、渡された資料を読み通すつもりで開きはしたのだが、気づけば朝になっていた。それが何度か続いた。だからこの結果は避けられなかったのだと、猫猫は自分を慰めた。そして自分の結論にうんうんと頷いた。

Opposite of the LN reasoning though.

> The truth was, Maomao didn’t like studying, and was probably less adept than average at remembering things she wasn’t interested in. Drugs, herbs, and medicines were one thing, but why would anyone bother to learn history? What good would it do them? And as for the law, it changed constantly. What was the point of memorizing it? Maomao, sadly, was incapable of investing much effort in that direction. It was only natural she should fail the test.

> She had, at least, opened the materials she’d been given to study with every intention of reading them through, but the next thing she knew it was morning. This happened several times in a row. So Maomao consoled herself that the outcome had been inevitable. She nodded in agreement with her own conclusion.

OPで猫猫が踊って誘惑してくるのが見られなくなるのは寂しい。でも新OPがUruなのは嬉しい！銀英伝のリメイクの「Binary Star」が大好きなんだ。<3
寝る前に猫猫がおやじのほうへ布団を寄せるのが尊かった。宮中に戻って働くことになっても、今の猫猫は好きに出入りできるから、おやじのことをそこまで心配しなくていいのは本当によかった。
猫猫の登場、すごかったな！姐さんたちが壬氏に引き渡す前にしっかり着飾らせてた。ただ、そのせいで周りからものすごく注目されてて、壬氏は嫉妬を隠そうともしてない。xD
水蓮は優しい。壬氏に長く仕えてるから、壬氏の話や、なぜ自分ひとりで仕えてるのかって話がいっぱいある。女の子たちが自分の髪で作った下着を壬氏に贈ってたってのは、ちょっとやりすぎ。
猫猫は壬氏の魅力を分かってるのに、それでもなびかないのがいつも面白い。しかも今度は壬氏の匂いを集めて媚薬に使えないかと考えてる。猫猫が壬氏の体に興味を持つまともな理由なんて、これくらいしかないかもな。xD
猫猫がすぐに他の女の子にいじめられるのは、まあ予想どおり。それにしてもこの作品、豊満な女性が多いのは見てて飽きない。真面目な話、猫猫はうまく対処した。あれで終わりだといいけど。
猫猫が官女の試験に落ちたのには笑った！頭はいいけど、机の上で学ぶタイプじゃないんだろうな。知ってることは全部、やって覚えたことだし。事務仕事には絶対向いてない。
あのもうひとりの官女は、他の嫉妬してる子たちとは何か違う気がしてきた。猫猫が武官の詰め所に迷い込むのを放っておくこともできたのに、ちゃんと注意してくれた。もっとも、その注意はちょっと遅かったかもしれない。おっと。

###Stitches!

* [Dressed Up Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/IJsPaN2.jpg)

* [Sleepy Jinshi](https://i.imgur.com/0fdi9D3.jpg)

I'm going to miss seeing Maomao dance and seduce us in the OP. [I am glad to hear Uru for the new OP though!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29pmd1QiK-4) I absolutely love her song Binary Star from the LotGH remake. &lt;3

[Maomao pulling her futon closer to her dad before sleeping](https://i.imgur.com/DkXvrlz.png) was precious. I am so glad that despite coming back to work at the Palace, [Mamao's now free to come and go as she pleases](https://i.imgur.com/WNcgagE.png) so she doesn't really have to worry much about her dad.

[That was one heck of an entrance for Maomao!](https://i.imgur.com/4rQsTbP.jpg) Her Onee-sans really made sure to doll her up before handing her to Jinshi. Although it look like she's now [getting a ton of attention](https://i.imgur.com/fNAoou0.jpg) from other people and [Jinshi isn't even hiding his jealousy.](https://i.imgur.com/tQot9iK.jpg). xD

[Suiren is nice.](https://i.imgur.com/R37rT8y.png) Seems that she's worked with Jinshi long enough that she has a ton of stories to tell about him and why she's the only person serving him. [Girls leaving Jinshi underwear made out of their own hair](https://i.imgur.com/7UZfSW7.jpg) is a little bit too much.

