Kabukichou Sherlock (1-6) Anime Review.
This is going to be a very short review because every problem with this show is blatant and requires little explanation. Based on the characters of Sherlock Holmes, the show follows Sherlock as he competes with other detectives, all based on characters of the novels. Whoever solves the case gets the pay. Simple premise, and something you could actually use a Sherlock style character in, pitting his own detective wits against others.
And the very first problem that comes up is every other detective immediately feels incompetent as a detective, and six episodes it's clear that Sherlock isn't just the best detective, but far out of the league of anyone else. The initial premise of this world's detectives becomes pointless. A couple of the detectives are likable, sure, but as competition to Sherlock they fail entirely.
The second problem comes in that it fails as a mystery. The big thing about a mystery is you, as the audience, can also look at the clues leading up to the reveal and try to figure out everything for yourself. Here you simply don't get anywhere near enough information to be able to do that, especially as Sherlock often sees or knows things that aren't made available to the audience. It may change as the show goes on, but the reveals always just kind of happen out of nowhere. Once that pattern sets in, the mysteries quickly become hard to invest yourselves in.
But the biggest problem of the show is it's presented almost entirely as a comedy that isn't funny. Apparently, Sherlock wanted to do that Japanese Theatre thing where you are one guy playing to different characters talking to each other in some kind of Comedy Act, Rakugo. He apparently does this because he failed to become one, and became a detective instead who does a Rakugo act every time he explains the result of a mystery. And yeah, he does suck at it. Which means the climactic reveal of every mystery is painfully unfunny. Also, there is a guy who is trying to Karate Chop the sun and makes really bad raps. No, this show isn't supernatural, he is just a fucking idiot. That about sums up all the humor of the show, just random nonsense.
I could go on about the negative, but I do want to give the show some credit. The visuals are pretty fantastic. The character designs and animations are on point the whole time, and it does have a unique visual flair to it. Even if it's not the kind of setting of the actual Sherlock Novels, you feel like this is a place that character could thrive with his wits and ability, as well as serve a vital function in. The cast is varied and vibrant, and it never feels like they are just re-using ideas from case to case. Despite the poor execution of each episode, it feels they do have original ideas going into each one, something a mystery show really needs to keep you invested as time goes on.
It's another show that was butchered by poor execution. They missed out on what can make a mystery interesting, they make poor use of the side cast, and they try to inject this 'Oh-so-Random' style humor into every moment of the show without break. The few things I like about the show do nothing to compensate for the issues I had with it, I give it a hard pass.
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YAPD
Yet another promising disappointment