Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d do some exploring of another classic anime production, as we check out the first episode of Sherlock Hound. From what I understand, the show is acclaimed as one of the highlights of TMS Entertainment’s early years, combining the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with a light steampunk garnish borrowed from the works of Jules Verne. Given this particular blend of aesthetics, as well as the fact that he’d just finished directing his first film Castle of Cagliostro at the studio, it should come as little surprise that Hayao Miyazaki directed some of this show – unfortunately, rights issues stymied the production, and so he was ultimately only in charge of six episodes.
We won’t be hitting the Miyazaki material until episode three, but I’m nonetheless eager to see how this production tackles the material. I read a great number of the Sherlock Holmes stories as a teenager, and warmly remember Holmes himself as an eminently unlikable magician with a nasty opium habit. I can’t imagine those qualities will translate to his family-friendly animated identity, so let’s see precisely what sort of Holmes we’re dealing with, as we check out the first episode of Sherlock Hound!
Episode 1
Well, the title card already gives me great hope that this will remain a suitably Holmes-ish Sherlock. We see our detective sideways over a chair in an untidy mess of a sitting room, vials and papers strewn across the floor. There is little more essential to Holmes than his absolute dishevelment between active cases – the man can in no way manage his own affairs, and is mostly just a savant of one particular form of detection, with no other general life skills
Beyond that, the original Holmes is also a profoundly rude and unlikable person, with Watson frequently playing the role of mediator between him and whoever he’s currently sneering at. It’s to some extent a wonder that he’s become such an enduring heroic figure, because there is little to actively cheer for in his manner or behavior. It’s really just those magic tricks, those acts of deduction that seem to exceed human powers of observation or connection, that define him as a protagonist
The opening appears to be a collection of episode clips, but my god they look good! So much lively character animation in a relatively limited number of frames. It seems likely that at least some of this comes from the Miyazaki episodes, given this style of movement’s similarity to something like Porco Rosso
It seems this narrative has also added a demure yet capable heroine for Holmes to get flustered by. That’s an easy way to start humanizing Holmes, who in the books mostly treated all human beings as equally dull insects, and also an extremely Miyazaki addition. The dude just adores his feisty feminine heroines
Some of this animation also looks suspiciously Lupin-esque, like this man attempting to swim through the air to grab a flying car. That’s practically a Lupin signature move
“He’s the Famous Detective”
Some nice painted backgrounds as the show begins. The character art lacks shading altogether, making it ideal for lots of fluid, dramatic animation
His little car is ridiculous and adorable. Given this series started with Miyazaki onboard as director, I have to imagine he had a major hand in dictating its design ethos, and everything I’m seeing seems to support that. “An adventure drama in pastoral turn-of-the-century England augmented with slightly fanciful vehicles” feels Miyazaki all over – the dude adores the architecture of Europe around that time, and also loves designing imaginative driving or flying machines
A larger carriage blocks Holmes’ way, prompting the stubborn Holmes to try and pass it. In the books, framed from Watson’s shoulder, Holmes often takes the form of a character you love to hate, and I’m glad to see his implacable and often childish nature being preserved here
We meet our heroine in the carriage, who promptly draws her shade down
The two meet again at the docks, where they are both boarding the same ship. It appears the girl and her companion are worried about being pursued
We meet our presumed Watson, who Holmes swiftly identifies as a doctor. Watson often gets portrayed as a bumbling fool to create a greater contrast, but the original article was a distinguished battlefield surgeon, with a fine mind of his own. Of course, given this is animation, making Watson a little bumbling likely serves its physical comedy purposes
The lady’s guardian is particularly concerned about a small black case
Man, watching all this classic anime is making me feel like we’re currently wading through a uniquely unfortunate moment in anime source material. Stories based on classic literature have an inherently strong narrative backing, while original anime productions, even when they’re intended to sell toys, at least give writers and directors room to stretch their legs. This light novel adaptation pipeline feels like the worst of both worlds, chaining production teams to stories that simply can’t be elevated
Granted, I have the gift of time’s curation on my side, as I’m sure there were plenty of ’84 anime I’d have a lot less interest in
Holmes and Watson’s designs each reflect their character: Holmes is tall and lanky, physically lording over others while appearing just a tad too thin to be healthy. Watson is short and round, appearing friendly, dependable, and perhaps a bit slow on the uptake
“I’m an expert in botany, chemistry, and physics.” Holmes loves knowledge almost too much, and is very lucky to have a found a profession where his rambling studies are actually applicable
They note a masthead of Bengal pirates, but why would Bengal pirates be here?
My memories of the specifics are a little hazy, but I believe Watson ended up marrying the young woman involved in his and Holmes’ first case. It makes sense to shift that to a will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic between Holmes and her, given we need to make Holmes a bit more likable, and also provide some narrative hooks beyond the base promise of more adventures
This heroine seems only slightly removed from Cagliostro’s Princess Clarisse, at least in appearance. Though if the ending’s anything to go by, she’ll end up trending towards Miyazaki’s action heroines like Nausicaa and San
The girl’s name is Barbara
Apparently her father was a Bengal pirate himself, long ago. And now his three former associates are chasing him
“The Bengal pirates have a habit of sending a shark tooth to announce the death mark of a traitor.” That really doesn’t look like a shark tooth to me, but I suppose Holmes is the expert
As the pirates attack, our ship is hamstrung by saboteurs in the boiler room
The black box is full of precious gems. Always appreciate an old-fashioned cel backlighting trick
Holmes replaces the gems with dummies, and then sets off to negotiate with the pirates, by threatening to throw the gems in the ocean
Sherlock Holmes stories generally climax with Holmes revealing his series of deductions, which frankly doesn’t translate all that easily to visual drama. Ending on a tense negotiation with pirates is still in Holmes’ wheelhouse, but a bit more of a punchy television hook
And then they modify Holmes’ car into a mini-ferryboat! Love how they’re embracing the unique technology of this world as a core component of the drama
Yeah, most traditional Holmes stories don’t end with him swerving between cannon fire on a makeshift steamship, but goddamnit am I here for it
This show also seems distinctly Lupin-derivative in its veneration of chase scenes. Lots of confident tricks of movement into depth here, that were presumably carried over from TMS’ work on that franchise
And when all seems lost, the navy arrives in the nick of time! And thus the friendship of Holmes and Watson is forged in the heat of battle
And Done
Ah, what fun! What a delightful adventure, and what a rewarding expansion of the Sherlock Holmes dynamic. Combining Holmes’ sharp deductions with some action highlights and mechanical whimsy all works perfectly, transposing stories that can frankly feel a little dry into a punchier serial adventure mode. And the show’s visual aesthetic is beautiful, with even this first episode making strong use of its flexible character designs, and simply showing off with sequences like the final boat chase. Even without Miyazaki overtly directing this episode, you can feel his presence in the show’s overall design, making the production feel as cozy as Kiki’s Delivery Service. I can’t wait to see more!
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