I always find it hilarious that despite Maomao [understanding Jinshi's appeal](https://i.imgur.com/AHEjoB4.jpg), she's still resistant to it. And now she's thinking if [she can collect his scent](https://i.imgur.com/DWDTqt0.jpg) to use as an aphrodisiac. This might be the only good reason why she'll be interested in Jinshi's body. xD

[Yeah no surprise here that Maomao is immediately going to get bullied](https://i.imgur.com/JSvVN4b.jpg) by other girls. I'll never get tired of seeing how many [buxom ladies this show has though.](https://i.imgur.com/gxthojy.jpg) In all seriousness, [Maomao handled that well.](https://i.imgur.com/JbGHLJQ.jpg) Hopefully that's the end of that.

[Maomao failing the Court Lady exam was hilarious!](https://i.imgur.com/J0Y8R9k.jpg) Sure she's smart but I don't think Maomao is the book learning kind to smart. Everything she knows, she learned from doing. She's definitely not well-suited for secretarial work.

I'm starting to think that [there's more to this other Court Lady](https://i.imgur.com/Daejgff.jpg) compared to the other jealous ones. She could've just let Maomao wander into the Military office but she still warned her. Although that warning [might be a little too late](https://i.imgur.com/Ne4g1p2.jpg). Oh boy.

猫猫は着飾るといつも見違えるし、壬氏はいつも言葉を失う。でも今回はほかの男たちにまで効いてて、壬氏もやっとそばかすが必要な理由が分かったんだな笑
普段の猫猫はすごく淡々としてて率直だけど、おやじのそばにいると優しい一面が出る。ちょっとしたお父さんっ子で、すごくかわいい。
水蓮を見てると『わたしの幸せな結婚』の世話係のキャラを思い出す。猫猫より前の女たちを追い出してきた経緯も似てるけど、髪で作った下着を男に贈るってのは初めて聞いたわ笑
朝イチの壬氏を拝めるなら飛びつく人も多いだろうに、猫猫はいつも本当のお宝しか見てない笑
猫猫は平らかもしれないけど、この作品は豊満な女性に事欠かない。全員が優しいわけじゃないけどな。猫猫もこういう場の切り抜け方はもう心得てるからよかった。
どのみち官女なんて猫猫には合わなかっただろ。下働きでも忙しくなりそうだけどな。それと、名塚佳織さんだ！

Maomao always looks amazing when she gets dressed up, and she always makes Jinshi speechless. Though now that it's effecting other men he finally understands why she needs freckles lol.

Maomao is usually so stoic and straightforward but seeing her be close to her dad really brings out her sweet side. She's a bit of a daddy's girl and it's adorable.

Suiren reminds me of the attendant character from *My Happy Marriage.* The track record for kicking other women before Maomao out was also similar, but underwear made out of a dudes' hair is a new one lol.

People would chomp at a bit to get a taste of first thing in the morning Jinshi, but Maomao always has her eye on the real prize lol.

Maomao may be flat but this show is never without busty ladies, even if not all of them are nice. Good thing Maomao knows how to get herself out of these situations at this point.

Court lady Maomao would be a weird fit for her anyways. Though seems like even as a servant girl she'll have plenty to keep her busy. And hey, Kaori Nazuka!

>OPで猫猫が踊って誘惑してくる
1クール目の劇伴ってケビン・ペンキンがやってたっけ？それとも今回から格上げ？

&gt; Maomao dance and seduce us in the OP.

Did Kevin Penkin do the OST in season one or is that an upgrade?

劇伴は最初からずっと3人体制だよ

OST has been a 3-person combination the whole time.

猫猫を独り占めしたがる壬氏がたまらない。だめだめ、お前らは見るな、猫猫を眺めていいのは壬氏だけらしい。
風呂の残り湯やおならを瓶詰めにして売る人みたいに、壬氏の匂いを売りさばこうとする猫猫笑 やり手婆の商売上手がしっかりうつってるな！
楽しい復帰回だった！EDで壬氏が涙を流してたのはどういう意味だろう。地平線を眺めながら、（母親だと強く噂されてる）阿多妃のことを思い出してるのか？それとも、宮中のしがらみから離れて、門の外で本当に自由に生きる人生を想像してるのか？壬氏の特殊な事情について、何かしら答えが出るといいな

Gotta love [Jinshi being possessive of Maomao](https://imgur.com/pvzX4Aq). No, you're not allowed to look at her, she's for his viewing pleasure alone it seems.

