#frog scene

[ultear-tigra]

Im telling you I am SO READY for Maomao getting frog flashbacks in second cour

Our girl was TRAUMATIZED

[ianime0]

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | Ep36 | Anyway, I know nothing. Knowing too much is never a good thing. Lord Jinshi is a high-ranking official, and I am merely a servant. Nothing more, nothing less. There's no need to know unnecessary secrets.

[jestersloverre]

Nothing to see here 🐸

[the-stars-and-the-moon]

I mean this in the least sus way possible, but the frog scene really does benefit from a close watching. There are so many small visual clues to what the characters are really thinking and feeling:

At the end of ep. 11, when they first fall onto the ground, Jinshi’s expression is somewhat unreadable, but when the scene picks back up in ep. 12, he looks startled, emotional.

His expression is impassive again when he lays Maomao down, but he grimaces after having done it, clearly conflicted with himself and a little unsure of what to do.

As he decides and leans in, we see his hand tense, but if you look closely, it’s also trembling. One can imagine the mixed emotions—he’s frustrated (in more ways than one), yes, but he’s also scared. It’s all new territory for him as well.

His approach is slow, giving her time to say something, do something, as she always has before, but this time she doesn’t. We see her hand tense, but it does not tremble.

And of course, there are the details that everyone has already noticed—that Maomao closes her lips to accept the kiss, that her eyes close, and it’s the sound of the barking that seems to snap her back to herself. She’s not truly averse to the kiss in the moment, but rather only when she has her wits about her a bit more.

I think the anime really did the scene justice, and while I wouldn’t call it my favorite Jinmao moment, I think it has a lot more going for it than one might initially think.

[skimimon]

That frog scene..

[terriblepersongreatseamonster]

I have some semi-loosely related thoughts over the frog scene & what followed. So, I'm not sure how cohesive this will be, but I'm going to go ahead & jot them down here.

You know what I really loved about the aftermath of the frog scene? Both Maomao & Jinshi knew they'd pushed each other too far in the cave, but Jinshi was the one who came to Maomao & apologized first. It wasn't an after-thought, or something he did half-heartedly because she apologized first & he felt he had to say something in reply. And he didn't wait days or weeks or longer.

I also really appreciate that during the apology scene, Maomao thinks about what has led to her being unable to easily read emotions.

I find it interesting that both she & Jinshi have some deep untreated emotional trauma. Both of them could be completely horrible people that mistreat the people around them. Instead, you can see throughout the anime that they both genuinely care for other people & fiercely protect those they care about. They are both very consistent in their kindness & loyalty. They're so young, but it's hard to remember that sometimes, given how they behave. There are moments, though, where the audience is reminded that these are vulnerable kids in their late teens. Yes, I know Jinshi is 20 at this point, but 20 is a weird age. You're not a teen anymore, & you're still adjusting to that fact. Two scenes where I felt this was really highlighted where when Jinshi cried on Maomao's shoulder while holding her, & the frog scene.

I can't decide how often Maomao's obliviousness is genuine & how often it's intentional. In the frog scene, she knew exactly what she felt, & she knew it wasn't a squished frog, but she certainly is trying to gaslight both Jinshi & herself that it was a frog. She's so smart &, as mentioned already, she doesn't read emotions easily. Jinshi gets less subtle regarding his feelings for her in every single episode. Not just that, but Maomao regularly thinks about how gorgeous Jinshi is. She doesn't think about any of the other characters' appearances nearly as much as she does Jinshi's. There is no way, especially with the education Maomao received from her sisters, that she hasn't put two & two together. She's very aware of the difference in their status, & she's seen so many men of high status break promises/abandon women in the pleasure district. She knows that the more secrets she knows, the more danger her life is in. I think Jinshi realizes his secrets are dangerous, but it hasn't dawned on him that Maomao might be afraid for her life. If it had, I think he might've handled things differently, especially in the cave. Maybe it's because of his true status that he isn't fully considering what the impact on Maomao's life could be. He just looks at her & sees someone he loves & trusts implicitly, so why wouldn't he tell her everything?

Something else I keep thinking about, regarding the frog scene is that Maomao doesn't really fight against Jinshi. Not fighting him doesn't equal enthusiastic consent. The only time either of them really makes it unquestionably clear that something needs to stop is when she's groping Jinshi & he tells her she needs to move her hand away (and boy does it take her a hot minute to do so). When it comes to flight or fight, she never seems to freeze in other tense situations. She's small, but she's fierce & doesn't shy away from a fight. I'm intrigued by the way she seems to be almost frozen when Jinshi is on top of her. It's definitely possible she's in so much shock/scared for her life if she resists him. But to not fight him at all? That seems very uncharacteristic of her. He holds her leg up, but she still could've attempted to kick him (she even considers it). She could've clawed at him, but instead her hands stay put on the ground. She doesn't turn her head away when he lowers his mouth right above hers. His movements are so slow, she certainly had opportunity to struggle & fight back. I really don't know what to make of her response. I've watched the scene multiple times now & I could easily make an argument that she's frozen in total fear, but I could also make the argument that there is surprise & curiosity there as well.

I also keep thinking about when Maomao told Jinshi about why she typically wears freckles. You could tell the things she was saying about trying to protect herself from men hit him hard. Women regularly getting assaulted has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. Jinshi seems genuinely horrified by the idea of her facing the threat of sexual violence day after day before she came to the palace. He's been a bit obsessed with protecting her for almost as long as he's known her. The thought of the Emperor taking her as a consort terrifies Jinshi, & I don't think it's just because Jinshi doesn't want to lose Maomao. I really do wonder how much self-loathing Jinshi experienced immediately after the frog scene, because he has to face the fact that if the dog hadn't shown up, he would've done something that could never possibly be forgiven. In his frustration, he had started to do this despicable thing that he probably had always told himself he would never do. The horror of discovering he's no better than other men.

How these two will interact in future episodes (especially if they're alone) is going to be very interesting.

[chillyangel]

Guys it’s ok he’s on hormone blockers

GUYS ITS OK HES ON HORMONE BLOCKERS RIGHT

[magicagrove]

🐸