Kora
“If Investigation Division 1 is having this much trouble, then he’s probably the only one who can crack this case.”
I found it hard to go into Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions with a completely open mind, since the modicum of information I knew about it led me to envision a version of Steven Moffats’ Sherlock turned up to 11. That comparison evokes several storytelling elements that I don’t care for. On the other hand, odd-couple buddy cop stories can be a lot of fun. So, does Forbidden Deductions provide an intriguing mystery fueled by the chemistry of its mismatched leads, or is it a big lump of goofball nonsense where character quirks are taken to the extreme and the mystery itself is tangential? It turns out these two aren’t entirely exclusive, though I’m not about to call the end product stellar. I feel poorly equipped to judge this series, since this opening mystery’s only purpose is to set up the premise for the rest of the show, and barely gets any setup. Instead, the premiere focuses primarily on presenting our leads, a pair of unlikable idiots who happen to be at opposite ends of a behavioral spectrum. For those interested in mystery series, this could be a good show to check out, but it’s near impossible to say based on this first episode. Since the mystery takes a backseat, I can only judge Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions based on how the episode worked as a package deal, and I think it’s fair to say that I’m not going to be sticking around to see if later episodes find their footing.
The episode follows the pairing of Totomaru Iishiki, a rookie police detective faced with the possibility of being transferred, and Ron Kamonohashi, a washed up former investigator who possesses a brilliant analytical mind, but whose questionable tactics have led to his retirement. Totomaru is an enthusiastic but rather inept detective. A serial killer has been targeting people within the city, but he is told to leave the case to the rest of the department, since he’s liable to get in the way. At this point, he is advised to seek Ron out by one of Ron’s friends within the department. Ron has been living as a shut-in for the past few years and doing everything he can to avoid information from the outside world, since he can’t turn away once he’s invested in a case. It takes at least half the episode to set up these elements, so there isn’t much time remaining to set up the mystery. We’re past the 12 minute mark before any details of the case come up. In Glass Onion, there is a gag where the Detective LeBlanc is provided the details of a crime, and before anything can happen, he instantly solves the case. The second half of the story feels like that joke is being played straight. Ron is our modern Sherlock stand-in, so he just waltzes into the crime scene, lays on the ground with the body for a bit, and then we’re off to the climax because he’s already figured it out. A good mystery lives or dies on giving the viewer the opportunity to review the information and make guesses, but with this pacing that just can’t happen.
My analysis of this episode is probably skewing a bit negative, and honestly, that’s not far off, but the show isn’t actually bad. It just isn’t living up to its potential in most instances, and it’s hitting on some personal pet peeves. One scenario where it shows promise is Diomedia’s production values with this project. I’m not saying it’s AAA tier, but this show doesn’t look bad. Diomedia has been improving the quality of their series over the years, and even if this narrative isn’t grabbing me, the production doesn’t bear the blame for those shortcomings. There wasn’t a reasonable way to adjust the pace of this episode that I can think of, short of reworking the mystery and extending it into the next episode, so I consider that flaw to be on the hands of the mangaka. There is no OP or ED, so it certainly doesn’t look like the studio was squandering any runtime it could have used to broaden the runtime of this first chapter, short of providing a double-length episode. And let me be clear, I am not asking for a double-length episode. I think I’m getting sick of the sociopathic detective archetype that we’ve been drowning in in recent years. They used to be the outlier, but now they’re the norm, and whether you find the quirky ass at the center amusing or annoying can make all the difference in how you enjoy a piece of media.
Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:
- I have this sense that the progression and plot beats of this episode bear a resemblance to the first episode of Moffat’s Sherlock, which I referenced at the beginning. I’m not positive, since I’ve never watched the first episode of Sherlock in its entirety, though I’ve slept through it a handful of times. Regardless, you’d be hard pressed to convince me that the manga’s creator wasn’t heavily influenced by that iteration of Sherlock Holmes.
- I think part of my frustration with this first episode is that there are decent ideas involved in the mystery, but it gets hamstrung by the execution.
- This show has a handful of alternative titles. There is, of course, the original Japanese’s Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri, but I like the title Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective most of all.
- So, did this show just go supernatural at the end? It turns out the answer to this particular mystery is… I don’t care.
Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions isn’t off to a great start. I was weighing the option of giving this a mildly negative rating, but while I found the execution to be detrimental to the narrative, the mystery showed promise. Hopefully, as the show progresses, it can devote more time to its actual puzzles, but I’m not offering it a recommendation at this time.
Score: 3/5
Okay
Add comment