[Maomao wanting to sell off Jinshi's scent like people selling their bathwater/farts in bottles LOL](https://i.imgur.com/6cFCbG2.png). Her granny's business-savvy really rubbed off on her!

Fun first episode back! I wonder what the meaning behind Jinshi shedding a tear in the ED was. Maybe looking off to the horizon and reminiscing of his (heavily speculated to be) mother Ah-Duo? Or just imagining a life where he truly has freedom, outside the gates of the palace and its dynamics? It'd be nice to get some answers to Jinshi's unique circumstances.

へえ、猫猫が試験に落ちたのは意外だった。賢いからって「頭がいい」とは限らないってことか。
後宮のキャラたちがあまり見られなさそうなのはちょっと寂しい。猫猫いわく「寄せ集め」のあの面々、本当に好きだったんだよな。でもOPを見る限り、たまには出てきそうだし、その代わりにもっといろんな冒険が待ってるわけで、楽しそうだ。
猫猫がまだ壬氏を宦官だと思ってるのには本当に驚いた。宦官があんな高い地位にいると本気で思ってるのか？
猫猫の「ささささささささささささ」がたまらない……あれってそう言ってるんだよね？

Huh, was surprised that Maomao failed the exam. Guess just because she's clever doesn't mean she's "smart."

Little sad that it doesn't look like we're going to be seeing much of the characters from the Rear Palace, really enjoyed that "hodge podge" group as Maomao put it. Though if the OP is anything to go off of we'll still see them from time to time and the trade off being we're going to be going on more adventures, sounds fun.

I'm really surprised Maomao still thinks Jinshi is a eunoch, does she really think one would be in such a high position?

Can't get enough of Maomao's "sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-"...is that what she's saying?

OPの、猫猫と四夫人と侍女頭たちのシーンは次回予告にも出てたと思うから、猫猫がどれくらい後宮で過ごすかはすぐに分かりそう。（新しい子を除いて）全員とつながりを作らせたのは、無駄じゃないはずだ

I believe the scene of Maomao with the 4 concubines and their head ladies from the OP was shown in the next episode preview, so hopefully we'll get an idea of how much time she'll be spending the in rear palace soon. They certainly didn't have her form a connection with all of them (excluding the new girl) for nothing.

1. 猫猫が言ってたとおり。興味の無いことはちゃんと覚えられないんだよ。ものすごく頭はいいけど、毒と薬の分野だけ。
2. 壬氏はまだ後宮で働いてるから、猫猫を連れて行く可能性は高い。
3. 宦官でもものすごく高い地位に就けたんだよ。肝心なのは、壬氏が働いてるのが、宦官か皇族しか働けない後宮だってこと。皇族は皇帝と病弱な弟だけ。猫猫には、壬氏がその弟だと思う理由がまったく無いんだ

1. Like Maomao said. She can't really properly learn about things that don't interest her. She's incredibly smart but only in the fields of poison and medicine.
2. Jinshi still works in the Rear Palace so it's likely he'll bring Maomao with him.
3. Eunoch's could get incredibly high positions. The main thing is that Jinshi works in the rear palace where only eunoches or Royalty can work. The only royals are the Emperor and his sickly brother. Maomao simply has no reason to believe Jinshi is said brother.

OPを見るに、かわいそうな里樹妃の受難はまだ終わってないらしい

The OP showing that poor Rinshu’s suffering is not over yet.

すごく楽しかった。外廷のことがもっと分かるのはいいね。これからもっと出てくるといいな！
でも、猫猫には試験に受かってほしかったな笑
それと、これから玉葉妃の出番が減ると思うと寂しい 🙁

I enjoyed that a lot. Good to get more information on the outer palace, I hope more is forthcoming!

Although, I did hope Maomao would pass the exam haha.

Also, sad to think we'll have less of Lady Gyokuyou, in the future 🙁

猫猫が薬草の仕事の話をした瞬間、梅梅に叩かれたのには大笑いした。
新しい職場に道具を持ち込めないってのが、どうしても受け入れられなかったみたいだな。
帰り道、猫猫があまりに綺麗だからって壬氏が過保護になってたのが面白い。
いじめっ子たちをかわすために猫猫がついた嘘が大好き

I had a good laugh when [Meimei](https://i.imgur.com/Bplr8Qq.png) [hit Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/TKL9wbs.png) the moment she mentioned working with herbs.

