Holmes of Kyoto

is a Japanese mystery novel series written by and illustrated by Shizu Yamauchi. Futabasha have published twenty-three volumes since April 2015. A manga adaptation with art by Ichiha Akizuki has been serialized in Futabasha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Action from December 2017 to February 2024, later transferring to Web Action. It has been collected in thirteen tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation by Seven aired from July 9 to September 24, 2018, on TV Tokyo.

Synopsis

In Kyoto's Teramachi Sanjou shopping district, there is an antique selling and government-licensed appraisal shop named "Kura". High school girl Aoi Mashiro unexpectedly runs into Kiyotaka Yagashira, the grandson of the shop's owner, and ends up working part-time at the shop. Kiyotaka is called the "Holmes of Teramachi Sanjou", and he and Aoi solve odd cases connected with artwork or antiques brought to them by various clients.

Characters

Kiyotaka is a 22-year-old graduate student at Kyoto University and an apprentice at his family's antique shop "Kura". He is handsome and seems very gentle, but he is strict with himself and those around him. His nickname "Holmes", while a pun off his surname, also stems from his amazing deduction skills, as shown when he is able to discern a fake antique from a con artist. He was emotionally scarred when his first girlfriend left him for and became engaged to another man and has had no girlfriend since, but Aoi seems to have begun to fill that void in his life.

Aoi is in her second year of high school and has moved from Omiya in Saitama to Kyoto, which has caused a strained relationship with her friends back at home and a break-up with her then-boyfriend. She currently works part-time at Kura. Honest and straightforward, Aoi was hired by Kiyotaka, who is convinced she has good intuition with and instinct about antiques, can see their true value and can determine if the articles are genuine or not. With the help of Kiyotaka's tuition and his encouragement, her "eye" develops to such an extent that she is praised by others as well as Kiyotaka. She also begins to develop feelings for Kiyotaka, but because of the betrayal by her ex-boyfriend and former best friend she had created an emotional line that she refused to cross; however, as the series progresses she comes to terms with and accepts her feelings for Kiyotaka.

A novice actor, but gaining popularity. He is very handsome, and because of the light color of his hair, has an aura like a half-Japanese person. His father, who recently passed away, was a famous author. Even though he grew up in Kyoto, thanks to the influence of his parents he speaks standard Japanese. No matter what, he is very agreeable, but he sees Kiyotaka as his rival for Aoi's affections.

He is said to be a genius art counterfeiter, encouraged by his artist father from a very young age. After his father died, he lost his enthusiasm for counterfeiting and entered the priesthood, but began counterfeiting again when after learning that Kiyotaka was exposing counterfeit artwork. He has shaved his head and wears Japanese style clothes. He is extremely nimble-fingered, is good at sports and has a good eye for things. After he is first exposed by Kiyotaka, he takes the name "Moria" (as in "Professor Moriarty", Sherlock Holmes' nemesis).

Kiyotaka's grandfather and the owner of Kura. He is a nationally-known and -recognized appraiser who has also traveled internationally. He had at one time appeared on television as a panel member on an antiques appraisal show, but his refusal to identify a counterfeit piece as genuine and the producers' pleas that he do so in order to save the particular episode caused him to leave the show. Currently in his late 70's, he is currently dating Yoshie, a divorced woman thirty years his junior.

Kiyotaka's father and Seiji's son. He is a novelist and the manager of Kura, but mostly leaves the actual day-to-day management to Kiyotaka. In the light novels and manga, he explains to Aoi that he had originally wanted to become an appraiser like his father, but found that he lacked the necessary talent; however, he has achieved success as a novelist, and even Kiyotaka praises his father as a brilliant writer.

Aoi's classmate and the younger sister of Saori. Due to her family's financial issues, her sister being chosen as Saio-Dai caused a great strain on them due to the overwhelming costs of preparation needed to transform one into the Saio-Dai. To persuade her sister to turn down the role, she wrote her a threatening letter telling her to not be the Saio-Dai, but in the end she is convinced it would be the best for her sister to become the Saio-Dai after all. Over time, she becomes Aoi's close friend and confidente.

