So you scrolled through the reviews and are suspicious that the only (spoiler-free) reviews are either extremely positive or the one guy that calls it a Mary Sue Power fantasy? Because that's what I was. It turns out, like usual, the truth lies somewhere in between. So here is a short, (mostly) spoiler-free review, not of my opinion of the show but of how I think certain types of people will view this show, so I can hopefully give YOU the READER an idea if you will like it or not.

As the summary alludes to, this is, at its core, an episodic mystery show. Every episode (or two), we get shown a problem. Our feline Sherlock gets wind of it, collects some clues, gives us some time to think, and then ultimately gives us the solution. Unlike most contemporary mystery anime that often fall into the trap of thinking that "convoluted = complex = good", they tend to stay relatively small and straightforward, which is a rare charm for this type of show. However, it also means that they come without major plot twists or drama attached to them. Just a fun, somber mystery for the evening. People looking for something complex and involved will be disappointed, but they work wonderfully as light entertainment - and as something fun and slightly involved for our character to do.

Our main character Maomao has a bit of an eccentric personality with a strong love for her craft, which brings a nice contrast to the formal personalities you expect in an imperial palace. She is a bit reclusive but generally good-hearted and is initially driven to solve mysteries by her interest in all things medicine and desire to help, and it's easy to take a liking to her at this time. Judging by her insane popularity, I suppose many people did.

I think there is also a bit of a cathartic effect here. Watching someone eccentric from the outside get increasingly accepted for her deeds has worked for many shows before. I think it just strikes a nerve in people. Everybody wants to be acknowledged, and seeing people's lives improve because of it is all the better.

Over time, the stories shift away from medicine and increasingly become murder mysteries, intrigues, or doctor-stone situations. The basic structure of the story never gets changed, however, and I think this is where the negative views come from. The story generally has good explanations for her ability to solve these cases, but she still does solve them. Because the mysteries themselves are very straight forward, there is also next to no drama or difficulty in any of them, and she also never has an "opponent" to out-mystery. And when the main character solves things from all sorts of areas of expertise, alone and without problems, time and time again, that can certainly begin to feel a lot like a Mary Sue. I don't want to get into spoilers, but the people around her also generally reinforce this stereotype. I don't think the guy that called it a Mary Sue Power fantasy is entirely wrong. People who are sensitive to this type of thing will find many red flags here, and you can certainly interpret them like that.

The B-Plot is a typical fairy tale romance. It's a bit clumsy at the start but gets notably improved at the halfway point. I'd say its one of the better ones out there. It doesn't get too much time though, so even if you generally don't like this sort of thing, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you are the sensitive-to-mary-sue type, having a wish fulfillment romance in the story certainly won't help, though.

One of the positive reviews here reads, "The story does not carry Maomao; Maomao carries the story." I think this is an accurate assessment. Anime are carried by their characters, even more so in this show, as the mysteries themselves are intentionally small and straight forward. Because Maomao is the only truly involved personality here, she IS the entire show. Every Plot point goes and moves through her lips. As such, I do believe that whether you like the show or not will entirely come down to whether you like Maomao or not. If you like her, you can enjoy the mysteries with her. If you don't like her, she will ruin the entire show.

So, in short, my advice would be this: do you like the Shepards, the Tanjiros, the Rudeuses? Then I think you will have a blast with this show. But if you think that mass effect is good, DESPITE Shepard, if you think the typical Shounen protagonist is the weakest point of the show, if you... didn't watch Mushoku tensei at all i guess, then you might want to stay away.