Holmes of Kyoto

Tranquil, witty, not the worst characters around, and a great way to promote the city. I personally would have liked a little bit more about art, collecting and counterfeits, and less about the romance (the two are obviously made for each other, no need to show them dancing around, and the fact that he's a few years older isn't really shocking to me). Admittedly, I can understand reviewers who were underwhelmed, as they were expecting some more Sherlock-like criminal cases and drama, although I wonder just how much mystery you can build into a 25 minutes episode. Nevertheless, I found myself looking forward to another halfhour of relaxing TV each week. Not all shows have to be about sword fights or giant robots. The animation is mediocre, but with such a show, who cares? I wish the Kyoto Tourism Board would sponsor a second season. Shoudn't be too expensive to make such an anime, and I definitely would be happy!

My first review for an anime...this was disappointing :/ I'm an avid romance fan, but this really did not do much for me. I will say, I LOVE antiquing and I found myself interested in the explanations behind the pieces and whatnot. I was super excited during the first few episodes, and loved the direction of Aoi & Holme's relationship. I really like more mature, straight-forward romances and none of the harem garbage. I appreciated that it checked those boxes. However, the ending was very much a "non-ending" and lukewarm at best. It wasn't terrible, but felt like a waste of time overall. Aoi/Holme's romantic relationship waspushed quite a bit at times, so I was expecting more of a satisfying ending and stuck it out :( The premise was interesting, and if you're a big antique/history fan you may find those scenes enjoyable. If you're someone who prefers more of a side romance and don't mind a non-ending, give it a shot. There's a bit of conflict with a semi interesting antagonist, too. The animation was very poor, music not notable and the characters were okay. Not something I'd rewatch, but if another season came out I might give it a shot in hopes of a better conclusion.

If you have the love of watching mystery series such as Detective Conan, Inspector Gadget, Sherlock Holmes and the like, this series would fit right into your pocket (and a nice derivative for that). Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes, or more specifically, Kyoto native Kiyotaka 'Holmes' Yagashira the male MC, has a knack for solving riddles, trusted by his dad Seiji, whom they both own an antique shop full of real antiques such as drawings and cups. You name it, they have it. In comes Aoi Mashiro, a high school girl who comes into Kiyotaka's shop, looking for a part-time job to help finance her needsand restart her life. And with her introduction, comes a new (unsuspecting) role for her to maintain whatever is with the shop's characteristics and the like while being Holmes' aide Watson, as they journey around people who seem to face issues from counterfeiting antiques to crime scenes. Coming from the source material, being a novel, it's the equivalent to episodic chapters: Same MCs, different characters with their various problems, all requiring the help of the male MC to do his job, clear names and pronounce judgment (if so need be). With that said, nothing special ever goes on with the series, with the only variant(s) being the story, character, environment settings and the such. Nothing too spectacular going on there that's for sure. Oh, I almost forgot, this series also references the Holmes vs. Lupin feel by having Enshou the con-man-cum-priest counterfeit master in order for Holmes to be tested and mocked at. Characters were nothing special ,except for the fact that their abilities are showcased, so that's saying something. And Aoi and Holmes, your romance is building and overwhelming, so get a room please! "All Kyoto boys are bad boys." - Aoi With that said, I'm just gonna bolster this through: Character designs, art and animation aren't the greatest to begin with, and that's coming from a studio that specializes in hentai-based anime and the god-awful horror-fest mistake that is Ousama Game. It is very noticeable that sometimes the art isn't as what it is and is constantly blurred out in the background to highlight whatever the scenes are important in, and the character faces (e.g. check out Aoi's face near the end ot the OP credits). Add in the fairly decent to mediocre animation, and you have a byproduct that doesn't stand out much for its many and ever-increasing flaws, but yet it manages to do its job, completing the basics I mean. Music is hit and miss. A brand new AOP song for the OP, and it is okay, but I'm just not feeling the entirety. Wagakki Band's ED is a much better, much richer job closing the gaps of the series, giving it the nice-rounded feeling of an ending that's fitting for the series to boot. Holmes of Kyoto, on the surface, doesn't forebode its series well due to the low marketing, but also its unappealing factors which outweigh the reasons to watch this anime (heck, I even went into this series not expecting anything). But honestly, deep down its face-value, and you will see a series that's quite unlike anything about collecting and treasuring antiques and the like. If you are the audience that loves to solve riddles of expect some "mystery", this is the show for you. For jaded others, look elsewhere.