Maomao is one of the most goofy female protagonists in anime. While she is mostly a very endearing cinnamon in the series, there are times that she suddenly acts cold and distant, and that’s when she sees her father or hears about him. Their strained relationship serves as a significant undercurrent throughout the series, revealing the complexities of Maomao’s character.
In this article, we’ll break down all the reasons why Maomao resents her father, the broader implications of their relationship, and how it influenced Maomao’s personality development. With the second season of the Apothecary Diaries airing on the 10th of January 2025, this should serve as a good refresher.
Who Is Maomao’s Father in The Apothecary Diaries?
Maomao’s biological father is Lakan, a 40-year-old man who was introduced as a minor antagonist in the series. He is a tactician in the military and a very important person in the empire. Luomen is Maomao’s adopted father, and he is responsible for her upbringing and knowledge in medicine, but he is not Maomao’s real father.
Lakan was never introduced as a pleasing character from the beginning of the series. Maomao was clearly repulsed by him, and Jinshi, too, wasn’t particularly pleased by his presence. This is because Lakan has a reputation for being obnoxious, meddling, and vengeful, and Lakan was never subtle about it either.
Why Does Maomao Despise Lakan?
The reason why Maomao despises Lakan lies in the story of her birth and Lakan’s relationship with Maomao’s mother, Fengxian, who was a high-ranking courtesan at the Verdigris House. She was astonishingly beautiful and intelligent. However, she wasn’t polite and didn’t act cute, but she was popular among some men with “different” tastes, and hence, she was highly popular and expensive in the Verdigris House.
The Relationship Between Lakan and Fengxian
Lakan was incapable of distinguishing between people since birth, and that has always been a predominant issue that Lakan had. As he sought entertainment, he came across a courtesan who was highly capable in chess and go, capable enough to defeat Lakan who was quite a good player. He started being able to see her face since then and found her to be extremely beautiful and fell in love with her.
Lakan started visiting her at the Verdigris House ever since, however, her price kept increasing with time due to her increasing popularity, and Lakan could only visit Fengxian once in three months. At some point, Fengxian was going to be bought, but Lakan, who was a mere military man, couldn’t afford to buy a high-ranking courtesan from the Verdigris House, so he apparently impregnated her.
In that society, where a courtesan gets pregnant, her value plummets, and the same happened to Fengxian. She had to take any and every customer due to her reduced value, and she ended up contracting syphilis.
Why Lakan Was A Scoundrel
Lakan decided to impregnate Fengxian because he wanted her, and he couldn’t afford her. However, right after Fengxian got pregnant, his family forced him to study abroad, so he had to leave. He left with the assurance that he got from a letter sent by Fengxain, which let him know that she wouldn’t be bought out.
Lakan would only return three years later to realize the bitter reality. He realized that Fengxian had caught a disease and become so mentally unstable that she cut off her and her own baby’s (Maomao) finger and sent it to Lakan. This was a consequence of Lakan’s lack of foresight and irresponsibility, so none of the members of the Verdigris House entertained him, and they never let him meet Maomao either.
What Maomao Thinks of Lakan
In episode 24 of Apothecary Diaries, Maomao admitted that she didn’t hate Lakan, but she certainly did despise him. She recognized him as the man who ruined her mother’s life due to his own responsibilities and also as a creep who showed a weird fixation toward herself. Lakan’s fixation on Maomao is probably because she was the only person whose face he could recognize.
It is important to note that Maomao doesn’t really love her mother, so she doesn’t resent Lakan for what he did to her mother. However, Lakan’s acts tarnished the reputation of the Verdigris House and also influenced her upbringing, as no one in the Verdigris House was allowed to talk to her about her mother. Her distrust toward Lakan comes mostly from his own mannerisms and the consequences of his actions rather than what he did to Fengxian.
About The Apothecary Diaries
‘The Apothecary Diaries’ is a light novel series written by Natsu Hyuga and illustrated by Touko Shino. The series will be receiving an anime adaptation in 2023.
The story follows a young girl, Maomao, who is the daughter of an apothecary and possesses an extensive knowledge of medicine and herbs. When she is kidnapped and sold to the rear palace, she is forced to navigate life in this new, foreign environment.
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