Holmes of Kyoto Episode 1: Holmes and Zen Master Hakuin

Okay, I'm going to be very honest about this. I had high expectations for this anime, but after watching it, I realize it has too many common anime pitfalls that I can overlook when the plot is good, but in this case, the story isn't interesting enough for me to ignore the flaws. The guy they call Holmes shows off his great deductive abilities, but he never explains how he arrives at the answer, which ends up feeling like magic; the guy just knows everything for no reason. On another note, it's always bothered me that the protagonists in these stories are high school girls, when it would be less disruptive to certain dynamics if the girls were adults or college students. By the way, we have two adult men flirting with a minor. I'm not going to ignore that. Furthermore, what was the protagonist trying to sell to do what? It's one thing for her to be an innocent child, but in this case, she's downright stupid.

As for introducing the story, there was a lot of exposition in the beginning and the design of the characters is very classic shojou-esque that it's not a memorable style. Holmes and Aoi has a very serene, lighthearted dynamic that doesn't leave a lot of impact to the viewers. I am a fan of the format of using the history of antique to create an emotional journey for the character.

I honestly can't remember whether I've watched this anime before or not. I completely forgot. Still, that also means I get to experience it with fresh eyes.

As for the first episode, it's actually a solid introduction to the main characters. It clearly establishes the classic detective-and-sidekick dynamic, and their chemistry is enjoyable. But it still feels pretty boring. Beyond that, I'm curious to see what kinds of cases they'll tackle as the story progresses.