[She sure could not handle the fact that she could not bring her tools to her new job.](https://i.imgur.com/ul9VvvK.png)

It's funny how much[ Jinshi was overprotecting](https://i.imgur.com/9yDebFl.png) on their trip back because of [how beautiful she looked.](https://imgur.com/a/jycxtw5)

I love the lie Maomao came with [to deal with those bullies.](https://i.imgur.com/tX9Nnit.png)

猫猫が叩かれたのに、壬氏が何もせずに何でもないことみたいに流したっぽいのは納得いかない。猫猫がいじめられるかもしれないって、もう分かってたはずなのに。
まあ、壬氏があの女たちを叱ったら、えこひいきだと思われて猫猫がもっといじめられるかもしれないってのは分かる。それでもあの女たちには本当にイライラした！いつか報いを受けるといいな！

I gotta say I'm not pleased that Maomao got slapped and looks like Jinshi didn't do anything about it and shrugged it off like it's nothing even though he's pretty much aware already of the possibility of Maomao getting bullied.

I understand though that if he does reprimand those women they may think of favoritism and bully Maomao more. Still those women just annoyed the heck out of me! I hope they get what they deserve someday!

「分かってほしいならもっとはっきり言ってほしい」って猫猫が言ってたけど、あの人（壬氏の護衛）が猫猫を睨んでたのはどういう意味だったんだ？それに、なんで壬氏は別の部屋がいいかって聞いたんだ？猫猫が小屋と井戸を頼んだら不機嫌になったけど、なんで？このやり取りがよく分からない

“If he wants me to understand he needs to be more direct” -MaoMao what did he (Jinshi’s bodyguard)mean by staring daggers at her? And why did Jinshi’s ask if she wanted another room? When she asked for a shack and a well he got upset but why? I don’t really understand this interaction 🫠

続きがすごく気になる。でもOPは前のほうが好きだな。今回のはありきたり

Very curious about what happens next. But I like the old op more. This one's generic

会話の途中で皇帝の衣装が変わってる。最初は龍の刺繍だったのに、そのあと壬氏のと同じような鳥になってた

The Emperor's clothing changes during the conversation. At first, there was a dragon embroidery . Then, it was a bird like jinshi's.

試験に落ちても猫猫がまったく恥じてないのが最高
「なぜ落ちたんだ？」
「なんで受かると思ったんです？」

Maomao's absolute lack of shame for failing the exam is absolute gold

"Why did you fail?"

"Why'd you think I'd pass?"

こんなに早く戻ってきて驚いたし嬉しい！後宮に戻さないってのは面白い判断だな。ここでの猫猫の役割はどうなるんだろう。どっちにしろ楽しみ 🙂

I'm surprised and happy to see this back so quick! Interesting decision not to return her to the rear palace, I wonder what her role will be here. Either way I'm here for it 🙂

前のOPとEDが恋しくなるけど、帰ってきたぞ！身分を理由に見下してくる女たちに立ち向かうときの猫猫の抜け目なさが大好き。あと、あの妓女と話してる最中に10秒くらい胸をガン見してから、目線を戻したのも笑った。
今回のハイライトは、薬草を見つけてはしゃぐ猫猫と、あの声だな笑
アニメ勢だから、猫猫が外廷で働くことになってこの先どうなるのか楽しみ。次回はまた毒殺絡みの話に戻りそう

Gonna miss the old OP &amp; ED but WE ARE BACK. Love how cunning Maomao is when it comes to standing up against other women who look down at her because of her status. Also love how she just straight up stared at that one courtesan’s tits for like 10 seconds during their convo before resuming eye contact lol.

Highlight of the episode was Maomao being excited over spotting some herbs and the noise she was making haha.

I’m an anime-only so I’m excited to see where this goes now that Maomao is working in the outer court. Looks like the next episode will bring us back to some poisonings once again. 👀

壬氏が新しい部屋を勧めたとき、高順が猫猫に馬小屋のことを聞いてほしくなさそうだったのはなんで？壬氏のそばにいろってほのめかしてたの？自分が鈍いだけ？ >.<

Can anyone clue me in as to why Goashun didn't want her asking about the stable when Jinshi offered her a new room? Was he hinting her to stay with him? Am I just that dense myself &gt;.&lt;

なんで猫猫は「小猫（シャオマオ）」って呼ばれてるの？

Why are they calling Maomao “Xiaomao”?

