Having enjoyed Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective, this seems to be yet another female detective anime. Without knowing anything about the already released 2011 jdorama, I assumed based on the key visual that 'The Dinner Table Detective' is about a smart, classy lady detective. I anticipated that if Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective was good, this anime might be even better. I was disappointed.

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§ Overview

Houshou Reiko is an upper-class heiress who chose to work as a detective. She is an okay but mediocre detective. In fact, she is the butt of jokes of the real genius behind this show, her butler Kageyama, who is clearly the titular character and by coincidence bears the surname of the genius setter in Haikyuu!!

She hides her identity from her incompetent superior, Kazamatsuri Kyouichirou, who is the heir of a motor business.

___ § Notes

The art style itself is a bit jarring because it is not the usual style employed by many anime today. It's a bit of a throwback to some of the styles used in the 90s. It feels more like watching a graphic novel move than a regular anime.

If Ameku uses standard art style filled with great art direction, 'The Dinner Table Detective' has a similar æsthetic to that used in Trillion Game — liking this look is an acquired taste.

____ The mysteries are a bit easier to guess or, at the very least, not impossible to guess, unlike in the mysteries in Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective, where the solution actually requires knowledge of medicine.

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In some episodes, the mystery ends in the middle of the episode, and a new one starts, but only in some cases does the mystery end by the time an episode actually ends.

There are pros and cons. If the mystery ends mid-episode, the new episode might hook the viewer who would have otherwise dropped the anime and continue to the next episode. This is a clever use of the Zeigarnik Effect. In brief, this is the nagging feeling of having an interrupted or incomplete task. People tend to remember the incomplete tasks more than the completed tasks.

On the other hand, the format feels jarring. When a mystery ends and completes the episode, it gives you a sense of emotional payoff. That's the format that good mysteries like Detective Conan, Ameku: Doctor Detective, and 'Professor Chuuzenji's Lectures on Monsters' usually use.

Whilst my personal judgement of this format is that it's jarring, I reckon it really depends on whether you find this format better than the traditional formats. Some might even enjoy both formats.

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As hinted earlier, Reiko's boss, Kyouichirou, is an insufferable tw/t. I can't stand him. The way he acts is the stereotypical nouveau riche, always flaunting his wristwatch and always bragging about his wealth and his travels. This he does, thinking that Reiko is an average girl who gets easily impressed by wealth.

In other words, his flamboyance degrades what would otherwise be a decent anime. He is not funny at all. He is the reason I am only giving this a 4 out of 10. Without him, I might give this a 5 or even a 6.

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Narratively, his function is similar to Mr Mori from Detective Conan. He raises hypotheses that are often wrong. In some sense, he may be a stand-in for the viewers who might have hypothesised something similar.

Like I said, I don't like him. I believe he is put there to also add humour, which I recognise might land with other people, but not me. It's just a matter of taste, as a friend of mine likes him and this show. If the tone is a little bit more serious, it is sufficient that Reiko poses such wrong theories in the presence of Kageyama, who, in turn, will correct her.

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Speaking of which, I mentioned earlier that their dynamic is one of a fool and the real genius. Reiko is the butt of jokes. Some might complain that this is misogyny, but this anime makes fun of both Reiko and Kyouichirou, so there is gender equality. Regardless of whether you feel that this is misogyny or not, this is the part where it is somewhat funny.

(For an anime that shows a similar dynamic between Reiko and Kageyama but without a character identical to Kyouichirou, check out 'Professor Chuuzenji's Lectures on Monsters.' In that anime, which I deem a superior show to this, a similar dynamic can be found between Kanna and Chuuzenji-sensei.)

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§ Conclusion

'The Dinner Table Detective' is a somewhat acceptable detective show. Your enjoyment of it really hinges on whether you can tolerate or even enjoy the (lame) humour brought about by Kyouichirou.

NOTA BENE: A grade of 4 out of 10 [40 out of 100 in anilist] means I got some enjoyment out of this anime, but the issues are glaring, or simply I rank it higher than my 3's but below my 5's.