Joka (
Appearance[]
Like her sisters, Joka is described as a beautiful young woman with a well-endowed figure. She stands at average height, possesses fair skin, calf length indigo colored hair that's styled both elaborately and is otherwise sectioned, sharp amber colored eyes, and is typically seen with a flat expression on her face.
Joka's outfit consist of a maroon colored hanfu with blue accents. For her choice of accessorizing, she wears a silver tiara on her head and red colored earrings. She is also seen with two small lilac colored dots for makeup above her thin eyebrows.
Personality[]
Compared to the other two Princesses, Joka is colder and more aloof; but she is still warm and thoughtful towards Maomao and the other courtesans. Despite being a courtesan, she does not like men, whom she sees as untrustworthy.[2] Like the other princesses, she became more miserly with age, resembling the Madam.
Abilities[]
Poetry: Joka specializes in poetry to entertain customers, a skill which makes her popular among civil officials. Her words are elegant but harsh. It is said that the poems she writes while being angry must be checked by the Madam before being delivered to her customers.[3]
Literature: Joka has memorized the four books and five classics, the foundational texts of the civil service exam, and can recite any passage from them by memory.[4]
Music: In the anime, Joka is shown playing the Erhu for customers[5] and apprentice courtesans.[6]
Background[]
Her father tricked her mother into believing that he was a member of the Imperial Family of Li. As a result, her mother believed that Joka was a member of royalty. This is the reason Joka named herself with the Imperial Family's character, Ka.[7]
At some of her youth, Joka entered the Verdigris House as a courtesan and helped raise Maomao before Luomen took her in.
Several of Joka's regular patrons are tutors, seeking her opinion on the readiness of their students. Being an excellent judge of both character and preparation, her assessment is a consistent predictor of success or failure on the civil service exam.[8]
Trivia[]
- Joka's name, 女華 (nǚ huá), is a parody of the Chinese creation goddess Nüwa (女媧, nǚ wā). The first character of Joka's name, 女, is the same as Nüwa's, while the second character of her name, 華, is the clan name of the Imperial Family.
- Although the 華 (huá) of Joka and the 媧 (wā) of Nüwa are pronounced differently in Chinese, the Japanese pronunciation for both kanji is ka, making the two names homophones in Japanese.
- The name is, in Maomao's words, "super edgy". Using the 華 character a stone's throw from the palace is the sort of thing a humorless Emperor might take serious offense to, but the Madam allowed it anyway.
References[]
- ↑ ANIME FREAKS (Abema TV) - アニメ「薬屋のひとりごと」声優・キャラクター一覧｜全キャスト96人を網羅 (in Japanese; in English: List of voice actors and characters for the anime "The Apothecary Diaries" | All 96 cast members
- ↑ The Apothecary Diaries light novel: Volume 5, Chapter 6
- ↑ The Apothecary Diaries light novel: Volume 6, Chapter 9
- ↑ The Apothecary Diaries light novel: Volume 13, Chapter 11
- ↑ Season 1 Episode 12
- ↑ Season 1 Episode 17
- ↑ The Apothecary Diaries light novel: Volume 9, Chapter 15
- ↑ The Apothecary Diaries light novel: Volume 13, Chapter 11
Feilong • Fengming • Fengxian • Fuyou ☆ Gaoshun • Guen/Quack Doctor • Guiyuan • Gyokuen • Gyokujun • Gyoku-ou • Gyokuyou
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