「小さな猫」ってこと。親しみを込めた呼び方だよ。高順は猫猫よりずっと年上だから筋は通ってるし、猫猫がもっと砕けて話してくれと頼んだら、敬称からいきなり「小猫」に飛んだのにはちょっとムッとしてた。あれは馴れ馴れしすぎて、家族か親しい年上の友人くらいからでないと変に聞こえる呼び方なんだ。あとは水蓮みたいなおばあちゃん、おじいちゃん世代か。水蓮は猫猫と何の縁も無くても、高順から言われるよりは自然に聞こえる。高順自身、そこまで年寄りでもないしな

"Little Mao". Term of endearment. Makes sense as Gaoshun is older than her by a lot, and when Maomao asked him to be less formal she was also a bit miffled that he went from honorifics immediately to "little cat". That's way too familiar, something that only would not be strange coming from family or close older friends. Or grandmothers/grandfathers like Suiren, who, even if she has no relation to Maomao, it would be more natural coming from her rather than Gaoshun who is not THAT old himself.

愛称というか、親しみを込めた呼び方だよ。名前を可愛くしてる感じ。中国じゃなくて日本が元なら「マオちゃん」って言ってるようなもん

It's a nickname term of endearment kind of thing, cutesifying her name. It's like saying Mao-chan if this was based on japanese instead of chinese.

嫉妬する反応は、別れようとしたら殺しにかかってきかねない男の危険信号。女に魅力的じゃない格好をさせるのは、支配的で束縛が強くて、暴力をふるいそうな男の危険信号だ。
嫉妬は危険信号だけど、今回は未熟さだと思っておく。OPでほのめかされてるように、猫猫が着たい服を着て、あんなふうに見た目を整えられるようになるといいな。大人になった自分が昔の自分を支えるような、もっと成熟した形でさ。
そばかす姿の猫猫もすごく可愛いと思う。でも猫猫はいつもあの格好を面倒を避けるためにやってるって言うから、自由に選べるなら本当はしたい格好じゃないんだろうな

Jealous reaction a warning the man could try to kill when you leave them. And making a women dress unattractively a warning sign of a man who will be very dominating and controlling and likely abuse.

Jealousy a warning but in this case I will assume immaturity. But now as hinted in OP I hope MaoMao reaches a state where she can dress and look like she does there even doing a more mature supporting her younger self move.

I think MaoMao is very cute as her freckled self. But as she always refers to this look as something she does to avoid trouble I take it as not what she would want to dress like if she felt she was free to do so.

猫猫「なんで受かると思ったんです？」
めちゃくちゃ分かる！

Mao Mao: "Why did you think I'd pass?"

I relate so hard!

李白のムキムキの体にみんなが見とれてるのが好き。
事情を知ったらどうなることやら笑

I love people are so mesmerized in Lihaku's buff bod.

What more if people know the context lmao...

前のOPとEDのほうが好きだった。特に新しいEDは恋愛寄りで、猫猫から焦点が外れてる気がする。それでも十分楽しめるけど。
待ってた復帰回だったし、うちの主人公のドタバタは見飽きることがなさそう。（わざと？）試験に落ちたのと、壬氏が話しかけようとしたのを「こそこそ」かわしたのには声を出して笑った。
（たぶん重要な）新キャラも何人か出てきた。壬氏の世話をしてるおばあさんと、（今のところ）不穏な片眼鏡の男（武官なのか？）。
次回が楽しみ！

I preferred the previous OP and ED, especially with the new ED it seems a bit romancey and takes focus from Maomao. But they are still quite enjoyable.

This was a welcome return, and I will likely never get bored watching our heroine's antics. Her deliberately(?) failing the exam and "sneak-sneak"ing away from Jinshi's attempted conversation had me laughing out loud.

Few new (what I presume to be important) characters introduced with the old lady taking care of Jinshi and the sinister (so far) monocle dude (is he an officer?).

Looking forward to the next episode!

皇帝の腹がいまだに読めない。いい人？悪い人？それともただの嫌なやつ？でも前の回で、青い髪の妃の世話を猫猫に直々に頼んでたのを見ると、いい人なんだと思う。
皇帝には何かすごく謎めいたところがあるし、あのシーンの撮り方で、壬氏がまるで何者でもないように見えるのが、皇帝が絶対的な権力者だって印象をしっかり伝えてる

I still can't read the emperor. Is he good? bad? or just being a douche? However, based from the previous ep where he personally requested mao2 to look after his blue haired concubine. I think he is a good man.

