How old is Maomao in The Apothecary Diaries? Age explained

Modified Nov 30, 2024 15:30 GMT

How old is Maomao in The Apothecary Diaries? Age explained (Image via TOHO Animation Studio and OLM)

Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries is one of the most interesting female anime protagonists. Her character combines her interest in medicine with her will to help others, elements which haven't particularly been combined similarly in the past. However, one of the most asked questions on the internet is how old is Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries, who is a key part of the Imperial Court.

Maomao is 17 years old, which could be considered an achievement because not only was she abducted and forced to become a maid at a very young age, but she also rose to a high rank and might still be climbing given her services. She is the former lady-in-waiting of Lady Gyokuyou and the current servant of Jinshi after the male protagonist bought her from the Consort House.

Discovering the age of Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries

Maomao as seen in the anime (Image via Toho Animation Studio and OLM)

Maomao (nicknamed 'Xioamao' by Gaoshun) is the female and central protagonist of the anime adaptation of the popular light novel The Apothecary Diaries. Introduced in the first episode, Maomao was introduced as a jolly girl whose obsession with medicinal plants and weeds drove her into almost unimaginable actions.

As expected, one of these actions became the plot device for the series when she was kidnapped while picking up some weeds and taken to the Imperial Palace to serve as a maid.

Due to her knowledge of medicinal herbs, she noticed the wrong happenings in the palace (as the series took place in the ancient Tang Dynasty where herbs were the main source of medicine).

Maomao's chibi demeanor as seen in the anime (Image via Toho Animation Studio and OLM)

Soon enough, due to her actions, she was promoted to the lady-in-waiting of the consort Lady Gyokuyou. As she kept offering her services, her contract expired and due to various misunderstandings, she left the Imperial Palace. However, as Jinshi was interested in her, he couldn't let her go.

So, during a meeting in The Apothecary Diaries, Jinshi met Maomao as a consort and he took this opportunity to buy her from her Consort House. She then returned to the Imperial Court as Jinshi's servant and again reprised her role as Gyokuyou's lady-in-waiting during her second pregnancy.

Surprisingly enough, she scored all of these achievements at the age of 17. Some fans might be surprised by this age, given Maomao's chibi demeanor. However, her realistic character design showcases her reality as a grown-up teenager.

Maomao's role in The Apothecary Diaries

Now that the fans know how old is Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries, it is also crucial to know what role the female protagonist played in the series. Although on the outside, she seemed like a normal lady-in-waiting performing her regular duties, she was also the Sherlock Holmes of the Imperial Court as everyone brought their mystery cases to her.

Be it the mysterious case of the dead woman dancing at night or the mysterious fires reported by Lihaku, there was no case the female protagonist couldn't unravel. However, her obsession with medicinal herbs was something that is beyond explanation given how she craved suffering from a deadly herb.

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Edited by Sezal Srivastava