I’ve mentioned a few times in this blog that I’m actually a big fan of mysteries. I love puzzles and I love putting stories together. However, the genre has quite a few pitfalls and can be difficult to write so I find that more modern mystery series tend to combine multiple genres. Like they’re mostly action with some mystery or supernatural or romance elements that involve detectives doing some investigation in the background. I’m fine with that but it makes me crave an old-fashioned crime to solve. This may be why I’m so excited about this episode.
So after a few episodes, I’m assuming Ron Komonohashi will be mostly a light comedy with a mystery/crime-solving flavor.. And you can’t really blame me for that, right Are not? The first case was quite odd and not set up in a way where we could follow the investigation and come to our own conclusions. The second time was a little better but still had the limitation of having to complete everything in about 25 minutes which forced you to assume a lot of things that you had no evidence to draw conclusions from. But this time… let’s take it step by step.
The episode begins with a bit of strange and cute comedy from the couple, mainly serving as an excuse to take our two main characters to the remote hot springs that serve as our setup. Great! A remote and isolated place. Love it. And as far as the setup goes, I enjoyed it. It’s a bit aggressive to suggest that the prize would be forfeited if they didn’t go together but I’m happy to express my skepticism there. It works and it’s funny, right!
Then comes the introduction of the purple haired guy, not our introduction but his first meeting with Ron and Toto. (I looked it up, the purple haired guy’s name is Spitz Feier! What a great name). He does what all adaptations of Sherlock Holmes do and it really annoys me. He seems to correctly guess something about our protagonist and then guides us through his inference. And when shows are presented that way, it’s very easy to accept and of course you gp awww! Why didn’t I think of it! Because you’ve come to a conclusion and now you see that all the clues fit together. But the problem is, without a conclusion, those clues won’t really tell you much. I was about to cover it up because all detective shows do that when I was pleasantly surprised when the show itself called it out.
A nice pair of shoes that are ridiculed will indicate a profession where you both have to dress a certain way but also walk around a lot. Police detectives fit in and as Ron pointed out, so do reporters. I would say any high-level assistant would work, such as a political assistant, A waiter or host at a high-end restaurant might fit the bill as well anyone who buys themselves a nice pair of shoes for the occasion that calls for them and has been wearing them for many years. Basically, it tells you very little. You might assume that in a vacation context, people would choose comfortable performance shoes over dress shoes, which makes it more likely that these are everyday shoes intended for wearers, etc. but still So, just assuming Toto is in the police is a huge leap and I’m glad Ron called it out. Let’s see if the show sticks to that!
I’m not the most sociable person out there. I was a bit disappointed when the detention laws were relaxed. But if an enthusiastic stranger wants me to play a board game in the middle of a vacation, I’ll be eager to do so. Am I the only one? Ron is a boardgame fan that tickles my fancy. I actually like that bit of characterization. And it makes sense. Although the game of life isn’t exactly my first choice. You should broaden your horizons, Ron!
I already said I liked the setting, I really really like the whole setting of this mystery and I’m so grateful that they gave it at least two episodes. We’re going to have a little time here. There have been a few suspects that seem realistic. No, I don’t think it was Amamiya no matter how drunk she was. But her hidden guilt is a good catalyst for Toto to get involved. Of course there is a husband. We already knew there were some problems between the two although they didn’t seem serious enough to kill and he was generally a jovial guy. There’s also Spitz, who we, the audience, know is there to catch Ron doing investigative work. He seems a bit lost, could he kill someone just to lure Ron into solving the murder? And is it effective?
But there are other possibilities. Currently, we have an approximate time of death but still no cause. It could be an accident, involving someone else, or just a slip. It could have been a suicide. There is another lone guest at this hot spring, what is her story? It’s good, right? There were enough topics to come up with a reasonable solution, but there were enough questions to make you want to watch a second part. Attention!
I’ve been waiting for this. An anime that is mainly about mystery. And now, I really want to get some answers!
