YMMV / Case File nº221: Kabukicho

• Angst? What Angst?: One of the criticisms of the show is that it relies too much on the comedy despite the setting being Kabukicho, one of the most notorious and shadiest places in Japan, and that there's a serial killer on the loose. Though the series doesn't shy away with the usual crimes such as prostitution and the strong presence of yakuza, the characters are not bothered by it as they're more interested in making money and are used to the world they live in. Even John Watson, who is a newcomer, easily adjusts in his new home despite his life being threatened.
• Awesome Music:
  • The show's OP CAPTURE by Ego-Wrappin'.
  • The Twilight Town, showing the start of the divided Shinjuku as a Wretched Hive.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment:
  • Sugimoto's rapping is very random with no explanation at all unlike Sherlock using rakugo for his case findings because he's a former rakugo performer.
  • "Where Is He?" starts with a pool of blood rain over the streets causing many residents to freak out. Turns out it's actually some prank and none of this has anything to do with this episode's story line.
    • Actually, it's mentioned both that the "blood rain" tested out to be colored water, and twice while in VTY with people below them blissing out under drones with translucent plastic tanks aboard, that VTY intends to release their special water over Kabukicho. That's as far as Isshiki's mass poisoning terrorist plot gets, though.
• Captain Obvious Reveal: Moriarty being the true villain of the series. Considering Moriarty was always Sherlock’s Arch-Enemy...
• Complete Monster: In the darkness of Kabukicho, these criminals stand out as particularly vile individuals:
  • "Don't Take Off the Swimsuit": Milverton is a vile businessman known as the "king of all blackmailers". Milverton frequently blackmails celebrities for money or sex, and will release their personal information if they are even a few seconds late with their payment. It is also revealed that Milverton blackmails young girls into becoming prostitutes, and even plans to sell his own very young daughter to a pedophile.
  • "Jack the Ripper": Jack the Ripper, real name Maki Hokari, was a transgender woman who could not get a sex change. Developing an obsession with becoming perfect, the Ripper began brutally murdering attractive men and women, castrating them postmortem and eating the women's wombs. When Irene Adler steals a USB drive with incriminating information, the Ripper murders her friend and threatens Irene's life, eventually attempting to make good on that threat. When confronted by Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson and called out on the crimes, the Ripper tries to torture Holmes to death out of rage, and when confronted by James Moriarty, the Ripper taunts him about killing his sister and eating her womb.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Just like her original counterpart, Irene Adler is very popular among the viewers because her presence makes the show interesting thanks to her dynamics with the cast particularly with Sherlock. A lot of people don't believe that she's dead because she's known for faking her death in many adaptations and she may show up again in the near future which she finally did two episodes later.
• Genius Bonus: The OP has some words (in English/kanji) that pertains to names of Sherlock Holmes cases/suspects/persons of interest. This creditless screencap from "Jack the Ripper" has the names shown.
• Growing the Beard: After six episodes of random shenanigans that the characters are doing, the show becomes more interesting when Irene Adler joins the cast and when Jack the Ripper is involved.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • Any mention of James's sister during the earlier episodes becomes this after episode 11, where it's revealed that said sister is already dead and none other than Alexandra Moran, one of Jack the Ripper's victims.
  • Josh Grelle is in the show as Watson when he gets to be the assistant (and sometimes second fiddle to Sherlock). In ID: Invaded, he gets to be a detective investigating a serial murder case which involves the murder of his child before his wife killed herself.
  • All of the scenes of James helping the Pipe Cat Bar detectives in solving cases and having fun with them and the Kabukicho Irregulars were eventually downright tragic after it's revealed that he really didn't care about them at all. It's even worse his mourning over Alex's death was not about losing her but because he never got a chance to end her himself.
• He Really Can Act: Ayumu Murase is known for playing androgynous and feminine characters and yet, he pulled it off when he voices Maki by using a very feminine voice which fooled many viewers who are not familiar with his roles. It's even more incredible after Maki is exposed as Jack the Ripper and Murase uses a masculine voice during the Villainous Breakdown.
