Holmes of Kyoto


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 Yagashira
;Aoi Mashiro
;Akihito Kajiwara
;Enshō
;Seiji Yagashira
;Takeshi Yagashira
;Kaori Miyashita
;Saori Miyashita
;Yoshie Takiyama
;Rikyū Takiyama

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 "Koi ni Saku Nazo, Harahara to." by AŌP, and the ending theme is "Sasameyuki" by Wagakki Band. Crunchyroll streamed the series. Discotek Media licensed the series and released it on home video in July 2022.

Episodes

Reception

Previews

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 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."