There is something about the emperor that is so mysterious and how they framed that scene, making it look like that Jinshi is just a nobody really sells the idea that he is all powerful.

壬氏が宦官じゃないって猫猫が気づくのを待つのが、もう苦しくてたまらない

I am an agony waiting for mao mao to realize that jinshi isn’t a eunuch

冒頭で壬氏のキャラが深掘りされたのが良かった！壬氏が本当に望んでるのは何で、皇帝に従うことでどうやってそこにたどり着くのか？
猫猫が壬氏の魅力をちゃんと分かってるのに、自分はまったく影響されないってのがいつも面白い。身分の違いについて現実的すぎるのか、薬の研究に夢中すぎて引っかからないのか？猫猫は壬氏の見た目の魅力より、誠実さのほうに心を動かされるんじゃないかな
後宮のキャラたちは恋しいけど、この章も楽しみ！次の謎が待ちきれない！

Love the deeper insight we get about Jinshi’s character in the beginning of the episode! What does he truly want, and how does following the emperor get him there?

I always find it interesting that MaoMao is so cognizant of Jinshi’s appeal without being affected by it herself. Is she just too pragmatic about their status differences and too preoccupied with her science to be taken in? I suspect she would be more moved by sincerity from him than his outward charms

Missing the inner court characters, but excited for what this arc has to offer! Can’t wait for the next mystery!

猫猫は花街でほぼ育ったようなもんだから、その経験が見た目の魅力とか、恋愛全般についての考え方に大きく影響してるのかもしれないな

I could see it being the case that since Maomao more or less grew up in the Pleasure District, that experience significantly influenced her views on physical attraction and maybe romance as a whole.

すごく納得！猫猫にとって見た目の魅力はただの商品で、得をするために使える資産なのかも。それに、商売としての恋愛を散々見てきたから、自分は簡単にはなびかないんだろうな

That makes a lot of sense! She may see physical attractiveness as just a commodity, an asset one can use for gain. And she’s seen enough of romance as business to keep from falling for it easily herself

1クール目より新しいOPとEDのほうが好き。こういう映像をもっとやってほしい。2010年代っぽい雰囲気だし、ほぼ今後の話のダイジェストだけど、ワクワクする！！

i'm liking the new op and ed more than the previous cour, wish they did more visuals like these. although it still gives 2010s vibes and is basically a summary of the episodes to come, it gives me more excitement!!

このアニメのOPとEDは、猫猫と壬氏をめちゃくちゃ推してくるな。
ここぞという場面は美麗だし、ちびキャラの場面は最高に笑える。OPでこのクールがどこで終わるかはほぼ確定。2期はいつ？

The OPs and EDs of this anime adaptation is really shipping Maomao and Jinshi HARD.

Gorgeous scenes when it mattered and the chibi scenes are just hilariously executed. OP pretty much confirmed where will the cour will end. Season 2 WHEN?

猫猫の気だるいけどクセのある性格と、悠木碧の幅広い感情表現は最強の組み合わせ。キャラがすごくリアルで自然に感じる。毎回の話も場面も一人で引っぱってるのに、視聴者にはメアリー・スーっぽく見えない。
OP1は曲として猫猫を力強く押し出す感じだった。OP2も全然悪くない。落ち着いてるけど、この作品のジャンルと話には合ってる。盤上遊戯の映像や、新キャラを謎めいた雰囲気で見せてるのが気に入った。絶対だんだん好きになる。
最初のシーンは興味深かった。壬氏が欲しがってた知性や武芸は、たぶん両親から受け継ぐはずだったもの。皇帝が切れ者のほうなら、阿多妃は武に長けてるんだろう。壬氏は母親から魅力的な容姿と声しか受け継がなかった。妃なら役に立つ資質だけど、後宮の管理者や跡継ぎにはそうでもない。知性と武芸の穴を埋めるのに、猫猫と、たぶんもう一人キャラが必要になる。壬氏がその色気を武器に宮廷政治を渡っていくのを見るのは楽しみだ笑

Maomao's bored but quirky nature + Aoi Yuuki's diverse range of emotions is a killer combo. Her character feels so real and organic. She is solo driving every episode and moment without feeling like Mary Sue to viewers.