• He's Just Hiding:
  • Many viewers refuse to believe that Irene is dead and they'll only confirm once her body is shown. And since several adaptations showed that she can fake her death to avoid suspicion, this is likely the case. It turns out to be true in "Jack the Ripper".
  • Because the authorities are unable to find his body after the events in episode 21, some fans assume that Moriarty is possibly alive. In-Universe, this is also what Sherlock assumes.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • The story behind how Sherlock and James came to be acquaintances or, as Moriarty puts it, 'best friends'. Both of them felt they were missing something; Sherlock wanted to understand the human heart, while James wanted something that would fill the void in his heart. Because of this, they turned out to be quite similar. In fact, it was none other than James who suggested the idea of mystery-solving rakugo to Sherlock during a time when he was struggling to find a style of his own.
  • Sherlock may have acted like a jerk but it turns out he does care about his fellow detectives. For instance, he successfully brings Kyogoku out of his catatonic state after his traumatizing experience with Jack the Ripper and indirectly guides him in looking at the clues connected to the case of the hospital director's missing son. In the end, Kyogoku successfully solves the case on his own and Sherlock lets him take credit.
    • Him helping Michel in "Michel and the Stupid Book", even though he had no reason to do so. While he claims that it was just because he was interested in the case, he actually did it to help him, as pointed out by Watson later in the episode.
  • In the OVA, Mrs. Hudson puts on a suit and reveals to the Pipe Cat detectives that she used to be a salaryman, married with a son but ended up divorced and losing child custody. At present, her son, all grown-up, decided to visit him. As Sherlock deduced from the photos on Mrs. Hudson's phone, it turns the son went to Thailand where he was reborn, meaning he underwent gender transition. And when the son who became the daughter visits the bar, Mrs. Hudson happily embraces her, showing how she accepts her transition - which is also very rare in anime.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Irene was introduced to Watson early on as not being married. Maaya Sakamoto and Caitlin Glass were already married.
• I Knew It!:
  • A lot of fans correctly guessed that James Moriarty is Mayor Moran's son who wants to avenge the death of his twin sister, Alexandra.
  • Some viewers figured it out that Maki is Jack the Ripper.
• It's the Same, Now It Sucks!: While it is expected that Moriarty would be eventually become the villain, several viewers didn't like that he remains a psychopath just like his BBC counterpart. Considering that he has been helping Sherlock and the Pipe Cat Bar detectives in solving cases, which is an interesting and unique take on the character, many were dismayed that all of it went to waste.
• Just Here for Godzilla:
  • Some viewers only watch the show because they're interested in the Jack the Ripper case.
  • Several viewers only watch due to being fans of the Sherlock franchise.
• Like You Would Really Do It:
  • A lot of viewers don't buy it that Irene is dead despite it occurring two episodes after her debut. Anyone who is familiar with the Sherlock Holmes mythos, particularly in the modern adaptations, knows that Irene is faking her death and usually, Sherlock helps her fake her death to keep her safe which turn out to be true.
  • Likewise, viewers don't believe that Watson is dying, because he's a doctor and he tells Mary to do it (as seen with the bloody handprints on her hands later on) in order to fool Moriarty who ordered her to kill him so she can save Lucy. And to no one's surprise, it's indeed an act.
• Pandering to the Base: Some critics/viewers believe that the show can only be enjoyed if the viewer is familiar with the SH mythos, has watched/read/seen an adaptation or enjoys detective shows.
• Rewatch Bonus: If you watch the previous episodes prior to episode 19, there are a lot of hints of Moriarty's dark personality.
