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Holmes of Kyoto
Episode 7

by Rebecca Silverman,

How would you rate episode 7 of
Holmes of Kyoto ?
Community score: 3.7

It's interesting how Sherlockian lore has evolved since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories. Most academics (or at least those I've read and spoken to) agree that Moriarty was more a way for Conan Doyle to kill off a character he'd grown sick of writing, but subsequent fanlore casts him as Sherlock Holmes' archrival. It does make sense that that'd be the tack Holmes of Kyoto would take, because this is a very light usage of the character and his lore, so if people are going to call Kiyotaka “Holmes,” it follows that Ensho would cast himself as “Moria,” short for “Moriarty.”

This episode confirms three major points that the series has been working its way towards: that Aoi is learning a lot about antiques, that Kiyotaka is falling hard for her, and that Ensho desperately wants to be Kiyotaka's bestest rival. That does lead to a bit of a feeling that we've gone over this before, and relatively recently, because not only have we already had the episode where Ensho declares himself Kiyotaka's foe, but we've also already had an episode set at an antiquarian's party. Perhaps in the original novels these two stories were spaced out a little more, allowing them to feel more like a progression of the plot than a writer running low on ideas.

Despite this, there are some good moments. Kiyotaka and Aoi's relationship does seem to be developing much more smoothly than the rest of the plot, and despite the fact that he's kind of a jerk, it is a sweet one. Most of their problems stem from the fact that they've both been so badly burned by past relationships, and there's also a major hint this week that Kiyotaka feels at least a little creepy being a college student with a crush on a high school girl. (That's frankly refreshing in anime, where age gaps are often discounted.) But he's also not comfortable with just sitting back and letting her get away, so to speak – when Aoi announces that her friend wants her to go to a goukon (group date) with a bunch of college guys, Kiyotaka immediately looks annoyed, which he expresses as concern for Aoi's well-being. It's clear that he's jealous but uncomfortable with the emotion; it isn't until the end of the episode that we see him realizing that maybe he's okay speaking up. That stems less from any major revelation or jealousy over Akihito's actions (which are nil) and more from the dual facts that he sees that Aoi really listens to him and that she's anxious to support him and keep him steady. Those are good reasons to like someone, and the understanding Kiyotaka is coming to does speak well to his developing character.

However, the real highlight of the episode is Aoi cleaning up at the “appraisal game” at the birthday party. Since the party is hosted by an antiques appraiser, he challenges his non-professional guests to decide the veracity of various pieces of art. Aoi, thanks to her work at Kure and her eagerness to learn, is the clear winner, which not only lays the way for a romantic getaway for she and Kiyotaka in the form of her prize, but also reminds us that she's more than just Kiyotaka's sidekick. This is a smart, observant girl in her own right, and she's working towards deserving to be trusted on a case. Perhaps that's a bit of what Kiyotaka is coming to realize.

The mystery aspect of the episode is pretty thin, and we have very little chance of figuring out where Ensho is hiding based on the clue provided. Viewers familiar with the work of William Holman Hunt may be able to solve-along with Kiyotaka on the forgery question, but for the most part, this is not an episode rooted in mystery. That's been the problem with this series as a whole, really – not that it's been more of a cozy sit, but that it forgets it's ostensibly a mystery show half the time. Or perhaps that's my misunderstanding of the title. In either case, the problem with this specific episode is more the sense of repetition. Everything else is just a confirmation that this story isn't quite panning out as advertised.

Rating: C+

Holmes of Kyoto is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.


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