by The anime “The Apothecary Diaries” is a mystery-solving entertainment that depicts the adventures of a young pharmacist named Maomao. The first season aired from October 2023 to March 2024, and the second season is currently airing from January 2025.
The original work is a light novel that Hinata Natsu has been serializing since 2011 on the novel submission website “Let’s Become a Novelist”, which she edited and published herself. Since 2017, manga adaptations have been serialized in “Monthly Sunday GX” (Shogakukan) and “Monthly Big Gangan” (Square Enix).
In this article, we will introduce Shisho, who appears in the anime “The Apothecary Diaries.” Shisho is the father of a senior consort and an influential figure, holding a high-ranking official position. We will also explain the purpose of the incident that Shisho caused, its ending, and the voice actor who plays him.
What is the popular anime “The Apothecary’s Notes”?
The story begins when Nekoneko, who was kidnapped, becomes a maid in the harem of a particular great country. Nekoneko, who works as a pharmacist in the red-light district, has a weakness for poisons and medicines and has no interest in getting promoted in the harem. She keeps her identity as a pharmacist a secret and waits for her contract to end, trying to avoid attracting attention.
One day, Nekoneko hears rumors of a string of suspicious deaths of the Emperor’s children, discovers the cause, and anonymously informs the concubines.
This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome eunuch in charge of the harem, who selects Nekoneko to be a poison tester for the Emperor’s favorite concubine. After that, although she frowns at the troubles Jinshi brings to her one after another, Nekoneko solves the cases with her natural curiosity and insight.
Basic information about Kosho from “The Pharmacist’s Monologue”! Introducing the voice actor’s profile and more
Cho plays the voice of Zi Chang. Cho, who previously performed under the stage names Shigeru Nagashima and Yuichi Nagashima, is also active as an actor. In addition to being the voice actor for Wanwan in the NHK Educational TV show “Inai Inai Baa!”, he also serves as the suit actor.
In addition to his role as Kosho, his other notable roles include Hiroshi Uchiyamada in “GTO” and Regro Burndead in “Mashle.”
The young Kosho, who appeared in episode 46, was voiced by voice actor Go Inoue.
What position did Zichang hold in the imperial court? A high-ranking official from the previous Emperor’s time.
Zi Chang is a powerful prime minister in the imperial court. He is the head of the long-established Zi clan and was favored by the Empress, the mother of the previous Emperor, so the Emperor cannot look him in the eye. Since the military is in the east, Rakan is called the “Eastern Fox,” while Zi Chang, a devious civil servant, is called the “Western Raccoon.”
The senior consort Loulan was Zichang’s daughter.
Lou Lan, who entered the palace after Consort Ah Duo and became a senior consort, is Zichang’s daughter. Lou Lan comes from a wealthy family and enters the palace accompanied by over 50 attendants. She changes not only her clothes but also her hairstyle and makeup almost every day. Her real face, hidden by heavy makeup, is unknown to those around her, and Maomao also does not realize that the maid she has become friends with, who calls herself Zicui, is Lou Lan.
Suirei, who left the harem using an elixir of resurrection after attempting to assassinate Jinshi, was also Zichang’s daughter and Loulan’s half-sister.
Zi Chang’s wife, Shen Mei, was also a former senior consort.
Zi Chang’s wife, Shen Mei, was a senior concubine of the previous Emperor. Shen Mei was initially engaged to Zi Chang, but she caught the eye of the Empress because Shen Mei’s grandfather was involved in the slave trade, and she was brought into the palace as a sort of hostage.
Zi Chang later gained the Empress’s trust through political means and was bestowed the title of Divine Beauty. He had a child with his wife before he was awarded the Divine Beauty, named Cui Ling, and another child he had with Shen Mei was named Loulan.
What was the real purpose of Zishan, who ingratiated himself with the Empress and expanded the harem?
As a public work to replace the slave trade that Shi’s family had been conducting, Zishan suggested to the Empress that she expand the harem. This policy not only built a palace, but also allowed women who were at risk of being made into slaves to be protected as harem ladies-in-waiting, and Zishan succeeded in gaining the Empress’s trust.
As mentioned above, the real purpose of Zi Chang, who had thus gained the favor of the Empress, was to restore the divine beauty by bestowing it upon her. Although Zi Chang’s proposal was merely a means to an end, it ultimately contributed to the smooth progress of the abolition of slavery under the current Emperor.
What was the rebellion that Shi’s family was involved in? The end of Shisho
The Shi family inflated the price of grain, embezzled the difference, and secretly produced guns called Feifa. Furthermore, the attempted assassination of Jinshi that took place in the harem was carried out by Shen Mei at the command of Sui Ling. The escape of Lou Lan, a senior concubine, from the harem was also a serious crime deserving of the death penalty. All of these events were seen as treason by the Shi family.
Lou Lan and Cui Ling took Maomao and escaped from the harem, and at the same time, Zichang also disappeared. Luo Ban investigated the suspicious flow of embezzled money and iron and discovered that it was gathering in Zi Beizhou, uncovering the rebellion of Zichang and his family.