• Tear Jerker:
  • Episode 11. The whole episode shows that James wants to find Jack the Ripper for killing Alexandra. Heck, he was the first person to find her body and was completely horrified and guilty for letting her go alone. When the Ripper is cornered by Sherlock and Watson, she confesses that she was ordered by Mayor Moran to kill James but mistook Alex instead because she was wearing James' clothes. To make it worse, the Ripper mockingly tells James his sister's last words just to agitate him. Despite Sherlock, Watson and the rest of the detectives' efforts to stop James from giving in to the Ripper's taunts, James eventually kills the Ripper even though it won't bring his sister back from the dead and it would lead to his arrest. It doesn't help that after killing the Ripper, James looks very calm which shows that he already knows what's going to happen to him.
    • Speaking of which, Alex's death in general. The girl was physically weak, so she couldn't go anywhere outside. Because of this she longed to see what the outside world was like and when she did get a chance thanks to her brother, it ended up getting her killed in a very brutal manner. The fact that her first ever outing ended in her death is outright tragic.
  • While "No More Nyan-Nyan" is light-hearted and funny for the most part, what with all the detectives searching around for Mrs.Hudson's cat, at the end of the episode, it flashes to a scene of Moriarty in prison for killing Jack in the previous episode. It may not be a Tear Jerker per se, but it is pretty depressing to see the usually cheerful Moriarty all hunched over as he just curls into a Troubled Fetal Position.
  • And the feels keep coming in "First Moonlit Night". Despite the bruises on his face (which are clearly due to being abused by his prison mates) James acts like it's nothing, and jokingly calls Watson a worrywart. Later, when Isshiki is treating his wounds, he breaks down into tears, lamenting that he's alone again.
  • Moriarty’s final message to Sherlock and Watson in “See You in Kabukichou!” And as Sherlock said, whether good or bad, Moriarty was a human being, a mere child of sixteen, and wanted to be with his friends just like anyone else. But his mental condition led him to commit crimes, thus taking away that opportunity from him. While his crimes cannot be forgiven, it's hard not to feel sorry for him, given the circumstances. One can only wonder how things would have turned out if Alex had been there to prevent James from giving in to the dark side.
    • In the letter, he says "To think a person like me was keeping someone alive!" in a rather bittersweet tone, implying that he had come to realize that something was terribly wrong with him, which he probably hated himself for, though he never showed it.
    • The usually expressionless Sherlock breaking down into tears as he realizes that he was probably the only one who could have helped Moriarty, but failed to notice it when he still had time.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: "A Lot of Animals" introduces a small subplot about a journalist publishing a piece about Mayor Sebastian Moran's connection to Jack the Ripper which could destroy Moran's chance for reelection. However, in the next two episodes, none of this has any effect on Moran's reputation and it becomes moot after Moriarty kills him.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: The detectives can be seen as this in "Everybody Be There By Eight" with their refusal to help Sherlock when he's accused of murder. While Kobayashi's reasons can be seen as more understandable, Kyogoku and Michel choosing not to get involved under the excuse that Sherlock's a business rival makes them come off as Ungrateful Bastards due to Sherlock helping the both of them previously, helping Kyogoku out of his Heroic BSoD over being an Unwitting Pawn for Jack the Ripper and proving the innocence of Michel's daughter. Mary is probably the worst example however, as her reasoning, if what she said to Watson is anything to go by, can be summed up as not her forgiving Sherlock for "killing" Moriarty... the same guy who caused the deaths of multiple people for his own amusement, kidnapped her sister, i.e her only family, had her severely beaten, and ordered Mary to stab Watson or else he'd kill her. The fact that the Kabuchiko Irregulars, a bunch of kids who looked up to Moriarty, seem to want nothing more to do with him after everything he did seems to emphasize how immature her reasoning is.
• Values Dissonance: After "Moriarty Savors" reveals how mentally unstable James is, this causes a lot of viewers to question why his father didn't bring him to therapy instead of requesting a serial killer to finish him off after he killed his mother at a very young age which is a warning sign of his behavior. However, the series is set in Japan, where people with mental illnesses are frowned upon by society and taking professional psychological treatment is considered weak and shameful. So, Sebastian Moran's attempt to kill James simply reflects the Japanese stigma against mental illness.