Op1 was more dominating music wise empowering Maomao. Op2 is not bad at all. It's chill but suits the genre and plot of this show. Loved the board game visuals and showing new characters with a mystery vibe. It will grow on for sure.

That first scene was interesting. Jinshi desired traits like intelligence and martial arts most likely from his parents. Since the Emperor is the cunning one, Ahduo must be good in combat. He only inherited charming looks and voice from his mother.These traits are useful for a concubine but not for a manager or heir of the royal palace. He will need Maomao and probably another character to fill the gap in intelligence and martial arts. It will be hilarious to see how he will use his thirst trap to navigate court politics lol

帰ってきたぞ。
猫猫のいない1週間はつらかった。
新クールの楽しくてゆったりした滑り出し。体感3分だった

We are so back.

One week without Maomao hurt me.

Fun slow start to a new cour, felt like 3 mins

早とちりかな？
皇帝って壬氏に気があるの？
最初の二人で飲んでるシーンは何だったんだ？飲むだけじゃない何かの始まりに見えたし、壬氏は自分の道を切り開けるまで従うって言ってるし……え？思い違いで、ただの面会だった？

Am I jumping into conclusions quickly?
Is the emperor into Jinshi?
What was that first scene them drinking, altho it appears to be an opening to something more than drinking, and Jinshi going he'll follow until he can make his own path...huh? Am I wrong and was that a simple meeting?

この作品めちゃくちゃ笑えるし本当に面白い。いくらでも見ていられる！！

this show is hilarious and genuinely so good i can’t get enough!!

今回はまるで学園ラブコメだった。クラスの美男子が、周りに無関心なオタク女子に興味を持って、その子が意地悪な女子グループにいじめられるっていうのまで含めてさ。
水蓮の出迎え方からすると、壬氏は水蓮に猫猫の話ばっかりしてたんじゃないかと睨んでる

This episode felt like something out of a high school romcom, including the class pretty boy being intereted in the aloof nerdy girl who then gets bullied by the the local bitch clique.

I have a suspicion that Jinshin has been talking about MaoMao non-stop to Suiren, given how she greeted her.

試験に受かったご褒美が珍しい材料だったら、絶対落ちなかっただろうな笑

I bet if the reward for passing the exam was a rare ingredient, she would not have failed. Haha.

あああ……これは「すごく」分かる。何か言ったら、期待とは逆に火に油を注いで4倍に燃え広がるやつ

[Ahhhhh.....](https://imgur.com/3QrNOLg) I can *significantly* relate with this. Nothing like saying something, then watching the explosion quadruple in size when you were hoping for the opposite

[](#everythingisfine)

猫猫たちに会うのがすごく久しぶりな気がする笑
嫉妬丸出しの壬氏は見てて楽しかった。あと猫猫の「受かると思ってたの？」がめちゃくちゃ分かる笑

It feels like it's been forever since I last saw Maomao and friends lol

Seeing Jinshi acting like a jealous mf was fun to watch. Also Maomao saying "what, did they expect me to pass" is so relatable lol

第2クールの最高のスタート。猫猫があんな装いで宮中に戻ってきて、壬氏まで驚いてた。でも姐さんたちのおかげで本当に見違えるほど綺麗だったから、驚くのも当然だ。
化粧で猫猫があまりに目立つもんだから、壬氏は嫉妬を隠しきれず、ほかの連中から猫猫を「守って」すらいた xD
猫猫は、これから壬氏に直接仕えることになるとは思ってなかった。本人は嬉しくなさそうだけど、俺にとってはありがたい。二人の関係はこの作品の一番の強みのひとつだから。
水蓮は間違いなく優しい人。性格も話し方も猫猫のおやじにそっくりだけど、二人とも結構な歳だからかな。
猫猫はやっぱりほかの官女たちにいじめられたけど、壬氏に直接仕えてるんだから不思議でもない。ただ、ある一人は、ほかの子たちが感情的になってる中でずいぶん落ち着いてて目を引いた。また出てきそうだ。
もちろん今回もいつもの猫猫のドタバタやちびキャラの場面がたくさんあって、悠木碧はあいかわらず見事に猫猫を演じてるし、いろんな声を出してる。

Great start to 2nd cour as [Maomao returned to the palace](https://i.imgur.com/7lGrlnr.png) with such a style that [even Jinshi was surprised](https://i.imgur.com/xYBRANN.png) when he saw her but it's nothing surprising because [she looked absolutely stunning](https://i.imgur.com/eUOrUeD.png) [thanks to her Onee-sans](https://i.imgur.com/xg3OQwv.png).

