Another week, another episode of Parallel World Pharmacy it shows us how this anime is one of the secret MVPs of the whole summer season. Now that Farma has set up his new independent pharmacy in town, our boy must find a way to convince people to come and do business, especially ordinary people. The whole pharmaceutical angle meant that PTP has created some great edutainment with a medicinal focus in the past, and now that Farma is a young and enterprising business owner, the show can also dig in its heels and really go nuts teaching us all about the history , chemistry, the scientific method, and the complex world of commercializing products and developing entirely new industries in a booming industrial capitalist society, all at the same time!
Wait, don’t run! It’s not nearly as dry and boring as it sounds! I mentioned that this show is really fun and wholesome, right?
What really makes an episode like “Everyday Life in Parallel World Pharmacy and Cosmetics” work is how serious its characters are and how really good-natured the show has been. In lesser hands, this whole story would seem like a thinly veiled excuse for the author to find a place to fit all the factoids they learned on a TED Talk binge into a single script, since nearly every conversation that one of the characters have is directly related to questioning a new aspect of Farma’s fledgling business operations. We begin by trying to figure out how to market a strange new mode of pharmaceutical operation to everyday people, until we finally move on to exploring the common medical issues that plague people in a poorly functioning society. closely into what we would consider their The Industrial Age, especially women. Once we discovered all the lead-based beauty products and bloodletting that women resort to to keep up with global beauty standards, Farma then set out to introduce more modern skin care and makeup products, which ultimately leads him inadvertently. become a key player in a rapidly changing cosmetics industry. Did I mention the lengthy post-credits sequence that makes sure to explore the need for strict and fair market regulation in a functioning free economy, since the wealthy have a disproportionate advantage and could easily monopolize the means of production and methods of distributions, which of course leads to…
Shit, I’m doing it again, am I? Please stop trying to pretend your best friend is calling you with an “emergency” at work that you have to deal with. I promise, Parallel World Pharmacy makes it all interesting!
Like I said, the show is serious as hell, so it finds ways to fit all that information into its story while still being quite entertaining and charming. Lotte is the one who takes it upon herself to investigate commoners on elements of Farma’s business, for example, so hopefully our hero can recognize the new Executive Director of Marketing and PR when he sees him. She’s also Farma’s mother who opens her eyes to the cosmetic issues facing women in the kingdom, and her new patient Chloe is the one who uses her own family’s wealth to start the cosmetic branch of Parallel World Pharmacy Inc. The whole affair not only gives all the secondary characters small moments to shine, it also allows Farma to be an incredibly flawed protagonist, even if he single-handedly transforms entire industries after a few weeks of work. honest. .
Sure, the kid has that magical aptitude that so many fictional doctors have where he happens to be an expert in all areas of medicine at once, but you know what he is not an expert in? Economy. The poor kid can barely understand the basics of supply and demand without help from Chloe and the Queen, and he even has to be reminded that selling at bargain prices is an easy ticket to a collapsed market. Maybe it’s a good thing he isn’t more of a hardcore capitalist, because one of his best qualities is his totally human approach to running a business. Hell, not only did he give a small army of female pharmacists a second chance after they were blacklisted by other contract providers for having children, but I’m darn sure he’s the first person in this company to offer the concept of paid maternity leave.
So yes, let it go Parallel World Pharmacy for me to chew a little for After lectures on the need for socially conscious regulation by a strong central government that prevents the wealthy from unilaterally controlling the forces of commerce. And if these conferences continued to be given by some of the best girls (and little doctors) of the season? Just plug this business straight into my veins, please and thank you.
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Parallel World Pharmacy is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop cultures, which can also be found at Twitterhis blog and his podcast.