Kabukichou Sherlock

In Shinjuku ward's east side lies Kabukichou, a vibrant city of chaos that glows brilliantly with neon lights but also hides unseen darkness. Employed at a university hospital on the west side, John H. Watson is looking for someone who can assist him with an odd case. His search leads him to the Pipe Cat, an underground bar that serves as a meetup venue and job board for some of the best detectives in Shinjuku, the most prominent among them being Sherlock Holmes.

Upon finding the bar and meeting the peculiar investigators, John learns that they are pursuing a case involving Jack the Ripper, an infamous serial killer. Due to subsequent events, John ends up driving Sherlock to the crime scene of a murder supposedly carried out by Jack the Ripper. Even though John is only there to enlist Sherlock's help with his case, he witnesses Sherlock brilliantly uncover the truth behind the crime scene. However, he begins to realize that Sherlock is not only a genius detective but also an eccentric character.

As John continues to request Sherlock to assist him with his case, he finds himself spiraling into the detective lifestyle of solving cases beyond the minds of ordinary civilians. Through this work, John begins to see the true colors of the chaotic city that is Kabukichou and starts to unravel the unsettling mystery behind his own case.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Holmes, Sherlock Main

Konishi, Katsuyuki Japanese

H. Watson, John Main

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Moriarty, James Supporting

Yamashita, Seiichirou Japanese

Mrs. Hudson Supporting

Suwabe, Junichi Japanese

Morstan, Lucy Supporting

Higashiuchi, Mariko Japanese

Kyougoku, Fuyuto Supporting

Saitou, Souma Japanese

Kobayashi, Toratarou Supporting

Tachibana, Tatsumaru Japanese

Belmont, Michel Supporting

Aoyama, Yutaka Japanese

Morstan, Mary Supporting

Touyama, Nao Japanese

Hokari, Maki Supporting

Murase, Ayumu Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Maeda, Toshihiro Producer

Kawamoto, Sachi Producer

Shimizu, Norie Producer

Reviews

Mar 27, 2020

Ethan_07

Recommended

“A light shines in the detectives’ eyes. This row house is filled with the strangest of men, and people call it - The Detective’s Row House.”

First of all, Kabukichou Sherlock is not to be taken too seriously. Although it has its fair share of mysteries, but most of the time, comedy takes the spotlight. You’ll have to be patient, and just struggle a bit to see why it can turn out to be a good mystery and even give you chills with how it connects the dots, about half-way through the series. I couldn’t promise that it would worth your time, but definitely, the twist ... doesn’t disappoint.

Kabukichou Sherlock initially meant to introduce an ensemble of characters resembling the ones from Arthur Conan Doyle series, with a twist. The main character is of course, the Japanese Sherlock Holmes that loves rakugou and is willing to sniff, lick or try any methods to solve the mystery. There’s also his doctor-partner, John Watson who is portrayed to be more sensitive and powerless. Following up is the mastermind of the criminals, but now a young and friendly ally James Moriarty. The side characters are comprised of a flamboyant Mrs Hudson that manages the Detective’s Row House, Mycroft Holmes that works with the government and Irene Adler - the only woman that can outwit Sherlock.

If there’s one word to comment on Kabukichou Sherlock, it would be rich.

It’s rich in colors. Production I.G. (Vinland Saga, Haikyuu!!, AoT..) has done a great job in creating the opening and ending that fully utilized the color palattes to bring a contrast to each of the detectives, and framed the stories in the shape of photographs and memories that is truly mesmerizing. The art of the night city in red light district, with the neon lights of the shops and nightclubs really bring out the feeling that it’s a lively part of the city and that anything, can happen.

It’s rich in characters. Other than the ordinary names that you’d find in Sherlock Holmes series, new detectives varying in their mystery-solving style are also introduced. We have a pair of sister that represents a bad and good cop, an upright gentleman with glasses, a soft-hearted ex-yakuza and a gambler that’s in it for the bonus. They have decent development, and are some of the characters that bring about comedic relief and deeper attachment to the main casts.

It’s also rich in its songs. The opening "CAPTURE" by EGO-WRAPPIN', is funky with its rhythmic beat. It’s one of those rare opening that actually has the whole plot inside, which you will only realize afterwards. Both the ending song is decent, the first ED - Hyakuoku Kounen has a deep and resonating vocals with characters aimlessly looking into the universe, literally. The second ED – Parade is chilling, both emotionally and physically. For both arcs, they just fits.

Overall, Kabukichou Sherlock is not a spectacular anime, nor a great embodiment of mystery. But seeing how the characters shine in their own way, and how the trivial cases connect to a big reveal, one couldn’t help but stay for the last moment of it. To witness and experience the fall and the rise of Sherlock Holmes, with the other colorful detectives. As chaotic as everything seems to be, it could actually warm your heart.

If you choose to watch it, that is.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Aug 22, 2020

MewMeowth

Mixed Feelings

Spoiler

Major spoilers ahead.

I still don't understand this anime's insistence in generating empathy for Moriarty's character in the audience. He's one of the most ruthless killers I have seen in anime recently. He had a total disdain for human life and was obviously a sadist POS as exemplified when he had Mary choose between her sister and Watson. And he was only 16 years old. *facepalm* No matter how much of a tearjerker his dumb backstory was made to be--in fact, the more it's shown the more you realise his family was quite alright without him.

The parallels they continuously try to draw in the last episodes ... between Moriarty and Sherlock are preposterous. Sure, Sherlock's an odd character, eating gummy bears with rice and all, but nothing he ever did would lead you to conclude he's a hidden serial murderer... somehow restrained by Watson's goodness and naïveté. So in the logic of this anime anyone with an odd personality is a potential serial murderer? Ridiculous.

The only positive I can see in this anime is the other characters. Mrs. Hudson carried the whole show honestly. I wish there was an episode focused on her backstory. Fuyuto and Toratarou were also interesting. The Maki story was also OK.

I'm not familiar with the source material so I wonder, this anime could have been much better if it didn't have that stupid Moriarty story arch and was instead a bunch of crime-solving plots that would span 1-2 episodes each.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jul 10, 2020

UnfortunateEvent

Not Recommended

Unfortunately, this anime was one of the most fragmented and messy ones I have seen.

Firstly, I thought this is one cool interpretation of the overexposed and overused Sherlock Holmes myth created so skillfully by Sir Conan Doyle. The odd rakugo-crazy Shinjuku Sherlock seemed unique enough to carry this on.

The addition of Moriarty as his best friend was also unexpected and thrilling, regardless of him being just a teen.

Watson himself was quite alright as the embodiment of normality in this crazy world of rejects and geniuses.

However, things went very wrong. The anime was probing the line between comedy, mystery, and drama so much ... that is lost itself somewhere in-between.

The first 12 episodes were a boring variation of the Jack the Ripper case, mixed with some ridiculous investigations varying from a corrupt sumo wrestler to a murder in a masked pop band.

The second 12 episodes were even worse, with nothing to hold them together and villains, heroes, and madness splattered all-over.

The characters were never presented properly and could not develop at all. The weird thing is, few of them (the Morstan sisters and Kyougoku) had their own mini-stories, but this was quickly abandoned, leaving the plot and the whole idea of the anime even messier.

In the end, I was left with the feeling of watching 24 promo specials or 24 "filler episodes" while waiting for the real story.

Too bad it never came to it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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