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MANGA.TOKYO > Anime Reviews > Summer 2018 > 1st Episode Anime Impressions: Holmes of Kyoto

1st Episode Anime Impressions: Holmes of Kyoto

by manga.tokyo

3 years ago

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©望月麻衣・秋月壱葉/DEF STUDIOS ©「京都寺町三条のホームズ」製作委員会

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Episode 1 Review

Japanese Title: 京都寺町三条のホームズ

Summary

The story is set in a shop for antiques, where the high school student Aoi Mashiro starts working as a part timer because she knows the son of the store owner, Kiyotaka Yagashira. Kiyotaka is often called the ‘Holmes of Teramachi’ because of his sharp mind paired with his gentle manners. Together Aoi and Kiyotaka receive various requests related to antiques from customers.

Impressions

Jennifer

Not only am I a fan of the Kyoto Teramachi Sanjo no Holmes novels, but Kyoto is also a city very close to my heart. This is why I have been waiting for the anime adaptation of this series both in excitement and nervousness. Despite the title of the series, Holmes of Kyoto is less about the solving of exciting mysteries and more about the slow and steady character development of our main characters while learning all kinds of interesting facts about Kyoto and Japanese antiques. The mild atmosphere of the story makes for such an easy read, and it is honestly very charming. If you are looking for murder mysteries or action then you aren’t going to find it here, I’m afraid.

Luckily, the first episode of the anime was a lovely watch. Kiyotaka’s character design is even more beautiful than I imagined him while reading the novels, and Aoi is too cute. I was surprised to see that Kiyotaka’s father and grandpa look almost the same age (for some reason I always imagined the owner as being bald [laugh]), but they are very sweet. A few aspects of the stories were switched around to fit the anime (more in my episodic review!) but it was a great first episode that introduced us to regular teenager Aoi and the almost superhuman ‘Kyoto Boy’ Kiyotaka. If you are looking for a calming anime that fits the ‘mildly interesting’ feeling or are interested in learning about Kyoto, then this series will be highly recommended. The only negative thing I have to say is the casting of Kiyotaka, because while I adore adore adore Kaito Ishikawa, I would have loved to have had a native of Kyoto (or at least somebody from Western Japan) in the role. Hopefully, I’ll get over it quickly…