We are having a pretty great season of anime if you ask me. And that’s a bit of a bad thing for a show like Ron Kamonohashi. I really enjoy this show and I was pleasantly surprised by it. But I can’t deny that it’s light as air. It’s a sort of make you smile, supremely easy-to-watch type of show that in a lesser season would have gotten more of a chance to shine. Again, if you ask me. As it is though, it’s easier to notice what it lacks. But let’s not dwell on that too much.
I do love Dr. Mofu and I, ‘m disappointed we only got to see her for a minute. But it did give us some new information. Well me. Some of you may have known this already. Apparently, Ron’s deadly hypnosis thing is not a secret. I thought it would be. But I guess he’s now convinced that he isn’t a murderer so he’s ok with people knowing. I mean it was never said that it was a secret or anything. I just found it odd that he would share the details with someone he barely knows. Then again, he is a fan of hers and she is a doctor and therefore bound by confidentiality. Still, to me, this says that Mofu is likely to become a way more important character. That would be great. I want an episode with just her and the crime reporter. Maybe they need to team up to save the guys. Someone let me write an episode!
I just got so hyped about my potential non-existent episode that I almost forgot about this one. We had another returning character: Kawasemi. I think I already shared my thoughts on him. I like him. I actually like pretty much all the characters in this show with a preference for the ladies. But even though I like them, they don’t have much staying power in my mind. They’re just a bit too flat for that. So I liked Kawasemi, I enjoyed the small subversion of the classic justice-driven perfectionist being a bit of a bleeding heart who cares deeply about his subordinates and worries about the unforeseen consequences of his perfectionism. You don’t see that addressed too much or that type of self-reflection at least. Because neurotic perfectionism can really wreak havoc on both your life and the lives of those close to you.
So I was happy to see Kawasemi and I was intrigued by this fall from grace his character had apparently taken. And once again I was surprised by the gentleness they chose to imbue Kawasemi with. You would figure that he would be frustrated or bitter, beaten down. But he isn’t. He’s in a slump, you could even say a shadow of his former self as far as deduction goes but he’s polite, still earnestly trying to do his job, and humble enough to immediately accept help when it’s offered. That’s not a very common characterization.
I wonder did anyone else thought that the Chameleon was just an annoying phone thief when they first heard the description. They did mention that he bonks his victims on the head but Kawasemi described it so calmly and also talked about several victims giving contradicting eyewitness accounts. Basically I just thought it might be a mild shove or pat to distract the person while they yonked the phone. So I was really shocked when it looked like he straight-up murdered someone in broad daylight on a crowded street. Turns out it didn’t just look that way, it’s exactly what happened. And no one seemed all that shaken up by it. Man, these people are way too ok with murder. I might have been wrong in assuming Japan was a safe place.
The actual meat of the episode was another pretty standard crime of the week. I didn’t like this one much though. It really felt like they just jumped to a lot of conclusions. Basically, what Ron himself was calling out in the onsen episode, he did in this episode and it felt a little cheap to me. I’m not saying all the past cases were brilliant but they were entertaining and felt a touch more earned than this one. Maybe the character-building pushed the mystery aspect to the side.
It also means that we don’t get any sort of continuation of this Moriarty story they were setting up. I wonder if the studio is hoping for a second season? I would watch it. It’s sooo easy to watch!
Previous Reviews
- Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions – Episode 1
- Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions – Episode 2
- Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions – Episode 3
- Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions – Episode 4
- Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions – Episode 5
- Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions – Episode 6
- Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions – Episode 7
- Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions – Episode 8
- Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions – Episode 9
- Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions – Episode 10
The fact that Ron’s involuntary hypnotizing of murderers into killing themselves is all artificial is intriguing. There’s obviously way too much to cover for a single season, but one can surmise the general shape of things now. The Moriarty group did something to Ron, implanting this strange and lethal behavior against his will. I wonder why, given how much of a threat that could be to them, especially, unless they have some means of safeguarding themselves against it. Whether they have that or not, this is still an extreme and elaborate measure to take. Perhaps they felt Ron was a danger to them and to their business, but they weren’t able to simply take him out themselves, so they arranged for Blue to do it instead, to kill their most prized student. Or maybe they want the murderous side of Ron to grow and corrupt him and bring him to their side. Or maybe they just wanted to torment him. Hmmm.
I kind of think the Moriarty group is trying to prep Ron to join their team.
Ron’s disguise was hilarious
Yes! I thought the tongs were a very nice touch!