The outcome of the rebellion and the end of Zichang
The Imperial Guards were dispatched to suppress the Shi clan rebellion using Rakan’s strategy, and the imprisoned Nekoneko was rescued. Jinshi, who had been hiding the fact that he was the Emperor’s younger brother until then, revealed his identity to those around him by leading the Imperial Guards.
Shisho, whom Ouran told to take final responsibility, appeared before Jinshi, who had entered the fortress, and was killed by his subordinates in the end. Jinshi felt that Shisho’s appearance at that time was theatrical, but he had no time to question him.
Afterwards, Jinshi cornered Kamimi and collapsed from an accidental explosion of a flying bullet, and Rouran was hit in the chest and fell from the roof of the fortress into the snow. After that, Rouran was never found, despite extensive searches.
Was Zi Chang’s wife, Kamimi, the mastermind behind the rebellion?
The mastermind behind the rebellion by the Shi clan was Shisho’s wife, Shen Mei. Shen Mei’s deep resentment towards the country, the imperial court, and the royal family drove her to plot the rebellion.
The roots of Kamimi’s resentment towards her country date back to the time of the previous Emperor. Even though Kamimi was engaged to Zishaku, she was forced to enter the palace by the Empress’s orders. Kamimi was unaware of her grandfather’s slave trade, so she was forced to enter the palace by the tyranny of the imperial family. She was kept in the harem for 20 years without the attention of the previous Emperor, who had a penchant for young girls.
Furthermore, the former Emperor took a liking to the young maid of Shenmei (Da Bao) rather than to the Empress Shenmei. The maid gave birth to the former Emperor’s daughter, but the former Emperor did not recognize her as his own, so the daughter was hidden in Zi Bei Province. Later, the maid’s daughter became the wife of Zichang and even had a child (Cui Ling).
Zi Chang was devoted to Shen Mei. As he gained the Empress’s favor, he also created a secret loophole in the harem and asked Shen Mei to escape with him. In this way, Zi Chang attempted to relinquish his position to bring Shen Mei back, but Shen Mei refused to accept it.
While in the harem, Zi Chang inherited the family headship from his father, who was the head of the Zi clan, and took the daughter of the maid above as his wife. Shen Mei felt betrayed by him. Incidentally, it was at this time that Zi Chang exploited a loophole, which took Maomao out to Suirei and the others.
She resents Jinshi, who resembles the former Emperor in his youth and is even more beautiful than her, and sends Suirei to the harem to try to kill her. She also sends Ouran to the palace to try to become the Queen Mother, while at the fortress, she prepares for war.
Was Zichang a villain? What was Zichang’s wish for not stopping Shenmei’s rebellion?
After being bestowed by Zishō and returning from the harem, Shenmei’s personality was warped by numerous grudges. Moreover, because she holds significant influence within the family, Zishō, who is the adopted son-in-law, does not reprimand Shenmei for bullying his ex-wife (Suirei’s mother) and Suirei, or for indulging in alcohol and male prostitution.
The reason Shichang married Sui Ling’s mother was that he could not refuse the request of the previous Emperor. However, he also felt inferior because he had married a woman other than Shen Mei first. Shichang was known as a cunning old fox in the palace, but in reality, he was not as shrewd as he was perceived to be. He was also disappointed that he could not protect his daughter, Sui Ling.
On the other hand, another reason why Zi Chang did not stop Shen Mei’s rebellion was that he was concerned about the corruption of his family and the country. By keeping only those who repeatedly took bribes and embezzled around him, Zi Chang’s presence became a necessary evil that not only concentrated the corruption within the Zi family but also in the country. By purging the family after rebellion, a lot of the pus in the palace was ultimately drained out. The sense of unease that Jinshi felt in Zi Chang’s final moments is likely due to this theatrical revelation of his hidden true intentions.
What is the “hidden village blood” that Shisho inherited?
The first emperor’s mother, the Queen Mother, was a descendant of a tribe that came from a faraway land. Wanting to preserve her bloodline as royalty, she created a system in which those who inherited the traits of her clan, many of whom had “eyes that could not distinguish between red and green,” would become kings.
When the Wangmu clan came from a distant land, they split into two branches; one established a kingdom, and the other took root in the north. Zichang inherited the lineage of the clan that took root in the north. Zichang also cannot distinguish between red and green, and Ouran inherited this trait.
In the story, Ouran says that the reason Kamimi gave birth to her, the son of Zichang, was simply because she wanted a child who would follow in the line of the Queen Mother. Kamimi planned to have Ouran, who is of the Queen Mother’s bloodline, enter the palace and become the next Queen Mother.
Summary of the anime “The Pharmacist’s Monologue” by Kosho
Zichang is the father of the senior consort Ouran and is also the lord of Zi Bei Province, a high-ranking official in the imperial court. He was known as a sly fox in the imperial court and was eventually executed as the mastermind behind the rebellion of the Zi clan.
However, in reality, he used his political power to win back his fiancée and pretended to be evil to purge corruption within his family and the palace. The episode of the Ko clan’s rebellion, recorded in the 4th volume of the original novel, is also a major incident that brings about a significant change in the relationship between Nekoneko and Jinshi.