Saori is a university student who was chosen to be the Saio-Dai for the Aoi Festival. Because of her strained relationship with two of her former friends, their relationship took a darker turn when she was chosen as the Saio-Dai, thus she began writing threats to herself in the hopes her friends would worry for her.

Yoshie is the girlfriend of Kiyotaka's grandfather. Although in her 40's, she looks much younger. The moment Akihito sees her he falls for her, but refuses to believe she is old enough to have a son Rikyu's age; his reaction when the truth is forced upon him is priceless.

Rikyu is Yoshie's son, a cheeky little boy who has been studying abroad in France. Because he looked feminine from a very young age on, he started to train his body and studied judo in France. He also used to work part-time at Kura, similarly to Aoi, and his respect for Kiyotaka, whom he sees as an older brother, is over the top. He judges Aoi strictly, but finally accepts her as his successor at Kura.

Media

Novel

The novel is written by Mai Mochizuki and illustrated by Shizu Yamauchi. Futabasha have published twenty-three volumes since April 2015. During their Anime Expo Lite panel, J-Novel Club announced they have licensed the novel.

Manga

Written and illustrated by Ichiha Akizuki, it has been serialized in Futabasha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Action from December 2017 to February 2024, later transferring to Web Action. It has been collected in thirteen tankōbon volumes.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation by Seven aired from July 9 to September 24, 2018, on TV Tokyo. The series is directed by Tokihiro Sasaki, with scripts handled by Kenichi Yamashita, and character designs by Yōsuke Itō. The opening theme is by AŌP, and the ending theme is by Wagakki Band. Crunchyroll streamed the series. Discotek Media licensed the series and released it on home video in July 2022.

Episodes

Reception

Previews

Anime News Network (ANN) had five editors review the first episode of the anime: Paul Jensen felt the first antique appraisal wasn't engaging and lacked "emotional involvement" for the viewers but praised Aoi's appraisal for delivering "a much better story" with both personal and emotional stakes, saying the subject matter being used for character development was a "novel concept" and is worth seeing more of the show; James Beckett praised the "lush, colorful aesthetic", Aoi and Yagashira's characterizations and their "undeniable chemistry" elevating the "potentially dry material", concluding he expects the antique mysteries to stand alongside the slice-of-life elements with intriguing threads; Theron Martin praised Yagashira's character work and both the Aoi romantic angle and counterfeit story arc showing potential but was critical of the "measured pacing" and limited "visual variety" making the show fall "a bit on the dry side", concluding the show will find its audience and encourage more to watch it. Rebecca Silverman commented the show's set-up of appraising Japanese antiques will depend on the viewers' interest in subject matter, concluding "if you're a fan of slice of life, it may be worth checking out." The fifth reviewer, Nick Creamer, wrote that: "Holmes of Kyoto offers a surprisingly natural mix of mystery, pawn shop drama, character drama, and slice of life atmosphere. Making natural use of its Sherlock Holmes gimmick and offering a satisfying narrative even within this first episode, it's a low-key but confident and engaging production. Holmes gets a thumbs up from me."

Series

Silverman and fellow ANN editor Amy McNulty chose Holmes of Kyoto as their pick for the Worst Anime of Summer 2018, the former calling it disappointing with its "tedious mysteries" and "slow-burn romance" causing the show to feel unfocused and conflicted with the billing of its main genre, and the latter saying it suffers from "poor story choices and bad characterization" that makes it come across as "melodramatic" and "strain[s] credulity." Silverman chose the series as her pick for the Worst Anime of 2018, saying that despite the Aoi-Yagashira relationship being "fun to watch" she criticized the overall premise for lacking in quality mysteries and neglecting the counterfeiter subplot, concluding that "as far as an anime series goes, this alternately bored and frustrated me, which is not what I'm looking for in my entertainment." Tim Jones, writing for THEM Anime Reviews, wrote that: "Holmes of Kyoto isn't a bad show, but it's largely forgettable. It has decent leads, but the side characters are either underutilized or obnoxious. The art is solid, but the animation is bare-bones. It has a lot of stories, but few of them are particularly engaging."

Notes

References

External links