[Makeup made Maomao stand out so much](https://i.imgur.com/WMHpRi2.png) that [Jinshi couldn't even hide his jealousy and was even 'protecting' her from others xD](https://i.imgur.com/QhrK3WI.png)

[Maomao didn't expect that now she'll be serving Jinshi directly](https://i.imgur.com/82CtN2Y.png). [She's not happy about that](https://i.imgur.com/o0L3Jzl.png) but to me it's a great thing as [their relationship](https://i.imgur.com/Rm7ZBpq.png) is one of the strongest points of the show for me.

[Suiren](https://i.imgur.com/dujk7qD.png) for sure [is nice](https://i.imgur.com/MyZ7NXW.png). Also she really resembles [Maomao's father](https://i.imgur.com/4GVjC6O.png) in terms of character and the way she speaks but maybe because they both are fairly old.

[Maomao was of course bullied](https://i.imgur.com/msIKZBk.png) by [other Court Ladies](https://i.imgur.com/HfHBLsZ.png) but it's nothing weird considering that [she serves Jinshi directly](https://i.imgur.com/XvSIdWY.png). Though [that one lady](https://i.imgur.com/85XKsuN.png) stood out to me as [she was pretty calm when others were really emotional](https://i.imgur.com/2lYgEcB.png), it looks like we'll see her again.

Of course there was a lot of usual [Maomao's antics](https://i.imgur.com/5mzlhjk.png) and [chibi scenes](https://i.imgur.com/2FI4XPW.png) in this episode and [Aoi Yuuki is still doing a great job voicing her](https://i.imgur.com/JE1XlTx.png) and making [all this](https://i.imgur.com/PH3WMSi.png) [noises](https://i.imgur.com/HlUmsmK.png).

Here my screenshot albums from the episode:

* [Maomao](https://imgur.com/a/kEWymYh)
* [Group scenes](https://imgur.com/a/9aRe9ze)
* [Jinshi](https://imgur.com/a/GphfcVm)
* [Others](https://imgur.com/a/GrWzpAy)
* [Chibi scenes](https://imgur.com/a/8jSjc3q)

1期の壬氏「そばかすが無いほうが綺麗だな」
今期の壬氏：
（猫猫に見とれる衛兵たち）
壬氏「よし、そばかすを戻せ」
笑

Jinshi in S1: "You look good without your freckles"

Meanwhile this season:
(some guards ogling at Maomao)

Jinshi: "ok bring those freckles back"

lol

悠木碧がこの役をめちゃくちゃ楽しんでて最高！

Aoi Yuuki is having so much fun in this role and I'm here for it!

新OPもEDもすごく好き！新しい章も楽しみ。元の仕事に戻れないって分かったときはちょっと不安だったけど、話はまだまだ面白くなりそう。ひとつ質問。あの官女がまとってた香りって、これまでに出てきたものと何か関係あるの？それとも意味が分かるのはこれから？

I really like the new OP and ending! I’m also looking forward to this new arc, I was a little wary when I realized she wouldn’t get her old job back but the story seems to still be promising. One question, do the scents on the one court lady mean anything that we’ve seen yet or will their meaning be revealed later?

「シュッ」の次は「こそこそこそ」か。
新しいOPとEDもいいね

After "Whoosh", we have "Sneak Sneak Sneak".

New OP and ED is good also

やっとだ、2万分ぶりだぞ！
「着飾った」猫猫を見た壬氏の反応と、猫猫がほかの男たちの注目を浴びてむくれてるのには笑った。
試験に落ちたのはちょっと意外。
このクールは悪役が出てくるみたいだな

Finally, it's been 20,000 minutes!

LOL @ Jinshi's reaction to the "dolled up" Maomao, and being upset by all the attention she's getting from other men.

I'd kinda surprised she failed the exam.

Looks like we have a villain this cour.

そうだね猫猫、色気の「無駄遣い」だね

sure maomao. "wasted" s*x appeal.

今週も満足な回でした。ごちそうさまでした〜！

Satisfying episode this week, gochisousama deshita~!

猫猫の言うことも一理ある。いつかアワビ食べてみたい

shes kinda right i wanna eat abalone someday