Moriarty the Patriot
2020
Original language: Japanese
- animation
- mystery
The story
In the late 19th century, the British Empire nobility reigns while its working class suffers at their hands. Sympathetic to their plight, William James Moriarty wants to topple it all. Frustrated by the systemic inequity, Moriarty strategizes to fix the entire nation. Not even consulting detective Sherlock Holmes can stand in his way. It’s time for crime to revolutionize the world!
What it’s like
Gaslit Victorian interiors rendered in rich, painterly backgrounds: dim drawing rooms of dark wood and brass, rain-slick cobbled streets, and ornate costumes in deep greens, oxblood reds and muted golds, with crisp, expressive character animation that lingers on faces during quiet conversations. The mood is stately and sly, with a melancholy undertow, and the pacing favours long, talky stretches of scheming and whispered negotiation, broken by sudden, sharp bursts of action and violence. The violence is present and sometimes bloody, with executions, street fights and class cruelty shown on screen, though it is not gratuitous, and the tragedy lands hard. Its emotional core is the uneasy partnership between two very different men, and its arcs follow a brilliant, principled schemer whose ideals curdle into something more dangerous. Best for a late-night watch when you want a clever, elegant story with moral weight, for viewers who enjoy anti-heroes, aristocratic intrigue and bromance, and who can handle a darker, sober tone.
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