Moriarty the Patriot has an interesting take on the widely famous story of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Instead of following Watson like we do in the novel series, we see what happens in England through the eyes of the criminal mastermind, William James Moriarty. And this unusual point of view brings rather interesting truths regarding the early 19th century Great Britain into light.
We see the themes of the brutality of the Aristocracy and Classism come into play as soon as the first episode begins. And these themes are built upon, and we get to see the hineous deeds of the nobles, and how badly they treat the common folks. Here comes our protagonist's (or the antagonist in the original story) role, he is here to change the society by eradicating the class system. The crimes are never done explicitly by him and we are always given reasons as to why he ended up targeting the said nobles, rather dark and gruesome reasons if I'm being honest. You'll hate the nobles and may even wish death upon them. This is where the show beings forth the question of morality. Is killing for the greater good of the people a crime? Is punishing the men who did nothing but belittle the commoners and made their lives hell a crime? The show never answers the question for you, and neither do any of the characters. This is why this show is great. All great shows are able to make the audience second guess their super-ego and question your own morality. Personally, I don't condemn murder no matter what, and taking law into your own hands even if it's for the greater good is still unlawful.
But revolutions never happen without taking matters into one's own hands, history books are the proofs. This is where the realistic attributes come into play. Despite being a fictional tale, the show is still grounded in reality. Every crime has a procedure of occurrence and the reactions after the commitment of the crime totally reflect the mindset of the people living in the era. The society was divided, and how differently the various characters react gives the audience an idea regarding their upbringing and the tension that the society held at that period.
There is the mystery tag attached to this show, and seeing the source material is actually a crime-mystery, it's no surprise the tag being there. However, if you're going into the show thinking you'll witness major brainstorming and detective analysis, you might be disappointed. While there are cases that are solved, especially towards the end of the first cour when Sherlock himself enters the scene, for most part as we're following William, the mystery element of the show is rather weak with him in the forefront. It's more of a psychological show, which for one is really good with all the concrete reasoning put into each action by the Moriarty and the ideologies clashing with each other.
Let's quicky take a look at the characters too. First of all we have the Moriarty brothers, from the eldest to the youngest: Albert, William and Louis. Albert is a noble, who unlike most other people of his status is rather down to earth. He dislikes the way of the nobility, evidiently clear from his backstory. We don't see him do much on screen for the majority of the show, however he is the backbone to William's plans. William is able to carry out all his plans thanks to the position and influence of his elder brother. Next, William is as mentioned before is our protagonist and a genius at that. He is the only person to have ever challenged Sherlock in the department of intelect. As a viewer you're totally impressed by William's intelligence. He is a character whom you may love, hate or have a neutral opinion on as you see him in action. Personally, I am rather neutral on him. While I do dislike the crimes he commits, the show does enough to give the reasons behind why he targated the victims and his plan to revolutionalize the society. He has a charming personality too, and is never targeting the innocent, so I wouldn't blame if anyone falls for this gorgeous blonde. Louis, at least in the first cour, plays no major role. The three brothers represent idealism. Their actions are a result of their idealistic thoughts, and it's very interesting to see how twisted thinking can warp one's sense of justice.
If there is one person who can go toe to toe with William, it is Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is charismatic, and his presence definitlely brightens up the show, strengthening his claim of being the protagonist in the original series. There's a point when the viewer may start to get fatigued of the usual episodes, Sherlock enters the scene at that time to change the pace. We follow Sherlock, we get to know him and the people around him as the show progresses. We understand his psychology especially after a major incident, and can't help but fall in love with him. His deduction skills can rival William yet in the first cour he is always one step behind, this creates a space of improvement for him. The supporting cast in this show are quite likable as well, and most of them have personalities with very few quirks involved.
In the technical fields, Moriarty the Patriot shines brightly. In the visuals department, Production I.G. left to stones unturned to make the show as much visually appealing as possible. Yes, most of the characters are gorgeous, some may even complain too gorgeous; but keeping in mind the medium of consumtion the handsome men and beautiful women didn't hamper my experience. The animation is immaculate, the attention to details deserves a round of applause. Every carpet and tapestry has well detailed thread work, and the backgrounds never fail to impress. There is not a single shot that is remotely boring. There is always change of angles, and camera movements; cinematography is simply spectacular in this show. There are very few stills used in this show, almost everything is animated even the background characters. The usage of cgi is minimum, but whenever cgi is used it is seamless. The color palette and the lighting in this show also deserves a shoutout, there is excellent use of different colored lights to impart the emotions and intents of the characters. There is heavy usage of visual metaphors, such as using smoke to indicate the confused state of a character.
The ost is excellent, there is usage of the usual strings that bring a sense of urgency to every vital scene. But apart from that, there is also usage of "Tabla" an Indian drum that not only flares up the soundtrack but also alludes to the colonial endeavours of the Great Britain when the story took place. The opening theme is a personal favorite of mine, the clarity in the singer's voice is something you don't usually see in anime openings. The only thing in music that I found particularly distasteful, was the ending theme that could easily be discared. The voice acting is also on point, the voice actors were chosen aptly.
To conclude, I can only say that I never expected to enjoy this show as much as I did. There are some strong themes being dealt with in this show, and the superior technical elements only add to the experience. Even if you have not read the original source material, you'll never find yourself lost. This show can stand on its own as much as it can act as a spin off to Sir Arthur's original stories. Moriarty the Patriot is a show you won't like to miss out on, especially if you are interested in crime and historical-fictions.