One of the reasons I love apothecary diaries so much is how well the characterisation is done. So often in fictional media do I see characters drastically change over time. Whether it is between seasons, movies, books or even different media types.
I think thats why the slow burn works so well even though it has been years. I am always on the edge of my seat wanting there to be more, but it isn’t in their characters to go any further.
If you went straight from ln 1 to ln 16 Maomao and Jinshi would seem like totally different people. But we get a whole other 14 books to show their development and see Maomao begin warming up to Jinshi’s affections and the fact that they are at the stage where Maomao is actively seeking out Jinshi’s affections.
They have grown so much, and I love them even more for it. Their characterisation is perhaps the best I’ve ever seen and it has gotten to the point where I can point out shows that don’t meet my expectations in those regards. Whether it is because the characters aren’t well built and meaningful or they change too much too fast over the course of the story with no eventful storylines to inspire that change.
